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Lower Sixth visit Auschwitz

Louis Bond: "The site of the camp was much larger than I had ever expected. Much of the camp was destroyed, but there were the cabin like structures at the front of the complex which were tiny in comparison to the number of people who were forced to stay in them. At the rear of the camp of Auschwitz Birkenau stood the administration building, where the people who were kept in the camp had to be processed. During this, the possessions of the victims of the Holocaust were taken. Looking through the items on display, I was taken aback when I saw a single house key. For me, this reflects an intent to go back to their very own home, when that wasn’t really a possibility for the victims of the Holocaust."

Joshua Lim: "During the March 13th day trip to Poland, I could see that everyone was affected differently. For me, there was a particular sense of emptiness and detachment even though prior to the visit I thought it would be much more emotive as opposed to just reading about the concentration camps in a textbook or online. The constant silence throughout the day gave a very sombre and serious tone particularly in Auschwitz I and I thought that the first camp was much more intimidating and overwhelming than Birkenau even though it was a re-purposed military base whereas Auschwitz-Birkenau was purpose built as a death camp.  

I think that the experience in Poland would not have been the same without the two seminars on either side of the trip. The first seminar not only allowed us to meet the people and fellow students that we would be spending the day with but it also prepared us for what we were going to see, the testimony from the Holocaust survivor Marla Tribich especially made a lot of us realise exactly what we were going to experience and what these camps were like. After Poland, the second and final seminar was the best opportunity to express and share our thoughts with the rest of our group and it was interesting to hear what others’ thought of the day and how it affected them."

Lucy Wagg: "For me personally, I found the trip to Poland particularly moving. The intensity of each room and the mass displays of belongings impacted me significantly. Although I knew the number of holocaust victims, I had never understood the number of individual holocaust victims, and by seeing the piles of belongings, and the amount of hair, the actually number of those effected became apparent to me. Overall, the visit to Poland was very powerful, moving and made the true story of the holocaust and the individuals involved clear."

 

Below is a video that our students put together documenting their visit.

Some photographs from their visit.

Senior Prize Giving 2019

Inspirational Swimmer and Olympian Karen Pickering MBE inspired pupils at Newcastle-under-Lyme School’s Senior Prize Giving event this week at the Victoria Hall in Hanley.

Former World and European Freestyle Champion and four times Commonwealth Gold medalist, Karen spoke about her personal approach to the challenges of a professional swimming career, sharing stories of resilience and strength of ambition throughout difficult times. Karen presented the school prizes to the pupils and congratulated pupils individually.

She also met with the School’s Swimming Captains Hollie Franks, George Sketcher, Rhiannon Pass, and Georgia Walker as well as NULS Swimming Coach, Laura Wiseman. Younger pupils Charlotte Burton-Rowe, Rubens Leonard and Gracie Walters were also in attendance and met with the guest speaker.

Swimming is a huge part of the Newcastle-under-Lyme School’s curricular and co-curricular activities. Pupils are introduced to lessons from reception age and taught water safety and later, valuable lifesaving skills. As well as competitive swimming including prominent national events such as the Bath and Otter Swimming Cup, which take place in the Olympic pool, the School competes to a high level in Lifesaving.

Senior Prize Giving is an opportunity for the School to show pupils how incredibly proud they are of them, and to recognise their achievements.

Mr David Wallbank, Chair of Governors, gave the opening address followed by Headmaster Mr Michael Getty's report on the School Year.

Newcastle-under-Lyme School would like to express their thanks to Karen Pickering MBE for providing such an inspirational speech and for taking the time to attend the event.

 

 

 

"Joseph" - Lower School Play 2019

Audiences were wowed by the talent and infectious enjoyment of the whole cast. Performers from Years Seven, Eight and Nine were supported by elder pupils assistant directing and running the sound an lighting crews in another wonderful school production.

NULS Art Exhibition 2019

Our stunning NULS Art Exhibition was a huge success, showcasing work from our GCSE and A Level students in Textiles, Fine Art, Ceramics and 3D Design. You can browse our gallery of the exhibition below:

Winners are as follows:

St. Dominic’s Trust Award – Emma Davies  Maureen Leese Prize- Lauren Keates

Fine Art - Aaliyah Salim, Arabella McFadyen, Hannah Taylor

Three Dimensional design - Hannah Corfield, Lawrence Ahearne, Will Clarke

Textiles - Millie Wain, Kiara Johnson, Daniek Macauley

 

 

Choral and Orchestral Concert

This year the works presented for the Choral and Orchestral concert were linked by the most celebrated names in the organ lofts of Paris in the 1890s. An appreciative audience in St Paul's were moved by the quality and content of the performances, which brought together pupils, staff and former staff, governors and parents.

