"Your child is a gift from God and never doubt what they can and will achieve."
Dear Parent / Carer,
Following discussion with the Chair of Governors, Father David Evans, I will step down as Headteacher of Bishop Challoner on 31st August 2024. As the school becomes an Academy in September it is time for someone new to lead this wonderful school.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for the support the parent community has given me over the last three years. You have been an incredible community to work with and for. I could not have wished for a better school to be part of and it has been an incredible journey together.
As a school we have achieved a great deal over the last three years. We have changed our curriculum, changed our timetable, amalgamated two schools, introduced a new uniform, changed the leadership and governance of the school, and increased significantly the amount of applications to our Sixth Form. We have a lot to be proud of. Those who have judged our performance have regularly highlighted the steady progress we have made together. I am pleased the school is rated good by Ofsted and good by the Catholic School Inspectorate (CSI).
Our staff have been a great team to work with. I am very proud of the difference they make to so many young men and women. I have always strived to make the right decisions for our school. Some I got right and some I did not. I hope you will accept everything I did was for the best intentions of the school. We are all on a journey and Bishop Challoner has a wonderful future ahead of it.
Your child is a gift from God and never doubt what they can and will achieve. I wish you every happiness and good health for the future. Always strive to do the ordinary extraordinarily well.
Be assured of my thanks and prayers. I am very grateful for the opportunity given to me to lead Bishop Challoner and I wish my successor every success and happiness.
I am very grateful to all the staff who have worked so hard for your child this year. We are blessed to have such a dedicated number of staff who work tirelessly to get the best out of every child. Every summer we say goodbye to staff who are moving to pastures new. They go with our sincere thanks and appreciation for all they have done.
This summer we say goodbye and good luck to Mr Willis, Ms Jones, Ms Sreevalsalan, Ms Abida, Mr Kwabi, Mr Browne, Ms Huie, Ms Ahmed, Ms Onisemo, Ms Murrain and Ms Yasmin.
We wish every family a restful and peaceful holiday.
JP Morrison, Headteacher
eND OF tERM mASS
On Thursday, 18th July, Bishop Challoner students gave thanks for a busy and successful year with Mass in St Mary and St Michael’s Church led by Father Keith. It was a perfect chance for our young people to reflect on all that we have achieved and we thank the readers, altar servers and musicians who made it so special.
On the Last Day of Term our Year 7 students came together for an Open Air Liturgy in the Year 7 playground to celebrate the end of their first year at Bishop Challoner. The sun was shining and out students reflected on the experiences of the year and the many ways that they had grown. Transitioning to secondary school is as huge step and our young people enjoyed the chance to reflect on the friends they have made, the challenges they have overcome, and everything they have learned this year.
mASS OF tHANKSgiving for the convent of mercy
On Wednesday, 17th July a group of students gave thanks for the Sisters of Mercy, and the countless Sisters who dedicated their lives to our school since establishing it in 1933. The students were part of a large congregation at St Mary at St Michaels church who gathered for a Mass of thanksgiving for the Convent of Mercy at Hardinge Street, where the sisters lived until 2022. Mass was celebrated by Bishop James Curry, with reflections and history lessons from the sisters throughout. We are proud of our history and our heritage and it was an honour to be part of such an important and touching event.
On the evening of Thursday, 11th July our talented dancers, artists, actors and musicians shared their work to a large audience of friends and family to a packed theatre.
A huge thank you to Ms Charter, Ms Ferry and Ms Donaldson for a fantastic evening of entertainment celebrating Creative Arts at Bishop Challoner.
Board Games club
Board Games club started this term and runs every Tuesday lunch time supervised by Ms Booth. There is a game for everyone and has been a really welcoming space, especially for new or shy students who might struggle making friends and socialising. If you would like to find out more about attending next year please contact Ms Booth or your Child’s Head of Year
Sports Day
On Thursday, 4th July Years 8-10 enjoyed our annual Sports Day at Mile End Stadium. Promoting the value of sport and physical activity has always been a top priority at Bishop Challoner, and this event is always a highlight of the school year. The atmosphere was fantastic, and students were delighted to take part. We thank our PE department for planning and running another memorable event for our young people.
Well done Year 11 and Year 13!
A huge congratulations to our Year 11 and Year 13 students for navigating a busy and demanding exam season with resilience, calmness and determination.
