Category: News

During the last week of February, a group of students from Aquinas and Emmanuel took part in a retreat at the Kintbury retreat house. Along with students from St Charles 6^thform, they spent 3 days examining who they were as a person, searching deep their own relationship with God surrounded by the beautifully picturesque Berkshire countryside. Hosted and facilitated by the excellent Kintbury volunteers, the students had a truly fantastic experience. As one attendee said

“I think it was amazing. It was a chance to relax and take a break from your life outside of the retreat. It gave me an opportunity to make friends and meet amazing people.“

On Tuesday 4^th 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:

• Andrew Cole, Retired International Footballer
• Oliver Adebayo, Trainee Orthopaedic Surgeon
• Troy Von Scheibner – Magician & TV Personality (CTK alumnus)
• David Olusegun – CEO, Black Diamond Records (CTK alumnus)
• Natalie Scott – Fashion Stylist (CTK alumnus)

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:

• Seni Fawehinmi: New Business Development Manager – Thomson Reuters 
• Jeff Perkins: Executive Director – Storyful 
• Charisma Jones: Solicitor – Lime TV 

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.’

Hi, my name is Annie and I used to be a student at Christ the King Sixth Form: Aquinas. I studied BTEC Business and graduated in 2018 with a D*D*D. I have just started at De Montfort University, studying Accounting & Finance.

My university experience has been wonderful so far. Last week I had my introductory sessions where I met my lecturers, tutors and class members for my course. I really enjoyed my Matriculation ceremony, where I was welcomed by the Vice-Chancellor into the Business and Law Faculty. 

I have also joined two clubs which are Archery and GoGlobal; GoGlobal lets student have the opportunity to travel the world, volunteer in another country and help the environment or local community whilst developing key skills. 

 I am very lucky in that with the help of Christ the King I have been awarded a £15,000 scholarship by Metric Capital Partners for the duration of my studies. Metric Capital Partners are a capital fund management company and the firm’s managing partner is a gentleman called John Sinik.

 I am really looking forward to studying at De Montfort University and of a great year ahead!

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.

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 11^th 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 14^th 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 10^th May, Ascension Day, CTK students from Emmanuel and Aquinas, joined the Chaplaincy team to attend the 10^th 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.