Summer Term 2017 - Oaks Park High School

Oaks Park High School
Summer Term Review – July 2016
This is the last time I will be contributing to the Oaks Park Review, as after more than 15 years as
Headteacher at Oaks Park High School, I look forward to retiring at the end of term.
I began working at Oaks Park in January 2001, having been appointed in June 2000. At the time of
appointment the school had no name, no students, no staff or any buildings. The plan was simply
to ‘build a new school in Redbridge’.
The name ‘Oaks Park’ was selected as a result of a competition amongst local primary schools.
The uniform was chosen; staff appointed and 180 students enrolled for September 2001. All we
needed were buildings.
The school began in portakabins, which were part of a large building site. The adventure had
begun and it was a good two years before the school was fully open. We had our first Ofsted
Inspection in 2003. In September 2004 our students began studying GCSE courses for the first
time.
2006 was a big year for the school as we received our first set of GCSE results; Oaks Park became
a specialist Music School and we opened our sixth form to around 120 students.
By 2008 the school was full to capacity and the sixth form continued to expand. We had a further
Ofsted Inspection in 2008; graded as ‘Good’. Undoubtedly a highlight for the school was when
Ofsted graded us as ‘Outstanding’ in October 2011. This was a key moment as it emphasised the
vast amount of work that had gone into building a successful mixed community comprehensive
school.
We have not rested on our laurels and continued to build on the platform provided by Ofsted. It
was not long after that we agreed to increase the student population at Oaks Park by taking an
additional 2 forms of entry. Our sixth form has also continued to expand. Consequently we
embarked on a building programme which has seen us redevelop the front of the school;
completely remodel the school hall; build additional changing accommodation; install a fantastic 4G
playing surface and, of course, see the opening of the magnificent Craig Foster Building - a fitting
tribute to a highly valued and respected member of staff who sadly passed away in August 2014.
The success of Oaks Park High School and the role it has played in the community was brought
home to me recently when we launched the Oaks Park Alumni Society. It was a wonderful
occasion where past students returned to Oaks Park to talk about the progress they had made in
their careers and how much they had enjoyed their time at the school.
When I look back over my period as Headteacher, I do so with pride. Together we have built a
wonderful ethos and an inclusive environment where all students are encouraged to develop to the
best of their ability; where examination results are important but students also have a wide range
of extra-curricular activities to develop their interests and where the individual differences are
respected by all.
In a sense I will not be retiring, but pursuing other interests centred around developing our next
generation of headteachers. I firmly believe the time is right for a new Headteacher to take Oaks
Park onto the next stage of development.
I would like to finish by thanking all staff, parents and students for their support in establishing
Oaks Park High School as a popular community comprehensive school. I wish you all well in the
future and particularly my successor, Ms Joanne Hamill, who I am confident will provide excellent
leadership for years to come and take the school onto further success.
S J Wilks
Headteacher
Oaks Park Ski Trip - Switzerland 2016
At the end of February, 48 students and 5 staff spent a fantastic week in Switzerland and France on the
annual ski trip. The students ranged from Year 7 to Year 10.
The party left Oaks Park on the evening of Friday 26th February and travelled by coach to Dover, where they
boarded the ferry to cross the Channel. The drive from Calais began at midnight and everyone watched a
film before settling down to sleep through the night. Our two drivers, Simon and Steve were very friendly,
helpful and pleasant.
Everyone slept well and we stopped for breakfast at about 8:00am to stretch our legs. Breakfast over, we
set off for Torgon and had one more stop at the foot of the mountain for a quick snack. There was no snow
at the foot of the mountain, but as we climbed the steep road we could see more and more snow higher
up.
We arrived at Torgon in the middle of the afternoon and once we had carted our bags to the centre, we
were allocated our rooms. We unpacked and then went for ski-fit, where we were given our boots, skis,
sticks and helmets. With over 100 students (including 3 other schools) at the centre, it was important to
make sure that we stored our equipment in the right place!
After our fitting we had a lovely meal, then some of us played football in the Sports Hall before attending a
meeting with Mr Todd, who explained what the daily schedule would be. We laid out all our clothes,
gloves, goggles etc. ready for the following day and everyone went to sleep, excited at the thought of the
next day’s skiing.
