In support of World Mental Health we held our Anglo Hello Yellow Day this week. Staff and students added a dash of yellow to their outfits and sported yellow ribbons. Students were encouraged to add yellow labels to our Wall of Positivity and even the sun shone all day! If anyone is struggling with their mental health or knows someone else who is then please come forward and tell someone. You can speak to your form tutor, Year Leader, anyone in the pastoral teams, mental health first aiders, a Talk2Nish mentor or any of the safeguarding team. You can also share your concerns through our website https://www.aesessex.co.uk/ - "Report a Concern".

This week, Mrs Peeters, Mrs Porsz, Mrs Latimer and Mrs Gee have been speaking at languages conferences led by the NCLE and ASCL. The first conference was focus on developing a strategy for languages growth and success and there were key note speeches from Leilah Tott DFE) Bernadette Holmes MBE (NCLE/UCL), Vicky Gough (British Council) and Andrea Pfeil (Goethe Institute) around constructive change in the languages curriculum and how the Lead Hubs, of which Anglo European is one, can contribute to the development of language learning, an increased uptake of languages at GCSE and A Level and increasing languages graduates at university, who we hope may be the next generation of languages teachers.

On Monday, Mrs Gee spoke at the ASCL conference about promoting languages for all, supporting home, heritage and community languages and building support for students through curriculum design, pedagogy and assessment practices. Key note speakers included Sir Ian Bauckham, CBE (Chief Regulator of Ofqual) who is involved in the DFE’s current curriculum review, Tom Middleton, the curriculum and inspection specialist at ASCL and Tonia Antoniazzi, MP who is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages who advocates for a rich and broad language curriculum and the importance of visits and exchanges inspired by her own studies of French and Italian and her own university study abroad in Venice.

It was an inspiring two days of high level thinking about the future of languages, the power of language learning to aid social mobility, the opportunities speaking languages affords our students and how we can make this even better for future generations.

Year 11 students have been working hard during their Geography field visit this week to Rhyd-y-Creuau in Wales. They had a range of different projects to work on including investigating the impacts of tourism on the honeypot site of Betws y Coed, looking into the changing long profile and cross profile of a river, exploring the coastal town of Criccieth to investigate the physical processes and human activities that shape this landscape and identifying the current challenges facing the traditional seaside resort of Llandudno.

With over 30 visits and exchanges planned for this year, our International Office has tasked each visit with taking one or two of our anniversary Gonks on an unforgettable journey. Whether it’s the splendid landscapes of Iceland, the historic temples of China, or the serene canals of Venice, the Gonks will see the iconic sights, meet the locals, and experience what makes each location unique. Each visit will document their travels by sharing photos of their favourite locations. We look forward to sharing these with you and enjoyed seeing how our first gonks got on in Wales on the Geography visit.

Interview with Year 9 student, Oba, and Upper Sixth student, Destiny:

What do you love most about your Yoruba culture?

Oba: I like the different types of food as they all have a beautiful mix of colours and flavours.

Destiny: What I love the most about my Yoruba culture is my Ìjẹ̀bú heritage. The Ìjẹ̀bú are a subgroup of the Yoruba people, with our own dialect and traditions. My favourite celebration is the Ojude Oba Festival, held every year after Eid to honour the king of Ijebuland. People travel from all over the world to participate, and various groups, known as regberegbe, dress in their unique attire to pay homage to the king. The sense of community and pride that comes with this festival is truly special.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Oba: My favourite childhood memories are the fun and exhilarating parties where we wear our lovely, traditional clothes which are grand and have lovely and intricate patterns.

Destiny: One of my most cherished childhood memories is visiting Nigeria during holidays to reconnect with my family and immerse myself in the richness of our culture. Through traditional foods, folktales, and family stories, I learned more about my heritage, and it shaped who I am today. These visits deepened my pride in being Yoruba, especially since all of my family still lives in Nigeria. It was always a meaningful time that reinforced my connection to my heritage.

What is the best tradition in your culture?

Oba: I think the best tradition in my culture is the beautiful and intricate clothes with the colourful patterns and unique shapes and designs.

