CTK have been featured in an article in TES magazine to showcase our partnership with Metric Capital.
Metric Capital have been providing support to CTK students with university scholarships, and boosting young peoples chances of employability and career progression.
For Act of Charity Day, CTK students took part I writing thank you notes and pictures thanking the NHS, local Fire brigade, Kent Police, TFL, Key workers at Queen Mary’s hospital, local care homes, and local supermarkets.
Dear NHS workers,
Thank you so much for your hard work during these tough times. The NHS is a unit full of amazing people. It really does take a
group of truly special and selfless people to help the whole country and make a huge difference on a daily basis.
The NHS has helped this country of millions and millions innumerable times. We are all in your debt for this amazing care
that the whole organisation provides.
The NHS has set a global example of what national healthcare should look like. It is undoubtedly the best in the world.
Filled up to the brim by people willing to make sacrifices day in and day out. You have all put yourself and your family in
a vulnerable position. However that hasn’t stopped any member from being brave and helping the global effort to tackle
not just a virus, but provide the right of healthcare to everyone irrespective of their background.
The determination required for this task is truly a feat in which everyone should aspire to reach in order to excel in anything
they pursue. Pots and pans will never be enough to show how much we appreciate the greatness that comes from each individual
working long hours to make sure that a whole nation is put to rest assured that they will be safe.
Happiness, rainbows and pride fill the streets. The NHS has provided a light in the darkness that is the state the world is in at the
moment. People are happier knowing that the NHS are forever fighting illness and are on our side. We, the nation, wholeheartedly
support the NHS and is thankful for the heroes who make it what it is today.
This week, three Christ the King sixth form students have been awarded a scholarship from Private capital fund management firm, Metric Capital worth £15,000 each.
Each successful student was carefully selected according to their academic performance and formal virtual interview process. Christ the King students Temitope Idowui, who hopes to study English Literature at the University of Cambridge, Keona Burey who hopes to study Primary Teaching at the University of Chichester and Jon Hamilton who hopes to study Biomedical Sciences at the University of Southampton, all successfully received a scholarship worth £15,000 over the course of their University degree.
The Metric Capital scholarship programme with Christ the King is in its ninth year and to date has awarded almost £500,000 in scholarships to hardworking, ambitious Christ the King students. Metric Capital, worked in conjunction with Our Turn Global, a charitable organisation that uses social media to raise awareness about initiatives that have a positive impact on society to award the scholarship.
The scheme is led by Metric Capital’s Managing Partner, John Sinik. John was first introduced to Christ the King by one of his mentees, and he was inspired to create the Metric Scholarship Programme after meeting high performing, aspirational students at Christ the King, who dreamt of going on to University, but faced financial challenges in doing so.
Metric Capital Managing Partner John Sinik says: “Tuition fees are only a part of the expense of going to University. There are living expenses that can be overwhelming for people and ultimately drive their decision not to go. The scholarship plays a key role in allowing the students to pursue their dream of obtaining a University degree”.
Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey says: “We are delighted to continue working in partnership with Metric Capital with this fantastic venture. We are so proud of our hardworking students at Christ the King and it is a great opportunity to support them in their university aspirations.”
Temitope Idowui, who is currently studying A Levels in English Literature, Media Studies and Sociology at CTK said ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am right now. I can’t wait for my mum to get home from work so I can share the news with her. A scholarship like this will really help me financially in the year ahead and it will mean I do not need to find a part time job and can concentrate on my studies.’
Keona Burey, who is currently studying a BTEC in Health & Social Care at CTK said; ‘I am so blessed to have met such amazing inspiring individuals this morning. I am delighted to have been awarded this scholarship and I know it will help me greatly at university.’
Jon Hamilton, who is currently studying A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics at CTK said; ‘I am so happy to gain this scholarship. I had no idea my teachers thought so highly of me and it will be a great help in my ambition to become a doctor.”
CTK student Mya recently entered a photography competition for the opportunity to be showcased in the Historic England Archive. Out of over 1000 submissions only 100 photographs were picked for the archive, Mya was included in this chosen 100.
Polly Braden, an renowned artist and photographer who focusses on culture, the everyday and communications, selected Mya’s photo as her favourite out of all the photographs, and the BBC contacted her to write a story about her.
Today sees the launch of At home, an online exhibition of photographs taken by sixth form college students during the Covid-19 lockdown. Over 140 students from 46 colleges submitted their photographs for the exhibition that runs from 4th to 19th June 2020. The exhibition is being co-ordinated by the Sixth Form Colleges Association and all photographs can be viewed on the SFCA gallery website here.
Launching today’s exhibition, Gillian Keegan, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, said:
“This has been a difficult time for the entire country but this exhibition is a wonderful example of how creativity can flourish in the face of adversity. It’s great to see how these sixth form students have captured the experiences of lockdown from a young person’s perspective. A huge congratulations to all exhibitors and I wish them every success for the future”.
Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said:
“At home highlights the extraordinary artistic talent that exists in our sector. We are holding this exhibition to recognise and celebrate excellence in sixth form colleges, but also to stimulate our thinking about the world this summer. It is imperative that we keep the arts in education secure and flourishing. If young people are to make a valuable contribution to society – even if they are to be successful scientists, engineers, doctors and technicians – they need to develop their creative skills, their artistic sensitivities and their ability to interact with others. All of this will be more important than ever in the post-Covid world”.
‘At home’, the SFCA National Photography Exhibition 2020 can be viewed here: https://www.sixthformcolleges.org/411/at-home
On International Nurses Day we at CTK want to thank all our nurses, like our former student Sarah, across the country for all that you are doing. These unprecedented times have made it most important to value and protect our NHS and so much of that weight falls on all our nurses all over the country, helping us win the battle against Coronavirus. From here at CTK: thank you Nurses!
Our staff, students and wider CTK community are always keen to help support local charities, especially now during the Coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak has had a major impact on all of our lives but particularly for vulnerable groups who need support now more than ever.
