Word from the Head – 13 March 2026

The Channing Association will be holding our Spring second-hand uniform sale at 3-4pm on Friday 20 March in the Dining Hall. We have received lots of donations, including plenty of sports kit in all sizes. Buying second-hand is great for the environment, excellent value and helps raise funds for school events and our designated charities.

£10 per item of sports kit

£5 per brown skirt or jumper

£5 for two striped shirts

Card payments preferred

If you have clean, ironed uniforms to donate, please bring them to the School Office. Please remove name tags, but only if you can do so without removing the size label.

See you on 20 March!

We hope you can join us for a fun wine quiz and tasting in the senior school Dining Hall on Thursday April 23rd from 7-9pm, organised by the Channing Association.

Tutors from the West London Wine School will take us through 3 pairs of wines, with some light-hearted quiz questions attached. You don’t need to be an expert….

Tickets are £35 each, and include a free welcome drink, the wines to taste, nibbles – and of course a fun evening of socialising with other Channing parents. There is also the option to donate £5 per ticket to the Channing Social Impact Fund. After the quiz we will host a pay bar and there will be an opportunity to purchase some of the wines you have tasted.

Please gather your friends into teams (of 2-10), choose a team leader and a team name, and get ready to buy your tickets, as we have limited spaces and expect to sell out quickly. If you’re not part of a team, don’t worry, we can find one for you.

Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday 17 March, at 6pm. We will share the link then via Classlist and class WhatsApp groups, and in next week’s Word from the Head.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

We know that as our children get older it can be harder to stay well connected to our parent community. By way of connecting us, the Channing Association (CA) is excited to invite our wonderful parent community to take part in an upcoming Channing Community Marketplace! This special event will bring us together to celebrate the amazing talents, businesses, and services within our own community. We’re looking for parents who would like to host a physical stall to sell their handmade goods, products they represent, or services such as wellness therapies, tutoring, crafts, food, and more. A pre-loved clothing stall and more!

It’s a great opportunity to connect, network, and showcase what you do, while supporting the school in a fun, social setting. A small percentage of the proceeds will go to the CA charity initiatives. If you’d like to be involved in the organizing committee, or have a product or service that you’d like to promote, we’d love to hear from you!

Please contact Dominique Wenninger directly at dominiquewenninger@yahoo.com.

The Parent’s Guide to Exam Stress offers tried and tested strategies which parents can use to help their children through school exams. Endorsed by senior education leaders and mental health experts, the book will help parents gain insight into how they can help their child stay motivated, prepare effectively and remain positive in the run-up to exams. For more information, you can click on these links to see the reviews, watch the author’s introduction, or read a sample.

Parents can order via this link and access a 25% discount using the code HMC25 if they order between 12-26 March.

The Channing DofE team is taking part in the DofE Do it 4 Youth Challenge to complete 100 miles each in the month of March. We hope to raise at least £1000 for the charity to help transform the lives of young people, providing opportunities for them to take part in these life-changing Awards. Please support us by sponsoring our team https://events.dofe.org/fundraisers/channingdoe – We are currently on 197 miles and on £700.

Thank you,

Miss Gibbins, Mr Grossman, Ms Goodall, Mr Daurat, Mr Hill and Ms Yun

Please note that TooledUp has a number of excellent resources on how to support your child with upcoming exams. This includes this webinar on exam stress. All our parents are members of TooledUp and you can join following these instructions.

Get inspired by sport beyond the field! Students are encouraged to read a sports-related book of their choice, including biographies and autobiographies, sports fiction, mindset and motivation, the science of sport, sport-specific guides, or books exploring sport and society.

To enter the competition, students should create a short video review of the book they have read, sharing what they learned and why they would recommend it. Students need to submit their video to review by Friday 20 March to Ms Nelson. The best video review will win a prize at Mark Reading at the end of the Spring Term!

The Year 12 English Subject Ambassadors Lilia H and Carla K are inviting Years 7, 8 and 9 to participate in a creative writing competition on the theme of deception.

