Bring it on, OFSTED! - George Mitchell School

GMT
George
Issue 14 April 2008
GM Hollywood style - Page 7
Challenge 2012 - Pages 2 & 13
Watching the weather - Page 17
M<strong>it</strong>chell School
Farmer Road
Leyton
E10 5DN
Tel: 020 8539 6198
Students try out our new climbing wall!
<strong>Bring</strong> <strong>it</strong> on, OFSTED!
Believe <strong>it</strong> or not, <strong>it</strong>’s now 3
years since OFSTED (Government
inspectors) inspected the school and
concluded that we were “a fabulous
school . . . spiralling upwards . . . a
lovely place to be”. OFSTED are now
generally inspecting schools every
three years, so we will almost certainly
be vis<strong>it</strong>ed in the very near future.
Outstanding rating
What will they say this time? Well,
part of the inspection process is the
school’s own opinion of how well <strong>it</strong>
is doing. I have rated us outstanding!
We’re not perfect, at least not all the
time, but I fail to see what more we
could be doing for our young people.
Our value added (the difference
we make to students’ academic
performance from point of entry to
leaving the school) remains in the top
25% nationally. For our children’s sake,
we have to do everything possible
to ensure they leave w<strong>it</strong>h the best
possible set of grades and these must
include English and Maths preferably
at grade C or above, w<strong>it</strong>hout which,
a range of sixth form and univers<strong>it</strong>y
courses are simply out of reach.
A range of specific interventions
Our particular efforts in improving
GCSE grades, especially for English,
Maths and Science, have included
this year a range of strategies:
academic managers for students
underachieving; recru<strong>it</strong>ment of more
English and Maths staff to enable
add<strong>it</strong>ional time for students at risk of
not getting a good grade; ‘intervention’
classes (add<strong>it</strong>ional support outside
school hours) in Science; and a range
of booster revision and coursework
classes after school in a number of
other subjects. Staff are not paid
for these extra sessions; <strong>it</strong> is a sign
of their comm<strong>it</strong>ment to your children
that they run these classes.
Everything else we do
Not that I believe that examination
results are all that we are about. Staff
continue to organise a huge range
of trips and activ<strong>it</strong>ies, both w<strong>it</strong>hin
lessons and out of school time, to
give students every opportun<strong>it</strong>y to
enjoy their school experience and
learn in other ways. Our ‘drop days’
are hugely popular and successful,
w<strong>it</strong>h vis<strong>it</strong>ing speakers always hugely
complimentary about the pol<strong>it</strong>eness
and interest of our students.
Getting even better
Yep, this school – the students
and the staff together – goes from
strength to strength year on year.
George M<strong>it</strong>chell School really is an
amazing place to be.
Helen Jeffery, Headteacher

FROM LEYTON TO EL SALVADOR
VIA CHALLENGE 2012
We knew what we were doing
and why we were doing <strong>it</strong> but
now we can actually see who we
are supporting and what <strong>it</strong> all
means.
W<strong>it</strong>h a £3500 cheque in his hand
and a mission to build, build, build,
Mr Spafford, representing both
Challenge 2012 and Women’s Self
Education Fund (our liaison officers
on the ground) went over to El
Salvador to find out more about our
link school and what the money was
going to be able to do.
Finca Argentina is a poor workingclass
commun<strong>it</strong>y of displaced families
in the hills above San Salvador. It is
heavily affected by drugs and gang
culture. The school – which serves
children aged 7 to 14 – is staffed
by enthusiastic and overstretched
teachers doing their best to provide
2
both a haven from the tough
world outside and real educational
opportun<strong>it</strong>ies for marginalised young
people.
The students and their staff –
their Headteacher on the left of
the photograph has made such a
difference already over the last 2 – 3
years.
The new classroom block that
they will build can only help to
improve the opportun<strong>it</strong>ies that
education brings.
Where <strong>it</strong>’s all going to happen. So
watch this space for more information
as the foundations are laid and the
building goes up.
A reminder that this was helped
in a big way by NatWest matching £
for £ the money raised outside the
Walthamstow branch on a sunny
weekend. The commun<strong>it</strong>y team
of Naz and Natalie handed over a
£1000 cheque to Mrs Jeffery the
Headteacher and Jim Karstegi from
Women’s Self Education Fund in a
Year 11 assembly. Many thanks go to
them and their continued support.
So from our musicians in East
London to the musicians in El
Salvador – here’s to a long and
successful partnership in Education.
Claire Kirwin
Deputy Headteacher
Challenge 2012 – together
w<strong>it</strong>h the Women’s Self
Education Fund – has sent
£3500 to enable the building
of a new classroom block.

Leyton 6 th Form perform for
Music GCSE Class
Personally I have found
that choosing the course
I want to do at college is
particularly hard, as there
are plenty of courses to do
and qu<strong>it</strong>e a lot of them are
interesting. Leyton Sixth Form
College Music Department came
and performed to the GCSE Music
class and <strong>it</strong> helped open my eyes
to what I want to do in college.
Before they started performing
they gave us a l<strong>it</strong>tle talk about
the music courses on offer at
there college and answered any
questions we had. They sang Indie
‘Arie- Video’, ‘Fly me to the Moon’
and the famous ‘Rehab’ by Amie
Winehouse, which they asked our
singers to join in w<strong>it</strong>h! After they
had finished performing they had a
l<strong>it</strong>tle workshop where anyone who
played an instrument or sang could
play w<strong>it</strong>h them. I went up to play
on the drum w<strong>it</strong>h the pianist and the other people went up to sing and play too and <strong>it</strong> was a marvellous experience.
Vis<strong>it</strong> GM online at www.gmschool.co.uk
Ivan Soares Costa, 11F
BettaBredrinz! The final s t r e t c h
We may have had George
M<strong>it</strong>chell on Celebr<strong>it</strong>y BB w<strong>it</strong>h
the amazing Latoya but we have
our own Celebr<strong>it</strong>y BB at George
M<strong>it</strong>chell – BettaBredrinz! Thirty
Year 10s w<strong>it</strong>h special academic,
creative or social abil<strong>it</strong>ies have regular
one-to-one mentoring meetings w<strong>it</strong>h
over 40 similar students in Year 8.
The focus is on their learning, helping
them set goals, keeping track of their
progress and how they are being
challenged. We are part of a national
pilot scheme run by the Mentoring
and Befriending Foundation.
Seven BB mentors took a leading
role in the London networking event at
the HQ of Deutsche Bank in February.
We have also been inv<strong>it</strong>ed to a national
celebration of best practice organised
by the Mentoring and Befriending
Foundation.
Martin Spafford
The GCSEs are w<strong>it</strong>hin sight for Year 11s and we have two
programmes to stretch and challenge students w<strong>it</strong>h a chance of
reaching the very top grades. The English masterclass – kindly funded
by Leyton Sixth Form College – is a weekly session taught by Will Baker from
the College for Year 11 and Year 10 fast track students. Hanover Foundations
are providing one-on-one and group coaching sessions for selected students
needing that final push towards the highest grades.
Martin Spafford
Special Abil<strong>it</strong>ies Coordinator
Stop press! Stop press!
If you go to www.everyjourneymatters.co.uk you'll find a photo of Peju
Obasa and Omar Hussain in Year 11. They were part of an ed<strong>it</strong>orial team
that produced the book Every Journey Matters about sustainable transport all
over the world, wr<strong>it</strong>ten by young people from many countries. The book was
produced by Peace Child International and supported by the Mayor of London
and Transport for London and can be ordered through the webs<strong>it</strong>e which is full
of games, activ<strong>it</strong>ies, stories and fascinating information.
Grace Imwensi (Year 11) does the voiceover on the new video publicising the
Waltham Forest Schools Media Resource Un<strong>it</strong>. Go to www.primaryteam.org,
click on ICT, then ICT Support, then Media Un<strong>it</strong> at the top of the page...and
watch the video!
3

