Germaine Greer Thursday 30 September ‘The Palace Talks’ lecture series presents a unique opportunity to hear the inside story of four decades of change, from the fearless international feminist icon and highly regarded academic.
This close encounter will be candid, enlightening and highly entertaining, with the chance to ask your own burning questions, be they serious or lighthearted. Admission is by pre-booked ticket only and restricted to those age 16 or over. Tickets available from the School Office or by calling 020 8688 2027 |
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Encouraging Ofsted report for The Limes We are delighted to announce that we have received a highly pleasing report from Ofsted following their recent inspection of The Limes. Having spent a day with our team and all the children in our Day Care Nursery, the Inspector saw a range of activities for the different age groups and she commented upon the sense of enjoyment and the level of learning that the children were experiencing. The inspector also had an opportunity to talk with some parents who were collecting their children. We are proud of all that has been accomplished in The Limes since its opening last September. |
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International Quartet to take up residency |
| The Theodora Clark Scholarships Theodora Clark was the Headmistress of Croham Hurst School between 1901 and 1927 and set up a fund when she retired, to be used for helping students. Miss Clark was an intrepid traveller at a time when foreign travel was not always easy or comfortable. The scholarship is awarded to enable girls leaving school ‘to plan and embark on various projects’ and we are delighted that the scheme is being extended for use in our new school. All students in Years 12 and 13 are eligible to apply for an award and their contribution to school life and the wider community is taken into consideration. Three students made successful applications this year, gaining awards of £200 and £500. |
Reunited Our splendid 15th Century Banqueting Hall lived up to its name in June when it hosted a magnificent banquet for over 250 Old Girls. Former students joined staff and sixth formers for a truly splendid celebration of our past heritage and our future vision. It was lovely to see many ‘Young Girls’ of the 1930s coming back to see us. ‘This has been a really special day for me’ said former student Meera Doshi, ‘I haven’t been back to the School properly since I left nearly ten years ago and it was fantastic seeing so many old friends again and even some of my former teachers. It was also good to see how the School has developed, it has all the latest resources - the language lab is really amazing - but I’m so glad that the School’s unique historical heritage is still the first thing that hits you when you walk through the gates. I look forward to the next reunion, I hope they have one soon.’ |
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The dedication and commitment of the PE Faculty and the students has been acknowledged by the award of Activemark certification by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The award is in recognition of exceptional delivery of the National School Sports Strategy, with at least 90% of the students across the school receiving at least two hours of high quality PE and sport each week. Old Palace will be further enhancing provision from September through the appointment of a Dance specialist to teach across the School. Judging by the enthusiasm for the dance evenings, this will be well-received by the students. |
Star Gazers For the past three years Old Palace students have been using large robotic telescopes in both Haleakea in Hawaii and Siding Springs in New South Wales, Australia to take pictures of distant galaxies and star clusters. They link up by internet during the school day to these distant telescopes, where it is night time. The Faulkes Telescopes take their name from Dill Faulkes, the millionaire entrepeneur who originally funded the project, and were made in Birkenhead by a spin-off company from Liverpool John Moores University. The British work is managed by Cardiff University's Physics and Astronomy Department. The telescopes were used with Junior classes to enthuse them with ‘real’ science, in GCSE Astronomy classes and also during lunchtime sessions for anyone who is interested. This image has been colour-enhanced to bring out faint detail using software provided free by the University. It shows a galaxy known as NGC3227. |
We are delighted to announce that, following a very successful collaboration with the School’s musicians and Drama students, the Award Winning Maggini Quartet will be running a residency scheme for Old Palace next academic year. This will provide the whole school with a wonderful opportunity to work creatively with musicians of the highest calibre and to hear and experience some of the greatest music ever written, played by professional musicians. The chance to work closely with professional musicians has proved invaluable and the musical and dramatic results this year were very powerful and impressive. Martin Outram, the quartet’s viola player, commented: ‘We are very excited to continue our collaboration with the young musicians and artists of Old Palace School. We look forward to further projects, sharing our commitment to chamber music with as many members of the School and local community as possible’. 
Commitment rewarded in the PE Department