It is with huge sadness that I write today’s Word from the Head. None of us can fail to have been shocked by yesterday’s act of terrorism against the Jewish community at Heaton Park in Manchester. Our thoughts and prayers are with those whose lives were lost, the injured and all of those affected by the attack, which includes members of the Channing community. I used this morning’s assembly to speak to the Senior School about this and want to share with you what I have said to them.
I explored the bewilderment, shock and even anger that many of us will feel that political events and conflicts in other parts of the world are bringing violence to people in our own country. It is horrifying that the Jewish community in the UK should find itself under attack. I know that many of our Jewish families at Channing do not feel safe in London and yesterday’s events will have underscored this fear, emphasising the significance of the security briefings and lockdown measures that have become a tragically normal part of synagogue life. It is beholden on us at Channing to do all we can to ensure that everyone feels safe, included and welcome at school and in our community. Now, more than ever, we have to live the Channing Promise fully: to treat everyone with respect and kindness; to think of others and be aware of their feelings; to create a supportive environment; and to uphold fairness and inclusivity in all we do.
I ended with the symbolism that this terrorist attack should have taken place on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. I shared that one of the key features of this day are the prayers which are recited the evening before and throughout the day itself. They include forgiveness prayers or Selichot, which ask God for forgiveness and describe his mercy for those who repent. They also include prayers where friends ask each other for forgiveness. I suggested that today would be a good day for friends to reach out to one another in a spirit of reconciliation and kindness, to recognise that it is possible for us to live alongside each other in peace.
This is a theme that will be echoed by Rev Kate Dean, Minister of Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel and Channing Governor, when she leads assembly next Tuesday. By chance we had already agreed that in Black History Month it would be fitting for her to highlight the importance for Unitarians of celebrating diversity – yesterday’s events highlight just how much this matters. I am mindful that our Hindu families will have been celebrating Dussehra yesterday too, commemorating the victory of Lord Ram over Ravana, the triumph of good over evil. I am told that a good greeting for Dussehra is “May the victory of good over evil inspire you to face life’s challenges with strength and hope”. With both of those thoughts in mind, I want to reiterate that we stand in solidarity and sympathy with our Jewish colleagues and families: please do let us know if there is specific support that we can give your daughter at this time.
With warmest wishes
Lindsey Hughes
Headmistress
Notices
Ms Walker’s Half Marathon for Breast Cancer Now!
Ms Walker, Head of Year 13 and Classics teacher, is running a half marathon next Sunday, 12 October, to raise money for Breast Cancer Now. This is a charity close to her heart as her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Her link is here if you would like to donate.
ABRSM Practical Music Examinations - APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN
We will be holding Autumn Term Practical music examinations over two or three days during w/c 1 December 2025 for candidates in both the Junior and Senior School. These examinations are also open to candidates who have practical music tuition outside of school, providing their teacher has stated that they are ready to take an ABRSM Practical examination this term.
We do need parental consent before we enter candidates, therefore parents need to scan the QR code shown and complete the online form by 4pm on Monday 13 October at the latest. Regrettably, we will be unable to process late applications.
Forthcoming Events
Year 11 Concert
We are delighted to invite parents and friends to attend the Year 11 Concert, which will be held in the Arundel Centre on Thursday 9 October at 6.30pm. This is an opportunity for our GCSE music students to display their excellent talents as soloists on the stage of the Arundel Centre. This also constitutes the solo performance element of their GCSE examination. Do please come and support these exciting young musicians.
There is no need to reserve tickets for this event.
Channing Association News
'Design a Pudding Label' Competition
Calling all Junior School and Year 7 girls to one of the sweetest competitions of the year! The Channing Association would like to invite the girls to design the labels for our annual Channing Puddings.
If your designer would like to take part, please follow the instructions on the document that has been emailed to all Year 7 families. All entries must be submitted by Friday 10 October 2025. Good luck to all the designers!
Channing Fireworks - Save the Date!
We’re thrilled to announce the return of Channing Fireworks on Saturday 8 November 2025 at 5:30-8:30PM at Playing Fields, Stanhope Road.
Join us for an unforgettable Channing community evening packed with entertainment and festive cheer, including:
This is one of our most popular events and it sells out quickly—make sure you book early!
Bring your family and plenty of sparkle—we can’t wait to see you there!
Year 7 & 8 DISCO - Save the date and get ready to GLOW!
Year 7 & 8 – don’t miss the ultimate night of music, dance and sparkle, on Saturday 28 February 2026, 6:30 – 8:30pm in Channing Senior School Sports Hall.
Theme: Glow & Glam. Shine bright, sparkle up, and hit the dance floor in your best glow-up look!
What’s included:
Live DJ dropping the best beats
Street dancers bringing the moves
Photo booth fun
Chocolate fountain dreams
Popcorn & candy floss galore
…and loads more — ALL included in your ticket!
