CTK have been featured in an article in TES magazine to showcase our partnership with Metric Capital.
Metric Capital have been providing support to CTK students with university scholarships, and boosting young peoples chances of employability and career progression.
For Act of Charity Day, CTK students took part I writing thank you notes and pictures thanking the NHS, local Fire brigade, Kent Police, TFL, Key workers at Queen Mary’s hospital, local care homes, and local supermarkets.
Dear NHS workers,
Thank you so much for your hard work during these tough times. The NHS is a unit full of amazing people.
It really does take a group of truly special and selfless people to help the whole country and make a huge difference on a daily basis.
The NHS has helped this country of millions and millions innumerable times. We are all in your debt for this amazing
care that the whole organisation provides.
The NHS has set a global example of what national healthcare should look like. It is undoubtedly the best in the world.
Filled up to the brim by people willing to make sacrifices day in and day out. You have all put yourself and your family
in a vulnerable position. However that hasn’t stopped any member from being brave and helping the global effort to tackle
not just a virus, but provide the right of healthcare to everyone irrespective of their background.
The determination required for this task is truly a feat in which everyone should aspire to reach in order to excel in anything
they pursue. Pots and pans will never be enough to show how much we appreciate the greatness that comes from each
individual working long hours to make sure that a whole nation is put to rest assured that they will be safe.
Happiness, rainbows and pride fill the streets. The NHS has provided a light in the darkness that is the state the world is
in at the moment. People are happier knowing that the NHS are forever fighting illness and are on our side.
We, the nation, wholeheartedly support the NHS and is thankful for the heroes who make it what it is today.
This week, three Christ the King sixth form students have been awarded a scholarship from Private capital fund management firm, Metric Capital worth £15,000 each.
Each successful student was carefully selected according to their academic performance and formal virtual interview process. Christ the King students Temitope Idowui, who hopes to study English Literature at the University of Cambridge, Keona Burey who hopes to study Primary Teaching at the University of Chichester and Jon Hamilton who hopes to study Biomedical Sciences at the University of Southampton, all successfully received a scholarship worth £15,000 over the course of their University degree.
The Metric Capital scholarship programme with Christ the King is in its ninth year and to date has awarded almost £500,000 in scholarships to hardworking, ambitious Christ the King students. Metric Capital, worked in conjunction with Our Turn Global, a charitable organisation that uses social media to raise awareness about initiatives that have a positive impact on society to award the scholarship.
The scheme is led by Metric Capital’s Managing Partner, John Sinik. John was first introduced to Christ the King by one of his mentees, and he was inspired to create the Metric Scholarship Programme after meeting high performing, aspirational students at Christ the King, who dreamt of going on to University, but faced financial challenges in doing so.
Metric Capital Managing Partner John Sinik says: “Tuition fees are only a 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. The scholarship plays a key role in allowing the students to pursue their dream of obtaining a University degree”.
Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey says: “We are delighted to continue working in partnership with Metric Capital with this fantastic venture. We are so proud of our hardworking students at Christ the King and it is a great opportunity to support them in their university aspirations.”
Temitope Idowui, who is currently studying A Levels in English Literature, Media Studies and Sociology at CTK said ‘I can’t tell you how happy I am right now. I can’t wait for my mum to get home from work so I can share the news with her. A scholarship like this will really help me financially in the year ahead and it will mean I do not need to find a part time job and can concentrate on my studies.’
Keona Burey, who is currently studying a BTEC in Health & Social Care at CTK said; ‘I am so blessed to have met such amazing inspiring individuals this morning. I am delighted to have been awarded this scholarship and I know it will help me greatly at university.’
Jon Hamilton, who is currently studying A Levels in Biology, Chemistry and Physics at CTK said; ‘I am so happy to gain this scholarship. I had no idea my teachers thought so highly of me and it will be a great help in my ambition to become a doctor.”
All staff and students at Christ the King wishes a huge congratulations to all the CTK St Mary’s winners from last night’s evening of celebration. We are so proud of all students leaving us this year and wish them the very best of luck with their future.
Since the start of lockdown CTK as a community have been making a conscious effort to support our local charities and people in need, and we are delighted to have been featured in The Pilgrim newspaper outlining the work the Sixth Forms has done during COVID-19.
The article is titled ‘Staff and students rise to the COVID-19 Challenges.’ We at CTK continue to ensure all students and staff, as well as our surrounding community, are supported through this difficult time. We have prayer everyday, as well as coffee breaks and staff meetings to ensure all of our staff feel supported, and we have raised over £1000 for various charities in the surrounding boroughs.
CTK student Mya recently entered a photography competition for the opportunity to be showcased in the Historic England Archive. Out of over 1000 submissions only 100 photographs were picked for the archive, Mya was included in this chosen 100.
Polly Braden, an renowned artist and photographer who focusses on culture, the everyday and communications, selected Mya’s photo as her favourite out of all the photographs, and the BBC contacted her to write a story about her.
Today sees the launch of At home, an online exhibition of photographs taken by sixth form college students during the Covid-19 lockdown. Over 140 students from 46 colleges submitted their photographs for the exhibition that runs from 4th to 19th June 2020. The exhibition is being co-ordinated by the Sixth Form Colleges Association and all photographs can be viewed on the SFCA gallery website here.
Launching today’s exhibition, Gillian Keegan, Apprenticeships and Skills Minister, said:
“This has been a difficult time for the entire country but this exhibition is a wonderful example of how creativity can flourish in the face of adversity. It’s great to see how these sixth form students have captured the experiences of lockdown from a young person’s perspective. A huge congratulations to all exhibitors and I wish them every success for the future”.
Bill Watkin, Chief Executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said:
“At home highlights the extraordinary artistic talent that exists in our sector. We are holding this exhibition to recognise and celebrate excellence in sixth form colleges, but also to stimulate our thinking about the world this summer. It is imperative that we keep the arts in education secure and flourishing. If young people are to make a valuable contribution to society – even if they are to be successful scientists, engineers, doctors and technicians – they need to develop their creative skills, their artistic sensitivities and their ability to interact with others. All of this will be more important than ever in the post-Covid world”.