Volunteering and supporting others is at the heart of our Catholic Mission and we always strive to support our local community; now more than ever we need to come together to give back to those who are most vulnerable.
We set up a Just Giving Page, aiming to raise £1000 to be shared between three local charities that we work closely with:
Greenwich Bexley Hospice need our support at this difficult time.
The Athena service Lewisham/Greenwich, run by Refuge, offer support to young adults suffering gender based violence. With a 25% increase in domestic violence locally, any money raised will be a lifeline for this charity.
Lastly, Lewisham Foodbank which CTK also supports regularly. Food banks are experiencing shortages during the crises and every pound raised feeds a local vulnerable family in need.
We actually surpassed this, and our current total is at £1148! Thank you for all your donations, it is greatly appreciated to help these charities serving the local community in need at this time.
The Tablet have released an article written by our own Collegiate Principal Ms Shireen Razey all about our Sixth Forms response to the Coronavirus and what we have been doing as a community to support those in need and give back to our NHS.
The article highlights all our Sixth Form has done, between staff and students, to ensure everyone feels supported in these times of adversity. Along with college prayer everyday our Chaplains are working hard to ensure all our staff and students are awoken each day with spiritual messages to make these isolated days less lonely. Our prayer group at midday and staff reflection allows everyone to appreciate what we have and value the friends and family we all have helping us through this time.
Our ample charity work has never been so prevalent and we have raised over £1000 towards charities in need in our community. Ms Razey ends the article with this prayer which we hope provides comfort to everyone struggling during this time.
Christ the King Sixth Forms Prayer
God of Love,
As members of the Christ the King Sixth Form family we ask for your continued blessing upon our work and study. You are the source of all truth and wisdom.
May we experience in full the Life that you offer us each day, to become the best that we can be.
Let no distractions or fears prevent us from trusting in your endless care for us.
Shine your Light into our lives that we may become brighter beacons of faith, hope and love in our community.
We make this prayer through Christ the Lord.
Amen.
We are so excited to see our CTK family helping to brighten up peoples daily walks and help us all through this difficult time by joining the many other houses painting rainbows and putting up supportive messages for our NHS.
Credit to Ms Johnson’s son James for his amazing window art.
Ms Power’s son Joe aged 4, for his brilliant rainbow.
Ms Schutze’s daughter Natalya aged 4 for her beautiful creation.
This year for Sport Relief students and staff were invited to wear sports clothing for a £1 donation for those in need across the UK and the worlds poorest countries. A huge thank you to everyone who supported our charities and took part.
A great deal of students even took advantage of using the fitness suite and taking part in other sporting activities to get into the sporting spirit.
Easter is a very special time here at CTK and despite not being together at this time, this did not stop us celebrating together. We encourage students and parents to spend time with all the family they can, and although we cannot attend Church at this time, there are lots of resources that allow you to take part in mass and services from your own home. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxIsefyl9g9A5SGWA4FvGIA
Our choir director Ms Christian-John had some great words of wisdom this weekend:
“A MESSAGE TO MY CHOIRS: 1. Don’t stop singing 2. This virus won’t last forever 3. Please keep on singing at home 4. I miss you already 5. I look forward to seeing you all again soon 6. I’m praying for you and your families 7. Keep the faith and be encouraged ??? I’mSoProudOfYou!”
Ms Christian-John also posted an amazing video on her YouTube channel dedicated to all the students and staff at CTK at this hard time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=210&v=vAqWaes0-oc&feature=emb_logo
Here at CTK we value charity, community and supporting others wherever we can, and this has never been more important than now. Christ the King was happy to be able to help our NHS by donating 200 science goggles and 600 pairs of disposable gloves and an array of chocolate goodies to Lewisham hospital. We also donated milk and biscuits to St Vincent de Paul Society (England & Wales).
We also donated over 200 Easter eggs to local charities and our students will be writing messages of support to NHS start using https://www.thanksamillionnhs.co.uk/
Upon the news that pubic gatherings, including mass and church ceremonies, have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, our Chaplaincy team have worked hard to ensure all staff and students have all the resources to keep the faith in the hardest times. Alongside conducting our daily College prayer online every day, our Chaplains have been providing prayers and videos for us all to follow and watch with family to help us all through difficult times. We encourage everyone to visit https://pray-as-you-go.org/retreat/pray-as-you-stay for a great Prayer series containing reflective music and words for each day as people are at home to encourage daily prayer.
“God of Love,
As members of the Christ the King Sixth Forms family, we ask for your continued blessing upon our work and study. You are the source of all truth and wisdom.
May we experience in full the Life that you offer us each day, to become the best that we can be.
Let no distractions of fears prevent us from trusting in your endless care for us.
Shine your Light into our lives that we may become brighter beacons of faith, hope and love in our community.
We make this prayer through Christ the Lord. Amen.“
Spiritual wellbeing has never been more important, visit https://www.alonetogether.org.uk for more ideas, help and resources for getting through this time of self isolation and distancing from those important to you and our ordinary lives.
We are thrilled to receive inspiring work from our students, showing how to be productive from home. This stunning postmodernist architectural design for Unit 7 BTEC Extended Diploma is by Tarique.
Thalia, one of our Graphics students for her component 2 exam produced this with the theme of social media and conformity.
Geography students took a trip to Margate to assess the effectiveness of the coastal defences and to investigate if they have had an impact on the coastline.
They carried out Beach profiles, groyne measurements, questionnaires, measured long shore drift and carried out a bi-polar cost benefit analysis. The class split into groups and carried out different data collection to calculate consistent results.
Our CTK Alumni, Trevor Gomez, visited the BT Sport Studios for the new brand launch; and got the chance to talk on camera, touching on what it means to go ‘Beyond Limits’ with BT. Trevor talked to CEO Philip Jansen about his views of the exciting changes at BT, and an inspirational quote from Philip was ‘If we start with our people the possibilities for our customers are limitless’.