Tickets: £25 + booking fee
On sale for Channing Year 7 & 8 students: Friday 23 January 2026 at 6.00pm
On sale for Non-Channing Year 7 & 8 friends: Friday 30 January 2026 at 6.00pm
Need a Babysitter? We’ve got you covered!
The Year 12 & Year 13 Babysitters List 2025 is ready – perfectly timed for all those festive drinks and celebrations.
Just a little reminder: the girls are still in school during the week, so please be mindful about booking them on weeknights too often.
Please see the announcement and link in Classlist.
Channing Association AGM Invitation
The Channing Association warmly invites all parents to join us for our Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 8 October 2025, from 6.45 – 7.45pm in Founder’s Hall, Channing Senior School. The agenda will be shared one week prior to the meeting on Classlist.
To help us plan catering, please RSVP on Classlist if you are able to attend. We look forward to seeing many of you there!
On Thursday 25th September, we had the privilege of welcoming Dr Cameron Roberts at Channing, who gave a very interesting talk and masterclass on optimising practice for musicians. With the...
Music at Lunchtime
Music at Lunchtime on 26 of September featured a diverse programme with a wide range of instruments, genres, and time periods on display (and a packed Arundel Centre!) Violist Minty J in Year 7 opened the concert with Tchaikovsky’s Chanon Triste, a reflective piece which was executed very well. Minty’s expressive use of dynamics created a relaxing atmosphere to begin the afternoon. Next up was Aurora V in Year 10, who played The Little Shepherd by Debussy on the piano. Aurora navigated challenging 20th century rhythms with ease, and created depth with her voicings of the beautiful harmonies in the piece. To follow, Astrid J, also in Year 10, delivered an assured performance of Keyper’s Romanze on the double bass, demonstrating excellent technique.
Amber J from Year 12 followed up with another 20th century piece, Nielsen’s Romance, on the oboe. Amber’s fluent performance featured purposeful melodic direction, and she received a resounding cheer from the audience. Finally, vocalist Maya H-B from Year 13 ended the afternoon with a creative rendition of Renee Rapp’s I Hate Boston. Maya balanced the emotion of the piece with jaw-dropping runs that left us all in awe. Overall, this week’s concert delivered everything you could possibly want from a lunchtime recital, from amazing performances from first-time performers to the confident and consistent displays from sixth formers. Do listen HERE.
Reviewed by Tal M
Social Impact News
Our Partnership Clubs have launched successfully into the new academic year, bringing together pupils from across the local community for another season of learning, creativity and collaboration.
Strengthening ties with our community underpins Channing’s Social Impact objective and this year we are delighted to be working once again with Brookfield, St Joseph’s, Whitehall Park and Highgate Primary Schools, as well as our secondary partners St Aloysius’ College, La Sainte Union and Parliament Hill School. Education Plus, one of the pillars of Social Impact, provides educational opportunities for young people to flourish, regardless of social and economic background.
The clubs on offer are as varied as ever – from Problem Solving (everyday mathematics) and Minimus (a playful introduction to Latin), through Chess, Robotics, German and Science, to name but a few. With St Aloysius’ College now co-educational, we have also extended opportunities in sport, launching new clubs in Dance, Netball and Football for the girls joining the College.
So from an initial collection of after-school clubs has grown something larger – a true Partnership Hub, fit for a future where collaboration and interconnection play an increasingly important role. We look forward to providing more details and updates in future posts.
Jennifer Kung, Director of Social Impact
Gabriel Felder, Social Impact Coordinator
Geography News
On Monday afternoon the A Level geographers went to Hampstead Heath to measure infiltration rates on three different soil types, as well as measuring carbon content of trees. All data collected was geolocated using ArcGIS Survey123. This complemented their study of Earth’s Life Support Systems. After a sunny afternoon of fieldwork we all had a well deserved cookie!
MFL News
Languages Week
The Lanyard Challenge
The 2025 Languages Week commenced with a lanyard challenge. The aim was to find as many foreign words from teachers of all subjects. This engrossing challenge kept the students engaged all day long. It was a fun interactive challenge that included learning new words in different languages. It was interesting to learn about new words that I would otherwise not have learned like Aschenputtel which means Cinderella in German and many more. It was fun to do this challenge with my friends.
Tate B & Destina S, Year 7
Languages AM Culture Club: Q&A with Alumnae Linguists
A new MFL club has been established at Channing on Tuesday mornings to explore the rich culture connected to languages around the world. During Languages Week, this club featured a Q&A with some of Channing’s alumnae: students who have recently graduated from the Universities of Leeds and Edinburgh, and one currently attending the University of Cambridge. These guest speakers shared their experiences studying languages which included French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Throughout the session, Channing pupils engaged in small group discussions, asking questions and hearing about the variety of pathways available to those pursuing languages beyond school. We heard about the range of opportunities for the year abroad, including studying at partner universities, spending time working, or becoming a language assistant at a secondary school. The alumnae also reflected on their time at university, exploring the options available for study, including literature, film, and business, and student life more generally.
