Welcome from the Head
Dear Parents
Welcome to this week’s newsletter, from a wintry JAGS.
I am sure you will already have seen my JAGSPost from earlier this morning, where I was delighted to share the news that JAGS has been named as The Sunday Times London Independent School of the Year for 2024. We are really thrilled with this award and know how much it means to all members of this close-knit community. You, as parents, play such an important part through your support for the school and our thanks once again go out to you all.
It was a pleasure to put my feet up last Friday as our Heads for the day, Sia and Seren, took over my meetings for me. The staff showed their hidden talents on Thursday, as Bettany House hosted JAGS Got Talent. What an amazing array of talents – from knitting to salsa dancing – and it was fantastic to hear the unfiltered support and enthusiasm from the student audience! Scrumpy, my cocker spaniel, was disappointed not to be crowned the winner but she will be training hard for the next contest!
We have enjoyed working with Dulwich College over the past fortnight, with the vibrant Year 7 and 8 Collaboration Days – and well done to our Head Girl team who were the driving force behind the joint ‘Nature of Things’ Art Show at Dulwich College last week.
We welcomed students and parents in Years 11 and 12 for the Oxbridge Evening last week; we also wish the best of luck to our Year 13 students who are currently preparing for university interviews. Earlier in the week was the Senior Strings Concert; this was a delightful evening, and we look forward to the busy run-up to Christmas for our music department, with the much-anticipated concert at Southwark Cathedral on Tuesday 5 December.
Huge congratulations to all those involved in the Senior Production of Whispers from the Wardrobe. What an enthralling, atmospheric production we were treated to! Well done to the whole cast, on stage and behind the scenes, and to our Director of Drama, Jo Billington, for creating this spectacle for us.
Wishing you a lovely weekend,
Mrs Alex Hutchinson
Head
Dates for your Diary
- Tuesday 5 December
- 7.30pm – Southwark Cathedral Advent Concert
- Year 11 and Year 13 Spanish visit to the National Theatre
- Wednesday 13 December
- Year 12 Spanish visit to the BFI Southbank
- Year 9 visit to the Tate Britain
Reporting Absences
A reminder to all parents to use this form to report absence in the Senior School due to illness or to request absence for appointments. This form can also be found on our Contact page.
Additionally, when informing a teacher of any health issues your daughter may be facing, please remember to cc or School Nurse team on Nurse@jags.org.uk.
The Sunday Times: London Independent School of the Year 2024
We are delighted to be named London Independent School of the Year in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2024.
This award follows an incredibly successful exam season in which we celebrated excellent GCSE results and our best ever A Level results. The Sunday Times also recognised the energy and innovation that are embedded throughout all areas of school life.
For more information on the win, please read our news story celebrating the achievement.
Key Stage 3 Update
Years 7 and 8 made us proud as they fully threw themselves into a wide range of activities during our Collaboration Days with Dulwich College.
Those on site at JAGS worked together with DC students to create the most fantastic scale models of Olympic parks ahead of Paris 2024. The models contained everything from swimming pools and velodromes to kid zones and plenty of shopportunities!
Meanwhile at Dulwich College, our students seriously impressed the Classics Department with their detailed figurative writing and artistic mosaics.
Year 8 took part in a series of science-based activities and it was wonderful to see how diligently the teams worked together.
Christmas is fast approaching and we are really getting into the festive spirit. Friday morning section assembly was led superbly by the Junior Concert Orchestra as we sang along to traditional carols.
Myfanwy Bournon, Head of Key Stage 3
Key Stage 4 Update
The final two weeks of November have been busy indeed but our students remain as focused and enthusiastic as ever. Last week, Year 10 enjoyed a morning off timetable, hosted by the Life Skills Company, where they focused on maximising success across their subjects. We will be re-visiting the tips and study skills advice during future form times.
Trips have taken place in Russian and Computer Science, as well as SSLP events involving students across both years. We are particularly proud of all those who have been a part of the Senior Show this week, both those on stage and behind the scenes – what a fantastic production!
Anna Jones, Head of Key Stage 4
Sixth Form Update
As Head of JAGS Sixth Form, at times it is essential to take a step back and simply marvel at the achievements of students in the Sixth Form community.