‘At home’, the SFCA National Photography Exhibition 2020 can be viewed here: https://www.sixthformcolleges.org/411/at-home
On International Nurses Day we at CTK want to thank all our nurses, like our former student Sarah, across the country for all that you are doing. These unprecedented times have made it most important to value and protect our NHS and so much of that weight falls on all our nurses all over the country, helping us win the battle against Coronavirus. From here at CTK: thank you Nurses!
Our staff, students and wider CTK community are always keen to help support local charities, especially now during the Coronavirus pandemic. The outbreak has had a major impact on all of our lives but particularly for vulnerable groups who need support now more than ever.
Volunteering and supporting others is at the heart of our Catholic Mission and we always strive to support our local community; now more than ever we need to come together to give back to those who are most vulnerable.
We set up a Just Giving Page, aiming to raise £1000 to be shared between three local charities that we work closely with:
Greenwich Bexley Hospice need our support at this difficult time.
The Athena service Lewisham/Greenwich, run by Refuge, offer support to young adults suffering gender based violence. With a 25% increase in domestic violence locally, any money raised will be a lifeline for this charity.
Lastly, Lewisham Foodbank which CTK also supports regularly. Food banks are experiencing shortages during the crises and every pound raised feeds a local vulnerable family in need.
We actually surpassed this, and our current total is at £1148! Thank you for all your donations, it is greatly appreciated to help these charities serving the local community in need at this time.
We are so excited to see our CTK family helping to brighten up peoples daily walks and help us all through this difficult time by joining the many other houses painting rainbows and putting up supportive messages for our NHS.
Credit to Ms Johnson’s son James for his amazing window art.
Ms Power’s son Joe aged 4, for his brilliant rainbow.
Ms Schutze’s daughter Natalya aged 4 for her beautiful creation.
This year for Sport Relief students and staff were invited to wear sports clothing for a £1 donation for those in need across the UK and the worlds poorest countries. A huge thank you to everyone who supported our charities and took part.
A great deal of students even took advantage of using the fitness suite and taking part in other sporting activities to get into the sporting spirit.
Easter is a very special time here at CTK and despite not being together at this time, this did not stop us celebrating together. We encourage students and parents to spend time with all the family they can, and although we cannot attend Church at this time, there are lots of resources that allow you to take part in mass and services from your own home. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxIsefyl9g9A5SGWA4FvGIA
Our choir director Ms Christian-John had some great words of wisdom this weekend:
“A MESSAGE TO MY CHOIRS: 1. Don’t stop singing 2. This virus won’t last forever 3. Please keep on singing at home 4. I miss you already 5. I look forward to seeing you all again soon 6. I’m praying for you and your families 7. Keep the faith and be encouraged I’mSoProudOfYou!”
Ms Christian-John also posted an amazing video on her YouTube channel dedicated to all the students and staff at CTK at this hard time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=210&v=vAqWaes0-oc&feature=emb_logo
Here at CTK we value charity, community and supporting others wherever we can, and this has never been more important than now. Christ the King was happy to be able to help our NHS by donating 200 science goggles and 600 pairs of disposable gloves and an array of chocolate goodies to Lewisham hospital. We also donated milk and biscuits to St Vincent de Paul Society (England & Wales).
We also donated over 200 Easter eggs to local charities and our students will be writing messages of support to NHS start using https://www.thanksamillionnhs.co.uk/
Upon the news that pubic gatherings, including mass and church ceremonies, have been cancelled for the foreseeable future, our Chaplaincy team have worked hard to ensure all staff and students have all the resources to keep the faith in the hardest times. Alongside conducting our daily College prayer online every day, our Chaplains have been providing prayers and videos for us all to follow and watch with family to help us all through difficult times. We encourage everyone to visit https://pray-as-you-go.org/retreat/pray-as-you-stay for a great Prayer series containing reflective music and words for each day as people are at home to encourage daily prayer.
“God of Love,
As members of the Christ the King Sixth Forms family, we ask for your continued blessing upon our work and study. You are the source of all truth and wisdom.
May we experience in full the Life that you offer us each day, to become the best that we can be.
Let no distractions of fears prevent us from trusting in your endless care for us.
Shine your Light into our lives that we may become brighter beacons of faith, hope and love in our community.
We make this prayer through Christ the Lord. Amen.“
Spiritual wellbeing has never been more important, visit https://www.alonetogether.org.uk for more ideas, help and resources for getting through this time of self isolation and distancing from those important to you and our ordinary lives.
We are thrilled to receive inspiring work from our students, showing how to be productive from home. This stunning postmodernist architectural design for Unit 7 BTEC Extended Diploma is by Tarique.
Thalia, one of our Graphics students for her component 2 exam produced this with the theme of social media and conformity.
We are very proud that our CTK St Mary’s Scholarship Graduate Programme students Matthew and Hannah, have volunteered for local community work during the virus situation.
They are two of the 500,000 people that has signed up to be an NHS volunteer to help the vulnerable during the coronavirus crisis.
If you would like to know how you can get involved visit the NHS volunteering website and see what you can do for your community. https://www.england.nhs.uk/participation/get-involved/volunteering/
Geography students took a trip to Margate to assess the effectiveness of the coastal defences and to investigate if they have had an impact on the coastline.
They carried out Beach profiles, groyne measurements, questionnaires, measured long shore drift and carried out a bi-polar cost benefit analysis. The class split into groups and carried out different data collection to calculate consistent results.
Our CTK Alumni, Trevor Gomez, visited the BT Sport Studios for the new brand launch; and got the chance to talk on camera, touching on what it means to go ‘Beyond Limits’ with BT. Trevor talked to CEO Philip Jansen about his views of the exciting changes at BT, and an inspirational quote from Philip was ‘If we start with our people the possibilities for our customers are limitless’.
Trevor talked to Philip about ‘ELEVATE’; a skills development scheme for young adults, linked to his very own scheme he is running; the BT ‘Work Ready’ Programme. Trevor says he is looking forward to carrying the theme of ‘Beyond Limits’ when he presents to the Marketing Unit of BT about his role and work as a ‘5G Maker.
Trevor is an inspirational alumni to represent CTK; working with young adults and helping to revolutionise the world of technology.