Upon our arrival
at Central St.
Martins we were
pleasantly surprised
w<strong>it</strong>h the welcoming
atmosphere into
which we were
received.
We started the day
w<strong>it</strong>h Catherine (a senior
ceramics teacher)
who gave us a very
informative lecture
about the different
aspects of the course.
She also showed us
some examples of
really good work and
talked to us about
the range of different
professions ceramics
could lead to.
After a brief lunch w<strong>it</strong>h some
univers<strong>it</strong>y students at the canteen, we
had the opportun<strong>it</strong>y to walk around
a studio and view some students
preparing for an exhib<strong>it</strong>ion. We were
all very interested in looking at the
range of different techniques used by
4
Central St Martins
Students watching a plaster moulding demonstration
the students to create their pieces of
work
Later on (in the plaster moulding
studio) we were given a practical
demonstration of how to make a
plaster mould. A member of our group
even had the chance to join in and
help demonstrate and most of us felt
that <strong>it</strong> was the highlight
of our day.
Afterwards we were
led to the printing studio
where we found out how
to make ceramics and
we were qu<strong>it</strong>e surprised
at how easy they were
to produce.
Finally we were
lucky enough to have
the opportun<strong>it</strong>y to view
the exhib<strong>it</strong>ion that was
currently on display at
Central St. Martins.
There was a wide
variety of art pieces that
showcased a range of
art forms. The pieces
were diverse, modern,
cultural and thought
provoking; we found that all the pieces
were intriguing and were completed
w<strong>it</strong>h masterful skill.
Overall we thoroughly enjoyed the
day and we found <strong>it</strong> very educative as
<strong>it</strong> gave us more insight into univers<strong>it</strong>y
life.
Grace Imwensi, Year 11
Masterclass at the Tate
On a cold and rainy December Saturday four of our most talented artists spent the day at Tate Modern
gallery on a GIFT masterclass in drawing. Keira Maynard, William Man, Wai Ting Cheung and Binyamin Aboud
studied Tudor and Jacobean portra<strong>it</strong>s in detail and then came face to face w<strong>it</strong>h two 20th-century masterworks: a Henry
Moore sculpture which they had to
speed-sketch from various angles and
in many different ways; and a portra<strong>it</strong>
by Francis Bacon. They were asked
to consider ways of portraying people
to show emotion and mood rather
than exact representations; and then
to return to the early portra<strong>it</strong>s and reinterpret
them in contemporary styles.
They were also given a tour of the
Tate’s archive and saw first-hand the
sketchbooks of David Hockney and the
young JMW Turner. I spent the morning
w<strong>it</strong>h them and was deeply impressed
w<strong>it</strong>h the skill, sens<strong>it</strong>iv<strong>it</strong>y and creativ<strong>it</strong>y
shown by our artists.
Martin Spafford
Special Abil<strong>it</strong>ies Coordinator
3Binyamin, Keira, Wai Ting and William
sketching a Henry Moore

Summer School 2007
By the time you read this,
Summer 2007 will be a distant
memory. Hopefully, your memories
will be as wonderful as those of
some our younger students; for as
the doors closed for the end of term
on 20 July, Year 7 Gifted and
Talented students from GMS as
well as neighbouring schools
came together for a week to
participate in a Summer School
themed on the 2012 Olympics.
Students worked side by side
learning about the history of
the Olympics at the Br<strong>it</strong>ish
Museum and researching the
years where the celebration of
sporting prowess was marred
by scandal and tragedy. The
highlight for most of the
students was the opportun<strong>it</strong>y
to work in GMS’s state-of-theart
Media Su<strong>it</strong>e producing an
animated advertisement from
scratch: planning through
storyboards, designing
and making backdrops and
characters, filming and ed<strong>it</strong>ing.
The week’s activ<strong>it</strong>ies culminated
in an awards ceremony at Score in
Leyton where students presented
their completed advertisement to
an audience comprising Gifted and
Talented Programme Co-ordinators,
For two weeks beginning
January 14, the Business
Studies Department welcomed a
temporary member to
their department. Ruth
Sullivan, a representative
from Natwest Bank and
long-time partner of the
school, gave the Business
Studies students a b<strong>it</strong>
of a break from their
normal lessons and
enlightened them on the
importance of and some
interesting facts about
Finance. Although the
main purpose of inv<strong>it</strong>ing
Ruth into our lessons
was to help our Year
Vis<strong>it</strong> GM online at www.gmschool.co.uk
parents and their peers who had also
been participating in other Summer
Schools around the borough.
Very well done to our own Saffy,
now in Year 8, who was given the
Student of the Week Award.
The following week was the turn of
a select group of in-coming Year 7s to
spend a week boosting their L<strong>it</strong>eracy
while also gaining invaluable skills in
Media Studies that gave them a head
Natwest joins Business Studies Department!
11s w<strong>it</strong>h the Finance section of their
GCSE Coursework, she also found
time to chat w<strong>it</strong>h the Year 10s about
Ruth Sullivan w<strong>it</strong>h members of 8G
start for September 2007. W<strong>it</strong>h 2012
a mere four years away, the focus
again was on the Olympics. Students
learnt about persuasive tools used in
media texts before practising using
them to “p<strong>it</strong>ch an ad campaign” in
front of a panel of judges while
their proud parents watched.
Similar to the work of the G&T
students the previous week,
this group also created their
own advertisement w<strong>it</strong>h the
characters being plasticene
models that they had made.
During the week we also
managed to squeeze in a
sporting activ<strong>it</strong>y: ice-skating,
which was thoroughly enjoyed
by all.
W<strong>it</strong>hout a doubt, everyone
enjoyed the week so much that
they were sad to see Summer
School come to an end but
were left really looking forward
to starting their secondary
school career at George M<strong>it</strong>chell
School.
Many thanks to Sahar Ali
(Assistant Curriculum Leader
for English) and Zahid Majid (exstudent)
for all their hard work that
made this week such a success.
Yollanda Chiwara
Summer School Coordinator
wage slips, the Year 9s about various
methods of borrowing money, and
the Year 8s about bank statements
and different types of
cards. Students also had
some time at the end of
each lesson to ask Ruth any
question that they wished
about banks. The Business
Studies Department would
like to thank Ruth once
again for coming to share
her knowledge w<strong>it</strong>h us and
for her continued support of
the school.
Christine Jaeggi
Business Studies
Department
5

Boys who do History in
Year 10 have been making
history too, while finding
out fascinating stories about
Leyton’s past. Nearly 100 years
ago Eton Manor Boys Club was
set up by old Etonians to provide
sporting opportun<strong>it</strong>ies for boys in
Hackney and Leyton. They could
do rugby, athletics, shooting,
tennis, squash, swimming,
basketball, boxing, chess and
many other sports in the excellent
facil<strong>it</strong>ies the club provided. Some
even reached international
standards. In the 30s, 40s and 50s
Eton Manor gave boys from poor
families opportun<strong>it</strong>ies not only
for sports but job and education
prospects too. Although the club
closed down in the 1960s many
of the sports teams continue and
the 1948 Olympics running track
only disappeared in 2007 to make
way for the 2012 Olympics.
Up the Manor! is a project run
by Villiers Park Educational Trust
w<strong>it</strong>h National Lottery Money
to make a permanent record
of the memories of the Eton
Manor Old Boys and to create
teaching resources, an archive
and an exhib<strong>it</strong>ion. At the heart
of the project, our boys have
been trained in oral history skills
and have been interviewing Old
Boys – including one who played
rugby for England and another
who grew up in the caretaker’s
house – about their time w<strong>it</strong>h
Eton Manor.
The project started w<strong>it</strong>h a
launch event at the Bishopsgate
Inst<strong>it</strong>ute attended by a large
audience of Old Boys and chaired
by Mike Baker, former BBC
education correspondent. Faizan
Mohammed and Nafees Haque
spoke on the platform to a large
audience of Eton Manor Old Boys
while George Read provided
technical support. Then 17 Year
10 boys went to Villiers Park outside
Cambridge for a weekend residential,
learning oral history skills and finding
out about Eton Manor – as well as
enjoying the five-star accommodation
6
Up the Manor!
Eton Manor Gym 1949
Researching at the Bishopsgate Inst<strong>it</strong>ute
At Villiers Park
w<strong>it</strong>h en-su<strong>it</strong>e bedrooms and learning
to play golf. The hosp<strong>it</strong>al<strong>it</strong>y there even
extended to the cook getting up at 3
am to prepare breakfast for the boys
who were fasting for Ramadan.
The group spent another
evening of research and
interviewing practice at the
Bishopsgate before embarking on
the interviews which were filmed
in school. Thanks to Michelle
Johanssen and Christine Hall
from Villiers Park, Bob Barnes
for his golf tu<strong>it</strong>ion, Ian Marshall
and Nathalie Chambers who
accompanied the residential trip,
all the men who were interviewed
and most of all to the boys who
have been a huge cred<strong>it</strong> to
themselves and the school.
On 30 January over 30 Eton
Manor Old Boys and some
family members were guests of
the school. They were given a
tour of the school by our Year
10 boys from the project and
some went into lessons and
talked to students. They then
had a reception in the Arts
Block including entertainment
by the school steel band;
a drama piece by Ramona
Hudson, Nesah Gonzales and
Itman Ismail; and a ukuleleled
singalong by Roy Reeve
who was a student at George
M<strong>it</strong>chell in the 1950s. Nafees
Haque and Faizan Mohammed
also spoke. Vis<strong>it</strong>ors were full of
praise for the performers and
tour guides and there was a
wonderful atmosphere bringing
together people who may be
two generations apart but have
grown up in the same streets.
A couple of weeks earlier the
boys in the project vis<strong>it</strong>ed Vestry
House Museum in Walthamstow
to do research from their archives
and from the exhib<strong>it</strong>ion about
the 1948 London Olympics.
The project now continues w<strong>it</strong>h
further research; the production
of a DVD and a teaching
resource pack; an exhib<strong>it</strong>ion in
Leyton shopping centre; a thenand-now
walking tour of Hackney
Wick; an afternoon w<strong>it</strong>h longstanding
supporters of the 'Os' and more golf.
Martin Spafford