Trevor talked to Philip about ‘ELEVATE’; a skills development scheme for young adults, linked to his very own scheme he is running; the BT ‘Work Ready’ Programme. Trevor says he is looking forward to carrying the theme of ‘Beyond Limits’ when he presents to the Marketing Unit of BT about his role and work as a ‘5G Maker.
Trevor is an inspirational alumni to represent CTK; working with young adults and helping to revolutionise the world of technology.
We are extremely proud to see many of our students embracing working from home and not letting it halt their enthusiasm or stop them from producing amazing pieces of work.
CTK A Level Photography student Tillie has taken this image this week entitled ‘isolation’.
Great progress from an A Level art student demonstrating how to be productive and work towards your goals from your home.
Here at Christ the King, we recently hosted our second successful Spirituality Conference, welcome to all students across all sites, focusing on The Power of the Word.
The conference started with a welcome talk about what the days events and a song from the Gospel Choir. Throughout the day we were welcomed by many guest speakers, including Father Christopher of the St. Fidelis Friary, an Ash Wednesday lunch service, and a special performance from professional Gospel singer Natalie Christian John.
The day was a huge success and allowed a space for staff and students to network, but also reflect and learn about themselves and those around them.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – In his classic coming-of-age novel, Salinger presents, through the eyes of his iconic protagonist Holden Caulfield, an intense critique of society’s superficiality and its effects on adolescence.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1951/08/11/the-vision-of-the-innocent
Paradise Lost by John Milton – What can be deemed a daunting read consisting of a 12-part epic poem, Paradise Lost tells a great story of man’s fall from grace, the battle for heaven and a strive for redemption.
Summertime: Scenes from a Provincial Life by J.M. Coetzee – An author not known to many, Coetzee, within a collection of interviews, utilizes a very interesting form to create what becomes a very self-deprecatory but reflective novel on the self and their relation to society.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/sep/06/jm-coetzee-summertime
Here at CTK Aquinas we were honoured to have a visit from students from St Mary Magdalen Primary school to collect the year of the word candle.
As our local catholic school they walked along to join with us at our weekly mass. After an enjoyable visit with our Chaplain, accompanied by juice and biscuits they talked about their future and coming to our college when they get older.
CTK A Level Fine Art, Photography and Graphics students visited the Ashmolean Museum, the Natural History museum and the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford in preparation for component 2 of their exams.
This February our students really got stuck in to the Valentines spirit, selling lollipops for a very special charity very close to the heart of CTK.
Ahotokurom is a charity based in Ghana, that helps to provide support and practical aid to sufferers of Leprosy and their families. Our Sixth Form has been supporting this charity and their worthy cause for over 20 years, and are glad to say our support has helped the charity expand to also include help to those suffering with disabilities.
In an event hosted by the Education Commission, our Chaplains from all Christ the King sites, took a trip to Aylesford for a Chaplaincy day
Along with chaplains from all over our diocese, our chaplaincy team attended talks and activities, all guided by lead speaker Fr David O’Malley, a Silesian of Don Bosco, who guided and informed our team with his years of chaplaincy and classroom experience.
With over 20 years’ experience in chaplaincy and youth support, our chaplaincy team received invaluable first hand advice and information to bring back to Sixth Form and utilise in strengthening our community.
We were delighted here at CTK Aquinas to host a successful Progression Conference for the keen Year 11 students at Trinity School. Upon arrival students were greeted with a welcome talk from the Principal and a presentation from Christ the King Scholarship Students demonstrating the amazing higher education opportunities we have here at CTK. Moreover, in the afternoon had the chance to get involved with many different subjects, including Sociology and Psychology.
The 40 students delved into subjects specific to our Aquinas site, and received invaluable talks by our subject teachers all about what it is like to take these subjects at Sixth Form level. The students also received mentoring from current Sixth Form students to learn all about life at CTK Aquinas.
Currently 64 former Trinity students attend Christ the King, and we hope to see this continue following the success of our Secondary School visits and events.
On 27 September, nearly 40 CTK students enjoyed a visit to the busy and bustling Apprenticeship Fair at the Emirates Stadium in North London. The event gave students the opportunity to talk to employers and training providers about apprenticeships, as well as speaking to the many universities present about Degree Apprenticeships.
One of the Upper Sixth students who attended and had found it worthwhile, said:
“I didn’t expect to find so many degree apprenticeship opportunities to get my qualifications for accounting and finance.”
If you are planning to look for an apprenticeship alongside or instead of applying to university, please book an appointment to discuss this with the Careers Team at your site or email: careers@ctksfc.ac.uk
Press Release Thursday 26 September 2019
Christ the King Sixth Forms announced plans today to create the borough’s first Catholic selective sixth form centre. CTK Aquinas will open its doors in 2020 to high performing A Level students and will be the area’s only sixth form centre of its kind. In another first, Christ the King Sixth Forms will also be launching London’s only Catholic sixth form centre for vocational students, CTK Emmanuel.
Under the plans announced today by Joint Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey, new students joining Christ the King Sixth Forms in 2020 will choose from three distinct sixth form centres, based on their university ambitions, career aspirations and prior academic performance.
CTK St Mary’s will continue to provide an extensive range of both A Level and high level BTEC qualifications at its sixth form in Sidcup.
Joint Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey says: “Over the past 12 months, we have consulted extensively with staff, parents, alumni, universities, our employer advisory boards and Catholic partners. As a result we have built a distinct picture of why students and parents choose each of our sixth forms as a place to study, what they value about their environment and teaching, and where there are additional opportunities to supply something unique which is not currently offered within the local community.”
From September 2020, CTK Aquinas will launch as a selective A Level centre for excellence. The Christian values of the Catholic college, combined with a high quality curriculum, developed in partnership with independent schools and the scholarship graduate programme, will appeal to those with top GCSE grades. Students will be taught in a purpose built sixth form, by specialist teachers with a focus on progressing to the UK’s top Universities.