We are extremely proud to see many of our students embracing working from home and not letting it halt their enthusiasm or stop them from producing amazing pieces of work.
CTK A Level Photography student Tillie has taken this image this week entitled ‘isolation’.
Great progress from an A Level art student demonstrating how to be productive and work towards your goals from your home.
Here at Christ the King, we recently hosted our second successful Spirituality Conference, welcome to all students across all sites, focusing on The Power of the Word.
The conference started with a welcome talk about what the days events and a song from the Gospel Choir. Throughout the day we were welcomed by many guest speakers, including Father Christopher of the St. Fidelis Friary, an Ash Wednesday lunch service, and a special performance from professional Gospel singer Natalie Christian John.
The day was a huge success and allowed a space for staff and students to network, but also reflect and learn about themselves and those around them.
CTK St Mary’s football team played their last League fixture of the season this week. They won 12 games out of 18, meaning they are now set to finish 3rd in the Division.
A huge well done to all the lads who played this season.
Maths students at CTK St Mary’s were delighted to have David Fazakerley and Karen Jacks from Deltas Society come and talk to them about jobs and apprenticeships in the technology and legal industries.
DELTAS was created by a group who are passionate about creating change within the legal IT community.
David and Karen highlighted that over the last thirty years, despite tremendous progress being made in Equality, Diversity & Inclusion within our everyday lives, a vast portion of professionals don’t believe that this is the case within the Legal IT community. Whether it be through media bias, education, personal experiences or individual expectations, diversity is still a challenge and one that they are hoping to change.
CTK A Level Fine Art, Photography and Graphics students visited the Ashmolean Museum, the Natural History museum and the Pitt Rivers museum in Oxford in preparation for component 2 of their exams.
In an event hosted by the Education Commission, our Chaplains from all Christ the King sites, took a trip to Aylesford for a Chaplaincy day.
Along with chaplains from all over our diocese, our chaplaincy team attended talks and activities, all guided by lead speaker Fr David O’Malley, a Silesian of Don Bosco, who guided and informed our team with his years of chaplaincy and classroom experience.
With over 20 years’ experience in chaplaincy and youth support, our chaplaincy team received invaluable first hand advice and information to bring back to Sixth Form and utilise in strengthening our community.
45 students from Christ The King St Mary’s and Emmanuel travelled down to North Kent College to take part in the first multi sport tournament of the year. It was such a great sight to see so many enthusiastic netballers and basketballers ready to give it their all.
The basketball was very successful for Christ The King, with St Mary’s winning all 3 of their games to take the gold medal, including a good win over Emmanuel. Well done boys! Christ The King Emmanuel also competed very well, coming away in third place on goal difference. Nearly a ‘1-2’ for Christ The King in basketball!
Christ The King St Mary’s also did very well in the netball; winning 2 and losing 1 to come away with the silver medal. A great achievement for a group of girls who have only just come together as a team. Christ The King Emmanuel finished fourth in the netball but it was great to see so much effort being put in even though games weren’t going their way. With a few more weeks of training, I am sure both teams will improve dramatically and more medals will be brought away from future tournaments. A huge well done to all that took part and we look forward to more success in the future!
On 27 September, nearly 40 CTK students enjoyed a visit to the busy and bustling Apprenticeship Fair at the Emirates Stadium in North London. The event gave students the opportunity to talk to employers and training providers about apprenticeships, as well as speaking to the many universities present about Degree Apprenticeships.
One of the Upper Sixth students who attended and had found it worthwhile, said:
“I didn’t expect to find so many degree apprenticeship opportunities to get my qualifications for accounting and finance.”
If you are planning to look for an apprenticeship alongside or instead of applying to university, please book an appointment to discuss this with the Careers Team at your site or email: careers@ctksfc.ac.uk
Press Release Thursday 26 September 2019
Christ the King Sixth Forms announced plans today to create the borough’s first Catholic selective sixth form centre. CTK Aquinas will open its doors in 2020 to high performing A Level students and will be the area’s only sixth form centre of its kind. In another first, Christ the King Sixth Forms will also be launching London’s only Catholic sixth form centre for vocational students, CTK Emmanuel.
Under the plans announced today by Joint Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey, new students joining Christ the King Sixth Forms in 2020 will choose from three distinct sixth form centres, based on their university ambitions, career aspirations and prior academic performance.
CTK St Mary’s will continue to provide an extensive range of both A Level and high level BTEC qualifications at its sixth form in Sidcup.
Joint Collegiate Principal Shireen Razey says: “Over the past 12 months, we have consulted extensively with staff, parents, alumni, universities, our employer advisory boards and Catholic partners. As a result we have built a distinct picture of why students and parents choose each of our sixth forms as a place to study, what they value about their environment and teaching, and where there are additional opportunities to supply something unique which is not currently offered within the local community.”
From September 2020, CTK Aquinas will launch as a selective A Level centre for excellence. The Christian values of the Catholic college, combined with a high quality curriculum, developed in partnership with independent schools and the scholarship graduate programme, will appeal to those with top GCSE grades. Students will be taught in a purpose built sixth form, by specialist teachers with a focus on progressing to the UK’s top Universities.
Students will be offered a range of 23 subjects at A Level and will need to have achieved at least 48 points at GCSE in order to apply, with an average grade profile of 6. Those studying Science and Maths will require a GCSE grade 7 or above. Students wishing to study for an A Level subject will need a grade 6 or above in that subject at GCSE. Dress code will be formal, with students required to wear business-like suits, with tailored trousers and skirts.
Another first will be the launch of CTK Emmanuel as a centre for professional excellence. From September 2020, CTK Emmanuel will provide high level technical and vocational qualifications, for students who aim to progress to university or into careers in engineering, science, media, business, law, health, education, sports and performing arts. Currently, almost 90% of Christ the King’s BTEC students progress onto university, which is significantly higher than the national average. In 2018, 50% of Christ the King students that secured a place at a Russell Group University, had studied a Level 3 BTEC Qualification. CTK Emmanuel will offer the widest range of university focused vocational courses in the area and will be London’s only dedicated sixth form specialising in vocational courses.