We were woken at 7:15 on Sunday morning by a very loud “Wakey, Wakey!”- which was a very successful
method of getting everybody up! Breakfast was at the same every day: fruit juice, cereals, toast, eggs, tea,
and coffee. After breakfast each morning we picked up our packed lunches and drinks and took a 5 minute
journey to the slopes via a local bus. At the slopes we met the instructors and were put into groups. The
beginners spent the first day on the Nursery Slopes, while the more experienced disappeared up the
mountain on chair-lifts and Button/T-Bar tows.
We skied for 5 hours every day: 2½ in the morning and 2½ in the afternoon. As the week went on and
students’ skiing skills progressed, lunches were taken at various mountain restaurants. The highlight of the
week was skiing from Switzerland into France. Fortunately there was no Border Control!
We were blessed with lots of snow - in fact, too much at times! Even the beginners left the Nursery Slopes
on day 3 and travelled around the mountains.
When we returned to the centre after skiing, we hung up our clothes to dry and were allowed to go to the
shop (which was a 2 minute walk away) before our evening meal. Every night our evening meal was soup,
a salad bar and then a main course followed by dessert. The food was really good! After the meal each
evening there was a different activity for a couple of hours. These included a Roller Disco, Smores Evening
(hot chocolate and barbecued marshmallows), Climbing Wall, and visit to Steam Baths in Saillon. For the
Steam Baths visit we had to go down the mountain in the coach. The baths consisted of four swimming
pools, both inside and outside, which were heated by the thermal springs. It was fantastic! To float down
the lazy river in hot water in the dark, while the outside temperature was below freezing was a great
experience!
Every night after activities we had a de-brief meeting where we found out the schedule for the following
day followed by an Awards Ceremony. There were Awards for Stack of the Day, Damsel in Distress, Crazy
Moment etc. Everyone who won an Award had to wear a bright high-viz vest or a crazy helmet head cover.
The Awards went down very well - we even had some students (and staff) skiing in animal onesies!
All too soon it was Friday and we had our last day of skiing. At the end of the day our instructors presented
the students with medals and certificates, then it was back to the centre to pack, clean up and depart.
We left Torgon in heavy snow and had to make our way down the mountain very carefully. Everybody slept
well on the journey home and we arrived at Calais at 6am. We arrived back at school at 9.30am to be met
by parents and carers.
It was a wonderful trip; expertly planned by Mr Todd. Great skiing, great evening activities, great
accommodation! Roll on next year – a truly fantastic experience for all involved!
Mr Dutch
Deputy Headteacher
Melilla students visit Oaks Park - April 2016
This term, students and teachers from our partner school IES Enrique Nieto in Melilla came to visit Oaks
park for a day. Melilla is a Spanish town on the northern coast of Africa and we have had links with IES
Enrique Nieto for several years. The group of 60 Year 9 students and 3 teachers took part in a whole range
of activities, which they thoroughly enjoyed.
Following an introduction to the school by Mr Wilks and an Oaks Park 6th Form video, the morning saw our
first football internationals on the new 4G pitch. These England-Spain under 15 matches, organised by our
PE department, were closely contested and competently refereed by Mr Quinn, who also referees for West
Ham.
Spanish-English lessons then followed, hosted
by Mr Perez and 7W and Ms Wild and 8P,
where students from both schools made the
most of the opportunity to develop their foreign
language skills, including chatting animatedly
about sports and pastimes.
Our guests also enjoyed visiting Science, Geography, History and PSHE lessons, escorted by our excellent
Year 9 guides: James Miller 9Y, Adam Chaudhary 9Y, Alina Tariq 9Y, Andre Everson 9W, Saba Ejaz 9B,
Kireth Bolina 9W, Nirvan Barua 9W, Ismaeel Kayani 9W and Mia Olagbaju 9W. The visit concluded with an
excellent dinner in the canteen and fond farewells until the next time.
Our visitors from Melilla were very impressed with the warm welcome they received from our staff and
students. A big thank you to all involved for a very successful and worthwhile visit.
Mr Hawthorne
Assistant Headteacher
Oaks Park and IES Enrique Nieto recently completed a Comenius project sponsored by the British Council
which used European funding to develop the entrepreneurial skills of students in both schools. We hope to
work together on further projects in the future. You can find out more about this project and IES Enrique
Nieto by visiting the project website: http://upeformacion01.wix.com/comeniusregio.
Revision Residential - A Huge Success
From Friday 8th - Monday 11th April, 80 Year 12 students were taken on a four day residential to Grosvenor
Hall, Kent, to complete their final preparations for their up-coming AS Level examinations.
To ensure that the students had the best possible build up to their exams, they had intensive sessions
running from 9:00am until 7:30pm.