Lights, Camera… ACTION!
Hollywood
is coming to
George M<strong>it</strong>chell!
GMS to produce
Waltham Forest’s
1 st feature-length
school film!
Waltham Forest’s first
feature-length school film has
just been given the go ahead!
Students are frantically typing
away as we go to press to get the
screenplay ready for the new half
term. The plan is to bring Shakespeare
into the 21 st Century. Students who
have studied e<strong>it</strong>her Macbeth, Much
Ado about Nothing, The Tempest or
Romeo & Juliet, are in the process
of updating the setting, language
and style of the classic 400 year old
plays.
Once the script is ready, production
will get the green light and casting
will begin. The production aims to
incorporate as many staff, students and
departments as possible. Obviously
there will be actors, actresses and
extras needed, as well as an extensive
production and technical team
Vis<strong>it</strong> GM online at www.gmschool.co.uk
involved. However there is also room
for various other projects including
a research team, set and scenery
design, marketing, musical score and
sound design to name but a few.
Also, the production team will be
showcasing the latest in modern film
technology. W<strong>it</strong>h a budget to match
a Hollywood blockbuster, new lighting
and camera equipment has just been
ordered including, for the first (known)
time in secondary-school history:
Green Screen. This technology will
be used to allow the film to travel
anywhere in the world, while the cast
and crew remain on GMS soil!
There is a sign-up sheet on the
Media Notice Board outside 3.9 on
the top form. The students who leave
their FULL names and details on these
sheets will have first choice on the
role they play w<strong>it</strong>hin the production.
There are already over 75 names on
the sheets, so be quick and make sure
you get your name up there. This
notice board covers all things media,
so be sure to check <strong>it</strong> regularly for
information…
To get involved or offer up ideas
contact Mr Watson at scratchvideo@
gmail.com
Watch this space!
gmdig<strong>it</strong>almedia.blogspot.com
Year 9 Science Fair at Imperial College
It was a fantastic opportun<strong>it</strong>y: when we entered the hall on 24 January – we were amazed to see the
experiments all around us. We just wanted to try
them out – and we got to! There were a lot of year 9
students from other schools there. We learnt a lot that
we did not know and <strong>it</strong> was good that we were allowed
to go around by ourselves. We learnt how to make lasers
and used a potato as a battery. It was fun in a scientific
way. The experiments were ones you wouldn’t usually do
in school. It was a good trip - really enjoyable. The coach
was really comfy and the food was good. We hope we get
more trips in the future.
Saziye Ahmet, Kareem Fazal, Saif Mehmood,
Abdouelillah Lounici, Hersi Ahmed-Hersi, 9M
Geoff Aanonson
Science Curriculum Leader
7

The
History
Boys
Being pretty judgemental
about going into London at 6
o’clock in the evening, I wasn’t
sure whether the History Boys
was worth <strong>it</strong>, but I soon found out
that, <strong>it</strong> was actually, qu<strong>it</strong>e a laugh.
The doorman sounded extremely
upper class, muttering a very faint
but distinct “Welcome” as we walked
by. But the pleasantries didn’t stop
there: our seats had suddenly been
upgraded, so we’d be enjoying a much
better view of the play.
The gold banisters led us to a great
view above the stage, looking down
on all the action.
As I’d never seen the film before,
or heard of the playwright, I only had
a faint idea of the story <strong>it</strong>self. I had
no idea that <strong>it</strong> contained very different
ideas, ranging from homosexual<strong>it</strong>y
to some very comical methods of
teaching.
It started off w<strong>it</strong>h Hector, a
teacher who is given the job of
looking after eight boys, all who have
proved themselves to be the highest
achievers in the whole of their school,
and have been put in to pass an entry
exam to e<strong>it</strong>her Oxford or Cambridge
Univers<strong>it</strong>y, known as, Oxbridge.
Hector uses fun rather than fact in his
lessons, and soon Headmaster Felix
calls upon the help of graduate Irwin
to ‘share’ Hector’s lessons w<strong>it</strong>h him.
The journey carries on from there. All
eight boys – Crowther, Posner, Dakin,
Timms, Akthar, Lockwood, Scripps,
and Rudge – eventually do pass their
exams in one form or another, but do
learn A LOT of things along the way.
The play <strong>it</strong>self was qu<strong>it</strong>e humorous.
The language took a lot of getting used
to, but eventually I grasped <strong>it</strong>. The
interval contained a lot of ice-cream,
and I managed to get a McFlurry on
the way home. All in all, the evening
was a new experience, w<strong>it</strong>h everyone
taking something different away w<strong>it</strong>h
them. I learnt that Alan Bennett has
a very different approach to making
such a serious plot humorous, and <strong>it</strong>
worked, to his benef<strong>it</strong>.
Sylvia Lim, 9G
8
Rafta Rafta
Based on the play 'All in Good Time' by Bill Naughton, Rafta Rafta is one of
the funniest theatre productions I have seen. In the English workshop, there
is a great opportun<strong>it</strong>y to see many great plays. We previously went to see
The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and Betrayal by Harold Pinter, but
Rafta Rafta has been the best yet.
Rafta Rafta is a hilarious comedy about a newly married Asian couple getting
used to married life. It was a typical Asian wedding: a big wedding feast,
the groom's father dancing the bhangra and family and friends to enjoy the
occasion w<strong>it</strong>h. However, for Atul (the groom) problems start arising from the
wedding night. The proxim<strong>it</strong>y of his parents and the childish pranks of his l<strong>it</strong>tle
brother have Atul feeling so insecure that his bride remains a virgin. Six weeks
later word gets around and this causes panic for the whole family.
A heart-warming comedy wr<strong>it</strong>ten by Ayub Khan-Din – the author of the film
East is East - about Indian family life in England after what is supposed to be
one of the greatest days in a man and woman's life.
This experience was one that I was glad I didn't miss. Both the backstage
tour of The National Theatre and the actual production made <strong>it</strong> feel less like
a compulsory school trip. The uncomfortable journey back was made more
comfortable just by recalling the funniest moments in the play w<strong>it</strong>h my friends.
For those who haven't seen Rafta Rafta you have missed out big time.
Afsheen Mehmood