In Sidcup, CTK St Mary’s will continue to provide a wide range of 30 A Level and BTEC courses and graduate programmes to suit a variety of abilities, including the highest performing GCSE students on the Advanced Graduate Programme.
The three sixth forms will provide extensive choice for local students across London and Kent with a wide range of courses on offer to suit all abilities and aspirations, and a place for all hardworking, ambitious students.
Christ the King Chair of Governors Rupert Evenett says; “We believe that across each of Christ the King Sixth Forms, we are able to offer every young person with ambition, drive and aspiration the chance to study up to the highest level and gain entry to leading universities. Our Christian values are underpinned by our CTK graces, built on character education, which are; grit, respect, awareness, curiosity, endeavor and self-control. These values are key to the success of our students and key to our sixth form communities.”
A level French students enjoyed a dedicated translation workshop at King’s college. They learnt the techniques of translation from one language to another. They look at the importance of understanding the text, the context, the period and played with the language. There was also a Q&A about studying at University and the students found the whole experience useful.
French A Level student Taiwo Tinubu was nominated by her peers and teacher for the Jack Petchey awardShe received the award for her kindness, her helpfulness and her calm and positive attitude.
Taiwo decided with her peers to go and watch HighLife a French Film, directed by Claire Denis at the French Institute in South Kensington followed by a French dinner at Cote Brasserie.
The students thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and were very thankful to Taiwo to have shared her award with them this way.
First year photography and graphics students from Emmanuel attended a workshop at Autograph Gallery in Shoreditch earlier this month.
After photographing some of the sights around Brick Lane, we went to Autograph – a gallery whose mission statement is ‘to share the work of artists who use photography and film to highlight issues of identity, representation, human rights and social justice’. In response to the exhibition by Phoebe Boswell, students made collaborative drawings and a sound piece using their mobile phones in the workshop. The drawings were then hung up outside in a space chosen by each group.
The aims of the Jack Petchey are twofold. It aims to both inspire and challenge young people to achieve what they can be.
Normally this takes place before the award is won, but it doesn’t mean that these are not relevant aims even afterwards. So was the case when one Jack Petchey award winner decided that she would take a group of fellow students to Go Ape Battersea, the treetop adventure course.
Zhanae Payne, who was nominated for the hard work she put into the Chaplaincy Team, decided that the experience would be a beneficial one. The group of students, who were all eager to attend travelled down on Wednesday 15th May after college. It was a fantastic experience. Three courses looped around the trees at Battersea Park, each more challenging, consisting of ropes, bridges and ziplines. Those who were afraid of heights all managed to overcome their fears and by the end everyone was confidently stepping around the course. It was a truly memorable experience, and brought the group closer, as they supported and encouraged each other around the course.
Congratulations to our Level 2 Business Studies students who received the Runner Up award at the London Metropolitan University’s Big Idea Challenge finale on the 2nd of Mary 2019.
Our students beat 18 other colleges with their business idea “Enough is Enough” (see it here http://bit.ly/2I5DlQt). The finale event was held at the Royal Institute in Mayfair and was attended by Levi Roots, the founder of Cobra Beer and the founder of Mumsnet so it was surely a night to remember!
The University of Northampton Yellow Bus Tour recently visited all three CTK sites.
Students were given the opportunity to climb on board for interactive sessions on university applications with their Schools Liaison team. There was also the opportunity to speak to current Northampton undergraduates about their own experiences since joining the university.
The Tour was supported by a number of on air and online platforms as well as it being documented on social media.
A member of staff was keen that the community at Christ The King made a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. A group of sixteen staff and students set off just before Easter.
They quickly settled into the prayerful routine of the place which is in Bosnia Herzegovinia. Christine the guide who accompanied the group up Apparition Hill carefully explained the history of the place from when our lady first appeared at Medjugorje in 1981 at which the country was under the reign of Communism. Fr Leon who is the English chaplain and who has visited Woolwich talked to the group of his own religious experience Visits were also made to Mary TV, Mostar and Cross Mountain. Personal experiences included the ineffable quality of the music at international services, the smell of the roses, and the meaningful conversations end encounters that occurred.
Our Lady asks pilgrims to promote Medjugorge as the spiritual centre of the world and that we carry out the following; read the Bible, go to confession, receive the Eucharist, fast of Wednesdays and Fridays and say the rosary. To help us remember we can carry five small stones from Medjugorge. The community at Christ the King offers an annual pilgrimage as part of its Catholic life programme. This pilgrimage to was exceptional because of its uniqueness. Everyone in the group returned home a little bit changed for the better and would recommend to all. It was perfect in every way. You will not be disappointed.
On a beautifully sunny day last Wednesday, Christ the King Sixth Forms held its much anticipated annual Sports Day with events taking place across all 3 sites.
The competition between students was there for all to see but the gracefulness and comradery which shone through is something they all should be proud of.
On the football pitch, it was St Mary’s who ran out winners after achieving a hard fought 1-0 victory over Emmanuel with everyone getting the chance to be involved in the match and all enjoyed themselves.
Heading inside, onto the basketball court, a rivalry had been building over the past few months during the basketball season. Emmanuel had taken the early bragging rights but the St Mary’s team had come roaring back in recent weeks. It all came down to the final opportunity on Sports Day. With the Aquinas team added to the mix, it was sure to be an afternoon to remember. And so, with St Mary’s coming through victorious against both Emmanuel and Aquinas, they were crowned champions. With Aquinas pulling off a fantastic win against Emmanuel, they took a well-deserved second place, leaving Emmanuel third.
Netball and Futsal were both held at Aquinas, and it was Emmanuel who came away winning both events. The futsal was very competitive, as expected, with Emmanuel beating Aquinas 13-5 to claim maximum points.
Both Table Tennis and Badminton took place in the St Mary’s sports hall and it was a real hive of activity. Some very good talent was put on show with a lot of exciting matches taking place. In the end, a very skilful Aquinas team took the honours in the table tennis with Emmanuel pulling through against tough opposition in the badminton.
The new event this year ‘Mini Olympics’ proved to be a hit and was well enjoyed by all who took part. Events such as standing long jump, bean bag throwing, soft javelin throw and fun relay races took place with Emmanuel taking the gold ahead of St Mary’s in the male competition and Aquinas winning the female competition.
