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6 November 2026

Senior Team Maths challenge

Well done to Bella (Y12) , Lorenza (Y12) , Daniel (Y13) and Hal (Y13) for their strong performance in the UKMT Senior Team Maths challenge on Wednesday 4 November. They did incredibly well, scoring in the top 25%. The competition was very strong, including schools like King's Maths School and Haberdashers' Boys' School. The student had great fun participating and meeting like-minded mathematicians from across London. 

Ms Hussain

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Maths Student of the Week

Violet 8C – Violet always tries her best, listens carefully and takes good notes in her book. She works hard in every lesson and is a model student for her peers in the classroom. Well done!

Music News

On Tuesday, players from the renowned orchestra, Academy St Martin in the Fields, came to CSG to play and talk about one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed – Schubert's C major String Quintet.

Students from year 13 and 10 listened to these incredible musicians perform parts of the work and talk about the joys and some of the challenges of playing chamber music, which Goethe described as a conversation between intelligent people! Our very own string quintet: Jessie, Rozafa, Ingrid, Anna and Atticus, who have been learning Schubert, played alongside the Academy of St Martin's musicians, something I feel sure they will never forget.

This was the first of 3 visits from the orchestra, and we look forward with excitement to exploring Schubert in more depth alongside some works by female composers, Amy Beech and Florence Price.

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Assembly Speaker – 19 October 
Rupert Sanderson: British Shoe Designer

In our assembly, sixth form students heard from successful shoe designer Rupert Sanderson. Rupert’s journey into the fashion industry provided us with a valuable lesson in following your passions, embracing creativity and taking and making use of every opportunity you get.

Whilst his career path was unconventional, from studying Geography at university to working in advertising and eventually finding his way to shoemaking, he emphasised that every stage was just as valuable as the next. He highlighted that his time as an intern in Italy allowed him to understand the art of shoemaking through becoming heavily involved in the factory process. During this time, he not only learnt Italian, Rupert learnt the language of the fashion industry.

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Today, the Rupert Sanderson brand has been involved in major global industry events, namely Karl Lagerfeld's catwalks, Royal Opera productions and the Minions premiere! When asked what his favourite shoes he had ever made were, Rupert noted his ‘Estelle’ shoes that were showcased at the 2015 V&A shoe exhibition, clearly a career highlight.

Rupert explained that his upcoming career plans may involve sculpture-making, but that the beauty of his job is being able to explore many different avenues. For the final question, a student asked whether it was intimidating to make the shift from the more traditional route to the arts, and Rupert responded passionately that there was no logic in this decision, he simply felt compelled to make the change. This provided a powerful message that you cannot force interests, success is built on genuine passion.

Sadie
Sixth Form Senior Prefect

Duke of Edinburgh News: Autumn 2026

We have started the new academic year by welcoming a fantastic new cohort of students to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme!

  • Bronze (Year 9) – 80 students
  • Silver (Year 10) – 34 students
  • Gold (Year 12) – 39 students

Students are already busy setting up their accounts, starting their activities, and preparing for the upcoming expeditions starting next April. Special recognition goes to Laura Bardhi, who completed her Bronze expedition over the half-term break by joining another school group on the South Downs—a commendable challenge as the sole participant representing our school!

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering activities are now underway. This year, we are pleased to support the following in-school placement opportunities:

  • Blind Tennis: Assisting visually impaired and blind tennis players.
  • Allotment Volunteer: Developing practical gardening and outdoor skills outside the standard curriculum.
  • Expedition Support: Helping with equipment management and expedition training within school.
  • Library Support: Assisting Ms Kranwinkle in the school library.
  • Archive Support: Assisting Ms Green with school archive organisation.

Information & Action Items for Parents

Parental involvement plays a vital role in helping students successfully achieve their awards. While the DofE is designed to build independent responsibility in students, having your oversight and encouragement makes a significant difference.

Please review the key action points and expedition schedules below to support your child:

Expedition Dates

  • Bronze: June 19–21 OR June 26–28
  • Silver: May 7–9 AND June 10–13
  • Gold: April 5–11 (team dependent) and July 13–17

  • Account Setup: Confirm your child has logged in and can show you their active eDofE homepage.
  • Activity Approval: Ensure their chosen skills and activities have been submitted and approved on eDofE.
  • Completion Dates: Take note of their targeted completion dates for each section.
  • Holiday Extensions: Remember that family holidays do not count toward weekly activity requirements and will extend the total duration accordingly.

Payments: Please keep up to date with expedition payment requests on ParentPay. These funds cover essential upfront costs, including campsite bookings, certified trainers/assessors, and safety equipment.

What We're Reading 

The strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a short novel written in 1886 by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is centred around a London lawyer, Mr Utterson, who investigates the mysterious connection between the highly respectable scientist Dr Jekyll, and the violent Mr Hyde, a criminal who spends his time fighting and drinking in London’s underworld. Full of things like scientific experiments, dark streets and even a bit of action, it is a gothic horror story, and an especially interesting read, having become a classic in literature.

Martha – Year 8

Supporting Your Child's GCSE Success:
Y11 Parent Information Session

Year 11 students have recently received the latest edition of our Learning How to Learn: The GCSE Edition booklet and participated in two PSHE sessions exploring evidence-based study strategies.

We are pleased to invite you to an online information session where we will walk you through this valuable resource, helping you understand:

  • The science behind effective revision techniques
  • Practical strategies your daughter is learning to use (flashcards, brain dumps, knowledge maps, and more)
  • How to support productive study habits at home
  • Using AI tools responsibly to enhance learning
  • The difference between effective and ineffective study methods

This is an excellent opportunity to familiarise yourself with the approaches we're teaching at school, enabling you to support your child better during this crucial year.

Date: Monday, 9 November
Time: 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Format: Google Meet (link to follow via email)

The session will last approximately one hour and will aim to include time for questions.

We look forward to working with you to help your child achieve their full potential.

Simon Flynn
Student Learning Coordinator

 

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Autumn 2026 Programme

Weekly Wellbeing Section

Working on Wellbeing

This week’s challenge: Sleepmaxxing. With school starting up again after the half term, it’s very important to regain a rhythm both in the day and at night. 


Sleep hygiene is very important in helping to consolidate recently-learned material, as the brain needs time to process all that’s happened, and store new information in memory. Studies also show how sleep prior to learning is just as important as after it. Maintaining a regular (and healthy) sleep routine supports memory consolidation, and even helps with getting to sleep in the long-term since the body gradually becomes aware of when it’s time to wind down. 

Some tips for sleeping hygienically:

  • Relax before bed - this could include reading/listening to a podcast/meditation.
  • Avoid screens! 
  • Make your bedroom comfortable (quiet, dark and cool rooms may help)
  • Try not to force it. If you’re still awake after 20 mins, get up and sit somewhere comfortable. Go back to bed when you feel sleepy.

You can read more about the neurobiological research into importance of sleep here: Students: it’s time to ditch the pre-exam all-nighter | BPS 


Billie - Yr 12 Psychology Ambassador

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