Recipe for an apple crumble. Asking some of the journalism group to give us some recipes this is one that has come in so far.

Give this recipe a go! Send in some pictures of your attempts at apple crumble. Also have you got any recipes of your own that we could add to the blog?

  1. Preheat oven to Gas 4
  2. Place 300g four, pinch of salt, 175g brown sugar into a bowl and mix.
  3. Put 200g UNSALTED cubed butter in and rub in with fingertips until mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Then, put it into the fridge.
  4. Put 500g apples, cored and cut, in a bowl.
  5. Spread 50g demerara sugar, 1 tablespoon plain NOT SELF RAISING four, and 1 tablespoon cinammon (the amount of this can be altered to suit tastes; 1 tbsp is quite a lot). Mix well.
  6. Line an ovenproof dish with grease. The dish should be big enough to fit the apple mixture without the height being over 8-10cm.
  7. Spread the fruit mixture into the bottom evenly, then equally evenly spread the crumble onto the top. Sprinkle some more demerara sugar on the top
  8. Bake for 45-50 minutes (until the crumble is browned and the apple mixture bubbles

Young Enterprise and why it is so important.

Mrs. Wicks (economics teacher who helps run Young Enterprise) felt that students pick Young Enterprise because it allows them to develop employability skills.  

So rather than just learning subjects such as Maths and English, which are traditional subjects that we learn at school, Young Enterprise teaches you all about teamwork, using your initiative, making decisions, negotiating and business skills, such as selling, marketing, production and more. 

 Mrs. Wicks mentioned that students want to develop their wider skills. This will help them when writing their UCAS forms or when they’re applying for jobs or apprenticeships. She felt that it was a great environment where they can let their imaginations run wild and they can practice a range of skills and put them into effect. They can also make and learn from mistakes in a safe environment. 

The different groups had a range of ideas, from making books into clocks, which she felt was very creative; to science kits, which she bought for her son. Mrs. Wicks also mentioned how she thought the International Sweets group had a good idea as many people haven’t tried sweets from places like India or Brazil, which would be an interesting thing for them to try.  Some of the profit margins have been very big, such as ‘Heatwave’ in 2018 led by Poppy Hobbs as the managing director, with Adam Fear as the second in command. They embroidered scarves which they bulk bought for a low price. They got a local company to embryoid the School logo onto them and sold them for a profit of around £7. Their total profit was over £1000.

Mrs. Wicks loves young enterprise because she understands how important the skills that they learn are for the workplace and likes to see the sixth-formers develop a range of skills and strong character traits.

A view from the sixth form in February.

Having settled in as a small fish in a big pond, sixth form life has been intense and competitive but nonetheless, enjoyable. I have made new friends, tried new things that were not available to me in the past, and accepted opportunities that I never knew had even existed. Furthermore, the workload is not too unbearable I still have time to do extracurricular activities, and most importantly, the ones that are enjoyable and interesting to me – there is something available for every type of person.

However, time flies when you’re having fun; a very applicable saying to perfectly sum up my current predicament. Where did the autumn term go? How is it February already? Last week (in late January, might I add), I finally felt the excitement and anticipation for Christmas, only to be disappointed as I come to the realisation that it had already past…and all in the blink of an eye, it seems. Now, after all the festivities and celebrations, comes a time of unfamiliar excitement which makes it daunting at the same time. Time to start forming a decision: which university? What course? What do I actually want to do in the future? What am I actually interested in?! All these questions for which I do not have the answers for; it’s quite scary.

An exclusive interview brought to you by the Journalism Club – an honest opinion, about settling into Sixth Form life, from Esmae Badcock, Year 12:

“It is a lot easier than expected because, as a further mathematician, I have very few free periods and so a very similar timetable to year 11. I enjoy the freedom of being able to leave school in lunches to go to town. Also, I feel like teachers respect your opinion more and you are at the top of priority.


With regards to the end of year exams, I think they are a good idea with being after half term, but also not too late to give a good window for revision. They will probably be stressful, but teachers are preparing us in the right ways, so I do not feel too nervous about them.

As for University choosing, it is so difficult to decide, but I am looking at required grades, teaching quality and nightlife as big factors. On top of that, I feel like the school is really helping with Oxbridge applicants.

On the topic of future careers, I feel like the Biology Olympiad helps me to see what I am interested in for biology/chemistry and so helps me think about what I want to do career wise i.e. Biochemical masters and science job.

Workload is intense but manageable. It is often frustrating with the number of tests, but I can see in the long run that it is for our benefit.

Lastly, I feel like they provide lots of opportunities for help in the preps* and offer lots of activities such as music which helps to provide a break from academia.”

*(NB: homework)

Thank you to Esmae for that detailed and truthful response. I expect that there are a lot of us year 12s that resonate with her words and are having a great sixth form life so far – despite the many obstacles that we may have encountered, and the ones that we know are waiting for us in the future.

Bring in your artwork!

Art Exhibition

The arts society is holding an exhibition to show the wonderful and unique pieces from the year 7, 8 and 9’s. The exhibition is a chance to allow the younger years to have their beautiful art displayed for everyone to see, as the older years have majority of their (equally as brilliant) art up around the school. Exhibition entries are completely free and flexible, the entries can be anything you want it to be. The size specification is A2 – no larger, and 3D models shouldn’t be too large. It’s a perfect chance for the younger people in our diverse school to show their artistic talents.

The date is changing and details of the place and time are to be confirmed, however the details will be out for everyone in short notice. A possible place that the event is being held, is the cafeteria. 6th formers will be helping set up the exhibition.

Music and food could be potentially provided at the exhibition, making a wonderful night for everyone to enjoy artistic delights.

Not many entries have been submitted yet, however we expect a large range of work to be submitted, but please do not feel rushed or forced to take part although we do recommend you to enter this special event. The work has to be from September and on, the art must be original pieces meaning no artist copies (inspiration and style of other artists is allowed though). We cannot wait to see and adore all of your work

Luca Raine-Armijo &

Darcie Jonsson