Students will be offered a range of 23 subjects at A Level and will need to have achieved at least 48 points at GCSE in order to apply, with an average grade profile of 6. Those studying Science and Maths will require a GCSE grade 7 or above. Students wishing to study for an A Level subject will need a grade 6 or above in that subject at GCSE. Dress code will be formal, with students required to wear business-like suits, with tailored trousers and skirts.
Another first will be the launch of CTK Emmanuel as a centre for professional excellence. From September 2020, CTK Emmanuel will provide high level technical and vocational qualifications, for students who aim to progress to university or into careers in engineering, science, media, business, law, health, education, sports and performing arts. Currently, almost 90% of Christ the King’s BTEC students progress onto university, which is significantly higher than the national average. In 2018, 50% of Christ the King students that secured a place at a Russell Group University, had studied a Level 3 BTEC Qualification. CTK Emmanuel will offer the widest range of university focused vocational courses in the area and will be London’s only dedicated sixth form specialising in vocational courses.
In Sidcup, CTK St Mary’s will continue to provide a wide range of 30 A Level and BTEC courses and graduate programmes to suit a variety of abilities, including the highest performing GCSE students on the Advanced Graduate Programme.
The three sixth forms will provide extensive choice for local students across London and Kent with a wide range of courses on offer to suit all abilities and aspirations, and a place for all hardworking, ambitious students.
Christ the King Chair of Governors Rupert Evenett says; “We believe that across each of Christ the King Sixth Forms, we are able to offer every young person with ambition, drive and aspiration the chance to study up to the highest level and gain entry to leading universities. Our Christian values are underpinned by our CTK graces, built on character education, which are; grit, respect, awareness, curiosity, endeavor and self-control. These values are key to the success of our students and key to our sixth form communities.”
Last Thursday a group of CTK English Literature students went to see Tony Kushner’s musical masterpiece ‘Caroline, Or Change’. It tells the story of Caroline, a black maid struggling to provide for her family on her wage of $30.
She has developed a hardened persona due to the adversities she has faced and this is reflected in the refrain that runs throughout the show ‘and I am mean, and I am tough, but $30 ain’t enough.’ Caroline works long hours in the basement tending to the needs of a wealthy Jewish household and, despite her hard exterior, the young boy in the family befriends her. Taking pity on Caroline, he leaves loose change in his pockets in the hope that she will take it to enable her to look after her family. This poses a dilemma for the protagonist, what is more important: her pride or feeding her children?
Our students were engrossed in the production and it really enabled them to see how to analyse plays in performance (which is a requirement of component 1 of their A Level). The motif of change running through the play was intriguing: the literal change left in the boy’s pockets and the rapid societal change that was happening in 1960s America, which was causing Caroline to feel left behind. Indeed, A Level English Literature student Funmi found the context fascinating, she said the musical: ‘gave [her] an insight into the lives of people of different races and how the death of John F. Kennedy affected people in America at the time’. Another student Natasha really focused on the staging and she said the director used ‘clever stage positioning to show the class differences between the characters.’
Nadirah commented that the show was ‘vibrant and highly enjoyable’ and whilst the subject matter was serious, there were also moments of humour. This was largely down to the magical realism of the piece; the singing washing machine in particular was an excellent vehicle for providing a commentary on Caroline’s life and internal thoughts. It was great to catch ‘Caroline, Or Change’ at the end of its West End run and we are already looking forward to our next theatre trip!
First and foremost, we would personally like to thank The University of Greenwich for having us. With the picturesque panorama of London’s boasting skyline and the supreme symmetrical structure of the 1890s university (who proudly claim the likes of Malorie Blackman and Charles K. Kao as graduates), the opportunity bestowed upon us to attend a lecture given by Dr Justine Baillie; a senior lecturer who specialises in American fiction and African-American writing.
At daybreak, we ventured off through the busy roads of the world-famous town, Greenwich, known for the traditional location of the Prime Meridian, our eyes captured by the ethereal historical landmarks such as the archaic building, the National Maritime Museum, and the world famous Cutty Sark.
Dr Baillie introduced us to her mindset through bullet point notation of “key dates”, “the development of American writing” and “the American frontier.” Her encyclopaedia of knowledge of American history such as, the Declaration of Independence and the 1620 Arrival of Pilgrims at Plymouth enticed us to do some background research on the historical context of our literature texts. From the interwar classic, The Great Gatsby, to Steinbeck’s realist fiction novel, The Grapes of Wrath, and lastly the renowned drama, A Streetcar Named Desire, Christ the King’s English Language and Literature classes were bewitched to attend more of the University of Greenwich’s twilight lectures. Although the upper sixth class did not find the lecture as useful due to already having further knowledge around the texts, on the other hand, the lower sixth had more to take from it.
Economics and Business students were delighted to hear a talk by Valeria Locatelli (Chief Auditor) and Sumit Sabharwal from M&G Investments.
M&G Investments are one of the UK’s largest and longest established investment houses and is more than 80 years old.
Valeria and Sumit spoke to students about the work they do. They explained that an auditor is someone who prepares and examines financial records. They ensure that financial records are accurate and that taxes are paid properly and on time and that they assess financial operations and work to help ensure that organizations run efficiently.
Valeria and Sumit also explained how they progressed into their current roles and the numerous opportunities that are available for students in the finance industry.
All three CTK sites were delighted to have Duro from 2020Change come back once gain this year and speak to students about the valuable work they do in the local communities. 2020Change was set-up to build the next generation of community, business and political leaders.
Duro spoke with great passion about how he strongly believes that today’s young people have the potential to become tomorrow’s leaders. He stressed that all they need is someone to show them how to use their past experiences as transferable skills and this would allow them to thrive in the corporate world.
