New Bluetooth Data Loggers

January 17, 2025/in Chemistry, Events, General News, Science, Student Success /by Presdales School

Using grant funding already received from EdufundUK Ltd and the Royal Society of Chemistry, Presdales’ Science Department are currently in the process of updating their range of Data Loggers.

New Bluetooth Data Loggers communicate wirelessly with bespoke software installed on students’ own devices. Their ease of use allows them to be utilised in a wide range of experiments through all year groups and with data saved on the computers it can also be recalled for homework and for cross-curricular use, increasing the depth of learning gained by students.

Replacement of all of the data loggers will cost around £8,000 of which £3,000 has already been funded and the decision on a £3000 application to the Royal Society is pending.

A further application to the Tesco Community Grants Team for their Blue Token scheme has resulted in our project going live in the Ware store this week. With the opportunity of gaining £1500 funding Presdales would sincerely appreciate you taking the time to drop a token in the box whenever you are there. Please share this request with your friends and family too.

Alternatively, if you are in a position to be able to support the purchase of any of this equipment by way of a charitable donation/sponsorship our Grants Officer would love to hear from you and can be reached at nalbone@presdales.herts.sch.uk.

News from English

January 17, 2025/in English /by Presdales School

In December, Year 12 A Level English Literature students attended the EMC Poems of the Decade Conference 2024, a dynamic event designed to explore key themes, ideas, and techniques in the “Poems of the Decade” anthology, offering students and teachers fresh insights to deepen their understanding of contemporary poetry.

The Conference brought contemporary poetry to life in ways that were thought-provoking. With powerhouse poets like Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and Patience Agbabi taking to the stage, students were treated to captivating readings and invaluable insights into the creative process. Each poet brought their unique energy and perspective, sparking discussions about identity, language, and the craft of poetry. It was a celebration of poetry at its finest—alive, relevant, and endlessly inspiring.

Sparx Maths

January 17, 2025/in Maths /by Presdales School

Sparx News

December 20, 2024/in Maths /by Presdales School

Submissions now open for the 2025 BBC Young Writers’ Award!

December 20, 2024/in English /by Presdales School

The BBC Young Writers’ Competition 2025 is an annual creative writing contest aimed at nurturing and showcasing the literary talents of young people aged 14-18 across the UK. Participants are invited to submit original short stories of up to 1,000 words on any theme or subject. The competition encourages creativity, originality, and compelling storytelling. Entries are judged by a panel of acclaimed authors and literary experts, with winners receiving recognition through national broadcasts and prestigious writing opportunities. The initiative seeks to inspire the next generation of writers by offering a platform for their voices to be heard and celebrated.

BBC Young Writers’ Competition 2025 – You’ve got until 24th March to get your entry in, so get writing!

Congratulations to Lottie Mills, an ex-Presdales student, who is one of the judges this year!

Please click here for more information.

News from Chemistry

December 6, 2024/in Chemistry, Science /by Presdales School

Sixth Form visit to Chemistry Live!, London

On the 20th of November, a small group of sixth form chemistry students had the opportunity to attend Chemistry Live in London. This was a series of talks from a selection of experts in the field of chemistry. It gave us a wider understanding of jobs in chemistry, as well as giving us top tips on ways to improve our exam and revision technique. I definitely learned a lot! All the talks were engaging, and they gave us all the chance to think about our futures within chemistry. We heard about topics ranging from chemical weapons to growing plants in foam mattresses in refugee camps in Syria – all of which were extremely interesting! A big thank you to the teachers who made the trip possible, especially Mrs Richard and Miss Cooke who went with us on the trip.

Abbie Oldham, Year 12

News from English

December 6, 2024/in English /by Presdales School

45 of our students’ poems will be published in the Young Writers’ poetry anthology called The Beautiful Truth. Students across all the year groups entered. Congratulations to all students who took part.

I would like to share Imogen Bundy’s poem below, born out of discussion about women’s rights in form time:

The Beautiful Truth

Hidden from sight, Imprisoned inside, The source of all sin, Let them sing.

Killed for their laugh, Killed for their cry, Killed by their husband, father, uncle Why ? Impunity the Taliban bring, Let them sing.

Going back in time, Before learning was a crime, When they sat as judges, And the professional ladder they could climb.

Now all that was hers has become his, Nine year old girls with a wedding ring, Her body, her brain, her smile, her skin, With no say in anything.

Let them sing. Let Afghan women sing.

Year 11 History Trip to Berlin: Friday 18th October to Monday 21st October 2024

December 6, 2024/in Events, General News, History, Trips & Visits /by Presdales School

Friday 18th October

Early on Friday the group met, bleary-eyed, at Stansted Airport at 5am ready to commence the trip. As soon as we landed we were transferred to the hotel to quickly turn around again to go into the centre of Berlin to meet with our guides for a brief walking tour. Some of the sites included: Courtyard of German Resistance Museum, the site of the Von Stauffenberg Bomb Plot, Rosa Luxemburg Memorial and the Victory Column.

