News from PE

May 23, 2025/in Sport /by Presdales School

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: Reviewed by Eloise Bundy

: Reviewed by Lucy White

: Reviewed by Constantina Nichola

Athletics

Well done to our fabulous athletes who have made a great start to their County League campaign.

County League Athletics tables :

U16s in the top 10

U14s have taken the lead

Football

U16s
The U16s football team performed brilliantly to end the season as County Runners Up following a 0-4 loss to Ashlyns in the final. The score was 0-2 up until the last 5mins and the final scoreline doesn’t reflect the closeness of the match overall. In the 2nd half especially, Presdales went toe to toe with Ashlyns and were the stronger team for large spells. The girls created some good chances, but unfortunately couldn’t find the back of the net.

We started with only 12 players in the squad due to unavailability, injuries and late withdrawals so it was always going to be a challenge against a strong and athletic Ashlyns team who had a full squad. An injury to Libby A early in the match meant that Presdales had to play almost the entire match with the bare 11 players. The girls gave everything and played their hearts out. Fatigue inevitably set in at times but the girls carried on valiantly showing incredible resilience, battling right to the end.

I’m so incredibly proud of each and every one of you. I’ve enjoyed the journey with you which started at football club in Year 7!

Coaches Player of the Match is the whole team! Well done girls!

U14s
Congratulations to our hugely talented U14s football team who finished the season as Hertfordshire County Champions!!

The girls emerged victorious by a score of 3-2 in a titanic, end to end, match against an extremely strong Croxley Danes team. I cannot praise the girls enough. This was a real battle between two fantastic teams who played wonderful football throughout. It was literally toe to toe for the entire 110 minutes!

Presdales took the lead almost straight from kick off with a well worked goal. A powerful run and cross from Liv W with a great finish from Ella R. A great start! However, Croxley came back strongly, channeling everything through their impressive no8, who scored twice to give Croxley the lead. As half time approached, Presdales pressed hard to find an equaliser. This eventually came through great tenacity from Miley T to level the scores at 2-2.

In the second half, the game ebbed and flowed but then Presdales started to take control. It felt like a ‘next goal wins’ scenario. Luckily, that goal was a Presdales goal! A great run and cross from Aleks I found Liv W who made a late run into the area. Her first time shot was saved brilliantly by the Croxley GK but Liv reacted quickest and turned the rebound into the net giving Presdales a 3-2 lead with less than 5mins remaining!

Tense stuff but Presdales managed to see the game to its conclusion to win 3-2 and become County Champions! It could have gone either way but on the balance of play and chances created, Presdales deserved their win. The girls left everything on the pitch, their effort level was simply incredible. So very proud of all the girls!

Lily Feast was deservedly awarded the Sponsor’s PoM for an outstanding performance. It was difficult to award a Coaches PoM as it was a true team performance, however this is awarded to our GK, Ruby UR who helped us stay in the match at important moments including a vital ‘Sweeper Keeper’ clearance when the match was still 2-2.

This is the 7th County Cup Final for Presdales in the last 4 years and our 3rd County Cup win. This impressive record demonstrates the incredible talent at Presdales coupled with a huge desire to win. The girls simply never give up!

Well done girls, enjoy the win! You are amazing and I feel very privileged to have shared this victory with you

Rounders

Year 8
Well done to the Year 8 rounders team who narrowly lost 8 & 1/2 to 7 rounders. Lots of lessons learned and onwards and upwards for their next match.

Year 10
Big well done to the Year 10 rounders team who recently beat Chauncy 19 – 13 & 1/2 in the beautiful sunshine!

Another one to add to the streak!

Modern Foreign Languages Spelling Bee 2025

May 23, 2025/in Other lang information /by Presdales School

On Monday 28th April, three of our courageous Year 7 students, Yu-Ting Chen, Annabelle Mutch and Emma Swindle, attended the Regional Final of the Spelling Bee for German in Cambridge.

The competition involved learning the meanings and spellings of 250 German words and then saying as many of them and spelling them using the German alphabet within a minute, in front of an audience in a lecture theatre. All three students were in the competition as the best 37 of an entry of 3306 entrants.

Emma has one a place in the National final taking place on Friday 27th at Magdeline College, University of Cambridge and means she will have to learn another 100 words, 350 in total.

We are proud of them all and wish Emma the very best in the final round. Watch this space!

Frau Yates

Bronze DofE 2024–2025: A Brilliant Qualifying Expedition!

May 23, 2025/in Duke of Edinburgh, Trips & Visits /by Presdales School

Last Thursday and Friday marked the final stage in the Bronze DofE journey for 127 of our fantastic Year 9 students, who completed their Qualifying Expedition with energy, enthusiasm, and a brilliant sense of adventure.

The students set off from Welwyn North Station Car Park, heading out in small teams to navigate their way between checkpoints using only the route plans they’d created and their own map and compass skills. Unlike their Practice Expedition in March, where instructors walked alongside them, this expedition was remotely supervised, meaning students navigated independently and checked in at designated points. The level of confidence and capability they displayed was exceptional.

Their March practice had prepared them well – despite the freezing conditions and even snow on their tents at Danesmead Scout Campsite earlier in the year, they showed resilience and adaptability. That same determination was on full display last week. This time around, the weather was kinder, and the atmosphere even more uplifting.

On Thursday evening, after a long day of walking, groups set up camp and enjoyed a sociable night around the fire. Highlights included a very lively “pub without a pub” quiz, plenty of toasted marshmallows, and the heart-warming sight of students playing frisbee with Koa the golden retriever (who was especially grateful to those who shared their sausages!).