Your story should be 500 words. It needs to be typed on a Google Doc, and handed in online to the assignment named ‘upload your story here!’ Your story should be on the theme of deception. Your story can be descriptive, narrative, a conversation between characters, or a dramatic monologue (but should not be a script or a poem) and please ensure that you proofread your story thoroughly before you submit it. The winning story will be announced at Easter Mark Reading, will win a prize, and be published in Word from the Head! Your story needs to be submitted by 9am on 16 March or, unfortunately, it won’t be considered.

Join the Google Classroom with the following code: 3jjqfvj5

On Saturday 14 March, icandance will be hosting Step Up & Dance, a Fundraising Walk taking place on Hampstead Heath at 2pm, to raise funds for the work they do.

For more details about the event, click here. You can also find out more information regarding icandance by visiting their website www.icandance.org.uk or @icandanceuk on social media platforms.

We will be holding an in-person SEND Information Evening to share more about the work of the SEND team, how we support students within school, how we collaborate with external professionals, and what you can expect from us in securing the best possible SEND provision.

Invitations have been sent directly to families of students already identified as having additional needs, but all parents are welcome to attend if they wish. We warmly encourage students to attend too, as they are at the centre of the process and their voice is key. The evening will take place on Monday 16 March at 6.15pm in the Arundel Centre. Please book your place by clicking HERE.

The History and Geography departments are excited to announce that Tim Marshall, author of the Prisoners of Geography and The Future of Geography, will be presenting on the topic of Geography and Historical Global Conflicts, in the Arundel Centre, Channing Senior School, at 6.00pm on Tuesday 17 March. A book signing will be held afterwards where guests will be able to purchase copies of Mr Marshall’s books.

Tickets are £20 for adults, free for students, all profits from ticket sales will go to the Channing Social Impact Fund, supporting bursaries and partnerships: transforming lives through education. If you would like to know more about the fund, please visit our Social Impact Fund page on the website or see our latest Social Impact Report

If you would like to purchase tickets, please use the following link: https://www.trybooking.com/uk/105747. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact at jkung@channing.co.uk

You are warmly invited to the Senior School’s Channing at St Joseph’s event, which will be held in the splendid setting of St Joseph’s Church on Thursday 19 March at 7.30pm. This year’s programme of choral and orchestral music includes the wonderfully lyrical Mass in G major by Schubert sung by our combined choirs from years 7-13 (Conabor Choir and Cantemus Chorus) who will also sing two songs from the mid-sixties by Lennon-McCartney and John Denver. A highlight will be solo performances accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra from three of our Year 13 students. Our Senior Strings will be performing Elgar’s sublime Serenade. The Symphony Orchestra will be put through its paces accompanying the whole evening and performing Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and the final movement of Saint-Saëns ‘Organ’ Symphony!

Would you please note that if your child is a member of any of the ensembles mentioned above they will be required for the FINAL REHEARSALS and the concert. 

FINAL REHEARSALS

Wednesday 18th March:- 4pm-6.30pm Founders’ Hall

Thursday 19th March:- 1.40pm-4.30pm St Joseph’s Church

Following the rehearsal on the afternoon of the concert students will not be able to return to school.

All performers will be required to return to St Joseph’s Church by 7.10pm on the evening of the concert, which should finish by 9pm. Students will be required to wear Concert Dress unless they are in Year 7, who should wear smart school uniform.

Tickets are priced at £10 for adults (children under the age of 18 are FREE) and are available now by clicking on the link below (or pasting the link into your browser).

Ticket booking DO ORDER YOUR TICKETS EARLY!

We look forward to welcoming you next Thursday.

On Thursday 19 March 2026 we hold Springboard Day, an event primarily for Year 12 students who are planning for life after Channing. In the morning, higher education providers come to school to talk about university life and subject choices. In the afternoon, we invite employers from a range of sectors to join the university and gap year exhibitors at the Springboard Fair.

We are therefore looking for volunteers and contacts. Would any parents or other Channing careers supporters be able to join us to represent their employer and field of work from 3.15pm until 6.30pm in the New Sports Hall at Channing on 19 March? Substantial refreshments for exhibitors will be provided during a break.