It was a real treat to hear Beulah, Tara and Cora lead a fascinating whole school assembly on neurodiversity earlier this week and then watch the Hockey 1st XI take to the field against Colfe’s School. Hearing the glorious musicianship of Keira and Ola at the lunchtime concert in Christ’s Chapel last week was likewise an absolute privilege.
With transferrable skills and qualities galore, Caoimhe, Tara and Eva corralled a number of teachers to perform in the first JAGS talent show for some years, putting on a fantastic show which was as well compered (by them) as it was performed, raising money for the Bettany House charity, the Global Fund for Children.
These snippets are merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of activities going on in the Sixth Form. We are thrilled to witness the progress of each and every student. Keep it up folks and roll on the festive season!
Mat Weeks, Head of Sixth Form
Introducing
Ben Dawlatly,
Teacher of Spanish
What was your last role prior to JAGS?
I taught Spanish and French at Bancroft’s School in South Woodford. Before that, I was a self-employed translator working mostly on children’s literature and legal translations for human rights cases. I also taught the Applied Translation module on the University of Bristol MA in Translation.
What attracted you to work at JAGS?
There were a number of reasons; A-level Spanish is really popular here and the enthusiasm for languages among the students is great. It’s much closer to my home so now I can cycle to work and have breakfast in the morning with my one-year-old daughter. Plus, there’s a climbing wall in the Sports Centre.
What do you want to achieve in your time here?
I would like to contribute to a continued love for languages in the JAGS community. I hope that students here won’t just do well in their exams, but will see languages as a tool that opens up the world to them and can help them to build lasting friendships with people from diverse communities around the world.
Eco Week 2023
Eco Week returned to JAGS with a host of fun initiatives as staff and students continue to work towards our long-term goal of becoming Carbon Neutral by 2030.
Last week students took part in:
- A mini-Eco Convention in Holst Hall.
- Mend and repair workshops.
- A Climate Café to discuss eco-anxiety.
- A school-wide House TerraCycle competition with a focus on items which are classically hard to recycle.
- A tech collection drive which saw over 140 devices donated to be repaired, recycled and redistributed to the local community.
- The return of the ever-popular Clothes Swap.
Find what our students made of the week via the tabs below:
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Kayla (Eco Champion 22-23)
“I hugely enjoyed being a part of JAGS Eco Week this year. I think my favourite part was the Clothes Swap. It was amazing to see so many clothes find new homes. So many students were not only able to get high quality second hand clothes but also pass on their no longer wanted items to someone else. I thought it was a great initiative to reduce waste and it was a joy to be a part of. It was great to see others committing to reducing waste and having fun at the clothes swap.”
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Bititi-Rebekah (Y12, Eco Champion: Infrastructure)
“My favourite thing about Eco Week was the Clothes Swap, as it was an engaging community event for finding new ways to express ourselves through clothes, all with the environment in mind.”
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Aaisha (Y8, Eco Champion: Travel)
“One thing I really enjoyed about Eco Week was giving out sweets to anyone who takes public transport to school. It has been amazing to see just how many people take public transport and I would estimate around 70%-80% of each year take public transport to school. I’ve also loved helping out in the Clothes Swap. It was wonderful to see people wear second-hand clothes from the swap to school the next day, which was an own clothes day!”
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Elsa (Y12, Eco Champion: Waste)
“An unexpected surprise which I particularly enjoyed during Eco Week was joining the school’s visiting ornithologist on Thursday morning as he conducted his monthly bird count around the school. It was fascinating to learn from him and his extensive knowledge of birds.”
“I hugely enjoyed being a part of JAGS Eco Week this year. I think my favourite part was the Clothes Swap. It was amazing to see so many clothes find new homes. So many students were not only able to get high quality second hand clothes but also pass on their no longer wanted items to someone else. I thought it was a great initiative to reduce waste and it was a joy to be a part of. It was great to see others committing to reducing waste and having fun at the clothes swap.”
“My favourite thing about Eco Week was the Clothes Swap, as it was an engaging community event for finding new ways to express ourselves through clothes, all with the environment in mind.”
“One thing I really enjoyed about Eco Week was giving out sweets to anyone who takes public transport to school. It has been amazing to see just how many people take public transport and I would estimate around 70%-80% of each year take public transport to school. I’ve also loved helping out in the Clothes Swap. It was wonderful to see people wear second-hand clothes from the swap to school the next day, which was an own clothes day!”
