Science department 

It has been our pleasure to be involved with the PTI over the years. Working alongside excellent practitioners has allowed us to build relationships which foster interest and excellence within our school and within the wider community. One of the most beneficial aspects of this relationship has been the attendance of many of our newer teachers at the ‘New Teacher Subject Days'. They have returned from these days invigorated and full of fresh ideas which they have then shared with the department.

As a department we continue to foster links with both higher and primary education organisations and were delighted to facilitate projects with the Society of Biology as well as local primary schools. We continue to be involved with a long term project with Queen Mary in Medicine and Dentistry. This allows students to get a flavour of the courses and provides mentoring and help with the application process in Sixth Form, as well as our involvement in working groups to improve literacy access to our A level courses. Following our project with the PTI that focused on encouraging girls to choose Physics at A Level, a group of year 9 students are attending engineering masterclasses at the Royal Institution and our STEM and Robot clubs are going strong! 

Science faces interesting times in terms of changing curriculum requirements and this challenges every teacher to continue to learn, grow and develop. 

 

 

Launching a rocket during Science Week 

English department

The focus of the English departments involvement with The Prince’s Teaching Institute Schools Programme has been to increase the students’ involvement with the subject beyond the curriculum. 

As a consequence of this, we have increased the number of visits and trips across all the Key Stages, with a particular focus on Key Stage 5 where we have been seeking to instil confidence in the students so that they can explore challenging literature independently. 

Following a PTI event last July, we set a three year target to make a wide range of cultural and literary opportunities available to the widest range of students possible - with a view to develop their ability of responding to literature and to writing.

So far this academic year:

  • All of Year 7 have been to see the Sinbad the Sailor pantomime at the Theatre Royal Stratford.
  • All of Year 10 have been to see the NT production of The Curious Incident of the Night Time.
  • All of Year 9 have been to see the NT touring production of Macbeth at the Stratford Circus Theatre.
  • We have taken 60 students to see the National Theatre of Scotland's musical Glasgow Girls at the Stratford Theatre Royal.
  • Students from Year 12 have been to see Amadeus at the National Theatre. Four Year 12 students have submitted their first drafts for the NT New Views playwriting scheme and will meet award winning playwright Dawn King for a second time next week. 
  • We are also hoping that the young people's poet laureate Caleb Femi will be coming to talk to Year 8 students in the upcoming months. 

We believe that these activities have allowed students to extend their experience of literature and see the possibilities for exploration. As a result of seeing students so enthused by these encounters, staff have been encouraged to present them with more challenging material. 

Overall, participation in the Schools Programme has been an experience which has inspired us to push at the boundaries of both our own and the students’ capabilities.

Mathematics department

"Our continued involvement with the PTI Schools Programme has ensured that our students are consistently provided with the finest learning opportunities.

Through the development and successes of team planning sessions, learning has been consistent and students have been extended and enthused through subject-based activities that go beyond the curriculum. Sixth Form students studying Mathematics at A Level have been volunteering their time to assist in Key Stage 3 lessons, which has been a useful learning experience for the Key Stage 5 students and an effective support for the Key Stage 3 pupils. Students who do not particularly enjoy Mathematics, but enjoy reading, have been encouraged to read books from the Mathematics ‘Top 12’ Book List, which has garnered an interest in the subject.

Mathematics trips and lectures have further displayed to students how mathematics is used outside of the classroom and the way in which it is applicable to the real world. The United Kingdom Mathematics Trust and group challenges have motivated and inspired students, providing them with confidence to tackle abstract problems.

Participation in the Schools Programme has been a positive experience, and we look forward to the successes that this academic year will offer our students."

 

Maths conference 2016 

Music department

Being involved with The Prince’s Teaching Institute has allowed us to meet other PTI musicians to share resources and effective music-making strategies in the classroom. It is an opportunity to celebrate and share what we are doing well and learn from others who have developed successful ways of improving their teaching and most importantly, the students’ learning.

St Angela’s girls love music, with many involved in one (or more) of our three choirs; our orchestra; guitar and brass ensembles; and bands. For the recent Rugby World Cup, St Angela’s Choir was chosen (out of 117 other choirs) to perform World In Union to the eventual champions, the New Zealand All Blacks, at the Tower of London. This choir has also performed in Italy, France, China and South Africa. Such incentives have kept the quality and retention high.

Our Music department strives to ensure that musical learning is at the forefront of our teaching. We use notation as a means to perform rather than learning it in isolation. In addition, we use singing to engage students in complex musical learning that would be difficult to grasp using only musical instruments or ICT. For Key Stage 3 Music, we have refined our strands approach so students are aware of the different skills in music and how they can improve them in Keyboard, Guitar, Singing, Theory, Music technology, Composing and Listening. These skills remain constant in Year 7, 8 and 9 with expectations increasing each year. Music technology is integral to how we delivery our curriculum but is always used to enhance the experience, not become the focus.

Through our participation with the Associate Department Project, we have been focusing on progression through Key Stage 2-5 Music. We have been supported through this by the PTI, particularly in light of the changes to Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 5 Music specifications.

St Angela joins the Commonwealth Youth Choir's Performance on Horse Guards Parade, Westminster

 

RWC Trophy Tour Performance


St Angela's Ursuline School is a Roman Catholic School for girls aged 11-18, based in Forest Gate, East London.