The ‘Gym Challenge’ ended up being very closely contested with the will to win being shown in abundance. Strength, flexibility, endurance and aerobic testing are all elements of the challenge and each competitor showed immense grit and determination in each. It was St Mary’s who scraped it in the end ahead of Emmanuel.
Overall, congratulations go to Emmanuel who triumphed on the day ending with 190 points followed by St Mary’s on 170 points and Aquinas with a respectable 140 points. Everyone who took part enjoyed the day and we look forward to a fresh competition next year.
At the end of term community day, Tutor groups put together Easter baskets of sweets and chocolates with a signed Easter card full of messages of hope and blessings.
These were delivered by the Chaplain, Deacon Elderfield with students: John, Princess and Andrea, to Demelza Hospice in Eltham who care for terminally ill children. The baskets were gratefully received by the staff on behalf of the children.
Other activities during the day included a movie-drama presentation by the ‘Ten-Ten’ theatre company on the influence that exposure to pornography can have of young minds and developing healthy relationships. There was opportunity for discussion and reflection on this important issue effecting our youth and culture today.
Christ the King Sixth Form was delighted to recently host a talk by Sir Ian Cheshire who is the Chairman of Barclays UK.
Ian talked to almost one hundred of our students about growing up in Nigeria and the academic challenges he faced when studying before achieving a degree in Law from Christ’s College, Cambridge.
Ian spoke to students about his current role as Chairman of Barclays UK as well as his previous roles at Kingfisher and Debenhams. He also spoke about the various charitable roles he has including Campaign Chairman of Heads Together which is the mental health initiative spearheaded by The Royal Foundation of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The key message he had for students was that there are lots of opportunities out there if they are willing to grasp them and he suggested that there are fantastic opportunities on the fraud prevention and innovations sides of the financial industry.
The annual Barclays RISE Programme was recently launched by Zainab Kwaw-Swanzy, Yaa Ofori-Ansah and a number of their Barclays colleagues to CTK students.
Barclays RISE (Revealing the Industry to Secondary Education) is a mentoring programme, initiated by the Embrace Forum at Barclays and supported by local charity Urban Synergy. It was designed to engage, equip and encourage young people aged 16-18 with the skills and confidence they need to excel in their futures. The scheme was founded by former CTK student, Michael Lee, and fellow colleagues within the Barclays Graduate Scheme. They wanted to provide a platform where they could share their experiences whilst mentoring students who may have limited opportunities and insight into working in professional industries.
Each student on the programme was assigned a mentor and worked with other students through a four session programme. The weekly sessions were split into two parts with the first part being an interactive presentation on the development topic of the week. The second part was an opportunity for each mentee to have the chance to speak to and work with their mentor individually.
Following the successful completion of the mentoring programme there is also the opportunity for students to gain work experience with Barclays.
The Careers Conference at Christ the King Sixth Forms continues to go from strength to strength.
The cross-site event comprises a variety of university and career based talks as well as a large-scale exhibition. The day provides a fantastic opportunity for our Level 3 students to start thinking about their future and to explore their options.
Students prepare for the Conference by pre-booking their places for the talks they wish to attend and individual timetables are created which include a visit to the exhibition, thus ensuring their time spent at the Conference is focused and productive.
Almost 100 external organisations supported the Conference by either exhibiting or providing speakers for the talks. Many of the participants were returning, having attended the event in previous years. The programme of talks included sessions on a wide range of careers from Medicine and the NHS to entrepreneurship, journalism, engineering, banking and many more.
During the last week of February, a group of students from Christ the King Sixth Forms took part in a retreat at the Kintbury retreat house. Along with students from St Charles 6thform, 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 the 2nd March 2019, 25 CTK students from across all three sites attended the Flame 4 Congress in London.
They however were not just there to witness the testimony of several amazing speakers and participate in the worship and other activities that the day had to offer, but also to perform with several other choirs from across South London in a group performance that proved to be one of the highlights of the day.
The Flame Congress is a biennial event taking place at Wembley’s SSE Arena, organised by the Catholic Youth Ministry Federation. It continues to be the largest regular gathering of young Catholics in England and Wales. Since it started in 2012, CTK has sent regular groups of students to the event, all of whom were inspired by the experience.
The theme of this congress was significance. Throughout the day, the young people involved had the opportunity to listen to some amazing speakers, including Robert Madu and Archbishop Eamon Martins, talk to fellow young people from across the country, and participate in worship and adoration. There were also spellbinding performances from Guvna B, Rise Theatre and Anglican worship leader Tim Hughes.
This most recent occasion was the first time they were given an opportunity to take part in the proceedings, an opportunity they embraced as they performed two songs, Stormzy’s Blinded by your Grace, and the classic Amazing Grace. For those of us who had the pleasure of attending with them, it was a profound and joyous experience, which will be looked forward to in future years.
Christ the King Sixth Forms was proud to host a Mercy Love and Forgiveness conference this week. We were excited to be able to welcome distinguished speakers Reverend Jonathan Aitken, Lord Alton, Dr Lewis Herrington, Archdeacon of Hackney Elizabeth Adekunle, Jo Berry and Barry and Margaret Mizen.
This academic conference is part of a series of activities and events aimed at giving explicit effect to our mission. The conference explored and embedded key themes which stem from our college motto ‘Ut Vitam Habeant’ (That they may have life in all its fullness John 10:10), those key themes are Mercy, Forgiveness and Love.
Current global and local issues such as excesses of materialism, loneliness, religious persecution, poverty, humanitarian crisis and environmental concerns are just some of the political, social and economic questions facing us all. Drawing on gospel values we hope to begin to explore our spirituality and to examine how Mercy, Forgiveness and Love play a crucial role in transforming our communities, ourselves and leading us to greater love for all creation.
This opportunity to listen, engage and reflect would hopefully have helped to guide leaders of current and future generations to a world that is unafraid to show mercy, forgiveness and love. It will challenge us all to live a good life in all its fullness.