A huge thank you to both the MFL Department for the organisation of the event, and to the participating alumnae for such an insightful view into the exciting opportunities that education in languages provides!
Siana C, Year 12
Languages Assembly
After an introduction by Ms Pavlopoulos on the cognitive, cultural and employability benefits of language learning, Alix, Lili and Sophia, three Channing alumnae, spoke in the Languages Week Assembly. They shared their opinions on and their exciting experiences of studying languages (and more) at University. Alix described her year abroad in the Saarland teaching students English. Lili detailed the year she spent living, working and studying abroad in Paris as a part of her degree. Sophia described the challenges and pleasure of learning Italian from scratch at university and how well Channing had set her up for this. It was incredibly enlightening for all students, as it gave a view of language-related career and study paths one could go down, and even helped lay foundations for younger students who may be interested in languages alongside other subjects such as Business and History. The whole student body is incredibly grateful for the experience, and thank the MFL department and alumnae for this learning opportunity.
Keira A, Year 12
Trip to the Swiss Embassy
On 23 September, a small group of keen linguists from Years 10-13 went to visit the Swiss Embassy in Marylebone. We received an insightful talk from Dr Lutz-Peter Berg, Head of Science and Innovation at the Embassy, learning about the internal structure of the Embassy itself, but also the involvement it has in connecting Swiss entrepreneurs with UK finance and trading partners. We also heard from an intern, hoping to work as a diplomat in the future, about what qualifications and experiences had driven his further engagement in this field of work. Overall, it was a highly valuable experience for all students who attended to learn about the intricacies of diplomacy, and how we can get involved with it in the future! Thank you to Ms Pavlopoulos and Ms Wilberforce who accompanied us.
Anna G, Year 13
How Grimm are German Fairy Tales?
Last Wednesday, everyone had the opportunity to come along to Mr Meier’s fascinating talk “How Grimm are German Märchen (fairy tales)?”. By the end of the talk, we learnt that German fairy tales really are very gruesome and about how modern-day fairy tales have been sanitised to make them seem more child-friendly. We found it particularly interesting how much the original fairy tales had been changed over the years but it made sense due to the amount of gore and violence that was in them! Overall, it was a fascinating and very entertaining experience that will also help with our understanding of German now that we know some of the history and culture.
Ettie and Octavia, Year 8
French & Spanish Debates
Pendant la Semaine de Langues, j’ai eu l’occasion enrichissante de participer à un débat français sur un sujet à la fois difficile et fascinant: la France devrait-elle suivre l’exemple du Royaume-Uni en quittant l’Union européenne, surnommé « Frexit » ? Parler d’une question aussi actuelle en français m’a poussé hors de ma zone de confort, mais cela m’a également donné la chance d’exprimer des idées compliquées dans une langue étrangère. De plus, cette expérience m’a fait réfléchir à des questions politiques, culturelles et sociales qui dépassent nos propres frontières. J’ai apprécié la possibilité d’échanger des arguments, d’écouter des perspectives différentes et de découvrir comment la langue peut ouvrir des portes vers de nouvelles idées.
Natasha B, Year 12
In A-Level Spanish we debated the motion ‘Spain’s migratory situation and policy is an example for other European countries.’ as part of our topic immigration. This required us to think critically about all we had learnt to formulate a strong argument. The proposition highlighted Spain’s new immigration law of May 2025, which aims to legalise 900,000 immigrants and is far more flexible than other European countries’ policies. The opposition covered how, following this law, there has been an increase in migrant deaths on small boats and how Spain’s infrastructure is overwhelmed. We experienced a lot of to and fro, forcing us to think rapidly in Spanish to counter one another, which was very beneficial for our oral skills. While the proposition won, all of us took away improved skills from this opportunity.
Saskia C, Year 13
The Languages Hula Hoop Challenge
We think that the Hula Hoop challenge let us enjoy other languages along with our friends and allowed us to have a sense of competition. This also motivated us to be competitive and a good team player. It’s a good way to learn languages in a fun and interesting way. It also lets us celebrate other cultures and our friends’ wins and victories. It let us create a sense of community and gave us a perspective of other cultures and countries. As well we also practised our language skills while hula hooping and we think that it was a very fun activity and a great experience to have for Languages Week. Thank you!