The evening and rest break activities saw students take part in team-building activities which included
problem solving, conquering the Power Fan and 3G swing and abseiling. It was a great way of relaxing and
refuelling after a hard day’s work and the students thoroughly enjoyed it.
The students’ response to the residential was extremely positive: “It was a great opportunity to focus on
these important subjects outside of the classroom” and “I would never have completed this much
revision at home”.
The staff who accompanied the students commented on how hard-working they were; spending up to 6
hours a day revising independently with little or no persuasion.
We wish all students the best of luck in their exams.
Ms Caluda
Head of Year 12
BTEC Music – Let’s go to the Movies
On Friday 15th April our Year 11 BTEC Music students planned and produced a concert for Year 7 students.
The concert had the theme ‘Let’s Go to the Movies’. The Year 11’s auditioned students from all year
groups who either sang, played an instrument or danced. The audition had one condition - the song
chosen had to be from a film.
A variety of talented performers were selected and did themselves proud on the day. The Year 11 students
dressed up as different film characters to welcome their guests and host the concert.
The Year 7 audience really enjoyed the afternoon of entertainment. Well done to the Year 11 BTEC Music
classes of 2016!
Ms Bryan
Performing Arts Teacher
Wales Visit
In May, a group of Year 8 students spent a week in Wales near Brecon.
We arrived at the Maes Y Lade Centre on the afternoon of Monday
9th May and the students quickly got settled into their dormitories.
That evening we had an early dinner followed by a mountain walk.
Dressed in full waterproof gear, the students began their climb of
Mount Twmpa (690m) in south-east Wales. Despite the awful
weather conditions - wind and heavy rain - the students were
fantastic.
The rest of the week included mountain biking; caving; canoeing and
exploring waterfalls. The activities were enjoyable but challenging
and many of the students involved ended up very wet and muddy!
Evening activities included orienteering and laser-tag.
The students fully immersed
themselves in the activities and the
experience as a whole and will have
returned with new skills, new
friendships, personal achievements
and much more.
They were a credit to the school and
the instructors and staff at Maes Y
Lade had nothing but praise for
them. An amazing time was had by
both staff and students and we hope
that this is the first of many visits.
Mr Webber, HoY8
Ms Pillai, English Teacher
Ms Fenn, Social Sciences Team Leader
Travel Green Team - Silent Protest
On Tuesday 24th May the Travel Green Team staged a Silent Protest. We did this to highlight the
congestion at the front gates in Oaks Lane and the back gates in Perrymans Farm Road, mainly caused by
parents/carers dropping their sons/daughters off at school. This has proved to be very dangerous over the
years and there have been many ‘near misses’.
We made placards bearing various slogans and messages to hold up at the gates. We met at 7:45;
collected our placards and manned the gates from 8:00 until 8:40 am and again in the afternoon from 3:00
until 3:20 pm.
Most parents were intrigued by what we were doing; however some were not happy and asked us why the
protest was necessary – in fact one or two people were actually quite rude! We also had an issue with a
car parking in-between the two front gates and the occupants getting out of their car to smoke a cigarette!
We politely asked them to move, which they did. We also had the usual issues with the ice cream van in
the afternoon - it seems that nothing we can say will put the ice cream seller off!
However there were some positive outcomes - the neighbours adjoining the front entrance were pleased
that we were highlighting the issue, as people park across their drive all the time.
If you are dropped off or collected by car, please ask your parent/carer to pull over a little way from the
school gates, as this will help to solve the congestion and make it much safer. Cars should also be parked
with consideration - not over residents driveways, on corners or even in the middle of the road!
Parents/carers should also be aware that school staff need access in and out of the school gates.
This whole project was part of the work we do in conjunction with the YTA scheme (Youth Travel
Ambassador) which is funded and run by TfL. We have had to identify an issue and run a project on it,
beginning with a presentation in front of a panel of judges and culminating in a celebration event in July.
We were awarded £250 to help run this event, which went towards the cost of card, paints, posters etc.
Thank you to Ms Smith, Mr Chapman and Mrs Fage for all their help and support. Thanks also to Mrs Crisp
and Mr Asad, who came along to support us at the front gate.
The Travel Green Team
Redbridge Council are in the process of making Oaks
Lane into a one way system, which should hopefully
provide a much safer environment for everyone!
Schools Visit to Gothenburg (Sweden)
During May half term I had an amazing opportunity to visit schools in Gothenburg (Sweden). The schools
have many similarities to ours within their educational system.
