Student Wins Prize in Prestigious King’s College London Writing Contest

A huge congratulations to A Level student Bethan B, who impressed judges in the annual writing competition hosted by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures at King’s College London! Challenged to explore the theme of food and migration, Bethan took a bold and creative approach with her imaginative article, ‘What If Christopher Columbus Had Been a Woman?’  Her thought-provoking take on historical revisionism stood, earning her an impressive second place.

Bethan’s achievement was recognized with a £50 voucher and the publication of her article in ‘Jargon – Comparative Literature’, a platform celebrating creative and academic writing. She also attended a special workshop and prize-giving event at King’s College. Her success highlights the power of originality and critical thinking.

Year 7 Eco Champions

Year 7 Prefects (with a little help from Year 12 Prefects) made bird boxes this week as part of their eco responsibilities, which they embraced with enthusiasm. They put the bird boxes up around the school site and we hope to see lots of birds making use of them in the spring. 

Year 8 Get a Taste of University Life at Roehampton

Year 8 pupils got a glimpse of student life during a fun-filled visit to Roehampton University. From budgeting and choosing accommodation to tackling the challenge of making a bed, they explored what it takes to live independently in activities based on ‘A day in the life of a student’. After a campus tour, they quizzed Roehampton’s Student Ambassadors and wrapped up the day by pitching their own creative university designs. A fantastic introduction to higher education!

Artist of the Week - Hannah H

This beautiful submission for the Royal Academy Children's Summer Exhibition was painted by Hannah H in Year 9. She has drawn from one of her own photographs of a seaside town, showing not only a photographic likeness, but a real sense of atmosphere. Small brushstrokes show the movement of waves and shimmering light, with a strong light and dark contrast that creates a calming effect. Well done Hannah for this extremely skilled piece and good luck in the competition!

Year 8 Explore Rainforest Ecosystems at Kew Gardens

Well done to all our Year 8 pupils who took part in last week’s trips to Kew Gardens, bringing their ‘Tropical Rainforests in Africa’ topic to life. In a hands-on workshop, they compared the lush, humid environment of the Palm House to the UK’s climate, deepening their understanding of rainforest ecosystems. They also explored Kew’s other glasshouses, looking at the different features of biomes, discovering the unique features of deserts and temperate forests. Throughout the day, pupils showed great curiosity and represented the school brilliantly.

Maths Fest Success

Year 10 took part in Maths Feast this week at Raynes Park High School - a fun educational challenge which tests problem–solving and teamwork skills. We entered two teams of four pupils to test their maths skills with some of the most fiendishly difficult questions that even the organisers got wrong. One of the teams (Grace S, Ermuun S, Carolina BM and Olivier CS) were amongst the winners of round three. Well done to the teams taking part.

Our First Arkwright Scholar!

We are absolutely delighted that Robert K in Year 11 has been awarded the Arkwright Engineering Scholarship from September 2025. He is Saint Cecilia’s first ever Arkwright Scholar! This is a huge success and one that he should be really proud of, especially as the application process is recognised for being lengthy and arduous. This opportunity will provide mentoring, resources and additional support for Robert to explore the many engineering career and study pathways available. Please ask your child to look at the weekly careers newsletter on Satchel One for other opportunities advertised. A huge well to Robert for all his efforts in securing this scholarship.

Year 7 Organ Scholar gets official appointment!

We are very proud of Danny K, one of our Year 7 Music Scholars, who has been appointed organ scholar at St Mary's Wimbledon. He will be playing on Friday evening rehearsals, teaching music theory to choristers and playing for parts of the Sunday services. He is really excited to have been offered this opportunity and it is such a special achievement for a Year 7 pupil to have gained a great musical position at this young age. Well done Danny!