St Aloysius' College Newsletter

Dear Readers,

A warm welcome to our Easter newsletter!

We received some very positive news from the DfE (Department for Education) on February 27th, in the form of an Academy Order to join the All Saints Catholic Academy Trust (CAT). The target date for conversion to an Academy is September 1st, 2025. The DfE also gave us the green light to go co-educational from September 2025. So, September 1st, 2025 will be a significant date in the 146 year old history of this great school when we’ll welcome our first Year 7 cohort! We are busy with preparations to include associated building works, staff training, curriculum and resources reviews and preparing our current pupils to welcome our new Aloysians!

St Aloysius' College was once more a hive of activity this half-term, with fantastic projects, trips and learning opportunities going on across all subjects. I would like to mention World Book Day, which Year 7 celebrated in colourful character costumes. Years 7-9 participated in a spelling bee with prizes for the top three participants. Reading well and with enjoyment is such an integral part of a student's success in life, so please encourage your son to take out a book or two this Easter holiday from your local library and get captivated by a great story.

Our proud tradition of nurturing talent in the field of basketball and in football continues. Years 7 and 11 made it to the semi-finals of the Islington and Camden Schools’ Football Cup. Year 9 played in the final of the same competition but were outplayed by Central Foundation, unfortunately. Year 10 have got through to the Inner London Schools’ Cup final.

Our Year 13 and Year 11 students are busily preparing for their Public examinations which start on Monday, May 8th. A range of Easter holiday revision sessions will take place in the first week of the holidays. Parents have been written to separately. I am very pleased to share that 33% of Year 13 have been offered a place at a Russell group University post A-Levels 2025. Pupils are focused and working hard so, please God, their efforts will be rewarded appropriately.

Easter is a time of reflection and renewal and it is in that spirit that we look forward to the Summer term of the academic year 2024/25. We are all looking forward to longer and to warmer days ahead. Please read on for a recap of more highlights from this eventful Spring half-term.

Thank you for your continued support and I hope you and your family have a restful holiday and enjoy the peace and blessings of Easter in this special Jubilee Year of the Church.

Paula Whyte

Headteacher

We were thrilled to meet the very first girls to join Year 7 in the history of our school for an information evening this term. Headteacher Ms Whyte welcomed the new intake and talked about their pioneering status: 'You make history and we couldn't be more excited to get everything ready so that you feel welcome and happy in our school come September.' The parents and carers were given the key dates on their journey to the new academic year and had a chance to ask questions, as well as have a first glance at the new school uniform. Year 13 student Sidra talked about the ease with which she conducts her studies as one of the girls in our Sixth Form: 'The teachers here are great when it comes to looking after everybody,' she comcluded. Interested in having a look around St Aloysius' College? Come for a personal tour and see our thriving school community in action. Please scroll to the bottom for contact details.

World Book Day, you beauty! Our Year 7 students bossed a spelling bee in the main hall, where Ms Doorly and Ms Chera from the English department also gave tasty prizes out for Book Character Costume of the Day. A fun-filled day that put stories and story characters at its heart - where you find reading for pleasure all year round at St Aloysius' College.

Coach Mr King led the boys all the way to finals of the Islington & Camden Cup, where they encountered an immaculately organised Central Foundation Boys' team. The south Islington school took the win in the end but we're so proud of our players and can't wait to see what they achieve next. The way they continually improved over the last season is impressive and bodes well for the future of Year 9's footballing career. Watch this space!

Our extracurricular clubs in partnership with Channing School are extremely versatile and range from chess to robotics and from cookery to debating - to name but a few. This term, the students of both schools also had an opportunity to get crafty in the re-introduced Design & Technology club on Wednesday afternoons. Led by Ms Osmani and supported by Ms Loughney, the participating boys and girls create their own lamp. We can't wait to see them switched on and shining at the end of the 6-week course!

Twenty students from our Years 7 and 8 recently ventured to the British Library for a creative writing workshop called 'Write Here'. The boys were asked to produce a piece of creative writing set at the British library, using so-called 'immersive methods'.
For one of the exercises - called 'broad view' - they were taken to the top floor of the British library, and invited to use their senses to describe what they can see and hear. They were then guided to a room entitled 'Special Items', asked to select an object to zoom in on in their writing, exploring the item's history and the questions it raises in their minds. Finally, they experimented with ways of structuring their writing, cutting up paragraphs and playing around with different possible arrangements.
All in all, a fantastic way of being writers for a day and exploring the many exciting ways of bringing words, ideas and concepts to paper. Huge thanks to the lovely people of the British Library for hosting us.

We're delighted to be awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the renowned school comparison website schoolguide.co.uk. The panel took academic outcomes, attendance and student well-being into account and concluded that St Aloysius' College meets the highest quality standards in all these areas.