Amelia B & Mina T, Year 8
Sustainability News
Some of the Eco Reps were learning gardening skills on Thursday. They were pruning and weeding our herb pots which contain mint, basil and thyme, and learning how to harvest seeds. They were also practicing separating and repotting baby spider plants grown at the school. Finally they were giving everything lots of water after the very dry weather.
English News
KS3 Creative Writing Club
This week, in honour of National Poetry Day, we wrote poems based on ‘The Table’ by Turkish poet Edip Cansever, in which the poet places both concrete and abstract things upon an imaginary table. All of our students produced lovely work: here is an example from Eliza J in Year 8!
The Corner
I came home feeling thoughtful.
I put my shoes in the corner,
The shoes that had drowned in a puddle.
I put my bag in the corner,
The bag that contained my day.
I put my bottle in the corner,
The bottle that gave me energy.
I put that smell in the corner,
The smell of fallen rain.
I put my achievements in the corner,
The ones I pushed and struggled for.
I put my life in the corner,
The life that is mine.
Library News
Year 8 Author Visit – Manjeet Mann
On Wednesday, award-winning author Manjeet Mann gave a talk to Year 8 about her new book Roar. Roar is a verse novel about a girl growing up in a privileged suburb of Delhi whose life is ruined when she is falsely accused of witchcraft. She joins a women’s activist group to seek justice and reclaim her life. In her talk Manjeet Mann talked about her inspiration for the story, real-life activist Sampat Pal and her Pink Sari Gang. She also explained that she likes to write verse novels because of the concision of the form and the scope to play with the white space on the page. She invited pupils to come up with their own Roar pledge and shared some techniques and prompts for this. All pupils received a copy of Roar through local bookshop Pickled Pepper and were able to have it signed by Manjeet Mann after the talk.
Channing pupils are invited to take part in the national #thisishowiroar creative challenge by coming up with a creative work that expresses how they can use their voice to make positive change. Deadline for entries: Friday 10 October.
Philosophy, Politics, & Economics News
PPE Society
This week PPE Society was led by Year 12s Maya C. and Lily M. They tackled the question, ‘Should the voting age be lowered to 16?’, after the announcement from the Government that it would be for the next General Election.
From a political perspective, students debated whether greater representation would strengthen democracy, or whether younger voters lack the independence and experience to make informed choices.
The philosophical angle raised questions of fairness: if 16-year-olds can work and pay taxes is it just to deny them a vote?
From an economic standpoint, the group explored how younger voices might shift priorities towards education, climate change, and long-term policy.
By the end, students agreed that 16-year-olds shouldn’t yet be given the vote, but nearly all admitted they would take the chance if it were offered!
The PPE Society meets every Wednesday at 1pm in S2 for Years 10–13. All are welcome, please come and have your say on the big questions!
STEM News
Anatomy Club
This week the students dissected a kidney for the first time. The first task was to remove the thick layer of fat protecting the kidney. The typical bean shaped organs were soon revealed. After identifying the single vein, artery and ureter going into and out of the kidney, the students made a single large incision to open up the kidney to reveal the medulla, pelvis and calyx. Hydrogen peroxide was used to uncover the nephrons due to tiny bubbles of oxygen becoming trapped in them. Finally we made slides of the tissue to further inspect the sample under the microscope. Once again, many thanks to the Sixth Form and Year 11 helpers.
Robotics and Coding Club
Pupils from St Aloysius’ College have started to build their robots. Once completed they will compete by moving plastic blocks from the start line to the finish line. Gouled will be building V-Rex, Eligh and Noor will be building Clawbot and Anthony will be building ‘IKE’. All have made an excellent start. Once the robots have been completed, the students will compete with each other to see whose robot will move bricks from one side of the stage to the other in the quickest time.
STEM Trip to Brussels
The Year 11s, 12s & 13s spent last Friday, Saturday & Sunday in Brussels on a feast of STEM, culture & food. They got there on the Eurostar and enjoyed the Belgian chocolate, the food courts, the World of Mind, the Prison Island, the Meininger Hotel, the Euro Space Centre, the Atomium and the Royal Belgian Institute (Dinosaurs!).
In Brussels we went to awesome places. The first was the World of Mind, where the illusions were really cool and we took loads of incredible pictures. Then we went to Prison Island, which was amazing and chaotic as we ran around trying to gain points, and it was so much fun working with my friends to complete the missions. After that we visited the Space centre, where my favourite rides were the free fall and especially the space rotor. I thought it was incredible being able to stick to walls from spinning alone. I loved it so much I went back again with my friend Leila. In total I did it four times! We also visited the Atomium, which looked amazing from both the outside and the inside with the light shows. Finally, the chocolates were delicious.
Ella, Year 11
Channing Archives
I think these Channing alumnae from the 1920s had a very good handle on how to look natural in front of the camera; the secret recipe is having fun – not unlike the photos we see of our pupils enjoying school life today!
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