Duro also explained to students how he successfully built and sold his first business before deciding to work in the charitable sector. We hope to see Duro and 2020Change again next year!
On Tuesday 4th December Year 13 Psychology students from all three sites attended a revision conference at CTK Aquinas. The conference was given by Professor Jean-Marc Lamont, an experienced Senior A’ Level examiner with over 20 years’ experience of teaching A Level psychology, including being Head of Psychology in a high performing Sixth Form College – he achieved 22 A*s last year!
He is a prolific author of text books and revision guides for A’ Level Psychology and is an accomplished deliverer of staff and student events. He delivered a very interactive session to our students, developing their exam skills in two particularly tricky topics. The students gained lots from it; “He really helped us to maximise our marks in both short and long answer questions.”, “He really helped me understand how to break down the marks given for short answer questions.”.
Urban Synergy’s ‘Tips to the Top’ Role Model seminar is one of the highlights of the academic year at Christ the King. The annual cross-site event, which features panel discussions and speed mentoring sessions, inspires confidence in our students and gives them an opportunity to interact with leading industry professionals.
Discussions of this kind not only broaden student horizons but also provide a valuable insight into the qualities of academic and professional success. The mentoring programmes and inspirational seminars organised by the charity provide support, guidance and encouragement for young people, and motivate them to achieve their best.
This year Christ the King was fortunate enough to welcome the following guest speakers to the panel:
The evening opened with an introductory session, in which the panel discussed their personal journeys and outlined the steps they have taken to get to where they are today. This was followed by an insightful Q&A session, in which students addressed personal questions to members of the panel. Professionals from banking, medicine, technology, fashion, politics, construction, law, teaching and research based professions then took part in a speed mentoring session which comprised a string of five minute talks with small groups of students. We were delighted that among these professional were another three CTK alumni:
CTK students left the event feeling both inspired and motivated about their future potential!
Christ the King Sixth Form College has been selected as one of only 73 schools in the UK to take part in the prestigious young translator competition run by the European Union.
The European Commission’s Juvenes Translatores competition is designed to promote multilingualism, language learning and careers in translation. Contestants are asked to translate a text of about one page from any of the 24 official languages of the EU into any other official language. The competition is open to second-level students who were born in 2001. One winner from each Member State will be invited on a three-day trip to Brussels, with an award ceremony in the headquarters of the European Commission
The competition will take place simultaneously across Europe at 9am on Thursday 22nd November. Christ the King will be represented by 5 linguists:
1.Doua Khila
2.Deborah Momoh
3.Abigail Tenkorang
4.Aminata Kebbeh
5.Cristina Aguilar Mbula.
We are also taking this opportunity to ask all Modern Foreign Language students to take part in the same contest as part of an internal translation competition. There will be a prize for the best translation in each language – French/Spanish or Italian.
Changes in technology and the labour market mean that students need to be aware of the career opportunities available to them in the future and how to best take advantage of them. To support this, the October half term saw the launch of the fifth annual CTK Fast Track Programme. As in previous years, the Programme involved 50 students from all three CTK sites coming together at CTK: Emmanuel for two days of training.
The morning session on the first day was led by Dr Rupert Evenett (Chair of Governors) who talked to the students about “Developing a professional work ethic.” During the talk Dr Evenett covered topics including the importance of time keeping, personal presentation and the skills needed to work well and succeed in the modern workplace.
During the second part of the first days training we welcomed Seye Olokede, a former student from Christ the King, who spoke about his own experiences and what it takes to be a success. During this session Seye talked about the use of social media in a professional environment and the benefits of networking through LinkedIn.
The first day concluded with Maria O’Regan along with her colleagues from Santander conducting two workshops “Building and presenting a compelling CV” and “Competency based Interviews”. Working in small groups, students had the opportunity to get advice and guidance on their CVs and how they could develop their interview techniques.
The second days training was run by The Unloc Enterprise Academy and focused on alternative career routes for students; specifically on self-employment and entrepreneurship.
Feedback from students and guests was that the training was hugely beneficial and will have a positive impact on their career aspirations and goals.
Ten students from Christ the King: Emmanuel, St. Mary’s and Aquinas attended the ‘Monster Confidence’ Event at Plexal, Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford.
This event was run by the Stemettes who promote women in STEM (Science, Technology, Maths and Engineering). The students were involved in confidence workshops, mentoring and interview practice. They also met many inspirational women who currently work in STEM. It was an inspiring day for all.
Sabrina Toshi, who is studying A-level Maths, Physics and Chemistry said ‘Once the “Monster Confidence” event started, I enjoyed every single moment. I had the opportunity to meet and talk to professionals from some of the biggest, worldwide companies.’
For the second year running, CTK Modern Foreign Languages department had the amazing opportunity to send one of their students to a once in a lifetime 21-day Outward Bound trip in Canada, fully funded by Stuart Horne Bursary.
The MFL candidates took part in a language competition. This year’s lucky winner was Charlie Sharpe. Charlie is a committed student of Spanish who is also studying Classical Civilisation, Maths and Philosophy.
Charlie has always shown a great interest in taking part in extra-curricular events and discovering new things. Last year, Charlie took part in a trip to the European Parliament in Strasbourg and showed a great enthusiasm for European and international relations. Charlie is also very sporty and likes to set himself new challenges. He was the perfect candidate for the Outward Bound Canada trip and was looking forward to visiting Canada, exploring the country and developing further his sense of adventure. Although he knew how hard this adventure could be, he was delighted and ready to embrace this opportunity. Charlie said the trip had changed him in a very positive way. He now feels more prepare to deal with social interactions and groups. He has also changed his priorities and pays a lot more attention to his surrounding and the environment. According to Charlie, if everyone could take part in such a trip and have the same experience, the world would be a better place.
The Stuart Horne Bursary has a mission to provide economic assistance and an array of educational, adventurous, and transformational experiences across Canada to teenagers and young adults from the UK who may never have before had either the option or the chance to participate in such an amazing opportunity. The Stuart Horne Bursary seeks to support youth by providing and funding scholarships to universities, schools and outdoor leadership programs.