The year 11 Arts Award class
went to see ‘Wicked’ in the West
End. Here is a review by one of
the students:
The show exuded every single
art form possible – from spectacular
couture type gowns to creative and
imaginative settings. It was absolutely
WICKED! The songs performed were
breath-taking and well su<strong>it</strong>ed to the
actors/actresses.
The characters had a great feel
for the musical. Elphaba (Kelly Ellis)
played the lead role. Her quirky
persona and dedication to the musical
meant that even Elphaba could pull
[Since this article
was wr<strong>it</strong>ten, Zainab has
returned to school part
time]
On Sunday 7 October
I was seriously injured
in a car accident and
had to spend a lot of
time in hosp<strong>it</strong>al.
I had bruised my liver
and kidney and shattered
the long bone in my leg.
I needed two operations
on my leg where the
surgeons inserted two
metal rods, I cannot bend
my knee and still have a
lot of pain but the scars
are very impressive!
I still regularly attend hosp<strong>it</strong>al
appointments to get my tummy and
leg checked and to have physiotherapy
to keep my muscles strong, to help
me walk properly again. I really can’t
wa<strong>it</strong> to do PE!
From my first day in the intensive
care un<strong>it</strong> at Royal London Hosp<strong>it</strong>al
until when I arrived home I received
regular vis<strong>it</strong>s from the staff and
students from George M<strong>it</strong>chell School.
During my hosp<strong>it</strong>al stay the school
sent me a large basket of chocolate
covered strawberries arranged like a
flower; they were ALMOST too good
to eat! However, I wasted no time in
sharing the goodies w<strong>it</strong>h everyone in
the ward and they were absolutely
IT’S WICKED!
Vis<strong>it</strong> GM online at www.gmschool.co.uk
off green skin. Her presence filled the
stage w<strong>it</strong>h powerful vocals of a high
qual<strong>it</strong>y.
Her fellow co-star Glinda (Dianne
Pilkington) squeaky and over the
top character made her enjoyable to
watch; the show of gowns worn by
Glinda added to a spectacular show.
But there is more… handsome costar
Fierro played by Oliver Tompsettes
was also a wicked add<strong>it</strong>ion to the
production. He brought certain air to
the play that made him exc<strong>it</strong>ing to
watch.
The Elphaba/Glinda relationship
is a keystone for the story, their
A message from Zainab
delicious!
I would like to thank the staff at
George M<strong>it</strong>chell School especially
Ms Jeffery, Mr Spafford, Ms Jaeggi,
Ms Engelbrect, Mr Sm<strong>it</strong>h, Ms N<strong>it</strong>hy,
Ms Khan, Ms Sawtell, Ms Francis,
Ms Kirwin, Ms R<strong>it</strong>a, Ms Edwards,
Ms Androulla C, Mr Savage and Mr
Bushell. They were a pillar of support
for me and my family through this
difficult time and their kindness and
thoughtfulness has meant that I have
not had to worry about schoolwork
and could instead concentrate on
getting better. However, now that
I am home and on the road to
recovery the school has made sure
that I receive all my coursework and
homework assignments and keep
unusual friendship was embraced
highly by both characters. Poor school
girl Elphaba suffered as soon as she
was born green. She struggled to be
popular and feel wanted by both her
dad and society.
I would highly recommend
WICKED to anyone. It was a
great show – you will leave
<strong>it</strong> breathtaken and wishing
for more!
Peju Obasa, Y11
me regularly updated on
school activ<strong>it</strong>ies, even
sending me a crafts box to
participate in Space Day! I
really appreciate these kind
gestures to make me feel
a part of the school make
sure I am not forgotten!
I have learnt a lot from
this experience, firstly I truly
appreciate how precious
life and good health is and I
certainly miss walking! Fast
cars are dangerous and
my message to everyone
is ‘Cross the road w<strong>it</strong>h
care!’ but also if something
happens to you the school
is there for you 24/7.
I have learnt that people from
all avenues of your life are there to
provide a helping hand when you and
your family need <strong>it</strong> most and I will
be forever grateful and want to say
a massive thank you to the staff and
students at George M<strong>it</strong>chell for all their
cards, presents and in particular vis<strong>it</strong>s
which kept my hopes and spir<strong>it</strong>s up
during my long hosp<strong>it</strong>al stay. Thank
you!!
I really miss everyone at school
most of all my friends, teachers, crazy
tutor group (you know who you are!)
and our loud but fun lessons! I can’t
wa<strong>it</strong> until I come back!! Thank you to
everyone and see you all soon!!!!
Zainab Naseer, 9M
9

Careering...towards a career!
Keeping to the fine trad<strong>it</strong>ion at
George M<strong>it</strong>chell School of finding
every opportun<strong>it</strong>y to support our
students in achieving, attaining,
being a good c<strong>it</strong>izen and planning
their futures – here was our
C a r e e r s
‘Drop Day’
- never too
early to think
what the
future might
hold!
Each Year
group had a
different take
on the same
theme.
Year 11
are working
towards completing their courses –
successfully – and then moving on
e<strong>it</strong>her to college, training provider or
employment. Each of these will need
to be achieved w<strong>it</strong>h an interview, and
w<strong>it</strong>h the support of the EBP (Education
Business Partnership), the school
gives all Year 11 students practice in
the art of interview techniques as well
as completing
the application
forms properly
in the first
place.
Year 10
have been
selecting Work
E x p e r i e n c e
p l a c e m e n t s
for their 2
weeks in May
and they
spent this day
looking at what Work Experience will
be like for them.
Year 9 had an Insight into Industry
Day organised by the EBP. The students
were put into groups of 10 and had a
On Thursday 1 November,
the Drama Department took
Year 11 Drama GCSE students to
the Phoenix Theatre to see the
popular musical Blood Brothers.
Blood Brothers was a compulsory
examination trip for the Year 11
students who will explore the text
10
Students filming an animation using Playmobil
schedule to see 6 different employers/
industrialists and find out about the
way into this industry/career. They
varied from the Army to Surveying,
from Hair and Beauty to Hosp<strong>it</strong>al<strong>it</strong>y,
Tiling to ICT, Fire Brigade to Human
Resources
and from the
RAF to UEL
(Univers<strong>it</strong>y
of East
London). It
really was
an ‘insight’.
Year 8
had a really
e x c i t i n g
‘animated’
day. Put
into 2
groups of 60 w<strong>it</strong>h 1 group attending
for their 3 hour session in the morning
and the other in the afternoon. No
time to s<strong>it</strong> down on the job. Pictures
speak louder than words…
Year 7 had an insight from NatWest
as to why you should respect money,
and how as an employee you must
work w<strong>it</strong>h your money to get the
things you
w a n t /
need. They
also had
a chance
to make
decisions
in a board
g a m e
called Pay
Cheque.
Another
successful
b u t
exhausting day for both staff and
students. A big thank you to everyone
for making <strong>it</strong> so.
Drawing to animate!
Claire Kirwin
Deputy Headteacher
Drama Trip to see Blood Brothers
both practically and in wr<strong>it</strong>ing for
their GCSE. The students thoroughly
enjoyed the performance and are now
wr<strong>it</strong>ing their first piece of GCSE Drama
coursework based on the play.
Jennifer Bradley
Drama Department
Town Hall Vis<strong>it</strong>
On 22 January, 15 students
took part in a trip to the town
hall, to meet the mayor. We won
this trip because of a c<strong>it</strong>izenship
compet<strong>it</strong>ion we entered. When we got
there we were whisked away to the
council chambers where we met one
of the councillors for Wood Street –
Angie Bean. She works for the Labour
party.
The mayor seemed to be a nice
man. We found out lots of things
about him:
•He enjoys working as the mayor
•He doesn’t have specific hours for
working
•He has been mayor for nearly 1
year
•Elections are held for mayor once
a year
Afterwards we went into the
mayor’s parlour/ his office. It was
incredibly spacious.
He said that he didn’t usually get
lonely because whenever he is in his
office he usually has someone in there
to talk to. The only time he is on his
own is when he is doing paperwork.
We found out that he has an assistant
called Leroy. He follows the mayor
EVERYWHERE. He is there to protect
the mayor and make sure that his
chain does not get stolen.
After our snack, we went back into
the councillors chambers. We learnt
about voting and what happens after
we have voted. First we found out
how to vote. Then we were told what
they do w<strong>it</strong>h the papers: they sort
them into piles and then count them
to see who has won. We held our own
l<strong>it</strong>tle pretend election
Eloise Hart, 8M
Every one enjoyed themselves
and was proud to be chosen to
attend the trip. But special thanks to
Miss Chambers for all her hard work
towards the trip.
Anisa Iqbal, 8M
NEW!
English Dept FLOs BLOG
englishflo.blogspot.com
Regular tasks for ALL abil<strong>it</strong>ies
Want extra English work?
Look no further!
Even more resources also on
the English wiki
englishguru.wikispaces.com