Throughout the two days, it was a pleasure to watch students working together with maturity, kindness, and a genuine sense of camaraderie. Their teamwork, navigational skills, and positive attitudes were consistently impressive. We’re proud of the way they supported one another and made the most of every challenge thrown their way.

Most of the students have now also completed their Volunteering, Physical, and Skills sections, with many final assessor reports already submitted. This means that for the majority, their full Bronze Award is nearly ready to be approved by the County team — a brilliant achievement!

Looking ahead, we’re excited to launch the Silver DofE programme later this term. We really hope many of our Bronze participants will take the next step. The Silver expeditions take place in the beautiful Chiltern Hills, where the routes are more challenging, the views are stunning, and the campsites are among our absolute favourites. And because they’ve already completed Bronze, students are eligible for a reduced Silver timescale of just 6 months, making it very manageable alongside Year 10 studies.

A huge well done to every single student who took part — your determination, teamwork, and humour made this experience a joy for all involved. We can’t wait to see where your DofE journey takes you next.

Miss Haywood, DofE Coordinator

News from Art & Photography

May 23, 2025/in Art /by Presdales School

Year 9

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: Reviewed by Eloise Bundy

: Reviewed by Lucy White

: Reviewed by Constantina Nichola

Our Year 9 students have been working on some stunning artwork on the theme “Flight”. They have created mixed media, scrapbook style pages that showcase a variety of skills, including watercolour blending, fine pen textures, and detailed pencil work. Their beautiful studies form a diverse collection that will inspire their final surreal pieces — whether it’s designing a playing card, box art, or a surreal mobile artwork. We’re so proud of their creativity and dedication!

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: Reviewed by Eloise Bundy

: Reviewed by Lucy White

: Reviewed by Constantina Nichola

Art Club

We want to share some work from Art club.

The Year 7 and 8 Art Club recently created these lovely egg box animal portraits, forming the 3D shape first and then decorating with acrylic paint to turn them into an array of quirky characters.

Senior Student Team 2025-2026

May 23, 2025/in Events, General News, Student Success /by Presdales School

HOUSE : Total House points as at Friday 23rd May 2025

May 23, 2025/in House /by Presdales School

News from Italian

May 23, 2025/in Language Trips /by Presdales School

Italian Trip to Venice and Ravenna

Over the course of 4 days in March myself and other students and teachers travelled to one of Italy’s most famous places, Venice! It was definitely a trip to remember – we had so much fun. We stayed in Venice Mestre which was a short train journey (on a double decker train!) to Venice’s islands where we explored many unique and exciting places throughout the trip and ate so much amazing food (mainly pizza and pasta as you can’t go wrong and it was delicious!).

We visited loads of monuments and churches that were ancient and breathtaking by how much detail and precision must have taken to create them. Also how vast and big they were, such as St Mark’s Basilica. We even got to experience going on a boat along the canal which was one of my favourite parts. Two islands, Murano and Burano, we visited by boat and got to learn what they were famous for. Murano is famous for its coloured glass and we watched a man making a horse out of glass. Some of us collected souvenirs to take back to our families!

On day 3 we travelled to Ravenna to meet up with our partner school which was an interesting, new experience to go to a school in a different country and see new places. I loved spending time with some of my closest friends but also making some new ones. We got to explore in small groups during free time and made some funny and great memories with our friends and we also got to speak Italian to different people like when ordering food! But overall Venice was so beautiful and enjoyable to visit thanks to the amazing teachers!

By Florence Webb

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News from French

May 23, 2025/in Language Trips, Trips & Visits /by Presdales School

News from German

May 23, 2025/in Language Trips, Trips & Visits /by Presdales School

German Partnership Exchange : 5th – 9th May 2025

It was an early start on Monday morning to get to Heathrow for our flight to Düsseldorf at 7.10am! The journey to Germany marked the beginning of this year’s German Exchange with further developments in our established partnership with the ‘Gymnasium am Neandertal’ in Erkrath near Düsseldorf. This reciprocal exchange visit is a little different to a traditional Exchange. Our students are matched with a German student of a similar age and with some things in common to help with communication. We stay together in a local youth hostel and travel each day to school using public transport to meet with partners, attend lessons and get involved in joint projects together. Our students were immersed in German culture and customs and were able to use the language learnt in class to find their way. Students explored both Düsseldorf and the town of Erkrath in small groups using a Rallye designed by the German students. We attended lessons, experienced breaks and changes of lessons in school and this year, we were also able to spend an afternoon at the houses of the exchange partners. We visited the well-known Neandertal Museum, funded by our Partner school who are very proud of their Neandertal heritage. Parents organised a BBQ for us next to the lake where the school owns a piece of land and rowing boats. We were invited to try out rowing and for most of us this was the first time, we had sat in a rowing boat. We explored the differences between the school systems and the lives of young people in our two countries. Every day was packed with activities and negotiating many trains, trams, underground trains and buses but we still found time to shop, go to the theme Park @Phantasialand, pop up to the cathedral in Cologne. The photos of our trip will give you a flavour of all we experienced in the beautiful Neandertal Valley.

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: Reviewed by Eloise Bundy

: Reviewed by Lucy White

: Reviewed by Constantina Nichola

We had an additional unplanned experience too. Our British Airways flight home was delayed and finally cancelled meaning we had to stay and extra night in a very nice hotel! Our students took it all in their stride and were wonderful ambassadors for Presdales. We are looking forward to welcoming their German partners to our school in two weeks time( 1st- 5th June 2025), where they will take part in a similar programme.

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