Congratulations to our friends at Fortismere who, along with Alexandra Park School, were once again named in The Sunday Times Top State Schools.

We don’t get too excited about lists and rankings at Alexandra Park School.  There are so many tables with various criteria.  How do you compare the full range of schools with their different characteristics?  At Alexandra Park School we are proud to be an inclusive comprehensive; we welcome every challenge and celebrate every achievement across our diverse community of students.  These include results from those students who overcome massive cognitive challenges to achieve their best, to others that seem to have a natural ability to succeed in exams.  I am experienced enough, by the way, to know that behind all success there is usually years of hard work.

So it was pleasing to see that once again APS has made it into The Sunday Times Top State Schools. This list focuses on just the very top grades achieved at A level and GCSE, which we know doesn’t really do justice to the hard work of every student and every school.  As one would expect, the list is dominated by highly selective and faith schools.  APS sits alongside Henrietta Barnet, Latymer and QE Boys, and Cardinal Vaughan or JFS. Nevertheless, APS is proud to be up there amongst this group of the most high achieving schools.

APS is proof of the possibility of successfully educating a full range of students in just one school.  Well done to all.

There are more than 3,000 secondary schools in England.  To have two of the top state schools in the country within a mile of each other is pretty impressive.

Students and staff at Alexandra Park Sixth Form have again been celebrating an exceptional set of A-Level and Vocational results. This year’s cohort have exceeded the success shown in previous years by increasing the percentage of grades achieved at A*-B to an impressive 62%. Additionally, 30% of all grades were achieved at A or A*.

A number of students have achieved phenomenal results. Thirty individuals achieved 3 or more A*/A grades a few noteable individuals include Jim  – A*A*A*A, Ariadne  – A*A*A*A*, Aishwarya– A*A*A*, Max F – A*A*A*, Alex – A*A*A, Ella A*A*A, Juliet  – A*A*A, Max R– A*A*A, Temmuz – A*A*A and Celia – A*AAA

These A-Level results were matched by an impressive set of Vocational qualifications where the majority students achieved at least a Distinction or Distinction*. This is a great achievement given the reforms that these qualifications have undergone, to include rigorous external assessment. Notable achievers include: Emre Hassan Dist*DD, Dante Jacobs Dist, Dist, A, Bruna Todi Dist, A, A and Gabi Zammit Dist, A, B

Intended destinations for the Class of 2019 include Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, Leeds, UCL, Edinburgh, Queen Mary, SOAS, Bath, Warwick, Birmingham, Newcastle and Exeter and their chosen subjects include Medicine, Architecture, Midwifery, Ancient History, Law, Primary Eduction, Engineering, Marine Biology, Animal Management, Costume Design and Linguistics. Several of our students have secured places on highly competitive degree pathways on the back of their results. These include Granit Jupoli studying Astrophysics at Manchester, Mia Dierks-Treece studying Virology and Immunology at Bristol and Myesha Munro will be studying Classic and English at Oxford.

St John Starkie, Director of Sixth Form said “We are very proud of this level of exceptional performance and the tenacity and resilience of all of our students; some of which have overcome very challenging personal circumstances this year. These results are testament to the hard work of our students and the staff that have supported them so diligently this year. The combination of strong pastoral support, excellent teaching and opportunities to experience some ‘fun’ along the way has resulted in Alexandra Park Sixth Form students aspiring to be the very best and succeeding. Well done!”

“I could not be more proud of the achievements of our students and the dedication shown by our staff,” said the Director of Studies Mo Julian. “The Sixth Form continues to be successful in a broad range of academic, creative and vocational courses. Providing a broad curriculum to a diverse and large student body is central to our core beliefs and it is very satisfying to see them being successful.

“It is also very clear from these results that our focus on quality teaching by expert subject specialists, together with a culture of hard work and high expectations provide an environment where students can thrive and realise their full potential. With these qualifications, they have opened many and varied doors to life beyond Alexandra Park Sixth Form. This success is also down to the fantastic support the students receive from their parents and the wider community connected with the school. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the students for their hard academic work, thank them for their contributions to the wider school community and wish them every success for their collective futures.”

The ‘2019 Haringey Schools Jack Petchey Achievement Awards Presentation Evening’ took place on Monday 10th June 2019 at The Bernie Grants Arts Centre. It was a fantastic evening celebrating the achievements of students across the borough. The Jack Petchey Achievement Award is given to a pupil from each year who demonstrates enthusiasm and determination in lesson or outside of the classroom. They don't need to be the most academic, rather somebody who contributes positively to the school environment. There were 7 APS students from KS3,4 and 5 there to receive their awards.
 
