13 September 2019

was utilised to exude power and favour. But the real treat were the talks given by the fantastic experts laid on by the Palace on topics including the Henrician Reformation and Inglorious Revolution, both topics that will be covered in the coming year of study and which brought these complex topics to life for students. The trip was not all work and no play, as no trip to Hampton Court would be complete without an attempt at traversing the world famous hedge maze.

STOP THE CLOCK DAY Another sunny Stop The Clock Day was spent with Year 8 at RHS Wisley Gardens . Students were in the midst of their Ecology topic, and revelled in the opportunity to practise some of their flora sampling techniques, as well as classification methods learnt previously in the year. As always, our students were impeccably behaved, most notably when they spent 20 minutes in silence watching bees pollinate flowers. Lunch was spent with special guest visitors in the form of a family of ducks who were very persistent in trying to steal our food. Overall, the students had a productive day, as well as being able to enjoy some nature and top up on their Vitamin D. We are already looking forward to next years visit.

LONDON CITYWIDE SUICIDE PREVENTION INITIATIVE World Suicide Prevention Day took place on 10 September where a citywide suicide prevention initiative was launched. The Zero Suicide Alliance has created a free, online training program that supports people to identify warning signs and to feel comfortable having conversations about suicide. The training only takes 20 minutes to complete. It follows research and evidence among people who have considered suicide, that talking honestly and openly about suicide helped to save their lives. https://www.zerosuicidealliance.com/

On a sunny day in July, the Year 7 ‘Stop the Clock’ excursion saw our budding historians visit the local historical gem that is Hampton Court Palace . The day saw the Year 7s explore the original Tudor royal palace, of which this is the only surviving example, including the cavernous kitchens where many got to try their hands at cooking a Tudor meal. The students visited the more modern Baroque extension to the Palace to explore life at court under William III, examining how room design