On Monday 15th December 2025, we were delighted to invite our wonderful ex-year 11 and 13 students to celebrate their outstanding exam results and achievements this summer. It was a joyous occasion to see family, friends and teachers come together to celebrate all the hard work of our students.
The ceremony was hosted by our Senior students, who started the celebrations with a summary of Presdales life over the last academic year. With a special mention to the amazing achievements of each subject, and recognition of the trips and extra-curricular activities which are available to all students. It truly did make us realise just how many opportunities the students are provided with, even in the short space of a year.
Throughout the celebrations we were graced with some beautiful music by our very gifted students in Year 11, 12 and 13: The Swan from Carnival of the Animals, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square and the Canzonetta from Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D Major. Together, these performances created a truly memorable occasion, celebrating the remarkable musicality and exceptional talent within our school.
To continue our acknowledgement of rising stars, we were lucky enough to welcome back Lottie Mills, to give an inspiring and motivational speech. Presdales alumna class of 2019, Lottie has gone on to become the winner of the BBC Young Writers’ Award 2020 and published her first book of Monstrum which was longlisted for the 2025 Dylan Thomas Prize.
First joining Presdales in Year 9, Lottie felt instantly supported, more so than ever before and although she understood her diagnosis, she and her family chose to live by their catchphrase, “turn every disadvantage into an advantage”, refusing to accept the limitations and low expectations set by her doctors. With her sheer resilience, determination and unwavering support of her family, those expectations were not only surpassed but completely redefined. This was then further championed by her teachers here at Presdales which enabled Lottie to overcome every obstacle in her path and achieve a place at Cambridge University, to then go on to become a published author. All those fortunate enough to hear her speak so eloquently were visibly moved and we are immensely proud of everything Lottie has accomplished; she is truly an inspirational role model for our students and a powerful embodiment of the Presdales values of ambition and resilience.
To round off the celebrations, we invited our ex-head and deputy head girls to give the valedictorian. Esme Sabin, Zuriel Adetifa and Jessica Ward explained how lovely and welcoming it felt to return to Presdales. They noted how it is only when you leave the caring arms of such a school that you notice the level of support and opportunities which they had available to them. They felt honoured to have to come to such a special, supportive school and shared their appreciation for how all the staff here had helped to set them up for their next exciting chapter ahead.
We are so proud of our students, and everything they have achieved. We thoroughly enjoyed celebrating together as they head into their future endeavours.
Last week, Year 10 GCSE Food students channelled their creativity to produce a gingerbread masterpiece. They combined their kneading, rolling, cutting and baking skills in order to create this edible wonderland. The students had fun decorating their gingerbread creations with a variety of sweets and chocolates; a deliciously creative way to end the year!
At the start of November, a group of Sixth Form Senior Students launched their community project to support the Welwyn and Hatfield Women’s Refuge. The project involved asking the Presdales community to donate items that would benefit those who were linked to the refuge. Items such as toiletries, non-perishable foods and games were donated.
On Wednesday 9th December, two people from the refuge came to collect the items and they have invited Presdales to visit the refuge to see how the donations will benefit women and children.
If you would like more information, please do click on the link: https://whwr.org.uk/. A big thank you and special mention to Maeve, Abbie, Nefeli, Lizzie and Clara in Year 13 for organising the collection and for liaising with the refuge.
On Tuesday 16th December, Mrs Schillaci-Rowland and 10 Year 12 students volunteered to support our local community and visited the Riverside Care Home in Ware. The students entertained the residents by hosting games of Bingo which brought much excitement.
The students took it in turns to call out the numbers, help fill in bingo cards and to ensure that everyone was enjoying themselves. Chocolate treats were given to those who were the first to get a line, and then a full house.
At the end of the session, the residents asked the students to come back as they really enjoyed the afternoon. One of the ladies who works in the Care Home’s Activities Team went to Presdales as a student, and said it was a pleasure to have a strong link with the school, which has been going now for the last two years. We are planning another visit in the Spring Term to play some more games and entertain the residents.
On Wednesday, Presdales Chamber Choir spent the day at Cambridge University singing in two different college chapels and performing an evening concert. We rehearsed our Christmas repertoire in Gonville and Caius Chapel with a masterclass style approach to the session with Felicity Hamilton, a conductor with National Youth Choir and singing teacher to choristers in two Oxford University colleges. Following lunch with views of Parkers Piece, we visited Pembroke College chapel. The Director of Music Luke Fitzgerald, worked with our singers and got them sightreading a piece of music that was composed for Pembroke’s girls’ choristers. Led ably by our A level singers, the choir did a fantastic job of learning a choral piece from scratch. A tour of the organ loft proved a highlight for many with several of the girls taking turns to play some of their piano pieces on this magnificent instrument. Finally, we supported the newly formed St Andrew’s Music School in Cherry Hinton, a collaboration between their church and the local primary school. Our girls performed eight pieces of music at an incredibly high level and it was wonderful to have the support of many Presdales families at this event.
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Coming Up
Monday 19th to Friday 30th
Year 10 In-class assessments
Monday 26th to Friday 6th
Year 12 In-class assessments
Friday 30th
Year 13 Mock Results
Contact Us
Presdales School
Hoe Lane
Ware
Hertfordshire
SG12 9NX
Tel: 01920 462210
admin@presdales.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher:
Mr Warren