CTK: Emmanuel was delighted to have Dame Nicola Brewer, Vice-Provost International, University College London (UCL), launch our annual External Speaker Programme.
Over 100 students had the opportunity to listen to Nicola’s inspirational talk about her career as a senior diplomat at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Nicola explained to students how she came to be British High Commissioner to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland from May 2009 to September 2013.
As Vice-Provost (International), Nicola talked about her responsibilities for UCL’s Global Engagement Strategy to achieve fair solutions to global challenges. Nicola also spoke of her work on Women’s Rights and her role as Gender Equality Champion on UCL’s Senior Management Team, something she is extremely passionate about.
Simon Spearman, Principal of CTK: Emmanuel, where the visit took place, said: ‘Dame Nicola Brewer has got our External Speaker Programme off to a brilliant start. She is one of many high-profile visitors from the worlds of academia, politics, and industry who will be coming into our colleges over the next few months. Our students gain a great deal from hearing these inspirational, high-achieving individuals speak about their own education and career paths.
Along with other Catholic schools and Colleges, CTK Students, Chaplains, the Vice Principal and Chair of Governors represented the College at the Education Commission’s Beginning of the Academic Year Mass in St George’s Cathedral on Tuesday 11th September.
Archbishop Peter was the main celebrant who spoke about the importance of Catholic Education that provided the opportunity of developing the whole person. Some of the students pictured below with Archbishop Peter were also involved in the Choir that consisted of a range of schools. It was a joyful and uplifting occasion that cemented the sense of being part of a wider family of Catholic schools and Colleges in the Archdiocese of Southwark.
Students and staff at Christ the King Sixth Form are celebrating another year of excellent examination success at all three sites. Students have progressed onto some of the most prestigious universities in the country.
Esther Adebiyi achieved AAA in Law, Psychology and Sociology and is going on to studying Law at Warwick University. Tariq Odunua gained AAA in Psychology, Business and RE. Tariq will be attending the University of East Anglia to study Business Finance and Management. Jothom Ajakaiye achieved ABB in Psychology, History and English Literature and will be studying Law at UEA.
Ella Denman will be studying Law at Sheffield after gaining AAB in Sociology, Law and Psychology. Aminata Daboh achieved ABB in Sociology, English Literature and Media Studies and will be attending Aston University to study Law with Management.
Molly Gazzard achieved AAB in Psychology, Sociology and Philosophy. She will be going to Brunel University to study Drama and Theatre Arts. Niall O’Malley gained AAB in History, Sociology and Government and Politics and will be going to Liverpool University to study International Politics and Policy. Natasza Strapko achieved A*A*B in Psychology, Sociology and English Language and Literature. She will be going to Loughborough University to study Psychology and Criminology. Teniola Dada is going to Kent University to study Psychology after achieving ABB in Sociology, Philosophy and English Literature.
Maria Tulea is going on to study Architecture at Nottingham University after gaining A*BB in Fine Art, Mathematics and Design and Technology. Alyshia Gomez gained AAB in Maths, Chemistry and Biology and will be studying Computer Science at University of Surrey. Olivia Aimable-Lina will be studying Social Work at the University of Birmingham after gaining grades AAA* in Sociology, English Literature and Textile Design. Steven Le achieved A*BB in Mathematics, Further Mathematics and Chemistry and will go on to study Mathematics at Surrey University. Patricia Mofus will be studying Political Science and Sociology at the University of Birmingham after gaining A*AB in Sociology, Psychology and English Literature.
Rob McAuliffe, Collegiate Principal, said “Once again our A’ Level students have achieved excellent results and we are proud to say that progression to university and employment from the college is extremely strong. The hard work of staff and students is to be celebrated. Our young people are ambassadors for their generation and our best wishes go out to each and every one of them as they start the next phase of their education or employment journey. There are some remarkable individual achievements and successes but there is also a sense of whole college achievement here at Christ the King. As a community we go from strength to strength”.
Christ the King was delighted to recently host a talk by Paul Morris who is the Managing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa at Willis Towers Watson.
Paul talked to over one hundred of our students about growing up in California and the academic and personal challenges he faced when studying at Harvard University, receiving both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees with Honours in Applied Mathematics.
Paul’s consulting career has seen him work in California, New York and the UK and he spoke at length about how he and Willis Towers Watson promotes diversity and inclusion in their work place.
After the talk Paul said:
“I thoroughly enjoyed the talk with the students. It is inspiring to see thoughtful and inquisitive students who will be leading our communities, businesses and governments in the years to come. Christ the King Sixth Form is doing a great job to prepare them for their futures.”
We are delighted to announce that progressing Christ the King (CTK) students Ebony Haughton; Bossoma Kouadiane and Emmanuel Idowu have each been awarded scholarships with Metric Capital Partners to support them in their studies at university.
So far, twelve £15,000 scholarships have been awarded to students at CTK by Metric Capital Partners. Metric Capital Partners are a capital fund management company and it is believed to be the first partnership of its kind between a college and a business.
John Sinik, the firm’s managing partner, was introduced to CTK by Seni Fawehinmi, whom he had met through a scheme designed to partner up ethnic minority students with an adult mentor. When Seni enrolled at CTK, he introduced his mentor to our principal. From this meeting, the Metric Capital scholarships were born.
John was inspired to create the programme after encountering aspirational and high-performing students at the college who, despite wanting to go to university, simply couldn’t afford it. “It’s a crippling experience for many people to come out of university massively in debt,” he says. “Tuition fees are only part of the expense of going to university. There are living expenses that can be overwhelming for people, and ultimately drive their decision not to go.”
Three Metric scholarships are awarded every year – one to a student attending each of the three colleges that make up Christ the King.