World Book Day October 2007
In line w<strong>it</strong>h the English Department’s
endeavours to get our “Boys into Books”,
the “cream of the crop” amongst our Year 11
boys took the lead w<strong>it</strong>h the commemoration of
World Book Day this year.
During lunch time, Ivan Soares-Costa, Irfan
Hussain and Kashan Heath read extracts from
their favour<strong>it</strong>e books and delivered presentations
from these books. The audience, composed of
younger students, delighted in seeing that their
role models actually enjoy reading a good book
and they enthusiastically asked questions about
Kashan Heath talks about Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah
Ceremonial Flava
Amina, Indre and Dawood in the centre at the Awards presentation w<strong>it</strong>h a local councillor,
Lyndsey Buchannon (Youth Consultation & Participation Officer Waltham Forest)
Vis<strong>it</strong> GM online at www.gmschool.co.uk
Boys into Books
the Year 11s’ reading hab<strong>it</strong>s and choice of
fiction.
Huge thanks go to Mrs Ali and Mrs Haque
who supported the organisation of the event
and successfully transformed the Library w<strong>it</strong>h
candles, music and sweet treats that made <strong>it</strong>
the perfect environment for a relaxing reading
interlude during the school day.
Well done to Ivan, Irfan and Kashan!!!
Yollanda Chiwara
Curriculum Leader for English
On 7 February, Forest Flava
had a ceremony. Amina Sheta, Indre
Kusleika<strong>it</strong>e and I (Dawood Mehmood)
received AQA Awards because of the
work we have done over the past
year. We got the awards for the work
we have done for the commun<strong>it</strong>y of
Waltham Forest. Over the past year
we have put in hours after school
wr<strong>it</strong>ing articles in WFM and our own
webs<strong>it</strong>e. We manage events such as
Search for a Star and we wr<strong>it</strong>e articles
to inform everyone especially the
youth. Our purpose is to give a young
person’s perspective of everything
that happens in our borough.
If you’d like to know more or want
to read articles and play games, then
please vis<strong>it</strong> www.forestflava.org.
uk
Dawood Mehmood, 9F
11

some more wordvoodoo
Mental
(A young lady s<strong>it</strong>s in her room)
(Sighs, looks down before beginning to talk) 5am that’s when ‘e goes to sleep... after the overdose of sleepin’ pills
that is... 6am, guess what that is... that’s when ‘e wakes up (Laughs softly)... I never understood why they brought him
‘ere... (Roughly wipes an eye, voice rises) ‘E has no reason to be ‘ere... This damned place made him go nuts (Looks
down in anger, Pause, sighs).
(Pushes against ears in anger) Arghhhh... (Gets up and shuts the door)
(S<strong>it</strong>s back down) I can’t bare the sound of his screams... I’ve been working ‘ere for the past 10 years; but I’ve never
before felt the pain of another... never! I couldn’t... I mean... <strong>it</strong> was part of my job... to ‘ave no feelin’. (Puts head in
hands)
I tried to get him out of ‘ere before <strong>it</strong> was much too late... I nearly lost my job but if that bothered me then I really
ain’t human at all! I secretly let him listen to music from a Vinyl Player once in a while... but they caught me out of
course... (Gets up, re-opens the door and s<strong>it</strong>s back down)
(Looks at the door and slowly turns back) Another electric shock or dip in the water I guess... that’s all they ever do
in this sh<strong>it</strong>hole... ‘Elp people? My foot! They never liked him... Who knows why... maybe <strong>it</strong>’s ‘cause he was always normal
and they couldn’t face the fact that they turned him into a total nutcase!
My last attempt at helpin’ him was useless... (Shouts in anger) you know they tried to f***ing electrocute me! That’s
how you know they’re the totally insane... (Calms down and wipes a tear) But I tried to ‘elp him... I honestly did; <strong>it</strong>’s
just... they got to him before me... (Cries) You can guess what they did to him... I remember the day too well. Grey
outside and grey in. I wasn’t allowed inside; they were afraid... they were afraid I would stop ‘em... (pauses, wipes a
tear) stop ‘em from doin’ what they did.
I couldn’t... I was useless! (Cries & walks away)
Teletubbiez
12
Satin
I think she thought she played me, But who turned out to be the lucky one; who has the children, who ended up w<strong>it</strong>h
the money, who has the new and defin<strong>it</strong>ely improved wife. I know <strong>it</strong>’s not her, God knows where she is, probably half
way around the world in a dustbin. You’re probably wondering who I’m talking about or what I’m talking about…Satin,
otherwise known as my ex wife. She was the salt in my coffee, the sugar on my chips, the pepper up my nose she was
my anomaly. Until the best thing in my life happened, SHE LEFT.
It all started w<strong>it</strong>h her ridiculous argument; “Darling I don’t think we should move house, I like <strong>it</strong> here” she said after
somehow persuading me to put the down payment on a £250,000 house, so me being the lovely husband I was I replied
“Sugar Muffin, we put the down payment on the house yesterday but I’ll see what we can do tomorrow” so the b<strong>it</strong>ch
replies “Tomorrow, but baby I want to sort <strong>it</strong> out now” so I reply “Honey drop the estate agent is closed now I can’t
do anything until tomorrow” that’s when <strong>it</strong> turned nasty she dropped the darling and the baby and replaced them w<strong>it</strong>h
stupid l<strong>it</strong>tle tw<strong>it</strong> and ugly bastard (I know, <strong>it</strong>’s a very big leap ain’t <strong>it</strong>). By the time the argument had finished she had
accused me of killing her slowly, cheating on her and apparently <strong>it</strong> was my fault that there was no world peace and to
top <strong>it</strong> all off to put the cherry on top of the cake our children were s<strong>it</strong>ting w<strong>it</strong>h us on the wobbly unclean dining table
watching w<strong>it</strong>h disbelief as their mother gradually turned into the hulk.
And then after getting a “touch” angry she patted the children’s heads and said to them “It’s not mummy’s fault that
daddy doesn’t make her happy.” I sat there and watched as she tried to convince our children that I was Dr Evil and she
was just a female Austin Powers, but obviously <strong>it</strong> didn’t work so she packed her Luis Vu<strong>it</strong>ton luggage set and headed
off, and I’ve never seen her since but I’m not complaining as I said; who turned out to be the lucky one, who has the
children, who ended up w<strong>it</strong>h the money, who has the new and defin<strong>it</strong>ely improved wife. I know <strong>it</strong>’s not her, Because
she’s gone, trust me she’s gone far.
shani
Go to wordvoodoo.blogspot.com to see more of the bloggers’ work....
Twice a week, Ms Chambers’ room is a hive of activ<strong>it</strong>y as
students improve their henna and mehndi skills in classes
run by former student Sameeha Ambreen. Over 30 girls have
attended classes at one time or another, moving from trying
out patterns on paper to decorating each others’ arms and
hands w<strong>it</strong>h beautiful designs. Classes are open to all every
Tuesday and Friday.
Martin Spafford