Alternatively we ask you to put us in direct contact with a named person in your organisation who manages early careers and graduate recruitment, so we can invite them to attend. Our Year 12s will be joined by Year 12 St Aloysius students for the whole day, Channing Years 10 – 13 after school, and students from other partnership schools and Channing parents in the early evening, so there will be a significant number of visitors. Please email my team at careers@channing.co.uk to let us know how you can support us – we greatly appreciate your input.

We are delighted to confirm the star-studded line up for North London Laughs Comedy Night at Alexandra Palace Theatre on Thursday 14 May. This is a charity comedy night in aid of the Gastroenterology Department at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

This week, members of the Senior Creative Writing Club have been celebrating the splendid achievement of Roxy F, in Year 10, who entered the ISEB/IAPS Time to Write competition. The panel of judges received almost 3,000 entries from across the globe, with stories submitted by young people in Malaysia, Spain, Germany and Ghana as well as many entries from the UK. The judges praised this year’s participants, whose work was ‘filled with creativity, imagination and exceptional writing’, and awarded Roxy’s short story ‘Thread’ a ‘Highly Commended’ certificate, one of only seven in her age category. Congratulations!

Silver Training Day 
School on a Saturday? That shows an impressive level of commitment for a start!

With just 6 weeks to go until their practice expedition it was time for Year 10 to brush up on all their DofE skills and start planning for their adventure into the wilds of the Surrey countryside.

After a morning carousel of activities they showed impressive powers of concentration and focus on route planning. Every single group completed their map and route card for the 3 day hike. This is quite an achievement which fills me with confidence for the expeditions ahead and was the result of team endeavour.

It was great to have St Aloysius’ Bronze and Silver groups joining us, and everyone was ably supported by our accomplished Sixth Form DofE veterans.

Thank you to all the Sixth Formers, Bronze, Silver, Gold Leaders and St Aloysius’ staff for helping to run a successful day.

A Career in Art talk by Iwona Blazwick
On Monday 9 March, we were very lucky to welcome Iwona Blazwick to our school. She gave a talk to Year 12 and Year 13 students during enrichment about her career and experiences in the art world. Iwona Blazwick, who has worked as a curator at the Tate and was Director of the Whitechapel Gallery, shared insight into the many different opportunities that exist within the arts.

One of the main ideas Iwona spoke about was that creativity is something everyone has, not just practising artists. She discussed the wide range of roles in the art world, including curating exhibitions, writing about art, working in museums and galleries as well as supporting artists behind the scenes. Hearing about her own experiences working with artists and organising exhibitions made these careers feel much more accessible. Iwona also discussed exhibitions she had created, including the Elmgreen & Dragset swimming pool installation at the Whitechapel Gallery. The exhibition transformed the gallery into a full indoor swimming pool, which made it a really unique and unexpected experience for visitors.

I found the talk really interesting and exciting, especially learning about the different paths that can lead into the arts. It was inspiring to hear from someone with such a wide range of experience. Iwona’s talk encouraged us to think more broadly about how creativity can shape future careers.

Amelie C, Year 13

Music at Lunchtime
Music at Lunchtime last week doubled as the final act of Creative Arts Week, and was performed in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd from across the school. First up was the Brunner Show Choir, directed by Mr Kokkinos. They performed two songs – a Congolese traditional song called Banaha, and the classic Dream a Little Dream by F Andre and W Schwandt. They delivered big smiles and a joyful performance – very admirable from one of our youngest choirs! To follow, we were treated to snippets of some of the programs from this week’s musical theater exams. Saskia C from Year 13 delivered a mature and fluent rendition of Gimme Gimme from the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie – a fun piece with energetic staging. Finally, Maika P-Y from Year 13, in yet another Music at Lunchtime appearance this term, entertained with The Wizard and I from everyone’s favorite musical, Wicked. Maika’s performance was confident, and she certainly gave it her all. Last week we were treated to talent from the youngest and the oldest members of the Senior School, and we look forward to seeing what next week has to bring! Do listen HERE.