Some of our route was cordoned off due to the unexpected visit of President Joe Biden of the USA. However, the weather was kind and the students were getting used to the geography and transport system of Berlin. Eventually we made it back to the hotel for dinner and well-earned rest after a very early start.

Saturday 19th October

After a fulfilling breakfast and a good night’s rest the group departed the hotel for a full day in the centre of Berlin with Miss Workman as the tour guide. Visits included the following:

Unguided visit to Topography of Terror.

External View of Reichstag Dome.

Soviet War Memorial, Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorial, Site of Hitlers Bunker, External View of Checkpoint Charlie, Bebelplatz.

Unguided visit to German History Museum.

After having walked some 10 miles or so, we trudged back to the hotel for a rest before going to the Cinema in the evening. We went to see Beetlejuice 2.

Sunday 20th October

Today was a somber day and one of reflection in terms of the level of persecution and murder committed by the Nazis. Ploetzensee Memorial – our first visit was to a now youth offenders’ prison but the site of the execution of any people who opposed the Nazi regime and in particular those who were implicated in the attempted assassination of Hitler in July 1944. Afterwards we then ventured to the site of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, situated in the former British sector during the Cold War, and we had a very informative tour led by volunteers who work at the stadium. We then had lunch at Remus Restaurant. This would have been in the former Soviet zone and some of the decor resembled what it might have looked like during the GDR. After lunch we were then met by our guides who gave us a tour of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. The guides were very informative and interesting and were keen to tell us that the Concentration camp was mostly for political prisoners during the Nazi regime and not a death camp, although there was a site of a furnace used to burn some Jews who died or were killed there. To finish off the day we ended at Platform 17 or the Deportation Memorial Track – the site of where trains left Berlin destined for concentration camps and death camps in the East.

We returned to the hotel for a rest, dinner and then we went bowling.

Monday 21st October

After checking out of the hotel we ventured to Bernauer Strasse, a memorial to the Berlin Wall and its construction in August 1961. From there we then travelled across Berlin to the site of a Stasi Prison – in operation in the GDR and part of our Cold War study. The tour was chilling and demonstrated how prisoners were treated by East German secret police. To end our tour we had lunch and free time for shopping before heading back to the airport to catch our flight home.

In sum total we walked a mere 37 miles and we saw so many historical sites that have brought our study of the past, and Germany in particular, to life. It was certainly a memorable tour.

Thank you to the History department for organising it.

Year 13 Psychology Trip

December 6, 2024/in Events, General News, Psychology, Trips & Visits /by Presdales School

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Year 13 Psychology Trip to Krakow, Poland

Last month 30 Year 13 psychology students visited Krakow, Poland visiting the site of one of the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau and learning more about the politics and social history during the time of the Nazi invasion of Poland.

Our first day in Krakow began with a traditional Polish street food style lunch of Zapiekanka; a delicious open sandwich with a vast array of fillings to choose from. Our tour guide took us on a walking tour round the Jewish Quarter, Kaziemierz where we visited a beautiful synagogue. She gave us an insight into what it would have been like to live as a Jewish person living in Nazi occupied Poland, having to hide in fear of being caught or being sent away from your home and family.

The tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau on Day 2 was insightful as much as it was harrowing. Piles of children’s shoes, locks of women’s hair and rows of black-and-white photographed faces, identified by numbers on striped pyjamas, stared back at us as we followed a tour guide. The vast array of physical memories of who had been there before brought home the shocking reality of just how many families were unjustly torn apart. The students were confronted with stories of incomprehensible cruelty, hardship and the strength of human spirit in the face of adversity and they were able to use their psychological knowledge and understanding to help them make sense of all of these aspects of humanity. One particularly poignant story was of a priest who volunteered to take the place of another prisoner who had been sentenced to death; one selfless act of many in a camp that was so unforgiving.

As some light relief following on from the day’s events, we ventured into Kraków Old Town where we were shown some of the main sights including the castle (with the famous dragon – which actually breathed fire!) and St Mary’s Basillica where we were able to sit and admire the beautiful architecture and reflect on our experiences from the day. Students were then given some free time to explore the large market square, soaking in the beauty of the surroundings and looking at the array of stalls before we headed to a local Polish restaurant to experience traditional food, folklore and dance.

On our final day, we had the opportunity to listen to a story of strength and resilience told by a lady who’s immediate family had been impacted by the holocaust. We learned about the suffering experienced but also how the Jewish community recovered and healed in the years following the war.

It was a particularly poignant time to visit ahead of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz and the students embraced every aspect of the experience with humility and maturity, taking away memories that will last a lifetime.

‘Visiting Auschwitz was a shocking and emotional yet fascinating experience that will definitely stay with me forever’ – Lola Gardner

‘It was an experience we were grateful to have had as it’s important to try and understand why these sorts of events happen and how we can try to prevent them from occurring again.’