Our Year 12 students got a glimpse into their future the other day: Meet the Professionals is an annual event that allows Sixth Formers to liaise with company bosses and business leaders from a big variety of industries to discuss where their professional ambitions could take them. There were also very practical tips like how to structure an effective CV or how to share more personal information in a job interview. This year, more than 80 experts flocked to our Sixth Form centre on Hornsey Lane to network with our students and we would like to extend a huge Thank You for their effort and commitment.

Head of Science Ms Bude took our Year 11s to nearby Waterlow Park for an ecology practical this week: the students used square-shaped grids to investigate the distribution of daisies in the park.
Two groups also used a so-called 'belt transect' to see how species richness varied in the different habitats within the park's ecosystem. The morning took an unexpected turn when one of the groups found a cheeky little frog, as demonstrated by Ms Bude.

Curtains up for Year 10 & 12's spring term reward trip: the students enjoyed a breathtaking ballet version of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet in the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. The classic story of two 'star-crossed lovers' and their tragic demise was enjoyed by 14 boys who put in an extra effort this term, rewarded with a world-class ballet performance, enjoyed from quality seats close to the stage. The accompanying teacher was Ms Mauris-Blanc.

We're thrilled to announce a brand new after-school activity: the Growing Green Forest Club! It started on Thursday and will continue into the summer term. The sun shone down on club leaders Jeska and Gareth, as they officially inaugurated the outdoors classroom in a strip of woodland south of the school playground. After enjoying an invigorating concoction made of nettle, lemon and honey, the 8 forest club members ventured deeper into the woods to discuss the many exciting projects ahead. We will of course deliver regular updates but it's fair to say that our latest club has gone off to a flying - and very sunny - start.

Shakespearian wisdom brought to life! Our Year 7 actors deliver some classics of the famous bard with gusto, fusing memorising skills and oracy. We applaud the clarity and confidence with which the boys delivered their lines and say a big Thank You to Ms Doorly for preparing our young thespians so wonderfully.

Thursday mornings in the library were very special occasions for a group of Year 7 boys: they enjoyed 1-to-1 reading support from Year 12 students who acted as literacy mentors. The latter encouraged the former to read out loud from a story book of their choice, which took some convincing to begin with but over the weeks, the confidence of the young readers grew markedly. The sessions were rounded off with discussions of the part of the story that was read, allowing for reflection and the exchange of ideas and interpretations. Pictured are the Year 7 readers with their Reading certificates, flanked by Head of Year Ms Jastrzab.

We're building something big and exciting: a brand-new alumni network called the Aloysius' Alumni Alliance. If you're a former pupil or an ex-member of staff, we would like to hear from you! Please send us your name, daytime telephone number, role at the school and the year you left St Aloysius' College and we will be in touch with more details. The email address to register is enquiries@sta.islington.sch.uk

We look forward to hearing from you and celebrating your past contributions to our school, as well as inviting you to make a difference to our current and future students' lives.

The next Aloysius' Alumni Alliance networking event will be on Thursday 10th July 2025, from 5pm - a summertime gathering on our scenic terrace (weather permitting). Details to follow.

End of January saw the commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day the world over. This year marks 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz Birkenau, the most notorious camp of the Holocaust. This context made Year 9's recent trip to the Belsize Park synagogue all the more significant and we would like to thank Rabbi Gabriel Botnick for his kind invitation. Our students embraced the opportunity top learn more about a different faith and by doing so contribute to a better informed and more inclusive and tolerant society. The group was led by Head of History Mr Neville, who received praise from the synagogue for 'ensuring discipline and the interest of the pupils throughout the visit.' Education programme director Peter Bohm was 'particularly taken with the way in which, at the end of the Programme, he summarised to the students the lessons of the visit and really emphasised what thoughts and ideas they should take away with them.'

As a dynamic and forward-thinking school, we're always looking for new ways of connecting with our community. One way of presenting ourselves to the wider world happens through digital channels. As you will know, we have a wide range of social media accounts, and you can connect with us on X, Instagram and Facebook by using the handle @StAloysiusC. We have also joined the latest social media kid on the block, Bluesky. Promising to prioritise 'transparency, trust, and meaningful connections', it seems a good fit with the ethos and values of our school.

You can also be part of our digital messaging by posting a review on Google. Doing so is easy: just type 'St Aloysius College London' into the search bar and click on 'Write a review' in the right-hand side window that will appear. Your positive contributions make a real difference and will be much appreciated.

Let's build a thriving, caring and outward-looking community, online and off!

Pictured is a group of Year 7 boys on their school trip to the Science Museum in South Kensington at the beginning of April, together with accompanying teachers Ms Jastrzab and Mr Salazar-Endara. We wish our school community a joyous and restful Easter holiday break and look forward to welcoming everybody back on Tuesday, 22nd April.

Email: enquiries@sta.islington.sch.uk
Website: https://www.sta.islington.sch.uk
Location: St Aloysius' RC College, Hornsey Lane, London, UK
Phone: 020 7561 7800