News

ELY Cathedral Choristers have come together – virtually – to record two wonderful lockdown songs. Missing being able to sing, live and learn together on a daily basis due to Covid-19, members of both the Cathedral’s Girls’ and Boys’ Choirs, all of whom are pupils at King’s Ely, decided to join forces remotely to record two songs which mean a lot to them. The girls have recorded ‘How Shall I Sing that Majesty’, sung to Ken Naylor’s tune, Coe Fen,...

In a world where children are being educated for jobs that do not currently exist, it is vital that learning establishments make significant adaptations in the way students are taught. St John’s College in Southsea is doing just that! From September 2020, The Lower School (Reception to Year 4) will see students start their learning journey, with a curriculum based on child-led development and discovery. In the Middle School (Year 5 to Year 8), students will study a wider curriculum...

A TALENTED King’s Ely student and young fashion designer has been invited to showcase her creations at next year’s Cracow Fashion Week. Katie Wood, 17, will be exhibiting some of her work at Cracow Fashion Week 2021 after achieving second place in this year’s fiercely contested Polish Talent Support International Fashion Competition, organised by the Polish-American Fashion Foundation and Cracow School of Art and Fashion Design. Katie, who lives in Ely and who is in Year 13, says she is...

Last week we interviewed SJC Medic Society Founder, Tom (Year 12), to find out more about why he wants to study Medicine at university and what inspired him to write an article for Medic Mentor magazine. What made you want to seek a career in medicine? There are many influencing factors that made me want to study medicine. However, it was definitely not a decision I made overnight. I have always had a love for science, learning and discovering new...

 The creative spirit of Dragon School is embodied in a lockdown project involving over 100 members of the school’s community. The Music department coordinated a virtual recording and film of ‘Reach for the Sun’ demonstrating what can be achieved through collaboration, enthusiasm and modern technology.  It was fantastic to be able to count among the participants:  a grandparent – Lulu - popstar of the Sixties who retains her distinctive and powerful singing voice  a parent – Alexander Armstrong - the...

At the start of 2020 the biggest challenge for the housing market was Brexit: was it going to result in a downturn even though we had certainty about which direction we were heading? But none of us knew that Covid-19 was just around the corner which was going to affect every single one of us. During lockdown for those of us working, we knew the demand for houses was growing and that there was likely to be pent-up demand when...

As schools across the UK face severe logistical challenges in reopening for pupils, the state and independent schools sectors are working together in Stamford to ensure that local Year 6 children can return safely to the classroom. Malcolm Sargent Primary School has around 400 pupils currently eligible to return to school, all of whom need to be accommodated in small groups of no more than 15, and the school’s own campus is not large enough to house all of the...

By Michael Randall, Deputy Head, Downside School The appearance of Covid-19 and the subsequent global pandemic can be characterised as a ‘Black Swan’ event. The Black Swan theory was developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and describes an event that is completely unexpected, has a significant impact, and is often inappropriately rationalised after the fact and with the benefit of hindsight. As humans, we have an innate desire to find a simple solution to a problem. This propensity tends to lead...

Molly, 17, decided to complete a ‘Two Point Six Challenge’, not only to raise funds for The Duke of Edinburgh’s (DofE) Award, but to also try and make the most of the lockdown restrictions, which, at the time, included only an hour of outdoor exercise each day. The Two Point Six Challenge is a fundraising initiative spearheaded last month by the organisers of the London Marathon to raise funds for UK charities in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the...

Using locally milled flour, San Marzano tomatoes, Fior di Latte mozzarella, and basil grown in their garden, they have become experts in making their favourite food and giving it away to those who very much deserve a treat. “We have hired a mobile wood-fired pizza oven and are transporting it around the area to make fresh pizzas to order.  The oven gets so hot, cooking each pizza takes only a minute so we can cook three at once.  We are...