Day One
I arrived at Gothenburg Landvetter airport in the afternoon and met other teachers from Redbridge
schools who were also taking part in the visit.
After checking into our hotel we headed off to
our first visit - a creative recycling centre called
RETUREN:
https://kreativareturen.wordpress.com/
Here we saw how schools in Gothenburg visit
the centre to learn how to recycle materials and
use them in the classrooms. There were many
wonderful products made by students and at
times it was hard to believe that they were
made from things people throw away.
Day Two
We were split into small groups to visit different
schools in Gothenburg. I visited a primary school called
Nolered in the morning followed by a secondary school
called JattestensskoLan in the afternoon.
The primary school used laptops in the classroom for
ICT programming and used a programme called Sphero
to code a Sphero to move around the classroom.
The secondary school made good use of Google
Classroom for teaching and learning - something the ICT
department at OPHS does very well at KS5.
Day Three
We visited the Centre for School Development in
Gothenburg; discussed our experiences and provided
feedback.
We would like the relationship we have built with the
schools in Gothenburg to continue and grow stronger and
have created an online platform to keep in touch and
share ideas. The schools plan to team up for future
projects.
Mr Ahmed
ICT Teacher
In May, our Year 10 Drama GCSE students travelled by
coach to see Curious Incident of the Dog in the NightTime, the West-End play based on the best selling book
by Mark Haddon.
Without exception, all students and staff were blown
away by the production. The staging and performances
were truly incredible. We all laughed, cried and were
completely mesmerised by what we saw.
The students are now writing a review about the
production as part of their Drama GCSE coursework.
Want to know more? Ask one of the students. I
guarantee this – they would ALL recommend seeing it!!
R Mainwaring
Drama Teacher
Year 7 Trip to the
Imperial War Museum
In June, students from Year 7 were rewarded
for their excellent effort in History with a trip
to the Imperial War Museum.
Having looked at the First World War and its
impact on Redbridge, students were able to
experience stories from WW1 and conflicts
today. The trip began with a look around the
First World War galleries where students
discovered what life was like at home in
Britain and its Empire and walk through a
recreated trench.
We were then able to examine personal
objects and artefacts belonging to those
awarded the Victoria Cross and George Cross
and the students really enjoyed learning
about all the heroic stories.
Finally we visited the gift shop where
students had the choice of books, replicas
and gifts inspired by the exhibitions. Overall,
students enjoyed the trip and represented
Oaks Park brilliantly.
Ms Ali
KS3 History Coordinator
Walking Tour of London
On Wednesday 15th June twenty four Year 8
students were selected to attend a walking tour of
London. They were especially selected for their
hard work and effort in creating a presentation for
English.
The students, along with Mr Day and Mrs Shaikh,
were blessed with wonderful sunny weather and
had a delightful time exploring the City of London
lead by the knowledgeable Mr Flatt - a retired
History teacher who until recently taught at Oaks
Park.
We ventured from Liverpool street station to the crypt of the Guildhall, past St Paul’s Cathedral, around
several churches (at least fifty) and up to the top of One New Change. The students had a great time
exploring the city, though their legs ached after the two mile walk! Many hope to return again and show
their families the secret spots (and churches) in London they had discovered.
Well done to all concerned and a special thank you to Mr Flatt!
Ms C Barr
2nd i/c English
Visit to Sky Garden
On 16th June, the Year 12 geographers travelled to
Central London to visit the Sky Garden in Fenchurch
Street.
The Sky Garden is situated 155 metres above street
level at the top of the ‘Walkie Talkie’ building. We
were able to look over the city and had great views
along the River Thames (and beyond). The students
were also pleased to make use of the comfortable
sofas in the very attractive café area!
After the dizzy heights of the Sky Garden we
returned to the streets of London to explore further,
with a trip on a River Bus and the Emirates Cable
Cars.
We all had a very enjoyable trip - with no rain!
Ms Freeman
Geography Teacher
Art and Photography Exhibition 2016
The annual Art Exhibition featured work of students from Years 11, 12 & 13. Congratulations to the
students - their work looked fantastic, with confident and thought provoking pieces.
Ms Allum
Team Leader for Art
Redbridge Science and Technology STEM Challenge Day
On Thursday 16th June, twelve Year 8 & 9 students participated in the above event at University of East
London. This was one of more than 40 STEM Challenge Days taking place across the country. (Oaks Park
hosted a challenge day in April this year on behalf of the Institute of Engineering and Technology using our
new state-of-the-art Science Suite).