On Wednesday 6th February 2019, 27 BTEC Health and Social Care students embarked on a 3 day trip to Disneyland Paris accompanied by three members of staff. All students attended a Health and Social Care international conference related to their modules of study. The Health and Social Care Conference covered modules such as equality and diversity, first aid, diet and nutrition, child Protection and safeguarding, meeting individual needs and health and safety. Students were issued a free one day complimentary entry ticket to the Disneyland parks and Walt Disney studios centre.
Christ the King 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 Christ the King students 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 Christ the King students a degree apprenticeship.
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.
Christ the King Sixth Forms were delighted to recently invite David Thompson, renowned film and TV producer, to come and give an inspiring talk to over 100 Media students from across our sites.
David has produced/executive produced over 100 films and been the recipient of multiple awards, including three BAFTAs, two Golden Globes, and three Emmys.
David spoke to students about his career as the former head of BBC Films as well as being an independent film and TV producer. He spoke in detail about many of his films including ‘Mandela’ and ‘Billy Elliot’ explaining the many challenges he had in producing them.
David also explained about the opportunities for students in the film industry and how best for them forge a career if this was a path they were keen to pursue. Students were delighted that he spent almost an hour talking on a one to one basis to those that remained after his talk.
On Monday 7th January, the BTEC Sport Level 3 upper students welcomed Personal Trainer Joe Merry of GingerJoetraining.com.
Joe is from Lewisham and now runs a successful personal trainer business particularly focusing on performance athletes. He is also has a strong social media following. The group are currently studying towards the exam Unit 22 Investigating business in the Sports and Active Leisure Industry.
Students were able to listen to how Joe has built his business and asked questions in relation to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Students need to research the personal training industry and this was a valuable opportunity to support their case studies. Huge thanks to Joe who lit up the room with his energy and passion for chasing your dream.
All three CTK sites were delighted to have Duro from 2020Change come back once again this year and speak to students about the valuable work they do in the local communities. 2020Change was set-up to build the next generation of community, business and political leaders.
Duro spoke with great passion about how he strongly believes that today’s young people have the potential to become tomorrow’s leaders. He stressed that all they need is someone to show them how to use their past experiences as transferable skills and this would allow them to thrive in the corporate world.
Duro also explained to students how he successfully built and sold his first business before deciding to work in the charitable sector.
We hope to see Duro and 2020Change again next year!
On Wednesday 5th December 2018 the Year 12 and 13 Basketball team hosted a KCSP Basketball competition in our St Mary’s sports hall. The boys competed in 4 pool games against our Emmanuel site, Colfe’s School, Knights Academy and Bromley South East College.
Slam dunks, three pointers and offensive rebounds abounded as all five teams demonstrated a high level of skill and dedication. The closest fought match, perhaps unsurprisingly, was between the two Christ the King sites; unfortunately for us the Emmanuel team edged the game by one basket.
After the final basket has been slammed, the Knights Academy team had triumphed; fittingly enough as their name is closest sounding to a professional team…
We would like to thank all players for their hard work and dedication in representing the college and staff in helping us prepare. They compete in a range of sports from football to athletics and is always very competitive!
A group of 10 students from our partner school, Bonus Pastor, visited the maths department at CTK St Marys to experience a real Maths A Level class.
These students took part in two A Level Maths lessons alongside our Year 12 students covering Trigonometry and Differentiation. They gained valuable insights on the challenge of A Level maths, building upon their existing Trigonometry knowledge with more complex and unstructured A Level questions. They were able to try the new ClassWiz calculators required at A Level and enjoyed taking part in group work using our MultiBoards.
Applied Science students at CTK St Mary’s where delighted to hear a talk recently by Laurie and Anesilina from ‘Frontier.’
‘Frontier’ are an organisation which supports a great number of environmental conservation efforts. They work all over the world in exotic locations such as Costa Rica, Madagascar, Belize, Fiji, Tenerife and many others and they explained how our students can become involved with their valuable efforts.
Laurie and Anesilina also explained how ‘Frontier’ go beyond conservation and research. Teaching & Community Development, Journalism & Media and Medical & Healthcare are all a part of Frontier’s global work and it is designed to ensure that their work and the work of their volunteers is ever lasting.
A number of students expressed a strong interest in becoming involved with ‘Frontier’ and we hope they get the chance to support ‘Frontiers’ valuable mission.
A number of BTEC Level 3 Business students were selected to attend a Leadership Symposium that took place in Harpenden. During the conference students had the opportunity to discover the latest developments in corporate leadership as well as interview numerous captains of industry. The trip will assist students in their work in the Business Decision making unit.
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:
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:
CTK students left the event feeling both inspired and motivated about their future potential!
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.
On Thursday the whole of St Columba’s Year 11 took the opportunity to attend a Taster Day with us at CTK St Mary’s. The students seized the day: their enthusiasm, awareness and interest made it a joy to work with them. It is pleasing to note that the students and staff of the school were equally impressed with Christ the King, commenting on the outstanding teaching and knowledge of the staff.
The students got to meet some of the teachers who they would be studying under, whilst undertaking a number of tasks and challenges. This was a very useful day, giving the students a better understanding of the world of post-16, including BTECs and A Level study.
In addition to lessons, and lunch, the St Columba’s students had the opportunity to research university and career options, meet students from all our A level and BTEC programmes to discuss these courses from a student perspective, quiz a panel of students on the wider life of the college and question the College Directors on how we operate.
To celebrate October Black History Month, a group called Africa Experience were invited by the Chaplaincy team to provide engaging workshops on African drumming and Capoeria (martial art).
The facilitators skilfully invited the young people to participate in a fun display of skills that created a wonderful atmosphere of laughter and excitement that generated a real sense of wellbeing and community. The students commented afterwards how much they received from the experience as it gave them a great boost in their self-confidence. Africa Experience will return for the Christmas community day to share their gifts as they perform and interact with the wider student body.
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.
Annakaye Wilmot, who is studying BTEC Applied Science, said ‘I enjoyed the conference as the whole event gave a great importance of women exploring and gaining jobs within fields that are mainly male dominated.’
Ashleigh Powis Frost, a BTEC Applied science student, found the CV and interview practice session particularly interesting.