“An unexpected surprise which I particularly enjoyed during Eco Week was joining the school’s visiting ornithologist on Thursday morning as he conducted his monthly bird count around the school. It was fascinating to learn from him and his extensive knowledge of birds.”
Drama
Whispers from the Wardrobe
Audiences were transported to the hallowed halls of Theatre Royal Drury Lane for our exquisite large-scale original production Whispers from the Wardrobe.
Congratulations to the entire Drama Department for putting together such an incredible Senior School production.
During the run of performances this week, the sublime cast shone throughout, while those working behind the scenes went above and beyond to recreate the mood and mystery of one of the world’s most iconic theatres.
Student Heads for the Day
On Founder’s Day two JAGS students won the opportunity to rule the school and become Head for the Day.
Seren (Y8) and Sia (Y9) took full advantage of their day at the helm; running from one department meeting to another, looking over exciting plans for the new Pre-Prep and learning more about what goes on behind the scenes.
Careers
GAIN at JP Morgan
Eight JAGS students attended the GAIN careers insight event at JP Morgan and enjoyed catching up with JAGS Alumna Mawuse Doe afterwards.
Speaking of the day, Tharanya (Y12), said: “I really enjoyed attending the GAIN career insight event at JP Morgan. I learnt so much about the roles that women have in the Asset Funds sector which is often thought to be dominated mainly by men. The panel discussion with female representatives from Carmignac UK Ltd, Aspect Capital, BlackRock and JP Morgan really encouraged me to look into the different roles in Asset Funds and consider a possible future career in the field.
“During the speed networking session, I spoke to employees from JP Morgan and received helpful advice on what they look for in candidates for their competitive apprenticeship and internships schemes. I especially liked meeting up with JAGS alumna, Mawuse, who is an Investment Principle at JP Morgan. I loved hearing about her specific role and was really surprised by the amount of travel opportunities that her job brings which is something I would look for in a job!”
Southwark Schools’ Learning Partnership
SSLP Thinking About… Unlawful Killings
Last Thursday, a selection of legally-minded JAGS students attended a mock criminal trial, hosted by Wendy Joseph KC, a former Old Bailey judge.
Upon being presented with the evidence (convincingly delivered by students of other SSLP schools) the students had to consider the culpability of three defendants in relation to their charges of murder. After thorough and discerning deliberations, a verdict was met: one discharge; one charge of manslaughter; and one charge of murder. Although left to their own devices to determine the defendants’ guilt, the students reached the exact conclusions through identical lines of reasoning as the judge did herself in the real trial—an exceptional display of legal acumen.
Lara Brookes, Teacher of Computer Science & SSLP Lead
SSLP Neurodiversity Conference
Last Wednesday, a group of JAGS students represented the school at the SSLP Neurodiversity Conference at Kingswood Arts Centre.
Reflecting on the event, Brooke (Y9), said: “We had an informative morning, with talks from Robyn Steward, Anne Sheppee and Katie Barretta, respectively. Much was learned from their insight into the meaning of neurodiversity and their own experiences with it. After lunch, we collaborated with Harris Boys’ Academy East Dulwich to develop a project to raise awareness of neurodiversity through written words, a project that will reach all the schools within the SSLP once completed. By the time the event drew to a close, we left with new knowledge and a sense of accomplishment. We hope our project will be successful in improving the general understanding of neurodiversity as a concept and the experiences of neurodivergent pupils in our school community.”
JAGS Alumnae
Support Us page
Following the exciting launch of the JAGS Alumnae Association website, we are pleased to share our brand new Support Us page for the JAGS Bursary Fund. JAGS is one of the leading schools in the UK for its support of a large number of bursary students, and the School is committed to its bursary provision to provide an outstanding education for bright, talented students regardless of their financial backgrounds. We believe these opportunities are life-changing, and that our community is enriched by this commitment to accessibility.
Medical Society Dinner
We are very much looking forward to the JAA Medical Society Dinner on Friday 1 March 2024. The dinner will be a fantastic opportunity for the JAGS alumnae and parent communities studying and working in medicine and healthcare, including veterinary medicine, to connect and network. The wonderful evening will include special guest speaker Professor Lorna Marson, JAGS Alumna (Class of ’84), Professor of Transplant Surgery at the University of Edinburgh, and Honorary Consultant Surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Year 13 students going on to study medicine at university will also attend as an opportunity to learn more about the experience of medical school. Visit the JAA Website for more information.