It was a joy to see so many students at our Year 13 celebration on the 28th June and to see the incredible outfits at our Year 11 celebration on the 12th July. A huge than you to Avril, Tara, Ms Pabila and Ms Farr for their hard work making these wonderful celebrations possible.
We are so proud of you all and look forward to seeing you on results day.
Year 10 Artists Visit the British Museum
Year 10 art students attended a Japanese printmaking workshop at the British museum. Students learnt how to both carve and print a design sketched from a number of Japanese archives within the museum.
Ekaterina wrote this about the visit
"It was an amazing experience. I learned a lot and we had a lot of fun. We went around the whole museum. The architecture was beautiful. Sania and Rabeya said that their favourite part was inking the wood during the printing part of the process; and that it was so therapeutic. We had to hold the brush carefully when distributing the ink across the wood and had to look out for a certain sound that would tell us if we were doing it right. Angelina said this was a very hard but enjoyable work. Everybody really enjoyed doing this work and thank you very much to the school and Ms Skinner for giving us an opportunity to try and learn new skills."
Mental Health Awareness month
During Mental Health Awareness Month Mr. Williams and Mr. Cowie led a mental health awareness talk. The group discussed the stigma around men discussing mental health issues and the impact of this, as well as the importance of supporting one another.
The boys were open in discussion and really engaged well with all the topics covered. It was wonderful to see our students being respectful, caring, and mindful of others.
Year 9 Experience HyperReality
On Thursday the 16th of May thirty-two Year 9 students were selected to attend a Rewards Trip to the HyperReality Virtual Games Café in Stepney Green. Students were selected based on their achievement points and the mature conduct with which they represent our school.
Mr Williams, who led the trip, stated “The pupils had an incredible time riding rollercoasters and attempting to escape virtual escape rooms. Staff at the venue were very impressed by the student conduct and complimented their behaviour and manners throughout”.
Our students said “The VR games were enjoyable with friends and our peers”, “Hyper Reality is a great place to relax and have fun and I am grateful to have been able to go” and “The games provided were amazing and good fillers for waiting – I was so excited to beat my Head of Year at MarioKart”.
Young Writers’ Competition
Last term, in Write Club students wrote poems to enter the ‘Through Your Eyes’ competition by Young Writers UK. Seven of Bishop Challoner pupils’ poems have been selected to be a part of the 'Through Your Eyes’ anthology. The following students’ work has been chosen to be a part of the anthology. Abigail Hattley (7Josephine), Mafereh Bangura (7Katherine), Shalom Odjo (7Teresa), Jesutofunmi Ajayi-Alebiosu (10Josephine), Affinity Edwards (11Josephine), Paula Chinedu-Eke (11Max) and Tianna Dwomoh (11Ignatius). The anthologies have been printed with our students' amazing work.
Eco Club are Butterfly Breeders!
This term, Eco Club carefully watched the metamorphosis of caterpillars who eventually turned into Painted Butterflies! The butterflies were released into the wild in June. We thank Ms Waclawczyk for her dedication and work with Eco Club throughout the year and for teaching our students about the importance of caring for our common home.
A busy Term of theatre trips
On 13th July 2024, the Drama and Dance department organised an exciting trip to see the beloved musical 'Frozen'. This trip was specifically designed to reward students for their positive behaviour and progress in their lessons. A group of 60 enthusiastic students embarked on this adventure, starting with a delightful picnic in Lincoln Inn Fields. The students had a great time playing games and socialising, creating memorable moments of fun and laughter. After the picnic, everyone made their way to the renowned Drury Lane Theatre to witness the magical performance of 'Frozen'. We were welcomed with a lovely speech from the producers of the show that resonated with 3/4 of our community. "We'd like to extend an extra special welcome to audience members attending their first West End show. We hope today is the start of a lifetime love of theatre." The students were captivated by the incredible talent and mesmerizing production. It was a truly enchanting experience for all. Ms Ferry and Ms Charter would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Mrs Anwan and Mr Wilkie for their support in assisting with the trip.
Earlier in the term on a sunny day in London, 4 staff members and 46 year 7, 8, and 10 students who have shown positive behaviour and progress were invited to a private performance of The Lion King dress rehearsal. They joined other selected schools from across London. For many of our students, this was their first time attending a West End show and traveling into central London.
Here are some quotes from our students about their experience:
- "The costumes were very good."
- "The live music felt very immersive."
- "The set was amazing."
- "The theatre was really unique."
- "It was a wonderful experience."
- "I would love to see it again."
- "The props and costumes were amazing."
- "The special effects were incredible."