Wandsworth schools and families OCTOBER 2018 Head start Distributed through schools across the borough CAN YOU FOSTER? Be there for a child in Wandsworth... ...and we’ll be there for you Come to one of three events taking place on the dates below (10am - 12noon¬or 2pm - 4pm¬or 6pm - 8pm) Thursday 18 October 2018 Thursday 1 November 2018 Call us now on (020) 8871 6666 Read about our foster carers’ experiences at¬ www.wandsworth.gov.uk/carer_experiences To find out more: wandsworth.gov.uk/fostering [email protected] wandsworthfostering Designed and produced by Wandsworth Design & Print. [email protected] 2 AD.1196 Bside (8.18) Photos: istock, digitalvision, netnatives wandsworth.gov.uk/headstart Plus eight pages of Autumn listings PAGE 23 What’s hot for Wandsworth families this month Better playgrounds Improvements across the borough PAGE 4 Top marks Bumper year for exam results PAGES 8-10 Political awareness See what the Wandsworth Youth Council are involved in PAGE 12 Go, go Team Wandsworth More success at the London Youth Games PAGE 15 Protect against flu Common questions answered PAGE 17 Going off with a bang Help your pets cope with Bonfire Night PAGE 22 Days out - Autumn listings PAGES 23-30 Giant LEGO Brick Animal Trail at the Wetland Centre - see page 26 Send your comments and suggestions to Cover image: The refurbished ball court on the Savona Estate (page 4-5) Cover image: CS.132 (10.18) [email protected] Design & Print. Wandsworth Designed and produced by [email protected] Follow us HeadstartWBC 3 Godley Gardens More space to play This summer has seen a The junior and toddlers’ playground in Battersea Park is now full of brand new, colourful surfacing to keep youngsters safe as they play on the range of upgrades to some variety of playground equipment. The grass verges, which could quickly of the borough’s best loved turn to mud, have also been replaced by artificial grass. One dad and his family were so impressed they’ve become regulars at the playgrounds. playground since it reopened. “It looks great and it feels very safe,” said local resident Jeremy Cook. “And my boy and girl seem to love bouncing up and down on it so they’ve certainly done something right!” Godley Gardens in Earlsfield now boasts a new pathway, new benches, improved entrances and landscaping, with the centre piece of the work a striking play tunnel set into an astro-turf hill. 4 You can show off your football, netball and basketball skills at an upgraded ball games area near Chivalry Road on Wandsworth Common. As well as a new playing surface, fencing and renewed sports equipment, the floodlighting has also been improved allowing the facility to be used after dusk. The playground improvements were delivered by Enable Leisure and Culture on behalf of the Powerleague council. In Battersea the ball court on the Savona Estate has been completely refurbished thanks to Battersea Power Station and its contractor Careys. It’s now available for lots of different sports, including basketball, tennis and badminton. And Powerleague has opened in Nine Elms, with free play for local schools and community groups. Battersea Park Savona Estate ball court 5 Debate stars Students from 25 Wandsworth primary schools got together to debate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child at the 2018 Wandsworth Model United Nations General Assembly (MUNGA) at the town hall. The charter says that every child has the right to the best possible health and that governments must provide good quality health care, clean water, nutritious food, a clean environment and education on health and well-being so that children can stay healthy. Richer countries must help poorer countries to achieve this. Students gave interactive presentations and then competed in an inter-school debate on the motion for the day - the banning of single use plastic. They then all got together at The General Assembly to make amendments and vote. The winning schools were Sacred Heart RC (Roehampton) and Penwortham. 6 Connecting classrooms St Joseph’s in Putney school has been chosen to launch a pioneering new programme by the UK Government and the British Council. The school has spent the last two years developing and the Middle East using mobile technology such critical thinking skills through the Connecting as What’s App. Classrooms scheme and pupils have been linking up Love Actually film director Richard Curtis, who is a for shared lessons with pupils at the Marka Prep Girls’ school in the Marka refugee camp. UN advocate for sustainable development has leant his support to the scheme and was at the launch, St Joseph’s was chosen to host the launch of the next along with International Development Secretary stage of the scheme, Connecting Classrooms Through Global Learning. The British Council and Penny Mordaunt, Secretary of State for Education the Department for International Development are Damian Hinds, Wandsworth education spokesman putting up £38m to enable three million pupils from Cllr Sarah McDermott and dozens of newspaper and across the UK to link up with schools in Africa, Asia TV journalists. 