When we arrived at UEL we were taken into a lecture theatre where we had a talk from fascinating
internationally recognised engineer Ray Ruocco. Mr Ruocco designed the moveable arm on the
International Space Station and space shuttles, which is still in operation today.
After this students were given a quick tour and then began their engineering tasks which gave them an
insight into a higher level of science and technology. Activities included building and programming a robot
to navigate a series of obstacles; using police software to create an image of a ‘criminal’; designing,
building and racing a simple electric vehicle and a medical challenge to show how they can save the life of
another person under pressure using skills and equipment they were asked to quickly learn, which they all
thoroughly enjoyed.
Students were teamed up with other schools and competed against different groups. It was a great
opportunity to show how they participate intellectually within a high ability team; listen to ideas and
respectfully question and share their opinions to come up with a winning method. Priya Mann (Year 9) and
Aman Karim (Year 8) designed the fastest car and Thanus Dohesvaran and Homa Masoud, both from Year 8
won a special prize for the medical challenge, which was presented to them by the Mayor of Redbridge.
Students who took part were: Amber Solanki 9R, Alina Tariq 9Y, Khizir Abid 9U, Priya Mann 9Y, Aman Karim
8B, Lorna Batey 9N, Max O'Sullivan 8U, Yeun-Yi Wong 8U, Thanus Dohesvaran 8W, Homa Masoud 8B,
Aberna Easwarathevan 8B and Tanvir Chowdhury 8U, led by science teachers Ms. Nea and Mr. Cohen.
Mr Cohen
Science Teacher
UN Conference
On 23rd June four Year 7 students attended a UN conference at Loxford High School.
The purpose of the day was for students to speak and share their country’s views on global issues facing
the world, such as poverty, education, climate change and human rights.
Oaks Park was chosen to represent the USA. Before the meeting students researched the global issues
facing the USA. During the meeting they presented the country’s views for each global issue and debated
the views put forward by other countries. At the end of the meeting they discussed an Action Plan
(Resolution) which all countries needed to agree to.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the day and were a real credit to Oaks Park.
Mrs Thaker
Head of EMA
BTEC Music – St Peters Flower Festival
On Saturday 25th June two of our Year 12 BTEC Music
students, Lenin Iza-Paez and Martika Dupigny-Williams
entertained a large audience at the St Peters Church
Annual Flower Festival. They performed a 30 minute slot
amongst many other musicians. Martika played some
rock tunes which included ‘Juicebox’ by the Strokes and
Lenin played a mixture of classical and Spanish guitar as
well as ‘Snow’ by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
They both did extremely well despite the stormy weather and have since been asked to take part in other
musical events. Well done Martika and Lenin!
Ms Bryan
Performing Arts Teacher
Author Visits
As part of the schools commitment to raising the level of engagement with reading and promoting reading
for pleasure the LRC arranged for popular authors to visit the school, speak to our students about their
books and explain how and why they became authors.
All of our KS3 students have had an author visit and many of them have also taken part in creative writing
sessions with the authors, which was a great opportunity for them to pick the brains of published authors
and gain tips for their own writing.
We were extremely lucky to have a visit from Morris Gleitzman, who was over on a fleeting visit from his
home in Australia. He worked with all our Year 7 students plus over 100 students from two of the local
primary schools; speaking about how his experiences in life often appeared as stories in his books and how
sometimes he actually became the character of his books - at one point taking on the persona of a Cane
Toad!
Keren David, a fantastic author of Teenage fiction, worked with all our Year 9 students. During her talk she
explained that a change in her personal circumstances made her think about altering her career and after
taking a creative writing course realised that she could actually tell quite a good story.
Our students quizzed her about the characters in her books and where she got her ideas from. She said
that most her ideas came from her previous job as a news journalist for a national newspaper. One of her
books is being made into a musical, which is due out early next year.
Our Year 8 students were thrilled to meet one of their favourite authors, Anne Cassidy. She writes thrillers
and murder mystery books, which always have the most amazing twists to the storyline. Anne has visited
Oaks Park on many occasions and often pops in to promote her new best sellers to our students before
they go on general release. The next one is due in November and she has already asked to come back!
Video Conferencing
During the last term, students at Oaks Park have taken part in numerous Video Conferences, with many of
them connecting to schools, universities and businesses throughout the world and some nearer to home.