The students are selected according to academic performance and financial means-testing, before undergoing a formal interview. And the relationship doesn’t come to an end once the student heads off to university: they are required to update John each term about how well they are performing academically, and what they are spending the money on.
Former collegiate principal Jane Overbury likens John’s approach to the mentoring offered in the TV show Dragons’ Den, explaining that the students receive personal advice and access to a large list of relevant contacts.
“John’s quite clear: it’s not [just] about the living expenses – its access to books and resources and materials that some of our students might struggle to have access to without these kind of funds being available,” she says. “John has called for other businesses to take on this kind of role. We would support that because it’s so individual, it’s so personal to students, it’s not just about money.”
Christ the King was delighted to recently host a ‘Diversity in STEM’ event which was organised by ‘Greeate Careers’ and which was attended by students from across all three sites studying Physics and Engineering.
Cephas Williams and Deborah Obaseki of ‘Greeate Careers’ led a panel discussion which included Najwa Jawahar a Senior Structural Engineer at WSP, Anirban Basak a Principal Electrical Engineer at Aecom, Sara Kassam, Head of Sustainability for CIBSE and Diego Padilla Philipps an Associate at WSP.
After the panel discussion the students were divided into smaller groups for speed mentoring with our illustrious guests. The students learnt a great deal form the event and many said that this event had given them the confidence to pursue a career in engineering.
Thanks to ‘Greeate Careers’ and all our guest speakers from the Physics and Engineering students at CTK!
On the Thursday 14th June, Christ the King students from Emmanuel, Aquinas and St Mary’s, attended a Science conference at St Mary’s site. This cross-site event comprised talks from several speakers from Kent University, Imperial College, Welcome Trust Sanger Institute and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The presenters inspired the students to pursue a career in Science, sharing their academic and career path and their future professional prospects. The students felt that knowing other people’s path to success and learning about their experiences enlightened them about their own choices and means to achieve their goals. Hakeem, who is studying Biology and Mathematics at St Mary’s, said that attending this event helped him to understand what he needs to do to get the grades he wants.
On the Thursday 10th May, Ascension Day, CTK students from Emmanuel and Aquinas, joined the Chaplaincy team to attend the 10th Anniversary Memorial Service for Jimmy Mizen. During the service powerful words were offered by friends about the legacy, in particular about the three Good Hope Cafes that have been established with the intention of creating safe spaces for young people to grow up in. Margaret, Barry, Jimmy’s parents, and Danny Mizen, his older brother (pictured with group), reflected on the ten-year journey since Jimmy’s death and spoke positively about plans for the next 10 years. The couple appealed for young people and communities to come together to stop violence, particularly in London.
Archbishop Peter Smith, who led the service, spoke of the need to assure young people that they are valuable and precious in God’s eyes and encouraged all gathered to think of how we can show each other love, forgiveness and compassion. The students were profoundly impacted by the experience of the occasion. Georgina, a CTK Aquinas student, said: “The memorial service for Jimmy was beautiful, insightful and showed the bravery and pure determination of the Mizen family to create peace and forgiveness amongst the youth. The service not only captured the life and true beauty of Jimmy, but despite the tragic circumstances, it also captured what he has inspired and how his life is lived through his family, and how the charity set up in his honour has and will continue to drive change. I was honoured to be present at the memorial.”
Christ the King: Aquinas was delighted when our current student Loida Pardenas was recently awarded our first ever scholarship from the London School of Business and Management (LSBM).
The scholarship is worth £3,000 on entry towards her tuition fees. Loida will have the potential to receive an additional £3,000 in both Years 2 and 3 of her degree, subject to academic performance. Loida is very keen on progressing her studies at LSBM when she leaves Christ the King and the scholarship will be an invaluable help to her.
At this college, we are blessed to have a Gospel Choir on all three sites, but they do not often get the chance to perform together. So it was an ambitious idea when Natalie, the Gospel Choir leader, with the support of the Chaplaincy team, proposed bringing them all together, as well as another ten schools from across the diocese, to perform a Gospel Choir Spectacular at Southwark Cathedral.
With over 300 young people, present and performing to a packed out crowd, the performance did not disappoint. Each of the individual choirs performed two songs, with some exceptional soloists taking centre stage, with the concert topped and tailed with all the schools performing together – a truly awe inspiring sound that filled the cathedral and reverberated down to those who were witnessing this moment. It was pleasing to see our college students filled with such passion and giving their all on what was a beautiful evening.
Aquinas student Victoria Odubote was a winner at the 2018 Youth Awards hosted by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology ad Neuroscience, Kings College London. She was a very deserving winner of the KPD award in Psychology and Behaviour. As part of this award she will receive mentoring for a year from Kings College London and two day’s work experience at the IoPPN.
Victoria states that:
The award has improved my confidence as it has enhanced my belief that anything is possible. Being selected for the award has inspired me to go further into Psychology as that may be the path I want to get into in the future”.
This award is indicative of Victoria’s drive and enthusiasm to succeed. She is also completing her Duke of Edinburgh award and has been selected to be Student Governor for Aquinas in the 2018-19 academic year.
We were pleased to welcome back ex-student and recent graduate Michaela Washington-Welch back to CTK to work as Artist In Residence as part of Nottingham Trent University’s Graduate Scheme Programme.
Michaela very quickly became part of the team and impressed everyone with her energy and enthusiasm. The staff and students were very sorry to see her go once her six week residency ended. Michaela will make a great teacher in the future and we wish her all the best with her training.
Michaela had the following to say:
“After completing my A levels at Christ the King Emmanuel in June 2014, I went on to Nottingham Trent University, to study Interior Architecture and Design. Subsequent to graduating in June 2017 I was fortunate enough to participate in a six week Graduate Scheme Programme sponsored by Nottingham Trent, where I returned to Christ the King to work alongside the teachers who had taught me. The experience was amazing. I learned so much about the work that teachers do in order to support and inspire all their students. I enjoyed a interacting with the students in different lessons such as Art and Philosophy. It was really interesting to see things from the perspective of a teacher and not a student. I am so glad that I chose to do my placement at Christ the King. The students and staff were all amazing. I can’t wait to come back as a qualified teacher. ”
I was fortunate enough to participate in a six week Graduate Scheme Programme sponsored by Nottingham Trent, where I returned to Christ the King to work alongside the teachers who had taught me. The experience was amazing.