Destiny: The weddings! Any Nigerians know that we know how to party, but a Yoruba wedding is a different game entirely – they are jaiye galore. There are typically three or four parts: the introduction, the engagement, the traditional wedding, and the "white" wedding. My favourite part is the tradition of spraying money on the dance floor, where guests shower the bride and groom with money as they dance. It’s a way of celebrating the couple's prosperity and happiness.

Tell me about someone who has had a great impact on the world?

Oba: I believe Bukayo Saka has had a great impact on the world of football as he has brought a wide range of diversity to the footballing community.

Destiny: One Yoruba figure who had a significant impact is Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti. In the 1940s, she founded the Abeokuta Women’s Union and was a trailblazer for women's rights in Nigeria. At a time when women were expected to be seen but not heard, she fought for greater representation in local government and campaigned against unfair taxes imposed on market women. She was also deeply involved in Nigeria’s independence movement and advocated for women’s suffrage. Despite opposition, her efforts empowered countless Nigerian women. Funmilayo’s legacy endures, though she tragically died at 77 following a military raid on her family’s home.

Finally, what's your favourite Yoruba word, and why? What does it mean?

Destiny: My favourite Yoruba word is wura, which means "gold." I don’t have a specific reason for loving it – I just think it sounds beautiful, and it carries a sense of richness and value.

Congratulations to all our Upper and Lower Sixth students who took part in the recent Senior Maths Challenge. It was encouraging to see so many keen Mathematicians answering problem solving questions and giving up their free time in order to participate. There were some really great results. Well done!

In accordance with the School Admissions Code 2021 and on behalf of the Governing Body of The Anglo European School, views are sought on the proposed admission arrangements for 2026-27. A copy of the proposed admission arrangements are attached to this email and are available on our website. This consultation relates to our Sixth Form Admissions Policy which has been updated, including our revised matriculation requirements and oversubscription criteria. The consultation period will last for the period from 17th October to 5th December 2024. The final determined policy will be published on the school website by 15th March 2025.

Please send any comments regarding the consultation of our Sixth Form Admissions Policy by email to admissions@aesessex.co.uk or by post to:

Mrs Smith - Admissions Manager

Anglo European School

Willow Green, Ingatestone

CM4 0DJ

In assemblies this week, Mrs Jamison, our School Librarian, has been talking to the students about the importance and benefits of reading and what our fantastic school library can do for them.

Our school library holds over 9,000 books that are refreshed constantly to reflect the school population, the academic needs of the students but most importantly encouraging reading for pleasure. We hold books for Year 7 right up to the Upper Sixth in all genres, including manga, graphic novels and non-fiction. All pupils are encouraged to borrow books, but also to suggest new books and we have a great team of student librarians that advise and help run the Library. There is also a wide range of magazines, revision guides, books in different languages, career advice and the space and facilities to study.

With the importance of reading in mind, please check out the Anglo European Book Club, where you can find a fabulous selection of teenage books to buy at discounted prices. Go to https://schools.scholastic.co.uk/angloeuropean/digital-book-club to browse the latest books and order online. For every £1 you spend on this month’s Book Club, our school will earn 20p in Scholastic Rewards. Please place your online order by 8th November 2024.

Don't forget to check out our extra-curricular clubs. There are lots of opportunities to engage in different activities such as Anglo Music School including choir, orchestra and ensembles, Coding, Debating Society, Drama, Proud, Moles, Spanish Scabble as well as physical activities including trampolining, badminton, table tennis, netball, football and basketball to name but a few. GET INVOLVED!

Thank you to those parents who attended the AGM on Tuesday 15th October at 5pm. This was very well attended. We are pleased to announce that many parents have accepted key positions with the AESA and we look forward to supporting future fundraising ideas. It is not too late to join, please email aesa@aesessex.co.uk for details.

The AESA would like to run their popular Christmas present stall so that students can purchase small gifts for their families. If you have anything that you think might make a good present please bring these to Student Services who will ensure these are passed to the AESA.

We welcome the return of the very popular AESA Quiz. Please secure this date in your diary:

Friday 22nd November at 7pm - to book your place use this link https://forms.office.com/e/E9BkFQGTZy

See below information about the labour market of local regions. This week we are focusing on Maldon.

Anglo's Year 10 boys' football team won 7-0 in the mid-Essex Cup. Our goals were scored by Pampam (2), Sean, Leo, Jared, Frank and Daniel. The whole team were outstanding and played excellently, passing the football from defence to attack. Well done boys!