7 Students at Saint Cecilia’s celebrate their A-level results Top marks! It was another bumper year for exam results in Wandsworth this year. At A-level 78 per cent were passed at Grades A* to C - a success rate higher than the national average. Graveney was the highest performer, just ahead of Saint Cecilia’s which saw 31 per cent of its A- Levels achieve an A* or A result. At A* to C grade, Harris Academy Battersea Southfields saw an continued its successes of the past two years by again increased percentage of topping the borough league of highest performing A* & A grades and many students have won schools with a success rate of 88 per cent. places at their first choice university. 8 At GCSE 74 per cent of students achieved grades 9-4 in English and Ernest Bevin College saw a big rise in the number of students achieving the Maths, up two per cent from last higher grades of 7-9. In computer year. Under the new scoring Science 82 per cent of students system, a 4 is roughly the achieved grade 7 or higher and in equivalent of a C. Grade 9 is Physics it was 63 per cent. higher than the old A*. In English Chestnut Grove, Saint John Bosco and Southfields made significant improvements. Southfields, Graveney, Ernest Bevin and Burntwood all saw gains in Maths. The council’s education spokesman Councillor Sarah McDermott said “I’d like to thank the staff at all our schools, as well as parents and carers, who worked so hard to prepare students and who helped and encouraged them to succeed.” Wahbi and Mohammad, seen here with other high achievers at Southfields Academy, both received a clean sweep of 9s. Seventy per cent of Southfields students achieved grade 4 and above in English and Maths. 9 Pat on the The borough’s top students from secondary schools around the borough were invited to town hall receptions along with back for their teachers, friends and family to celebrate their success star in this year’s GCSEs and A-Levels. The council’s cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Sarah McDermott students thanked them for their efforts. 10 Photo: Eoin Carey Poetry in the Park Pupils from Falconbrook and Westbridge Primary theme of home, exploring thoughts and feelings Schools in Battersea came together at York Gardens about their local area and where they feel at home. to showcase their poetry talents at a live performance Poetry in the Park was the culmination of a six-week event Poetry in the Park. Cultivate project in which pupils from years three and A hundred students took turns in performing their four worked with spoken word organisation Apples spoken word creations to an enthusiastic audience of and Snakes and professional spoken word artists children, teachers, families, guests and lucky BREIS and Kat Francois. passers-by. The pupils based their pieces around the Cultivate Routes More than 500 young people from Wandsworth schools took part in free Cultivate Routes workshops during the summer term, trying out new skills with creative professionals. During the workshops the young people tried a new hands-on creative skill – either Journalism, Animation, Spoken Word, Choreography, Visual Art or Textile Design and learnt about creative careers and local creative opportunities. Pupils from Brandlehow, Eardley, Graveney, Honeywell Junior, Oak Lodge, Penwortham, Sacred Heart (Roehampton), Sellincourt, Sheringdale, Southmead, St. Anne’s and The Alton Schools all took part in the workshops, which continue into the Autumn term. For more information on the Cultivate Project contact Katherine Hill, Cultivate Programme Manager: [email protected], www.cultivate.london 9 Get Aware! The Wandsworth Youth Council wants to raise young people’s awareness on how local and national politics works so they can make informed decisions when they vote for the first time. Here’s how you can get involved Youth Voice Question Time the police and the council and to experience the Just like the BBC1 show, young people will have the world of work. In Wandsworth, this will be the chance to ask local councillors their most pressing seventh year that Wandsworth Youth Council have questions. Tuesday November 13, 5pm – 8pm, run Takeover Challenge. This year it will be held Wandsworth Council Chamber on Tuesday November 20. Political Awareness Sessions To take part in any of these, email Wandsworth Youth Council have partnered with the [email protected] and you will Houses of Parliament Education team and local be signed up right away.