In preparation for their summer exams, A Level English Language and Literature students visited London South Bank University for a lecture on ‘The Great Gatsby’. Dr Leon Betsworth considered Fitzgerald’s use of first person narration and evaluated the importance of Nick’s role. He titled his lecture ‘The Great Carraway’, as he argued that Nick, and the nature of his narration, requires careful unpicking and interrogating in order to get to the heart of the novel.
The students were asked to consider Nick’s reliability, objectivity and the manner in which Gatsby’s character is mediated through him. Dr Betsworth posited that due to the evasive nature of the first person narrative voice it is challenging for the reader to construct a coherent, unbiased portrayal of Jay Gatsby (or Jimmy Gatz). The students were engrossed as he likened the novel to an impressionist Monet painting, this analogy really enabled them to recognise the subjectivity and ambiguity involved in studying literature.
The lecture provided our students with a taste of what learning will be like at university, they had to be adept at note taking as the session moved at a fast pace. Dr Betsworth complimented the students on their perceptive answers and he left them with lots of new ideas to consider in the run up to June’s exam.
A group of students of A Level Spanish had the rare opportunity to watch in London a Spanish masterpiece in the original language, the acclaimed “House of Bernarda Alba”, one of the required readings for the class. The language and literary skills of our students were challenged by this powerful drama.
The House of Bernarda Alba explores themes of repression, passion and conformity through the depiction of a matriarch’s domination of her five daughters. Described by the author as “a drama of women in the villages of Spain”, the deliberate exclusion of any male character from the action helps build the high level of sexual tension that is present throughout this masterpiece.
Written in 1936 just before the civil war broke out, the play was first performed in Buenos Aires in 1945. It was banned in Spain until 1963, partly because of its political implications and partly because the behaviour and language of the characters was regarded as shockingly immoral. A small theatre club was allowed to put on a single performance in 1950, but the regime tried to ensure that it would be given no publicity.
Federico García Lorca (1898-1936) , poet and dramatist, was one of the greatest Spanish writers of the 20th century. He was killed by francoist troops at the age of thirty-eight at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War and two months after completing The House of Bernarda Alba.
CTK was delighted to have twelve students spend the afternoon with Dianne Johnson from Urban Synergy, and Katherine Chamberlain and Laurence Wolf from Capgemini to learn more about corporate mentoring and Degree Apprenticeships.
This is the 2nd year that CTK have worked with Urban Synergy and Capgemini and this was the first in a series ofworkshops aimed at helping them to develop life skills as well as introducing them to Degree Apprenticeship opportunities. At the end of the series of workshops, Capgemni hopes to offer a number of CTK students a degree apprenticeship.
Thirty Year 13 Psychology students visited London Zoo. In the first of two workshops, they applied their skills and knowledge of research methods to carry out a structured observation of Squirrel Monkeys.
In a walk-in enclosure, close-up to the monkeys, students used i-pads to record the different monkey behaviours they saw. Students really enjoyed this, although some found it difficult with the small and quick moving species! Following this, in a workshop on animal intelligence, students learnt how the theories of behavioural psychology they have learnt at college, are used to train animals. These trained behaviours enable zoo keepers to carry out close-up health checks on dangerous animals like tigers and gorillas, and even administer injections, with no fuss! The rest of the day was spent exploring the rest of the animals, such as butterflies, tigers, giraffes, zebras, camels and lions, to name a few!
Christ the King was delighted to run our second, daylong event, with Unloc Enterprise Academy which was held for students wanting to consider alternative progression routes.
The Unloc Enterprise Academy programme was designed to inspire, motivate and develop the mind-sets of young people. The day helped to develop student’s skills in setting up and testing their own business ideas as well as exploring future apprenticeship opportunities.
Unloc started in 2011 as a small Portsmouth community project run by Hayden Taylor and Ben Dowling who were young entrepreneurs that wanted to see students getting more engaged with local decision makers. Their aim is to help create a highly capable, actively engaged and civic minded generation of young people.
Over 50 CTK Aquinas students recently enjoyed a motivational talk by Duro Oye and Carl Hart from the 2020 Change Foundation. Duro and Carl explained how their organisation wanted to help build the next generation of community, business and political leaders.
In a formal, but relaxed manner, they had students to focus on what success in life would look like to them as an individual. They also highlighted the fact that many of the most successful people in the world today have had numerous setbacks and failures in their lives.
“My tutors at CTK were fundamental in my academic success. They were always approachable and willing to go the extra mile. I enjoyed taking part in extracurricular activities, including leading the sixth form band and being Director of the Business Enterprise Group, Student Governor and Student Head of Hall. ”
“At Christ the King I discovered I was resilient. My teachers really pushed me to be my best, I am in their debt, thank you for believing in me.”
“CTK was a great environment for me to learn in. I’ve really enjoyed the teaching – all my teachers have been encouraging and supportive. They put in the extra time to help with workshops and revision to ensure we did well.”
“I would recommend coming to CTK as the level of support offered by the subject teachers is exceptionally good. The best thing about CTK is being part of the friendliest group of students I've ever met. I'm applying to Oxford to study Psychology. ”
“My form tutor at CTK was exceptionally supportive every day. I value the freedom and independence of controlling my own learning, staying motivated whilst also having fun. The and people and sense of community provide a great environment. I have enjoyed extra opportunities such as joining summer schools and widening participation programs and becoming a student governor. I received lots of help from the careers guidance counsellor to help me realise what I want to do after sixth form. ”
