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LANGDON PARK NEWS
A Home-School Bulletin from Langdon Park
BEST EVER EXAM RESULTS
BUCK NATIONAL TREND
Autumn Term 2012
John Parry Wins Public
Speaking Competition
Maths grades 10% above national average
Our GCSE students’ results hit a new
record high, despite the problems
caused by a late attempt by qualification
authorities to make it harder to get a
grade C in English.
57% of students attained 5 or more
GCSEs at A*-C (including English and
Maths), up 4% on the previous year. 63%
of students attained A*-C grades in
English. 68% attained these grades in
Maths, a full 10% above the national
average.
These figures are provisional, and may
well rise higher when the dust settles on
the current political arguments.
The Headteacher, Chris Dunne, said “As
ever, these fantastic results are no
surprise to us. They are very much in line
with the targets we set our students in
Year 10 and our predictions last
February. But they don’t just happen
without a huge and sustained effort by
our students and their teachers, well
supported by their parents and families.
Next year, 2013, the school opens its
new Sixth Form, in partnership with
three local secondary schools. We are
very much looking forward to being able
to continue working with our students
and building on their great achievements
at GCSE”.
THAHMINA WINS FA COMPETITION
Thahmina Khatun won first prize
in the FA’s ‘Show Racism the Red
Card’ competition with a great
poem called ‘Just Like You’.
Pictured right is Thahmina with
some of her prizes. Pictured
below - Thahmina’s poem is held
aloft at Manchester United’s
ground, Old Trafford by Ben
Amos with (L–R) Steven Kean,
Anders Lindegaard, Gary
Bennett, Lord Hanley, Jonathan
Mills (FA) and Manish Bhasin.
John Parry, speaking in the Lloyd’s building
at the final of the Tower Hamlets Public
Speaking competition, which he won very
convincingly and to rapturous applause.
One of the judges, an actress, commented
on his “spectacular comic timing,
expression and ability to mesmerise his
audience”.
New Sixth Form
Building Topped Out
The Spotlight Youth Centre was officially
‘topped out’ in a ceremony on site last
July. The building will be home to Poplar
Boys and Girls Club and the Lansbury
Boxing Club and be a base for a wide
range of youth providers.
It will also provide teaching bases for our
new Sixth Form, which opens next
September as part of Sixth Form East, a
collaboration of four local secondary
schools. The Centre will include a boxing
gym, cafeteria, games rooms, music
recording studios, drama studio, dance
hall and classrooms.
The Young Mayor of Tower Hamlets,
Nahimul Islam, Juliana Ben-Salem, Chair
of HARCA’s Youth Empowerment Board
and John Parry, representing Langdon
Park, laid the final brick on the roof of the
new Spotlight Youth Centre (see above).
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A round-up of just some of Langdon Park’s
involvement in this Olympic Year...
Some of the hundreds of balloons released by
students at the end of our own Olympic celebration.
We tracked their progress across Northern
Europe through France and Belgium as people in
those countries contacted us to tell us where the
balloons landed.
Michael Tyler at the head of South Africa’s team as they
enter the Olympic Stadium. Thirty six of the teams were
each led in to the Stadium by a student from Langdon Park,
carrying one of the petals which made up the Olympic Torch.
The thirty six students chosen to be part
of the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic
Games getting ready to set out for the
Olympic Stadium on the opening night.
Past students also played a great
part in the Olympic success story...
Dizzee Rascal, who left
Langdon Park in 2001,
provided the highest energy
contribution to the Opening
Ceremony, with his own
segment in Danny Boyle’s
extravaganza.
Three of the 10 Langdon
Park students who trained
to act as ball boys and girls
at the Paralympics Tennis.
The team of Canadians who operated their kit
base for the Olympic Games. Using Langdon
Park’s gym and sports hall, they oversaw the
preparation of some 350 Canadian athletes,
all of whom passed through our school on their
way to their competitions.
Congratulations to
Terry Conroy in Year
10, who was named a
Hidden Hero by the
Tower Hamlets Youth
Council. Terry boxes
for the Lansbury
Boxing Club, which
next year moves to the
new Spotlight Youth
Centre.
Some of our students celebrating after their
appearance in the Olympic Stadium.
Alex Scott, another ex student, played a huge role in
the Great Britain Women’s Football team, playing a
crucial role in all three first round matches, including a
sensational 1–0 win over Brazil at Wembley Stadium.
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LANGDON PARK’S GLOBAL YEAR
Just some of the visits we have made or visitors we have welcomed this year from Northern Ireland,
France, Spain, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Turkey, Colombia and Palestine.
Hosaam, Shpend and Muhammed from last year’s Year 9 pictured with some
of the young people from Palestine who visited us in the Summer. A project
called ‘Youth in Action’, funded by the EU and the British Council, brings together
young people from Palestinian villages and London boroughs. All the young
people involved took part in a week of activities including camping, workshops,
sightseeing in London, and teaching a lesson to some of our Year 7 students.
Five students from Langdon Park were part of a 14-strong party of Tower
Hamlets teenagers which took part in the first leg of an exchange with 14
counterparts in Newry in Northern Ireland. Seven of the Newry youngsters
were Catholics, seven Protestant. Together the youngsters took part in
exercises and workshops relating to the conflicts in Northern Ireland and the
effect it has on young lives. The group also jointly planned what they would all do
on the return leg of the exchange in London this October.
Langdon Park students enjoy the 40ºc temperature of a Spanish summer
together with students from Spain, Turkey, Bulgaria and Poland. We visited
Turkey in 2011 and have just hosted a visit by teachers and students from Spain.
Sayma pictured with the family with whom she stayed while in Spain. Activities
in all of the trips include outdoor adventure activities, visits to historical sites,
tours of religious sites and time spent in the local school. This being 2012, our
Spanish visitors also got to visit London’s Olympic Park.
STUDENTS SPEAK TO MILLIONS ROUND THE WORLD
A team of students and ex students from
Langdon Park played host on a live BBC
radio programme heard by millions of
people across the world last May.
The World Service of the BBC holds a
global conversation twice a day every day.
On 8th May this programme linked
students in a live conversation from one
school in each of Africa, Jamaica, the
USA, Latin America and the UK. Langdon
Park was chosen to represent the UK
because of our proximity to the Olympic
Park. The school in Jamaica was William
Knibb High School, Usain Bolt’s old
school, with which Langdon Park is
twinned.
For two hours students were free to
choose the topics of conversation and talk
openly to each other about all the things
they most care about.
Millions of people tuned in to this
conversation in Australia, the West Coast
of the USA, South Asia, the Middle East,
Africa, Europe and Latin America.
Students in our Conference Room, which became a BBC Studio
for two hours during our live world broadcast.