On Friday 28th September, Dr Mark Mantey, the Director of the Padre Pio Rehabilitation Centre for Leprosy suffers, in Ghana, came to speak to Business Studies students about his work.
He spoke passionately about his personal experience and history with the Centre that he now directs on behalf of the local community. Historically, Christ the King College through the leadership of the then Chaplain, Fr Doug Bull, raised significant funds to support the building of a ‘Christ the King’ Education Building on the campus.
St Mary’s geography students travelled to Suffolk for a three day field trip as part of their preparations for their summer exams.
During their time their students showed tremendous curiosity and endeavour in two geographical studies. These included identifying the impacts rural rebranding was having on the local area in Flatford Mill.
On the second day the group travelled to Ipswich to identify and analyse the changes regeneration had on Ipswich since the 1950’s. They showed respect to locals as they considered the ethical implications of their chosen study.
The Geographers had a fantastic time and This experience should give all platform for further success in their studies this year.
Thanks to Mr McAllister, Mrs Rosario and the FSC team for all your help.
CTK students at Emmanuel and St Mary’s were delighted to have Louis Howell, Director of Revolution Hive, talk to them about his career.
Luis explained to students that as someone with interests and experience in marketing, entrepreneurialism, sports and youth programmes, he has had to demonstrate a versatile skill set that has helped him to excel at roles in both the commercial and voluntary sectors.
Luis also told them about his array of experiences during which he has managed, co-ordinated and delivered both short-term and long-term programmes in Marketing, whilst also demonstrating a flexible and adaptive approach to everything he does.
He stated “I am willing to give 100% in everything I do and young people need to do likewise to be a success.”
Christ the King Sixth Forms were delighted to have Dame Nicola Brewer, Vice-Provost International, and University College London (UCL), launch our annual External Speaker Programme.
Over 100 students had the opportunity to listen to Nicola’s inspirational talk about her career as a senior diplomat at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Nicola explained to students how she came to be British High Commissioner to South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland from May 2009 to September 2013.
As Vice-Provost (International), Nicola talked about her responsibilities for UCL’s Global Engagement Strategy to achieve fair solutions to global challenges. Nicola also spoke of her work on Women’s Rights and her role as Gender Equality Champion on UCL’s Senior Management Team, something she is extremely passionate about.
Simon Spearman, Principal of CTK: Emmanuel, where the visit took place, said: ‘Dame Nicola Brewer has got our External Speaker Programme off to a brilliant start. She is one of many high-profile visitors from the worlds of academia, politics, and industry who will be coming into our colleges over the next few months. Our students gain a great deal from hearing these inspirational, high-achieving individuals speak about their own education and career paths.
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 11th 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 Forms 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.
Students who studied BTEC programmes achieved outstanding grades, with many now planning to study at Russell Group Universities.
Susmitha gained D*D*D in BTEC Science and will now study Biomedical Science at Kingston University. Likewise, Natalie Summers also achieved triple Distinction in BTEC Business and has been accepted on the International Football and Business course at Wembley Stadium UCFB. Callum O’Neill gained triple Distinction in BTEC Sports & Exercise Science and will be off to Liverpool Hope to study Sport and Physical Education. Abigail Berry is off to Plymouth University to study Adult Nursing after achieving D*D*D* in BTEC Health and Social Care.
Golda Quarcoo will be going to Warwick University to study Biomedical Science after achieving D*D*D* in BTEC Extended Diploma in Applied Science. Natalie Poku gained D*D*D* in BTEC Extended Diploma in Health & Social Care and will be going to Nottingham University to study Midwifery. Annie Kouadine studied BTEC Extended Diploma in Business and achieved D*D*D. She will be going to De Montfort University to study Accounting and Finance. Mohammed Jakir studied BTEC Extended Diploma in Business and achieved D*D*D. He has been successful in obtaining a Level 4 Apprenticeship in Digital Marketing.
Mebrihit Tsehaye gained D*D*D* in BTEC Engineering and will go on to study Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Coventry. Likewise Piriyankan Thavaraga gained D*D*D* in BTEC Engineering and will go on to study Civil Engineering at Brunel Engineering. Fellow BTEC Engineering student Odia Daley gained D*D*D and will be studying Computer Science at Durham University.
Jamila Jones will be studying Criminology and Social Policy at Loughborough University after gaining DDD in BTEC Art and Design. Sandra Fajmige gained D*DD in BTEC Business and will be studying Business Management and Marketing at Nottingham Trent University. Likewise, Joshua Ogunyei achieved D*DD in BTEC Business and will be studying Accounting and Finance at the University of Kent. Daniel Chirika achieved D*DD in BTEC Engineering and will be studying Civil Engineering at the University of Hertfordshire.
Rob McAuliffe, Collegiate Principal, said “Once again our BTEC Diploma 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”.
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 – it’s 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.”
On Friday 29th June the football team attended the Annual KSFA Presentation dinner held at Gillingham Football Club.
Students enjoyed a meal followed by a formal presentation of the trophies. Each student received a medal and certificate in recognition of their achievements. The night was thoroughly enjoy by all students and staff who attended. Hopefully the team can continue with this success into next season.
As part of the Creative Arts Evening, the lower sixth Drama Students performed extracts from Arthur Miller’s play ‘The Crucible’, based on the Salem witch trials.
The groups performed extracts of the most poignant parts of the play and were dressed in full puritan costume to give it an authentic feel. They performed to family and friends and this has given them the experience of performing to an audience outside of class ready for the Performance exam next year.
Christ the King Sixth Forms were 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 14th 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.
On Monday 23rd April, Chaplaincy students, Francelene and Andreea, along with Deacon Javier, represented CTK at the annual Good Samaritan Mass organised by the Diocesan Education Commission at St George’s Cathedral, Southwark.
The occasion was the opportunity for Catholic School and Colleges to gather and celebrate the important work of Charity fundraising that takes place throughout the academic year. In particular, donations were brought forward for the CRISIS Fund, administered by The Westminster Catholic Children’s Society.
On the Thursday 10th May, Ascension Day, CTK students from Emmanuel and Aquinas, joined the Chaplaincy team to attend the 10th 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. CTK student Georgina, 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.”
