I would say that photography is my hobby because whenever I see something that looks appealing, I take the opportunity to capture it. Thus, when I first found out about the annual RSPCA Young Awards where anyone up to the age of 18 can enter for free, I asked myself of why not giving this a go? As a result, I sent in my entry last August and looked forward to the best. I then received a response indicating that one of the photographs was shortlisted for a category. I was thrilled because this is a national competition where many skilled photographers enter it too. So, getting a photo shortlisted was an incredible achievement. In addition, to then win the Mobile Phone and Devices 16-18 category was unimaginable. Hence, this accomplishment has driven my motivation to keep on with my hobby.  

Please see below for the image description that accompanied the photo in the exhibition:

The story behind the photo is that I was on my phone at night and I noticed a fly around a lamp. The fly seemed to stay around the edge of the lamp as it was attracted to the light. I realised that if I take a photo from the right angle, I will be able to depict the light bulb as if it was the sun and the silhouette of the edge of the lamp as the ground, thus seeming as if it is the sunset. Hence, the name 'Time to sleep'. Overall, I really liked how this picture turned out with the silhouette of the fly. 

Palvin Fernandes 13B

At the beginning of the day for the Jack Petchey Speak Out Challenge, we did an individual speech about something we liked and disliked, a hope we have for the future and 3 words to describe ourselves; we had to start the speech with a question. We then had to go in groups and decide the most important top tip when presenting a speech.

The next task was that we had to prepare questions to ask. Then, we were asked a question by a fellow student and we had to answer the question on the spot.

The final task was the actual Speak Out Challenge and this was less terrifying than at the beginning of the day... I got together in a group where we practised our speech and got some feedback as to how we could improve it. This was great as I really benefited from the feedback. The Speak Out Challenge was to present about a topic we chose to talk about. It made us feel more confident and comfortable to speak to an audience.

We learnt oracy skills: how to present a speech by projecting your voice, eye contact, hand gestures, great posture, practice and many more other helpful tips. These oracy skills will help us in the future: job interviews, presenting your work to your colleagues at conferences and speaking at events.

Joane Santos, [10O]

“The workshop really helped improve my skills on how to deliver a speech effectively. I only had a vague idea on how to write one, not so much deliver. I really liked the different activities throughout the day leading up to the speech as talking in front of people is something I avoid doing!”

Ayma Babar, [10G]

“The workshop was great, it gave all of us the opportunity to take a subject that is close to us and gave us a way in which we could effectively convey our opinions on that matter. The workshop gave me a lot of confidence and skills that will benefit me all the way from school assembly to job interviews. It was a delightful day.” Ben Rixon, 10 White

On Wednesday, 14 December, Heston held its second annual Christmas chess tournament. Due to illness and harsh weather, the turnout was a modest eight students. But all came with the drive to win! 

With a jolly atmosphere and a range of questionable background music, every player managed to win at least one game. 

The winner was decided on points after timed games and, after some difficult games, Kevin Afonso [13A] emerged victorious.

The rest of the participants won chocolate.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Mr A Juriansz [Club Co-ordinator]

At the end of Year 12 we were given the opportunity to interview for roles working within the canteen. Both of us successfully began work in October this year. I have been able to work on the tills, serving food and learning about different processes in the kitchen. Beginning work between 07:30-08:00 has helped me become more productive and prepared for the day that follows. The different types of work we do pushes us to interact more with both our co-workers and fellow students, which I find very enjoyable. Not only do we gain productivity, we also have fun. Being able to work alongside friends and peers has been amazing, and I feel has helped us both to grow in confidence and has certainly set us up for the world of work. Specifically, on Friday mornings when there is breakfast for our teachers, it’s been really pleasant being able to interact with them in a different capacity.

We are so happy to have been given this opportunity.

Amrita Dhesi [13C]

Anisha Nareydo [13F]

As a year 11 student, I am faced with the difficult choice of selecting my A-Level subjects. The Open Evening helped me to better understand the subjects and the challenge at this level but also which careers would be open to me with each subject. Each teacher spoke in great depth about their curriculum and course structure, and also offered reading materials and tools I could use to plan ahead. It was an interactive evening with fun practicals and interesting conversations.  Overall, it was very helpful.

Diya Harrish [11P]

The Post 16 Open Evening was an amazing experience which allowed me to broaden my knowledge about the possible choices I can make for the future. These choices could be T-levels, A Levels or BTEC options. Furthermore, this allowed me to think about my future career choices and the routes I can take into university. Overall, the experience was really useful for me as I was able to speak to lots of different teachers who could help me consider my choices for the future.

Gursimer Dhaliwal [11W]

Recently, the Economics department took us to the Emmanuel Centre for a series of Economic lectures. The lectures helped us to re-shape the way we see economics based on what we have been learning in class.  We heard from world renowned economists such as Linda Yueh, the author of “The Great Economists”, talked in some depth about the history of economic thought; Dr Stephen Davies, who gave us his perspective on trade policies and the nature of money and Dr Matt Prichard, who talked about rational decision making by humans. 

Through understanding the history behind the economists, we were able to develop our knowledge on key economic theories, which we can now use our essays and exam questions. It was exciting to hear external speakers discuss topics that we have been taught in the classroom, as it highlighted the true relevance and applicability to the real life. We came across a lot of new information that would help us apply our understanding to industries and firms such as Uber.

The biggest takeaway from this trip was truly the rich data that we were able to gather, which will now aid us when we sit our exams.  We came out of the talk with a much better understanding of how economics is used in the real world and how it can help us progress further. Experiences like these are extremely enriching, giving us real life application to develop our knowledge on the subject.

Baheen Butt [13D] and Mansour Celab [13D]