One of the projects that has been very successful this year is the tuition some of our music students have
received from our links with Manhattan School of Music in New York. We were able to secure funding
from the Redbridge Network Learning Community to enable this project to go ahead and along with
Woodford High School, put together a package for our students. This was a wonderful opportunity for
them to receive tuition from this world famous Music School and a once in a lifetime chance for many of
them. The teachers from New York were very impressed at the high levels that some of our students had
already reached and helped others who needed to improve.
Mr Stockwell, who ran the project for Oaks Park and Ms Hasler, who ran it for Woodford High School, were
equally impressed by the level of tuition and the obvious improvements of the students involved. We are
hoping to secure more funding so that the tuition can be secured for next year too.
Literacy Through Football
Over the last term we have been taking part in a trial project with a
company that promotes improving literacy through the international
language of football. They have been working with a small group of
students who have been having fun literacy lessons revolving around
football and a session with a UEFA coach.
This has proved to be very successful and it has been amazing to see
how the confidence of the students has grown with their spoken and
written English. We were invited to take part in the trial through our
friendship with the author Dan Freedman. He writes football related
stories and his Jamie Johnson series have just been made into a
television programme for the BBC.
Mrs Hayes
LRC Manager
UK Maths Challenge
This year’s Junior Maths Challenge saw students in Years 7 & 8 achieved 2 Gold Certificates, 21 Silver
Certificates and 22 Bronze Certificates. Over 250,000 pupils from across the UK participated, with
approximately 6% receiving a Gold certificate, 13% Silver and 21% Bronze Certificates.
Congratulations to the following students:
Gold: Farhaan Fayaz, Ronit Patel
Silver: Shaan Law, Tasfia Hannan, Fatema Ahmed, Ayesha Mirza, Krish Patel, Arveja Sugumar,
Abby Cundy, Krishoth Gayan Harendra, Ninuja Uthayakumar, Tanvir Chowdhury, Aryan Majmudar,
Savannah Young, Gurshara Singh, Raiyan Rahman, Sidrath, Sarayqum, Shivani Mandalia,
Abdullah Akhtar, Rabah Ahmed, Isabella Solanki, Cyan Miah, Supriya Chamber.
Bronze: Yeun –Yi Wong, Max Ross, Jaime Espinoza, Fahimul Haque, Cordelia Murugathas, Asiya Yussuf,
Alyaan Danish, Tameema Chowdhury, Rai Bansal, Yasmin Said, Gabriele Bertasiute, Bryle Inandan,
Kayalava Kanapathipilla, Bradley Thomas, Alisha Woozeerally, Deven Dattani, Liyana Roshid,
Mathumel Kishokumar, Bharati Mary Joseph, Shreeya Patel, Abdul Miah,
Luxman Lengeswarathasan.
A special mention should go to Ronit, who achieved the highest score in both of the years. Well done to
all!
Mrs Jutley
2nd i/c Maths
The Junior Maths Challenge is run by the UK Mathematics Trust and supported by the Institute and Faculty of
Actuaries. The Maths Challenges provide material to provoke students’ mathematical thinking and test their
problem solving skills in an accessible, yet challenging way.
U13 Girls Rugby – London Youth Games
On Thursday 17th March the Oaks Park U13 Girls Rugby
team travelled to Richmond to compete in the London
Youth Games, representing Redbridge against all other
London boroughs.
The girls put in several great performances in the group
stage, showing just how much they have developed over
the year. They showed some great positive play particularly from Aecy Asemota who made some really
strong runs and Romani Cameron Kiss, who showed great
agility and speed both in attack and defence. These
performances secured 3rd place in the group and took
them into the knock-out stage where they faced Ark
Academy, Brent. Unfortunately the team lost 15-5 despite
some great tackling and carries.
Team Redbridge finished in 13th place.
Team:
Kushmeet Roopra, Sophie Watkinson,
Aecy Asemota, Romani Cameron Kiss,
Tasfia Hannan, Chante Ramsey, Roxie Smart,
Iman Chekkour, Ninuja Uthayakumar,
Cordelia Muruthagas, Clio Goodwin.
Year 11 Basketball Final of Redbridge Cup
The Y11 Basketball Team lost narrowly by 8 points in the final of the
Redbridge Basketball Cup.
The team battled really hard but were up against a strong Chadwell
team. A special well done to the two Year 9 boys, James Miller and
Andre Eversley, who have stepped up all year and been very important
to the team and to Ibukun, who has been outstanding all year.
Team:
Ibukun Morakinyo, Shaya Hewitt, Shane Emmanuel, Tyler Marks,
Andre Eversley (Y9), James Miller (Y9).