The Careers Conference at Christ the King Sixth Form continues to go from strength to strength. The cross-site event comprises a variety of university and career based talks as well as a large-scale exhibition. The day provides a fantastic opportunity for our Level 3 students to start thinking about their future and to explore their options. As in previous years, a separate Level 1 & 2 Careers Conference was held at CTK: Aquinas which offered specific support to students studying a BTEC Level 1 or 2 course.
Students prepare for the Conference by pre-booking their places for the talks they wish to attend and individual timetables are created which include a visit to the exhibition, thus ensuring their time spent at the Conference is focussed and productive.
Over 80 external organisations supported the Conference by either exhibiting or providing speakers for the talks. Many of the participants were returning, having attended the event in previous years. The programme of talks included sessions on a wide range of careers from Medicine and the NHS to entrepreneurship, journalism, engineering, banking and many more.
The final day of every term is a Community Day, a day for setting aside the stress and work of the year and a time for reflection and having fun as a College community. The end of this Easter term was no different, with numerous charity initiatives combined with the end of term fun.
For Sport Relief, a dress down day and Easter egg raffle were put together. More Easter eggs were donated to the Demelza Hospice (A charity that provides care for sick children in South London). Pictures below include Deacon Javier Elderfield, Co-ordinating Chaplain with the Easter boxes ready for delivery, and Royann Whyte, the President of the Student Executive, with staff from Demelza hospice.
As well as various activities and challenges taking place in tutor groups, there was also a time built-in for reflection and thought. The 10:10 theatre company showed a film and facilitated a discussion on relationships and communication entitled “Babies”.
Overall, it was a thoroughly well rounded day of fun and engagement, concluding a successful Easter term.
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.
CTK was delighted to launch a new initiative with
Capgemini (a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing
services) and Urban Synergy that will see over
twenty CTK students go to a number of workshops aimed at
helping them develop
life skills and introducing them to degree apprenticeship opportunities. At the
end of the initiative Capgemni hope to offer a number of CTK students a degree
apprenticeship.
A degree apprenticeship combines full-time paid work and part-time university to offer candidates the opportunity to gain a full Bachelors or Master’s degree while partaking in practical, on-the-job training. They were launched by the government in 2015, and are studied over the course of one to six years. There are many benefits to degree apprenticeships. As well as holding employment status and receiving a wage throughout the course, an apprentice’s tuition fees and training costs are settled between their education institution and employer.
CTK was pleased to welcome Magdalene Adenaike, award winning entrepreneur CEO, Founder of Music Relief and a member of the FRSA (Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts) for a talk to its students.
Magdalene shared with students her experiences of being a teenage mum who faced redundancy and homelessness but never gave up on her dream of being successful in the field of music. Having left school she decided not to take the Accounting & Statistics course her parents wanted her to. She eventually worked for Barclays for four years, until she was made redundant. Supported by her partner she studied for a degree at UEL in Music Industry Management whilst also volunteering as a vocal coach in the local community.
It was at this stage of her life that Magdalene fully realised the healing power of music, not just on her, but on the community: bringing people together and helping them share their issues. This is when she was inspired to found Music Relief in 2011, inspiring young people to grow their business through their talents, transforming their lives through the process and breaking down barriers that stops them from progressing.
Magdalene is also author of the book “From Shame to Strength. Music Saved Me” in which she describes the influence of music in her life. Magdalene advised the students: “In growing up, life has its way of throwing challenges at you. Its your job to deal with those challenges .”
A cohort of CTK Business students recently enjoyed a talk by Rory O’Sullivan of Landers & Associates (chartered building surveyors).
His talk, “What’s hot and what’s not” was based on his experience as an employer. He engaged with the students involving them in a hands-on session in which they practised a number of interview techniques that will help them when they apply for jobs in the future. Students enjoyed the session and received some very useful top tips on interview etiquette.
Rory has worked with CTK for a number of years, supporting students in understanding the world of work and he is also a member of the College’s Partnership Advisory Board.
Christ the King were pleased to recently run a 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 help Colleges to inspire, motivate and develop the mind-sets of their students. The day helped to develop students skills in setting up and testing their own business and project 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 people that wanted to see young people 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.
CTK was delighted to launch a new initiative with
Capgemini (a global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing
services) and Urban Synergy that will see over
twenty CTK students go to a number of workshops aimed at
helping them develop
life skills and introducing them to degree apprenticeship opportunities. At the
end of the initiative Capgemni hope to offer a number of CTK students a degree
apprenticeship.
A degree apprenticeship combines full-time paid work and part-time university to offer candidates the opportunity to gain a full Bachelors or Master’s degree while partaking in practical, on-the-job training. They were launched by the government in 2015, and are studied over the course of one to six years. There are many benefits to degree apprenticeships. As well as holding employment status and receiving a wage throughout the course, an apprentice’s tuition fees and training costs are settled between their education institution and employer.
“CTK has always encouraged me to aim high, which has led me to apply to the University of Oxford and I am so pleased to begin my studies there. ”
“During my time at CTK I have enjoyed meeting various new people, whilst engaging in classroom activities and coursework. Additionally, my teachers have provided me with excellent support throughout my studies. I am now going on to study Pharmacy at University of Manchester, in the pursuit of becoming a Pharmacist. I can’t wait to start this new journey.”
“Studying BTEC Health gave me the best opportunity to realise my dream. I’m incredibly appreciative of all the support and assistance I received throughout my course. From the beginning, the staff recognised my ability and didn’t give up on me.”
“I really enjoyed my learning at CTK as lessons were relevant, engaging and challenging, whilst cultivating a warm, dynamic atmosphere.”
“The personalised attention and encouragement from the teachers has, without doubt, contributed to my academic success. The various resources offered by the sixth form, such as the library, extracurricular activities, and online tools have been outstanding. I would highly recommend CTK, to anyone looking for a wonderful educational experience that goes beyond academic excellence.”
“CTK St Mary's is a great environment with friendly people and teachers who want us to succeed. My grades significantly improved. I have enjoyed the various trips and enrichment activities that take place at CTK.”
“If you are willing to put in the effort to succeed, CTK is the best place to be. The sixth form provides excellent resources and a supportive community to help you reach your academic and personal goals.”