Challenge 2012 – Sri Lanka
Recipe book – food, food for
thought on how <strong>it</strong> can support
those in much need such as…
In collaboration w<strong>it</strong>h Asha Trust
and Radhika Bynon from our local
school Tom Hood, we are supporting
a school, the Sri Punyakami School,
which serves a highly deprived
commun<strong>it</strong>y in Dehiwala, Colombo
in Sri Lanka. There are 252 pupils,
aged 5-16. Most of the children live
in Athidiya, which is known locally
as the ‘polythene zone’ because of
the qual<strong>it</strong>y of the housing. There
are 450 families w<strong>it</strong>h 6 standpipes
and 6 toilets, difficult to imagine when
we are tucked up in our warm houses
letting the tap run for far too long…
The school is the key route for
these young people to have a life
different from their parents.
The school is poorly resourced but
the Principal (Headteacher) is a highly
comm<strong>it</strong>ted woman. The school has
very few resources – not even enough
Vis<strong>it</strong> GM online at www.gmschool.co.uk
desks and chairs for each pupil, w<strong>it</strong>h
no science or PE equipment and a
very small library.
The school’s wish list which we are
going to support is:
• A “special needs” classroom
for about 20 children who are
struggling in mainstream classes:
£600
• Funding for the special needs
teacher (the state does not provide
for this): £400 per year
• Toilets – the current toilets
are in an extremely poor state:
£900
• Breakfast club – this has been
operating since January, and
targets pupils who do not get
a proper meal at all. At present
this serves 40 children, but may
grow. The current provision
costs £1200 per year.
• Total cost: £3100
The sale of the Recipe Book
which was launched at the end
of October has already raised just
over £800 so the classroom will be
built…now on to getting that Special
Needs teacher!
If you want to donate or purchase
a Recipe Book for £5, please contact
me on 020 8539 6198. Cheques can
be made payable to George M<strong>it</strong>chell
School. Many thanks.
Claire Kirwin
Deputy Headteacher
English Secondary Students’ Association – Student Voice Conference
On Monday 19 November, Jade
Nnamani (8M), Fahim Ahmed
(9W), Hassan Mohamed (8F),
Eloise Hart (8M), Mark Hughes-
Cook (8M), Mary Dansie (8G) and
Gloria Boachie (8W), (members
of MLB or Student
Council), Miss
Jaeggi and I went
to the ESSA Student
Voice Conference
in Central London.
When we arrived
we ‘made our mark’
on the graff<strong>it</strong>i wall.
After that we listened
to a talk by some
people from ESSA
on a sex education
campaign which was
about teaching more
about relationships
in sex education in
schools.
Next ESSA talked
to us about how to
use campaigns to make a change.
My first workshop was on campaigns.
W<strong>it</strong>h students from other schools and
colleges, I had a discussion about
campaigns, after which we had a
practical activ<strong>it</strong>y making our own
campaigns w<strong>it</strong>h posters, role-play,
stickers, a speech and pet<strong>it</strong>ions. My
group’s campaigned for fewer, and
shorter, exams. I learnt a lot about
campaigns.
My next workshop was ‘Get Ready
for Geneva’, about children going to
the UN to share their views. We learnt
about our rights and Article 12 which
are rules about children’s rights. We
also discussed questions like ‘Do you
think babies have rights?’
After lunch we attended a ‘wake
up’ workshop of our choice (e<strong>it</strong>her
Rapping, Juggling, Street Dancing or
Acrobatics).Then Mary and I went
to the Enterprise
and Student Voice
workshop. In this
workshop we watched
a presentation
followed by a
discussion and then
a practical activ<strong>it</strong>y to
design a product of
our choice. My group’s
product was a pair of
jeans that turned into
shorts. We then had to
present our products
to the students and
they judged <strong>it</strong>. Most
people judged ours as
a thumbs up!
At the end we used
acti-vote on questions
about future of education, democracy
and campaigning. I learnt a lot of new
things It was a great day!
Huseyin Arpalikli, 9M
13

George M<strong>it</strong>chell goes Olympic
14
2012, GEORGE MITCHELL
SCHOOL AND TWO OF THE
FASTEST PEOPLE ON EARTH
Background
Early into the new academic
year I received a telephone call
telling us we had been selected
to represent Waltham Forest as
an Olympic/Paralympic Borough
to be at the launch of the next
sponsor of the 2012 games. 4
students were chosen because of
their success at the Borough Athletics
Championships in July, and because
they are part of the Gifted and
Talented Group in PE.
Escorted by Bruce Le<strong>it</strong>ch, one of
our S<strong>it</strong>e Officers, the students left for
the venue in a chauffeur driven car –
very posh.
Claire Kirwin
Deputy Headteacher
Eloise and Jade take up the story...
Welcoming the World 2008:
Our World
George M<strong>it</strong>chell School was
successful in <strong>it</strong>s application to
be one of 10 schools, chosen
from many applicants from the 5
host boroughs (Hackney, Tower
Hamlets, Newham, Greenwich &
Waltham Forest) of London 2012
Olympic & Paralympic Games.
Up to 30 student volunteers from
Years 7-10, who attend the after school
and Breakfast Clubs of Dig<strong>it</strong>al Media,
Music Technology, Animation & Film
Club will take part in the production of
On Thursday 20 September 4
students from our school – Eloise,
Jade, Wade and Branislav – all travelled
to the Millennium Bridge in London.
When we arrived there we all watched
Tyson Gay (the
World Champion
at both 100m
and 200m) and
Allyson Felix (the
World Champion
in the 200m and
4 x 400m relay)
sprint across the
bridge. We then
jogged across
the bridge w<strong>it</strong>h
them both, whilst
the press started
taking pictures.
Afterwards we
went to the
official launch
a short film designed to ‘Welcome the
World’ to London.
In Our World, students will work
alongside high-qual<strong>it</strong>y filmmakers and
a director to produce a high qual<strong>it</strong>y
of the new sponsor in a hotel. First
Sebastian Coe made a speech about
the launch (he’s the chairman for the
London 2012 Olympic Games). Herbert
Hainer, Adidas’ chief executive officer
also spoke about their sponsorship
of the games. Both seemed pleased
about the new sponsorship. They also
presented to us a range of athletes
including: 5 time Olympic gold medalist
Nadia Comaneci – gymnast; Denise
Lewis – heptathlete; Beth Tweddle
– gymnast; Tyson Gay and Allyson
Felix. Afterwards we met three female
athletes including Beth Tweddle and
Allyson Felix. We got their autograph
on e<strong>it</strong>her a shirt or in a book. We
also received for free a new pair of
Adidas Micro Bounce trainers and a
sweatshirt. It was really a great event
– we are looking forward to 2012
when the games come to us.
Jade Nnamani & Eloise Hart 8M
two-minute film and soundtrack. The
film will convey the variety of cultural
activ<strong>it</strong>ies and interests of a specific
commun<strong>it</strong>y w<strong>it</strong>hin the students’ local
area. Students will be involved in all
aspects of planning, storyboarding,
shooting and ed<strong>it</strong>ing the films.
The films are likely to be showcased
on ‘Live S<strong>it</strong>es’ (large screens in town
centres), local and touring exhib<strong>it</strong>ions,
local schools and George M<strong>it</strong>chell’s
end-of-year screening.
Pete Watson
Media Department