Essex Cricket Trip
On 18th May, Ms Andrews and Mr Green took a group of
students from Years 7-9 to the Essex Cricket ground
where they took part in a 2 hour coaching session with
Essex Cricket coaches and also had the opportunity to
watch a county match between Essex and Derbyshire.
The students enjoyed the day, especially the coaching
session, and even though most of play was called off due
to poor weather we still got a glimpse of one of our ex
students, Jamie Porter, playing for Essex.
Year 7: Adam Butt, Niveth Vivekanandarajah, Aram Patel, Sahil Rahti, Milan Patel, Abdul Rahman.
Year 8: Jaydeep Dhuria, Shanojan Sivalokanathan, Aryan Majmudar, Faris Mir, Krishna Nair, Sanjay Vijitharan,
Javad Ahmed, Afzal Al-Mumin, Ammar Bashir.
Year 9: Thanus Dohesvaran, Khizir Abid, Gagan Cheema, Urvik Mehta, Charlie Coleman, Eddie Khan.
Netball Super League Final
At the beginning of May, Ms Castle and Ms McDonald took a group of 25 netballers from Years 7-10 to the
Netball Super League Final held at the Copperbox Arena.
The girls saw 2 games, the first one being the 3rd place play off between Team Bath and Hertfordshire
Mavericks. It turned out to be a very close game with Team Bath only winning by 1 point in the last minute
of the game. The girls got very excited and there was lots of screaming and cheering going on (especially
from the Year 9s)!
The second game was the grand final
between Surrey Storm and Northern
Thunder. This was slightly less close at the
beginning, with Surrey Storm taking a strong
early lead. Then Thunder began to fight
back and managed to close the gap towards
the end of the game, upping the intensity of
the last quarter.
We then watched the presentations and some of the girls managed to get autographs from the Super
League players. On our way back we luckily bumped in a group of Hertfordshire Mavericks players and got
them to stop for a group photo.
The day was a great success and all the girls were a credit to Oaks Park High School. We are already
looking forward to next year!!
Year 8 Rounders
On Tuesday 21st June some of our Year 8 students took part in the final Rounders Rally at Wanstead High
School.
The teams were split into 2 groups and had 4 games to play before finding out if they had made it through
to the final or 3rd/4th playoff match.
The girls lost their first game against Chadwell 3 - 9 due to some questionable fielding, so after the game
the team went off to practice before the next match. The next game showed an improvement with our
fielding but our batting was not going very well, meaning we lost the game 3 ½ - 6 ½ to Valentines.
However the next game saw a big improvement and our first win against hosts Wanstead 6 ½ - 5 ½. This
boosted the girls’ confidence for the next game and we were able to secure our biggest win against Palmer
Academy 7 ½ - 5!
We managed to finish 3rd in our group, which the girls were very pleased about. Well done to our player of
the tournament, Sophie Watkinson (as voted for by the girls) and a special thank you our captain, Katie
Clarke, who did a great job of leading the team.
Team:
Makfire Ajeti, Katie Clarke,
Morgan Coulson, Clio Goodwin,
Meharin Khan, Meena Mahesan,
Saima Rana, Tanya Ssebana,
Ninuja Uthayakumar, Sophie Watkinson.
Year 9 Rounders
The Year 9 girls Rounder’s Team recently competed against
two schools at Trinity playing fields.
We had a lot of fun although we weren’t incredibly
successful! However, I would like to give a special mention
to Bethany Smith and Mia Blainey for some amazing bowling
and Amirah Gayle for her great batting.
Overall, we had a fantastic time and can’t wait for next
year. Who wouldn’t love the game of Rounders?
Written by Amber Solanki (Captain)
Team: Amber Solanki, Nabila Noor, Bethany Smith, Krysstina
Frempong, Amirah Gayle, Annabella Stoll, Mia Blainey,
Michelle Ndovlu, Rushmila Akhond, Maarya Khan.
Mixed Rounders
On Wednesday 22nd June two Year 9 teams were entered into the Mixed Rounders Competition, which was
run by Valentines High School. Both teams did really well, considering they had only had one training
session together in preparation for the tournament. The tournament was set up as a round robin; all
teams played each other and there were no finals, so whoever won the most games during the afternoon
were the winners.
Team 1 did extremely well, managing to win all their games except for the last game of the day where they
lost to Chadwell, who were the eventual winners. The team finished in second place overall. There were
some great performances and partnerships from Team 1 throughout the day; in particular the combination
of Eddie as bowler, Charlie as backstop and Zhoobin at 1st base proved pretty deadly and lead to the team
getting a large number of players out throughout the afternoon. We also saw some great catches from
Danny, Angel, Amber and Denise and some very big hits from Danny and Leo. The team worked extremely
well together and improved over the course of the afternoon.