Ms. Cannon was also present to receive her Jack Petchey Leader Award having been nominated by students at APS for her excellent teaching.
 
Congratulations to all the winners.

APS students Josh and Max from Year 9 were special guests at the Arsenal Stadium this week.

They were invited to help launch 'Arsenal For All'.  Possibly a phrase borrowed from Alexandra Park school’s motto?

Both boys were invited to watch the game in the new sensory room at the stadium, and also carry the flags as the players ran through the tunnel and on to the pitch. The boys had the pleasure of watching some beautiful football in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Newcastle, leapfrogging another London football club into third place!

Héctor Bellerín, who has been at Highbury since 2011, chatted with the lads for some time.  In true style, Josh walked away with a new hat curtesy of the Spanish wing back.

The APS School Council’s first project has been to research the environmental impact of reducing waste, re-using bottles and recycling here at APS. We strongly believe we all have a role to play in tackling climate change.

One way we can reduce our dependency on plastics here at APS and protect the environment is to start using our very own school water bottle.  The APS School Council is happy to announce that the school water bottle is now available to purchase via parent pay for only £3.

By purchasing a water bottle, you will be supporting our campaign to:

• Reduce the use of plastics
• Re-use water bottles

Congratulations to the APS SEND / Inclusive Sports Team, who have won Haringey's 'Disabled Sports Team of the Year' award.

2018 was an amazing year for inclusive sport at Alexandra Park School. This has been because of the talent, passion, energy and commitment shown by so many of our students that have additional needs. Sport has given our students a chance to reflect the school motto ‘Success for all’.

Last summer, at the end of year School Sports Celebration Awards Ceremony, parents, staff and students were truly inspired by the success achieved by all our gifted athletes, but for those students who sometimes have their additional needs described as a ‘disability’, they clearly demonstrated their ‘ability’ again and again, as they proudly represented their school and borough with distinction.

The APS inclusive sports team were proud to represent their school and Team Haringey at the London Youth Games in 2018. We are very fortunate to have a Borough Sports Development Team who encourage and fully support sports participation for all.

The APS Inclusive cricket team were Runners Up in the final at Lords Indoor Cricket Ground, the 4^thtime that APS had appeared in the finals in the last five years. Many of the team are looking forward to returning this year, to see if they can go one better.

The APS MLD Tennis squad, consisting entirely of Yr7 players, came third in London, despite competing against students two years older. They helped secure the points necessary to win Haringey the School Shield for the fifth successive year, in the last competition of the year.

The APS wheelchair basketball / IZB squad again came third at the London Youth Games for the second year running, despite competing against boroughs with well-established wheelchair basketball clubs. Entering this competition has been a real eye opener for our ‘abled body’ students, who compete alongside those with a lower limb impairment. The empathy and respect for those who need to use a wheelchair was evident in training sessions and the competition, where they came up against national league players.

The APS Boccia squad came 9^th at the London Youth Games with a new look team after some key players relocated out of London. However, the Haringey Primary School Boccia Squad, benefitted from joint training sessions, by making the finals in the mini games.

We also had success in the Inclusive sailing event at the London Youth Games with another 9^th place finish. Josh has competed in this event, with a variety of partners for the last three years. He has shown both fearlessness and a sense of adventure.

In the last twelve months, because of our students' commitment to inclusive sport, we have been fortunate to have school visits from Paralympians Tim Prendergast and Liz Johnson. Their visits have been highlights of the school calendar. 

They have inspired and mentored some of our most committed squad members. Over the last two years, APS students with additional needs have been chosen to deliver presentations at the London Step Into Sport Leadership Academy held at Lords.

They have been excellent role models, sharing their personal story and successes with the hundreds of sports leaders who have attended from all over London. Their mission has been to encourage inclusion in sport for all abilities.

This amazing group of students, who share a passion for sport, always give 100% and have developed into a tight-knit team who use their experiences to develop not just their own, but each other’s skills. They have also embraced the opportunity to work with SEND students from Primary Schools and Special schools in the borough developing their own sports leadership skills.

Sport at APS is flourishing, but this special group of students are an example to all, of what hard work and determination can achieve, despite what obstacles they face in everyday life..