Reviewed by Tal M

Self Defence Club 
This term, students have been enjoying themselves immensely in the Self Defence Club. Sensei Devini, a certified coach, has been teachin

g students various self-defence and karate methods during Tuesday lunchtime sessions. Sensei Devini, a 2nd Dan Black Belt with more than 20 years of teaching expertise, has been assisting students in honing their skills while maintaining an enjoyable, dynamic, and captivating learning environment. The traditional Wado-Ryu method has been taught to students. It emphasises self-defence by avoiding and controlling an opponent’s strike. Students have been exposed to Japanese karate language and the core karate values of discipline, confidence, and respect in addition to practising practical techniques.

Every week, the group has put up a lot of energy and effort, relishing the challenge of picking up new skills and enhancing their coordination and fitness. Please send an email to Miss Allen or Ms Nelson if your daughter wants to join the Self Defence Club.

PPE Society
This week in PPE Society, students discussed the motion “This House would abolish tuition fees.” The session began with a brief outline of the current system in England, including how student loans work, the repayment threshold, and the economic arguments often used to justify charging fees for higher education.

Students then considered the issue from political, philosophical, and economic perspectives. Those in favour of abolishing tuition fees argued that university education creates benefits for society as a whole, and that the current system risks discouraging able students from lower-income backgrounds from applying. They suggested that funding higher education through general taxation could make access fairer and more consistent with the idea of education as a public good.

Others argued that tuition fees remain an important way of sharing the cost between graduates and taxpayers. The discussion explored whether it is fair for those who do not attend university to pay for those who do, as well as the potential pressure on government finances if fees were removed. Students also raised the question of whether abolishing fees would increase demand without increasing the number of places available.

As in previous sessions, the discussion moved beyond simple arguments for and against, with students considering alternative systems such as lower fees, graduate taxes, or changes to the repayment structure. The debate was thoughtful and well-balanced, and it was encouraging to see students drawing on ideas from across the PPE disciplines to support their views.

Please join us next week for our meeting next week where we will explore the question:

Do current events in the Middle East mean the UK should end its ‘special relationship’ with the US?

Inspiring the Next Generation: Women in Economics Networking Event at the Bank of England
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the UK Women in Economics Network Annual Event at the Bank of England, alongside economists from universities, government, finance and policy organisations across the UK. As Head of Economics at Channing, it was an inspiring opportunity to reflect on the important role schools like ours play in encouraging more young women to pursue economics.

The event opened with remarks from senior economists including Clare Lombardelli from the Bank of England, who spoke about why gender equality in economics still matters. Although more women are studying economics today than in the past, the subject remains male-dominated, particularly in areas such as finance, data, and macroeconomics. Speakers emphasised that confidence, belonging, and early encouragement all play a crucial role in whether young women choose to continue with the subject

One of the highlights of the event was a keynote talk by Professor Diane Coyle from the University of Cambridge. Professor Coyle explained that diversity does not just change who studies economics – it changes the questions economists ask, and the policies they design. This message strongly resonated with me as a teacher in an all-girls school, where we see every day how capable and thoughtful young women are when given the opportunity to explore the subject.

Panel discussions throughout the event focused on the importance of role models, visible career pathways, and support at every stage from school through to university and into the workplace. Many speakers stressed that young women are more likely to continue with economics when they can see people like themselves succeeding in the field.

The event reinforced how important it is that we continue to build confidence and ambition in our students. At Channing, we are proud that so many girls choose Economics at A Level, and we are excited to develop this further by creating more opportunities for students to meet female economists, hear about different careers, and see the many ways economics can be used to make a difference in the world

Plans are now in place to invite guest speakers into school for a ‘Channing Women in Economics’ event for our Sixth Form students, helping them to see the wide range of possibilities the subject offers.

It was an inspiring evening, and a powerful reminder that encouraging young women to study economics is not just about numbers in a classroom – it is about shaping the future of the profession.

If you are a former student or parent who has studied Economics, or who works in an economics-related field, and would be interested in acting as a role model for our students, I would be very pleased to hear from you. We are always keen to connect current students with members of the Channing community who can share their experiences and inspire the next generation. (xmatjilla@channing.co.uk)

Xenios Matjilla 
Head of Economics

Today the eco reps made spring bird feeders to hang in the trees along the wildflower bank near the MUGA. They had two different biodegradable designs packed with high energy food suggested by the RSPB. The first were food garlands containing cheese, apples and raisins. Blackbirds, Robins, Starlings, Song Thrushes, and Wrens, particularly like these foods due to the high-energy fats (cheese) and moisture (fruit). The second were wild bird seed mixed with vegetable oil, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Chaffinches, Goldfinches and House Sparrows, are attracted to high-fat, high-energy seeds, with sunflower hearts being the most popular choice.