There were also some good individual performances from Team 2. Thanuson was named as captain and
did a fantastic job. He made good decisions as bowler and led the team well. Anabella was the most
consistent batter in the team, placing the ball in different areas of the field - well done! Jamie, Gurnekh,
Isa and Tunmise played well as backstop and bases. The deep fielders, especially Annabella, Alina, Mariah
and Peter all did well at catching people out. Our fielding as a team improved tactically as the afternoon
progressed.
Team 2 won two matches against
Valentines 2 and Ursuline, they
drew against Valentines 1 and
Palmer Academy but unfortunately
lost the remainder of their games.
This lead to them coming 6th
overall.
Well done to both teams - bring on
next year!
Team 1
Eddie Khan, Charlie Coleman, Zhoobin Abbas, Danny Khan, Leo Shaw, Denise Evi-Parker, Angel Perendez,
Amber Solanki, Nabila Noor, Amirah Gayle.
Team 2
Thanuson Thayaparan, Jamie Dodd, Isa Kraja, Peter Zola, Gurnekh Virk, Anabella Stoll, Alina Agapcheva,
Tunmise Williams, Mariah Onelum.
Basketball Officiating
On Wednesday 22nd June, 15 students took part in a table and officiating course as part of the partnership
with Newham All Stars Sports Academy (NASSA).
The students took part in a combination of classroom-based work; looking at rules, mechanics, positioning
and scoring. They engaged really well with this content and showed their great knowledge and
understanding of basketball. In the afternoon there was a practical exercise, where students used their
theory knowledge to officiate games and lead as referees.
All of the students demonstrated great knowledge and were confident in taking key roles within games as
scorers and officials. They will get the chance to use these new skills during the basketball season next
year. Well done everyone!
Year 9
James Miller, Mungo Prior, Zuri Loftman-Minors, Andre Eversley, Nojus Jampolskis, Tom Grogan.
Year 8
Yenu-yi Wong, Lomar Dewar, Tanvir Chowdhury, Iman Chekkour, Roxie Smart.
Year 7
Louis Gammons, Kai Alvarez, Newton Kangethe, Michael Ruddock.
Wembley Cup Finals – Ballboys/Girls
Monday 29th May saw the last of the cup finals at Wembley where Oaks Park students were ball boys and
ball girls.
Our students were lucky enough to be involved in all five cup finals, including the Capital One, Johnstones
Paint and League 1 & 2 Playoff finals. Students were pitch side on ball duty over all five matches and were
key to ensuring every match ran smoothly.
This was a huge commitment for all involved, with excellent feedback from the organisers. Our students
should be extremely proud of themselves. Well done!
Kelson Aboobakar, Arjun Bains,
Antonette Bowen, Ruth Gillard,
Shahir Hossain, Kenyah Johnson,
Amber Leon, Jade Leon,
Pavanjit Marway, Steve Nti,
William Owoko, Radusa Ravithasan,
Roshan Robert Chajee, Rithik Sharma,
Kethees Sivakumar, Kai Abrahams,
Flavia Anton, Selvarajah Jeevaratnam,
Fahim Haque, Mohammed Mansur,
Shan Sureshkumar, Buena Demiri.
OAKS PARK HIGH SCHOOL
TERM DATES: SEPTEMBER 2016 – AUGUST 2017
Autumn Term 2016
Start Date
End Date
Holiday
Monday 5 September
Tuesday 20 December
Half Term
Date
Friday 21 October –
Friday 28 October
Spring Term 2016
Start Date
End Date
Thursday 5 January
Friday 31 March
Holiday
Half Term
Easter
Date
Monday 13 February –
Friday 17 February
Monday 3 April –
Monday 17 April
Summer Term 2017
Start Date
End Date
Holiday
Date
Tuesday 18 April
Friday 21 July
Half Term
Monday 29 May – Friday
2 June
Bank Holidays 2017:
Monday 2 January:
Friday 14 April:
Monday 17 April:
Monday 1 May:
New Years Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
May Bank Holiday
Monday 29 May:
Spring Bank Holiday
Monday 28 August: Summer Bank Holiday
Inset Days:
Thursday 1 September
Friday 2 September
Friday 21 October
Wednesday 4th January
One further Inset day – date tbc