On 12 February, 19 George M<strong>it</strong>chell students from Years 7-9 went to South Kensington to the cine Lumiere. They
enjoyed a French afternoon in the French quarter of London and viewed, w<strong>it</strong>h exemplary behaviour, the last Obelix and
Asterix, a classic in the French culture. They also saw the French inst<strong>it</strong>ute, embassy and Lycée.
I wanted to say how proud I am to have taken those students out.
Aude Lacroix
Curriculum Leader for Languages
Page Français
Interview w<strong>it</strong>h Madame Lacroix
Are you married?
No
So why do you use “Madame”?
Because I don’t like the word “Mademoiselle”. We don’t
have the word “Ms” in French. If we did I would use
that!
Why did you choose to be a French teacher?
I wanted to be a teacher since I was 5. At first I wanted
to be a PE teacher because I am so compet<strong>it</strong>ive and
good at sport, then a Maths teacher because I absolutely
loved maths when I was younger. But when I came to
England, 10 years ago, <strong>it</strong> made just sense at the time to
be a Languages teacher. I love languages and I studied
linguistics at Uni.
Do you like teaching in this school?
Yes! Most of the time! The students are nice, but the
names are difficult to remember!
Were you a teacher in France?
No, I finished my degree in France and I enrolled for
my PGCE (the teaching degree) in London, although I
taught French in a French prison when I was a student
at Uni. I was part of this student association and most
of the prisoners struggled w<strong>it</strong>h l<strong>it</strong>eracy skills. I helped
them to communicate w<strong>it</strong>h officials and family. I had a
secur<strong>it</strong>y pass (I still have <strong>it</strong>, I had a strange hair cut!) and
I was so exc<strong>it</strong>ed to go through the prison gates every
Wednesday!
Do you enjoy being a French teacher?
Yes! At times! I wish pupils would like languages more!
Languages are cool. It is so good to speak another
language! If I have time, I will learn German. I am good
w<strong>it</strong>h grammar. I studied Latin when I was a child. German
is qu<strong>it</strong>e similar in the structure… But the pupils in school,
you have time to learn!!!
Do you think you made a change in the school,
Vis<strong>it</strong> GM online at www.gmschool.co.uk
“...We watched Asterix, I have seen
<strong>it</strong> before in cartoon but seeing <strong>it</strong> in
French was just great. I am so glad I
got chosen I hope to go on again.”
Charlotte Read Year 8
“The French trip was really fun. The
film was great and really funny...At
the end Yasmeen was sobbing her
eyes out even though <strong>it</strong> was really
funny...The film was in French but
had English subt<strong>it</strong>les so that was a
b<strong>it</strong> difficult to read and watch the
movie at the same time. I seriously
recommend the film and if I could
watch <strong>it</strong> again, I soooo would.”
Mary 8G
more specifically in the Languages department?
I believe so! But I still have lots of work to do. And projects
I want to see running. Time is the answer!
Why did you choose to be a teacher at this school?
Firstly, <strong>it</strong> is much closer to where I live, and because I am
getting much older I thought I needed to work closer to
make my life more enjoyable. Secondly, I was looking for
something different and more multicultural. And finally,
when I vis<strong>it</strong>ed the school I had a lovely boy and girl who
showed me the school. I liked the atmosphere straight away
and then I saw your climbing wall and I knew I wanted to
teach in GM.
How did you feel when you started teaching?
When I was early 20s I had so much energy! I absolutely
loved teaching! I was jumping everywhere! I kept my first
name board from my first parents’ evening! How sad! My
first class room I had a black board w<strong>it</strong>h chalks. I spent
hours trying to practise my handwr<strong>it</strong>ing to make <strong>it</strong> look like
more English!!!!
Do you think you will improve the learning of the
students?
I hope so! And I hope I have already!
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I love going to gigs (I am fond of Indie music essentially)
and I love anything about art (theatre, exhib<strong>it</strong>ions…). I am
keen on photography and might take a new course this
year to learn about dig<strong>it</strong>al photography. I play squash once
a week, go climbing each week and love to jive! I go out
w<strong>it</strong>h my crew when I am not working. And another of my
passions is travelling!
Do you think students enjoy your lessons? If yes how
do you know?
Yes, I believe my students enjoy my lessons! Hopefully…
They have a smile on their face when they see me…
Interviewed by the Languages MLB team: Antoaneta
(Y10), Hadjer (Y7), Saamiyah (Y10), Sadiyah (Y11)
15

STUDENT VOICE
What’s going on w<strong>it</strong>h the School
Council and Student Parliament?
The Student Council and Parliament
have kept themselves rather busy
during this first term. We’ve been lucky
to have had qu<strong>it</strong>e a few important
guest come to speak to us on a wide
range of interesting topics including:
• Lyndsey Buchanan (Youth
Consultant for Waltham Forest) came
to talk to us about getting involved in
some different activ<strong>it</strong>ies around the
borough...including the Forest Flava
Press Gang (see page 11) and Young
Voice (the first student e-panel in the
borough - see below)
• David Knight (a Director at Waltham
Forest Town Hall) talked to us about
the Police CSB (Commun<strong>it</strong>y Safety
Board) which attempts to engage the
commun<strong>it</strong>y (including young people)
w<strong>it</strong>h the formulation of a commun<strong>it</strong>y
police plan.
• Anna Paton, a teacher vis<strong>it</strong>ing from
Victoria, Australia who had heard
about some of our Student Voice
work, wanted to meet us to discuss
what we do here at George M<strong>it</strong>chell.
We finished up the term w<strong>it</strong>h the
Another Student Voice reward
Last term…in order to reward the
Making Learning Better consultants
for their hard work Ms Haque and Ms
Jaeggi organised a pizza lunch for us!
It was our first ever Christmas party!
It was GREAT. Our rewards just get
better and better!
Gloria Boachie, 8W
16
Student Voice Lunch!
Student Parliament
Student Parliament Meeting in
which the 2 elected reps from each
year group met w<strong>it</strong>h Ms Jeffery, Ms
Kirwin, Mr Savage, Ms Doyle (the
school bursar) and Ms Payne (from
the office, who took minutes for
us). We discussed a whole range
of issues that the student body had
raised w<strong>it</strong>h us and we think you’ll be
Young Advisors
In September a fantastic training
opportun<strong>it</strong>y was created for Karishma
Mahomed and Antoinette Hallam to
receive training on how to advise
other young people. “ I was lucky to
be chosen from the school to join a
group called Young Advisors. We had a
course for a week and that was a great
experience!
We got to
learn new
skills such as
how to build
relationships,
t r u s t ,
confidence
while dealing
w<strong>it</strong>h people.
We also got
to make new
friends! Our
job is to help
young people
and make
things better
for them
by helping
them to deal
w<strong>it</strong>h their
pleased w<strong>it</strong>h some of the solutions
we came up w<strong>it</strong>h! We reported back
during assemblies in January and the
minutes have been posted on our new
Student Parliament Notice Board (just
outside the LRC) – please feel free to
take a look!
Monica Haque
Christine Jaeggi
problems, think pos<strong>it</strong>ively…We go to
different meetings and best part of all
is that we get paid £8 an hour!”
CLG
Every month an MLB consultant
is chosen to give presentation at
Curriculum Leadership Group meeting.
We give presentations on what WE
think are good teaching practices as
well as give suggestions to teachers on
what WE think should be developed.
This information is then passed onto
teachers by their Curriculum leaders.
My suggestions were to incorporate
more team work into lessons; for more
feedback to be taken from students on
a regular basis; to create opportun<strong>it</strong>ies
for students to give presentations at
the end of a topic; and to incorporate
more use of ICT into lessons.
It’s motivating to see the school
taking steps to include our views even
in CLG meetings. This makes us feel
included and valued as we are getting
more and more opportun<strong>it</strong>ies to work
side by side w<strong>it</strong>h teachers.
Eloise Hart, 8M