The week has been an extremely cerebral experience in Psychology.

Dr Guy Sutton visited and ran ‘Brain Day’ for Year 13 Psychology students. During the day students learnt more about the brain and brain functioning, factors affecting the development of the brain, they were able to watch a live brain dissection as well as learning about the links between brain function and criminality and the most recent research into brain-computer interfacing. It was a great experience and one which the Year 13s will remember for a long time.

Year 12 psychology students have also been getting to grips with their brains. As well as making brain hats students also used some new equipment which provides a real time visual representation of their brainwaves and how, by changing their thoughts, they can actually control the computer programme.

STEM Week
This week, Channing celebrated STEM Week to coincide with British Science Week. Embracing the theme of ‘Curiosity,’ the week has been filled with events and challenges designed to encourage investigation and questioning.

On Monday, we welcomed Dr. Rachel Williams from UCL, who spoke to Year 10 and Year 12 about her career and research. As a postdoctoral neuroscientist, Dr. Williams investigates the effect of ageing on hair cells in the inner ear. She explained to Year 10 how she uses genetic expression data to explore how hair cells associated with balance might regrow—a potential future treatment for hearing loss. Our Year 12 students gained valuable insights into the life of a research scientist, the diverse skillsets within a laboratory team, and the biology underpinning her work. She also highlighted how AI is used to identify patterns within vast amounts of genetic data. It was an inspiring morning.

On Tuesday, students visited our ‘Museum of Mathematical Curiosities,’ featuring card tricks, puzzles, optical illusions, and chess challenges. Year 7 Maths classes also competed in a whole form Kahoot and a House competition during their lessons, tackling activities like Sudoku, cross-numbers, and tangrams. While the results are still being tallied, it looks to be a very closely run race! On Wednesday, all year groups participated in a form time competition, and Year 8 created some ‘impossible shapes.’ After learning about the optical illusions in M.C. Escher’s artwork, they created their own Penrose triangles.

At the time of writing, STEM week is still underway. Year 9 are set to visit the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park, where they will participate in a coding and cipher workshop and explore the fascinating history of the Enigma Machine. It has been a great week, encouraging everyone’s curiosity. Thank you to all the Sixth Form STEM and subject leaders for the help in organising the activities.

Chemistry in Action: Year 12
On Tuesday, the Year 12 students attended the Chemistry in Action conference at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster. The first speaker was Tim Gregory who told us about the afterlife of atoms and how he, and others working at Sellafield, are saving lives and exploring space with nuclear waste. Finding out about how decay products of uranium isotopes can be used to produce targeted cancer therapies and to power space travel beyond Mars was fascinating and an area of chemistry we had not considered before. Rianne Lord then discussed the role of metals in medicine and how complexes including platinum, iron, and ruthenium can play an important role in diagnosing, treating,and curing disease. Next up was Gawen Jenkin, who talked about the use of metals in modern devices – such as electric vehicles and solar panels – and the impact that their use might have on sustainability. If we are mining more of these metals, are these technologies actually as environmentally friendly as they appear? Whilst mining and extracting these metals does have a significant energy, and therefore carbon dioxide, footprint, it is still better than the alternatives. Stephen Belding took us on an olfactory tour to discover how tiny differences in molecular structure – such as isomers – create vastly different aromas and learn about our incredible ability to detect scents as dilute as 0.1 ppm, equivalent to a single drop in 200 Olympic swimming pools! Finally, Kathryn Harkup took us on a dive into the dark side of the periodic table, exploring the chemistry behind once-trusted treatments now known to be deadly poisons. We discovered how these infamous chemicals disrupt the body with sometimes fatal consequences.

This photo album from 1894 is both treasured and contains many archival treasures. Take a look at this photo of a young woman at Channing sitting on a window seat engrossed in a book – nothing’s changed there then!