During the first week back after Easter, 68 of our Year 10 students went on their practice expedition for their Silver DofE Award. At the start the weather was wet and cold so their waterproofs were immediately put to the test but the students maintained bright smiles and greeted their instructors with enthusiasm and excitement which was lovely to see. They set out on their day one routes and easily managed the more complex navigation which is required at Silver level, finishing at the campsite in good time to enjoy cooking by the fire and some fun time.
Day two began bright and early but this time in sunshine! Participants completed their routes in good time and were able to enjoy cooking their supper in some warm evening sun followed by a quiz, singing songs and dancing and toasting marshmallows on a huge bonfire.
Year 10s teamwork and ‘can-do’ attitude was brilliant and their approach towards all of the challenges that Silver brings was outstanding. They showed resilience and made a huge effort to remain positive and motivated throughout.
Anyone who has participated in the DofE Programme knows it’s an invaluable experience that teaches young people essential life skills for their futures and we are so pleased so many students at Presdales take part.
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.
On Monday 16th December, we were delighted to invite our amazing ex- year 11 and 13 students to celebrate their fantastic achievements and superb exam results. It was lovely to see family, friends and teachers come together to celebrate all the hard work of our students.
The ceremony opened with the senior sixth form team summarising the academic year and the school’s many achievements, including trips ranging from school exchanges to a Lion King theatre visit, offering students a wealth of new experiences.
This year’s inspiring speaker was Katie Forbes, a former Presdales student who is now the Chief of Staff at KPMG. Filled with enthusiasm and joy, Katie inspired students with advice on perseverance, seizing opportunities, and embracing failure as growth. Katie’s optimism was infectious, she finished by emphasising that positivity, enthusiasm and willingness are key to success.
Speech day was finalised with a speech from former head girl and deputy head girl, Adesola Jinadu-Adewale and Gracie Cook, who looked back fondly on their time in Presdales. Adesola reminisced saying, ‘Although I’ve left Presdales, Presdales hasn’t left me’. As the event drew to a close, the heartfelt speeches served as a reminder of the lasting impact of the Presdales experience. It was a day filled with pride, gratitude, and hope for the future, leaving everyone inspired to carry forward the spirit of Presdales in all their endeavours.
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.
Latest News
Coming Up
Monday 16th to Friday 27th
Year 10 End of Year Exams
Thursday 19th
Year 12 Apprenticeship Workshop
Tuesday 24th
Y8/9 Celebrating International women in Engineering, Airbus
End-of-Year Art Show
Friday 27th
District Athletics
Contact Us
Presdales School
Hoe Lane
Ware
Hertfordshire
SG12 9NX
Tel: 01920 462210
admin@presdales.herts.sch.uk
Headteacher:
Mr Warren