It was going to be a wonderful day! I thought of how
fun <strong>it</strong> could be – <strong>it</strong> was Friday and we were having a drop
day... Year 7 was having a Murder Mystery Day...Who Killed Ms
Jeffery?!
First we went to room 3.9 where we used the computers! How
fun! What we had to do was so easy, all you had to do was to
look at the suspects on the computer screen. It was so amazing
when we got our booklets for the day of our adventure! I knew
at once who the murderer was! I’m not telling you though, wa<strong>it</strong>
until the end!
So after looking at the videos of the suspects, we went to
the maths room and I thought we were going to do all boring
stuff – can you believe <strong>it</strong> doing maths in a murder mystery day?
But <strong>it</strong> was actually fantastic! What we had to do was to calculate
how long each of the suspects had to kill Ms Jeffery and hide
her in the PE cupboard and then go back to their lessons.
We then went to the science lab where we had to check all
the suspects’ fingerprints, the clothes that were found at the
crime scene, different pen inks from a letter that was found and
what was on the suspects’ shoes. There was even an actual
police officer there to help us!
Finally we had to wr<strong>it</strong>e down who we thought the murderer
was. It was a compet<strong>it</strong>ion between all the year 7 classes to see
which tutor group could get <strong>it</strong> right AND come up w<strong>it</strong>h the best
explanation about how the suspect comm<strong>it</strong>ted the murder... and
Hadjer checking the soil samples
7G won!! This means we got to have a pizza party! We decided to have <strong>it</strong> on December 12 and <strong>it</strong> was so much fun!!
PS: I almost forgot to tell you who the murderer was...<strong>it</strong> was Ms. Sawtell!
Hadger Derrouiche
Twelve George M<strong>it</strong>chell
students received awards from
comedians/DJs Richard Blackwood
and Geoff Schumann at the 6th annual
Young, Gifted and Black Awards at
Walthamstow Assembly Rooms during
February half term. Awards were for
young people of African, Caribbean
or mixed her<strong>it</strong>age who achieved high
GCSE or KS3 results or a high grade in
a performing arts subject. The event
was organised by Leyton's Kreative
Culture Klub and sponsored by our
school among others.
Martin Spafford
Year 7 Murder Mystery Day!
Young, Gifted
and Black
Some of our award-winners sharing a joke
w<strong>it</strong>h Richard Blackwood
Vis<strong>it</strong> GM online at www.gmschool.co.uk
RE drop day poster compet<strong>it</strong>ion
Overall winners – Sikhism poster by: Abdullahi Arif 7M, Akram Allam 9M,
Kaleam Razak 9M, Irfan Tahir 9M, Sandra Boadi 10M, Amel Chergui 10M, Isreal
Imwensi, 10M.
Runners up – Buddhism poster by: Zeenat Azam 7W, Iqra Butt 7W, Abdullah
Habib 8W, Aliya Zubair 8W, Ali Ali 9W, Adnan Zamurred 9W, Luke Lusty 9W.
Runners up – Hinduism poster by: Mahmuda Aktar 9G, Sylvia Lim 9G, Thania
Miah 9G, Zoya Ahmed 10G.
Runners up – Judaism poster by: Fahmida Sultana 7F, Asha Hajidheereo 7F,
Zain Fahim 9F, Henna Syed 9F, Chioma Ndeze 10F.
Prizes were awarded at a pizza lunch on 15 February.
� WeatherWatch! �
What is that strange thing on top of the gym roof? Have you seen
<strong>it</strong>? Have you wondered?
Well, in late December the Human<strong>it</strong>ies Department took delivery of our
wireless weather station! This high tech piece of k<strong>it</strong> records the weather as <strong>it</strong>
happens here at George M<strong>it</strong>chell. At the moment <strong>it</strong> is wirelessly transm<strong>it</strong>ting
<strong>it</strong>s data to the computer in Mr Hamlin’s room. It is hoped in the future to get
the information streamed live to the TV in reception as well as on the school’s
webs<strong>it</strong>e.
But...watch this space! From next issue there will be regular “WeatherWatch”
reports about all aspects of the weather at GM through the different terms and
seasons.
We can’t predict the weather or promise nice weather, but we can be sure
there will be something to comment on!
The Geography Department
17

This project is aimed at year
10 girls. They get the opportun<strong>it</strong>y to
see that there is more to healthy living
than just doing normal PE in school.
They get the chance to explore some
local facil<strong>it</strong>ies like Leyton Leisure
Lagoon, Lee Valley Horse Riding
School, Mile End Climbing Wall and
much more.
There are also a few workshops
during lunch times like Jump Rope
for Heart (skipping), Massages, Self
Defence and Healthy Dieting. Students
will also get the opportun<strong>it</strong>y to vis<strong>it</strong> a
local beauty therapist for a choice of
treatments.
Well done to all the girls for all the
hard work up to now, there is much
more to come.
Let’s GO GIRLS!!!
Mr H Cal<strong>it</strong>z
SSCO and PE Teacher
18
GM Sporting Times
G O
IRLS!
Massage workshop
Dates for your diary...
SUMMER TERM
2008
Monday 21 April –
Friday 25 July
Monday 5 May:
School closed - Bank
Holiday Monday
SUMMER HALF
TERM:
Monday 26 –
Friday 30 May

GM Sporting Times
Year 7
Athletics
This year we started the
athletics early. The Year 7 team
started to attend indoor compet<strong>it</strong>ions.
These were held at Leyton Sixth
Form and at Leyton Orient (SCORE).
George M<strong>it</strong>chell was well represented
there and did really well in the
compet<strong>it</strong>ions.
At the moment George M<strong>it</strong>chell is
in second place and there are still a
few meetings left so we must try our
best to stay in the top 3 teams!
Well done to all the Y7 students that
participated and even our supporters.
We are looking forward to starting the
summer season w<strong>it</strong>h a f<strong>it</strong> Y7 team.
Mr H Cal<strong>it</strong>z
PE Teacher and SSCO
Year 9
Basketball
This year was a good year for
our basketball team. We started
the season well w<strong>it</strong>h a good number
of students at practice on a Friday
evening. We received some great
coaching from our local club.
Our team got together at the end of
the season and we played some great
basketball. We are looking to go from
strength to strength next year. We are
always looking for talented basketball
players so join us on a Friday evening
at school from 15:30 – 16:30.
Well done to all players for all their
hard work this season.
Mr H Cal<strong>it</strong>z
PE Teacher and SSCO
Vis<strong>it</strong> GM online at www.gmschool.co.uk
When I found out I was going to meet
KELLY HOLMES I couldn’t believe <strong>it</strong>. I was
amazed that out of 120 people I was going to be
one of the lucky 7.
As we got there the fun began, Kelly came
in and we started dancing, rowing, kick boxing,
jumping over things (where I dropped but don’t
tell anyone) and much more. Kelly joined in w<strong>it</strong>h
all the activ<strong>it</strong>ies and we had a cracking day. Every
one was nice and there to do the same thing.
Now our mission is to think of some activ<strong>it</strong>ies for
our school that the GIRLS will enjoy so that they
will like doing PE.
Nesha Gonzales
19

Friday, 28 September 2007
– 10 representatives from
George M<strong>it</strong>chell’s Junior Girls
Football Squad made their way
to Memorial Park in West Ham
to compete in Newham’s World
Cup Football Tournament. Held in
support of England’s Women’s Squad
competing simultaneously at the
World Cup in Beijing, each school was
given a country to represent (we were
North Korea). Cold, rainy and windy
are not exactly the ideal cond<strong>it</strong>ions
20
Junior Girls’ Football Success
Junior Girls Football Team
Finishes 2nd in the League!
Jennifer Anukam crowned Top
Scorer!
On Tuesday, November 20, the
Junior Girls Football Team played
their final game of the season and
finished up in a tie for second place
in the Waltham Forest League! W<strong>it</strong>h
a winning record of 4 wins and 1
loss in the season, this was the most
successful girls’ sports team at George
M<strong>it</strong>chell in recent memory. The team,
consisting of forwards: Jennifer
Anukam (7M), Nafiya Horozoglu (7W)
Finding out we made <strong>it</strong> through to the quarter finals!
for a football tournament, but the
George M<strong>it</strong>chell Ladies were able to
perform desp<strong>it</strong>e the dire cond<strong>it</strong>ions
and managed to make <strong>it</strong> through to
the Quarter Finals!
The team consisted of: Jennifer
Anukam (7M), Nafiya Horozoglu
(7W), Henna G. Rassoude (8F),
Ninet Gyamfi (8F), Tinika Frederick
(8F), Shanika Murray (8F), Serena
Mansaray (8W), Barbara Nanyonga
(8W), Gloria Boachie (8W) and Natalie
Wilson (9G).
and Shanice Edwards (8G); defenders:
Henna Rassoude and (8F), Joy
Coleman (8G); and goalies: Serena
Mansaray (8W) and Gloria Boachie
(8W) were then inv<strong>it</strong>ed to the Inter-
Borough Tournament on November
26 in which they faced off against
the best teams from Hackney, Tower
Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge!
Newcomer Jennifer Anukam was also
crowned as the league’s top scorer
w<strong>it</strong>h an impressive 12 goals in the
season! And team mate Shanice
followed in fourth place w<strong>it</strong>h 5 goals
and Nafiya w<strong>it</strong>h 3 goals.
This year for the first time, we had
Results:
Match 1:
Draw (1:1) – Goal by Natalie Wilson
Match 2:
Draw (2:2) – Goals by Natalie Wilson
and Nafiya Horozoglu
Match 3:
WIN (1:0) – Goal by Natalie Wilson
Finished second place in Group B
Quarter Finals:
Loss (1:3) – Goal by Natalie Wilson
enough interest in girls’ football to
add a second team into the league!
This team, consisting of Shanika
Murray (8F), Chloe Burke (8F), R<strong>it</strong>a
Bolanle (7G), Ninet Gyamfi (8F),
Jade Nnamani (8M), Tinika Frederick
(8F) and Eloise Hart (8M) came an
extremely impressive fifth place in
the 12 team league standings!! Well
done to all George M<strong>it</strong>chell’s Female
Footballers…looking forward to the
summer season!
Miss Jaeggi
Coach of the Junior Girls Football
Team