MFL
Russian visit to Dorich House
On Tuesday, students studying Russian enjoyed a day trip to Dorich House Museum for a guided tour followed by an authentic Russian lunch and creative arts workshop.
The house is the former studio-home of the successful sculptor, artist and designer Dora Gordine (1895-1991) and her husband the Hon. Richard Hare (1907-1966), who was a diplomat, academic on Russian culture and collector of Russian art.
Sport
It’s been another busy and successful fortnight of Sport with students competing across a number of disciplines.
Follow the links below to learn more:
Michael Golding, Director of Sport
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Netball
Our Netball cup campaigns continue to go from strength to strength.
A close game against Alleyn’s for the U14 A team saw us win 35-27. This followed a very impressive showing at the National Netball Qualifying Round at Shirley High, where we topped the group and then played outstandingly to win the final and progress to the regional rounds in January.
The U18A and B team have also had impressive cup wins and we hope to still be competing in the national cups after Christmas, which would be a fantastic achievement from the teams
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Hockey
It was a tough long away day for the U18 Hockey team who found Eastbourne College just a little too strong on the day. Despite a goalkeeping masterclass from Chanelle, the U18 exited the cup for another year.
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Football
The U13 team sadly departed the Sisters N Sport National Cup at the first hurdle after a tense and heart-breaking defeat against Colfe’s School.
Despite leading 2-1 with just seconds remaining, Colfe’s scored a late equaliser in injury time to take the game to extra time.
We again took the lead but Colfe’s evened the score for a second time – taking the game to penalties where we lost 3-2.
The football programme is moving forwards very quickly, numbers of pupils attending training are increasing and there is a full programme of fixtures planned for the new year.
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Biathlon
Twenty JAGS pupils competed in the British Schools Biathlon Qualifying event last week, with some very impressive performances by those involved.
Results have been submitted and we now await the rest of the qualifying events to finish. We will find out in January how many pupils have qualified for the national finals.
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Water Polo
The U14 Water Polo team played their second round of league fixtures and, despite some tough opposition, finished in a very creditable third place. The team finished the evening with two wins and two defeats, but performances were good and they should definitely take confidence from this round of fixtures.
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St Andrew’s Day
On Thursday, Miss Huggett and Miss Fisken put the Year 7s through a traditional Scottish Cèilidh as part of their Games lesson to celebrate St Andrew’s Day.
It proved so popular among students, there have been calls to introduce Cèilidh into future Interhouse Sports events.
Our Netball cup campaigns continue to go from strength to strength.
A close game against Alleyn’s for the U14 A team saw us win 35-27. This followed a very impressive showing at the National Netball Qualifying Round at Shirley High, where we topped the group and then played outstandingly to win the final and progress to the regional rounds in January.
The U18A and B team have also had impressive cup wins and we hope to still be competing in the national cups after Christmas, which would be a fantastic achievement from the teams
It was a tough long away day for the U18 Hockey team who found Eastbourne College just a little too strong on the day. Despite a goalkeeping masterclass from Chanelle, the U18 exited the cup for another year.
The U13 team sadly departed the Sisters N Sport National Cup at the first hurdle after a tense and heart-breaking defeat against Colfe’s School.
Despite leading 2-1 with just seconds remaining, Colfe’s scored a late equaliser in injury time to take the game to extra time.
We again took the lead but Colfe’s evened the score for a second time – taking the game to penalties where we lost 3-2.
The football programme is moving forwards very quickly, numbers of pupils attending training are increasing and there is a full programme of fixtures planned for the new year.
Twenty JAGS pupils competed in the British Schools Biathlon Qualifying event last week, with some very impressive performances by those involved.
Results have been submitted and we now await the rest of the qualifying events to finish. We will find out in January how many pupils have qualified for the national finals.
The U14 Water Polo team played their second round of league fixtures and, despite some tough opposition, finished in a very creditable third place. The team finished the evening with two wins and two defeats, but performances were good and they should definitely take confidence from this round of fixtures.
On Thursday, Miss Huggett and Miss Fisken put the Year 7s through a traditional Scottish Cèilidh as part of their Games lesson to celebrate St Andrew’s Day.
It proved so popular among students, there have been calls to introduce Cèilidh into future Interhouse Sports events.