In late September, the Geography department took the A-Level Geographers on a field trip to Slapton Sands in beautiful Devon to collect primary data for our NEA's. Here's what we got up to!

Day 1: Setting the Stage

Our journey began with a scenic bus ride that whisked us away from the hustle and bustle of life in Heston to the serene coastal setting of Slapton Sands, Devon. As soon as we arrived, I was struck by the sheer expanse of the beach and the rugged beauty of the surrounding area.  We arrived at our field studies centre and quickly headed out to explore the complex processes shaping this dynamic coastal environment.  In the evening after dinner, we headed back to the classroom to formulate out NEA titles and decide what type of data we needed to collect the following day.

Day 2: Coastal Dynamics in Action

Our second day was all about getting up close and personal with the processes that shape the coastline. We conducted fieldwork to investigate coastal erosion, sediment transport, and deposition. Armed with measuring tapes, clinometers and ranging poles, we assessed the impact of wave energy and tidal currents on the beach. It was incredible to see how the landscape evolved right before our eyes, and the data we collected will be invaluable for my NEA.  We enjoyed a fish and chip lunch on the beach, which was a welcome rest after a busy morning.  In the afternoon, we focused more on the human aspect of coastal management. We met with local residents who shared their strategies for protecting the coastline. It was eye-opening to see how human intervention, such as groynes and beach nourishment, played a crucial role in safeguarding the area's infrastructure and communities. In the evening, we were back in the labs starting to analyse our data and learning how to present it using GIS software.

Day 3: Local Communities and Management

Our final day started with an early morning wake-up call [6am!] to walk to the beach to watch the sunrise, which was a unique and memorable experience.  After breakfast, it was back to the labs to do statistical tests on our data to test IT and see how reliable our findings were, which would help us when writing our conclusions.

As I reflect on this experience, I can't help but think about how it has enriched my NEA project. The data we collected and the first-hand knowledge we gained will be instrumental in crafting a well-informed and comprehensive assessment. Our trip to Slapton Sands was more than just a field expedition; it was an immersive learning experience that brought our textbooks to life. The beauty of geography lies in its ability to connect theory to the real world, and Slapton Sands did just that for me.

Let's continue to explore the wonders of our planet through the lens of geography!

Heston Community School has invested in over 100 new windows in our Osterley and Sutton buildings - benefiting Maths, Science and Humanities departments. Miss Hart commented,

"We are delighted with our continuing programme of improvements on site. Not only will the windows improve learning by containing the sound between classrooms and outside, but we are doing our part to reduce Global Warming."

The insulating properties of the double glazing means we need to turn on our heat less, and so we are lowering our carbon emissions as a school. Carbon dioxide and other green house gases are being trapped in our atmosphere, causing our planet to heat up, leading to climate change. Hopefully these refurbishments will help our school and the Earth for the better.

Kamran Merchant, 10 Orange

Congratulations to all our students collecting their GCSE examination results today. We are delighted that so many of them will be returning to our ‘Outstanding’ Sixth Form.

Headteacher, Ranjit Berdesha, commented: “I am extremely proud of the hard work and commitment, from both our students and staff, especially considering the challenges experienced during and after the pandemic.”

Particular congratulations go to Alisha Rizwan who achieved eight Grade 9s.

'This journey could not have been possible without the many people who have supported me. I would like to thank my parents and all of my teachers. I couldn’t have done it without you. I couldn’t ever have dreamed of getting these grades. On to the next chapter!' Alisha 11G

'First of all, I would like to thank Heston and all my teachers for helping me and the great amount of effort put into teaching me. Overall there were a myriad of emotions yet nonetheless I was successful and thankful. I am very grateful to belong to this spectacular school. Thank you very much.' Sehraj 11B

Carl from Uptree came into School last week to deliver two workshops, to Year 12 students. There were over 30 students in each session. Carl shared information on careers within Law and STEM, as well as the work experience opportunities on offer.

Attending both Uptree workshops was very useful, as a person who wants to work in the tech industry, Carl [the person who hosted the workshop] gave a truly informative and welcoming presentation. He told us about the different types of careers for people who do STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics], and some salary figures for those jobs. He allowed us to ask multiple questions and wanted it to be as interactive for us. As it progressed, Carl started to show the different work experiences that Uptree offers such as from huge companies like ARM, Coca-Cola, and more. He emphasised how important work experience is and how it can separate individuals as the students you're going to go against when getting a job will have grades similar to you. For the Law workshop, it increased my general knowledge of the corporate world and he explained briefly the different areas of law while also giving examples to make us better understand such as Microsoft's acquisition of Activision and how some aspects work such as the reason why it is taking so long to finalise the deal, mainly due to different countries having different laws. 

Iman Zaini Rusly [12G]

This term, our amazing Year 7 cricketers won the overall league for Hounslow Schools’ Cricket. They have dedicated great amounts of time to practising and improving their skills and truly deserve this accolade. 

Maanas, [7O] told us, “In late June, Gunnersbury Boys School visited us for a match. We bowled first, Eisa took 3 wickets (2 catches and 1 wicket). We were in a strong position from the start.” 

“After that, Saksham tooka couple of wickets which Eisa caught. At the end of the 10 overs, they hit 18 runs. We finished the game early!” 

Areeb, [7B] told us, ”In the recent match with Heathlands, we did really well. We scored 121, we scored the runs first so they were chasing it.” 

The staff who run the Cricket Club have offered fantastic coaching to our students, who are really grateful for the time and effort that is put in. 

“We haven’t lost a single match. At Cricket Club, we are taught to focus on accuracy rather than speed, and to understand timings as well as how to hit the ball and run.” 

Let’s hope we can continue this great run of victories into next summer! 

The Junior Maths Challenge encourages mathematical reasoning, precision of thought, and fluency in using mathematical techniques to solve interesting problems.

Special mention goes to Abhayjit Bhangu who got best in Y7, Zayd De Silva who got a Gold award and best in Y8 and Laksh Damree who also was awarded Gold. Congratulations to all that took part. 

In my opinion the Junior Maths Challenge was quite challenging due to the fact that it had very complicated questions. I also think that the junior maths challenge is very luck based in spite of the fact that negative marks used to be handed out for the wrong answer. I found the maths challenge relatively easy as I have done it last year but for year 7s that is not the case. I can say that the test is a good thing as you could add it onto you CV and have a certificate as proof.

Laksh Damree [8Y] - Gold award

'The Junior maths challenge is a very fun and good experience. It allows us to think out of the box and solve problems that we would not usually get in class. Although it can be a little difficult it's worth the experience and you get a certificate at the end to show for your hard work. In my opinion everyone should attempt it because it is fun working through these difficult puzzles and rewarding when you solve them.'

Sahil Kotak [8P] - Silver award