The Sixth Form football team put in an excellent display of football in their first game together, winning 5-3 in the Essex cup. Righteous, who scored twice and Nigel scored once were both excellent.

We have been following James' journey with his passion for Karate. He has recently attended his 14th WUKF European Karate Championships held in Warsaw and has come back as a European Champion and silver medallist.

Despite him only being 14.5 years old and a featherweight fighter, Karate England selected James to represent England in five separate categories for 14 to 15 year old boys all belts. Three were individual events and two were open weight team events where James was honoured to be placed in England’s first teams.

Of 19 fighting teams, James and his team won the Team Sanbon category and came second to Romania’s top team in Team Rotation. The way the draws worked out, they had very difficult routes into the two finals, beating teams of an extremely high standard along the way.

In his individual fighting, James fought his way into the quarter finals where he narrowly went out to the eventual winner. He was the highest placed person not to medal and is now seeded fifth in Europe.

In kata (performance of a set routine) James had a large pool of 51 people in his shotokan category and 34 in open all styles. He made it into the second round final 18 for both (of itself a huge achievement, given the size and power of various of the older competitors). He was close to going into the final six, but missed out by just a few tenths on his combined first and second round scores. He is delighted to be seeded in the top ten in Europe in shotokan and just outside that in all styles where shotokan tends to be less dominant.

In summary, therefore, James won gold and silver medals, is seeded in the top five in Europe in three of his age 14 to 15 boys categories, in the top ten in his fourth and in the top fifteen in all five of them. He looks forward to making continued progress over the next year as he gets older and gains additional national and international level experience moving through his two year age bracket in his sport of choice. Many congratulations James!

Please find attached the flyer for Old Brentwoods RFC’s Free Fun Open Day for children this coming Sunday(20th). If you would like to attend please complete this online form in advance so they can gauge numbers:

https://forms.office.com/e/i3QvgNVCr0

University College London (UCL) is offering a free year-long programme of inspiring classes in various areas relating to writing, talking and communication. Delivered by UCL experts and academics, this exciting new Club gives you the chance to try out writing poetry, combining words and performance and have a go at scripting and filming a short documentary. The weekly workshops are for students in Years 9, 10 and 11, who live and/or go to school in the London boroughs of Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest. Apply through the online application form on the link below or contact UCL for further information at east.schools@ucl.ac.uk

22nd September to 16th November - Year 10 Long Term Exchange to Frankfurt

Monday 21st October - Year 8 Hindu Temple Visit

Tuesday 22nd October - Year 8 Hindu Temple Visit

Wednesday 23rd October at 3.45pm - Dr Jack Lennon from Leicester University talking about History at University - for Years 11/L6/U6

Thursday 24th October - Year 10 Theatre Visit

Friday 25th October - Year 9 Individual Photos

Monday 28th October to Friday 1st November - HALF TERM

Monday 4th November - Year 10 individual photographs

Thursday 7th November - U6 National Theatre Workshop and Performance

Thursday 7th November - Year 11 Parents' Evening

Monday 11th November - Remembrance Service

Monday 11th November - Brentwood Boys' Swimming Gala

Monday 11th November - Year 9 Girls' Brentwood Futsal

Tuesday 12th November - Confucius Classroom Hub Enrichment Day

Tuesday 12th November - MESSSA Cross Country Championships - Hylands Park

Tuesday 12th November at 6pm - Year 8 Information Evening for Parents

Wednesday 13th November - Year 9 Enterprise Day

Thursday 14th November - L6 Tycoon Award and PJEA Event

Thursday 14th November - Year 8 Girls' Brentwood Futsal

Key Dates for each Year Group can be found https://www.aesessex.co.uk/home/parents/key-dates-and-term-dates/

Term Dates 2024-2026 - https://www.aesessex.co.uk/assets/Documents/Attachments/Term-dates-2024-2026-1.pdf

Finance - finance@aesessex.co.uk

Admissions - admissions@aesessex.co.uk

Visits - visits@aesessex.co.uk

Attendance - use Edulink

Email: enquiries@aesessex.co.uk
Website: aesessex.co.uk
Location: Anglo European School, CM4 0DJ, Willow Green, Ingatestone, UK
Phone: 01277 354018