Rock and Jazz 2019

The annual Rock and Jazz concert took place this week showcasing a great array of musical talent.

Prestigious Choral Course place for Sixth Former

NULS Music department is delighted that Sixth Form student Eleanor Burnham has been accepted onto the first of this year's Eton Choral Courses, now managed by the Rodolfus Foundation. As well as receiving choral training from eminent specialists, Eleanor will sing Evensong in King's College, Cambridge and in St George's Chapel, Windsor and participate in a recital in Eton College Chapel. 

Many in the School community will have enjoyed Eleanor's performances including a recent choral solo in the Carols by Candlelight service and, combining her theatrical skills with her singing, in Sweeney Todd and Me and My Girl. Eleanor has always enjoyed both the technical and performance aspects of her music studies. She says, "The broad and challenging programme we cover in Senior Choir, as well as the other extra-curricular activities offered at School such as yearly musical theatre productions, singing lessons and opportunities for solo performances in concerts and School services, have been a great asset to me in applying for the Eton Choral Course. This course, quite apart from the prestige of being offered a place on it, is well-established as a stepping stone toward Choral Awards at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. I am excited to sing with world-class professionals and develop my knowledge of traditional Anglican choral repertoire."

We all looking forward to hearing more!

Sixth Former selected as First Sea Lord Cadet

It was a very proud moment for NULS as Sixth Former Freja Edwards was selected for the post of First Sea Lord Cadet. Only 3 CCF Navy Cadets are chosen per year for this prestigious role which will involve accompanying the First Sea Lord, the most Senior Officer in the Royal Navy to a number of very high profile events during 2019.

An official investiture took place on Friday 18 January 2019 in Portsmouth.
 
Headmaster, Michael Getty commented, "We are incredibly proud of Freja as she receives this honour from the First Sea Lord himself, Admiral Sir Philip Jones on HMS Victory. It is a hugely prestigious achievement! Well done, Freja!"
 
Freja herself is delighted to receive the honour and commented on the role that school has played in her development as a cadet,
 "NULS has constantly supported me and encouraged me to develop both inside and outside the classroom. It is this support that enabled me to develop my passion for the CCF. It was Mr Buckley who nominated me for selection. NULS CCF has encouraged me to strive for the best based on my commitment to the cadet force.
My reaction when I heard about my selection was initially one of shock, purely because I knew how prestigious the appointment could be, but I soon became excited with what opportunities the appointment would present, for example meeting the Navy Board in London (scheduled for summer 2019).
Having been at NULS since year 3, I have always been encouraged to strive for the highest both academically and in extra-curricular pursuits, helping me to develop into a well-rounded, confident individual. Encouragement to develop my passions is what has enabled me to achieve in CCF, as well as academically and in other areas such as sport and music."

We look forward to reporting on Freja's experiences throughout the year.

Carols by Candlelight

During the final week of the autumn term we held our annual ‘Carols by Candlelight’ service in St Paul’s Church.

'Founders Day' Celebrations

Students from Year Five to the Upper Sixth came together to celebrate the benefactors who founded our School.

 

Lights, Camera, Action! EPQ students take part in a day of presentations, debate and discussion

Lights, Camera, Action! EPQ students take part in a day of presentations, debate and discussion

 
As part of the Extended Project Qualification, students are required to present their project in an accessible manner to a non-specialist audience. Each student has been involved with their presentation for over a year, with the presentation acting as a culmination point.
 
This year's cohort put on a wide-ranging display of presentations including reflections on: 'Immortality in antiquity', 'The controversy of Euthanasia' and 'Antibiotic's Apocalypse'.
 
It was a pleasure to see how diverse our Sixth Former's interests were and the detail they went into to master their topic area with such confidence and skill. Such an experience will no doubt prepare them well for life after Sixth Form.
 
For information about the benefits of the EPQ go to the: curriculum page 
A-Level Students Celebrate Exam Success

A-Level Students Celebrate Exam Success

 
Once again students at Newcastle-under-Lyme School have delivered a strong set of A Level results with 57 per cent of entries being awarded A* to B grades.
 
Furthermore, the School has seen an increase in the proportion of entries gaining the highest A* award as we continue to strive to deliver the highest academic quality and value to all our students.
 
12 out of 84 students achieved at least three A Levels at A* and A grades. Choi Ling Yu achieved all three subjects at A* gaining her a place to read Medicine at Birmingham University. Ananya Arora achieved 2 A*s and 2 As. She will take up a place to read Medicine at Selwyn College, Cambridge.
 
Places were also taken up at some of the UK's most prestigious universities including St Andrews, University College London and the London School of Economics.
 
Headmaster, Nick Vernon commented, "These results are a great credit to the School. We know we send these students on their way well equipped to embrace their future opportunities." 
 
More information can be found on our Examinations Page