Saint Augustine's Priory School
Education for Life
Click here for our March - April 2008 edition.
Click here for our February - March 2008 edition.
Click here for our January - February 2008 edition.
Click here for our November - December 2007 edition, featuring the Formal Opening of our new Science Wing.
Click here for our September - October 2007 edition.
Congratulations to Pupils and Staff on these outstanding results - St Augustine's Priory is top of the Borough and 23rd in the country for GCSE in 2007!
Click on our Results page above for full details.
For news of our Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme Expedition to Nepal in July.
Lifeboat Day, Wednesday 7th May - the day was a great success with our grounds transformed into a celebration of the sea. The occassion was also a celbration of our girls reaching their fundraising target of £5,000 for the RNLI.
CSI Ealing - Murder in the Meadow, Monday 17th March 2008 - Super sleuths from Upper II and visiting local schools use scientific techniques to compete and solve the 'murder'.
Help! Mummy It's Murder! Friday 7th March & Saturday 8th March 2008 - The whodunnit with dinner was a great success and sold out on both nights, raising over £2,700.00 for the Drama Department.
Great Shakespeare Debate, Shakespeare Birthplace Trust 6th & 7th February 2008 - St Augustine's Priory was selected as one of 24 teams from across England and Wales to participate in this prestigious two day debating event - our Lower V team were placed 8th among the 24 teams having held their own against some of the best teams in the competition.
Following the sell-out success of 'Bugsy Malone' in 2007, St Augustine's Priory was proud to present 'Calamity Jane' at The Questors Theatre, that played to over 700 people.
Great Shakespeare Debate, Wednesday 6th & Thursday 7th February 2008
St Augustine's Priory were selected as one of 24 teams from across England and Wales to participate in this prestigious two day debating event, held at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon - and our Lower VI Team did exceptionally well, being placed 8th among the 24 teams having held their own against some of the best teams in the competition.
English Speaking Union Mace Competition, Wednesday 9th January 2008
Our Sixth Form Debate Team were in fine form at this competition, hosted at St Paul's Girls' School, and were one of six teams competing for just two places in the next round. After tough competition the audience voted St Augustine's through to the next round, with special commendation from the judges on their verbal brutality!
Under 12s Netball & Hockey
Congratulations on the Teams' recent win against Francis Holland (Netball) and Notting Hill (Hockey) and good luck in the Netball County Tournament in March.
Presentation Evening, Thursday 24th January 2008
The Awards were presented at Ealing Town Hall by Cllr. Hazel Ware, Mayor of Ealing and our intrepid girls collected their 10 Gold Awards, 8 Silver Awards and 31 Bronze Awards and were asked to make a presentation to the audience about their Cycling Expedition in China.
As Christmas approached our Director of Prefects in Upper VI was inspired to organise a 'Movie Afternoon', to raise much needed funds for London's leading charity for homeless people, St Mungo's. The afternoon offered girls the chance to watch a selection of different Christmas themed film titles in the comfort of our new Science Wing and enjoy the popcorn, treats and snacks on offer - all at a price of course! The afternoon raised an impressive £270.00 for St Mungo's.
Our annual Carol Service at Ealing Abbey was a great success, with girls of all ages contributing to the Service with beautiful music from the Junior Choir, the Orchestra, the Senior Choir (joined by talented Parents, Staff and Old Girls), the Chapel Singers and of course the many soloists, readers and tableaux performers. We were pleased to welcome Councillor Mrs Hazel Ware, The Worshipful the Mayor of the London Borough of Ealing who joined us for the Service.
The retiring collection raised £1,151.04 for the Dominican Friars’ Mission, Kisumu in Kenya, who provide vital support to Kenyan orphans. Thank you for your generosity.
Red Arrows and a Walk on the Darth Side...
We hosted 'Out of This World Day' the second of our themed days for girls in the School and other pupils from the local primary schools in the area. Our pioneering Training Program to interface with Extra Terrestrials included; Alien Communication Skills, Management of Alien Substances and Flight Training. The new Science Wing provided the backdrop for staff, visitors and pupils dressed as science fiction characters together with props (made by Senior pupils) such as a Tardis and a Dalek. A Red Arrows simulator and visiting pilot provided a taste of life in the cockpit. Girls were also given the chance to work together in the laboratories on scientific experiments with the teachers and find out that science fiction more often than not is grounded in science fact. The day's fundraising activities also raised £410.70 for the Red Arrows Trust, aiding ex-service men and women.
After ten months under construction, brought in on time and on budget, our new state of the art Science Wing was formally opened and inaugurated by Bishop George Stack.
The ceremonial ribbons were snipped by St Augustine’s first Science graduate Mrs Lenore King (née Chillman) and by budding Lower I scientist Tallulah Bret-Day, aged seven, who was nominated by her teachers. The three storey structure has a floor space of over 700 sq metres, and is designed entirely in keeping with the School’s existing Arts & Crafts architecture. The building houses four state of the art laboratories, with two preparation rooms, as well as a new Drama Room and a Junior Music and Drama Room on the ground floor. The girls have been enjoying using the new Wing since their return from half term.
This is only the beginning, with two further building development projects planned.
A group of shy and retiring girls from Lower V to Upper V screamed into cinematic history for the remake of 'St Trinian's'. The girls provided screams for various scenes including chaos in the dorms, hockey matches and running in the corridors - they didn't seem to need much direction! Funds raised from the day's recording will contribute to funding a trip to Lourdes (in 2008) for a young person with disabilities.
Our very own Mr Gitlin who, as well being Head of I.C.T, is also a volunteer at Hendon's St John Ambulance unit, was honoured for his commitment in responding to this summer's torrential floods in a ceremony and presentation by Seamus Kelly, commissioner of St John Ambulance London District Division. Mr Gitlin was on leave in July when he received the call to attend Oxfordshire ambulance HQ, as part of St John's marine response unit. In specialist boats he and fellow volunteers worked with the Red Cross and fire and rescue crews to help stranded victims. His 24 hour shift became a week of working around the clock to rescue victims of the floods, pulling them from the water that had reached 6ft in places.
Languages - in addition to French, Spanish, Latin and Greek, St Augustine's will offer a two year GCSE Russian course from September 2007.
Sciences - one of our Praefectae Scientiae has started the popular Astronomy Club, offering the opportunity to study Astronomy to GCSE, in addition to existing courses in GCSE and A Level Biology, Chemistry and Physics.
In addition to numerous trips and outings in the UK, we have also planned the following overseas trips for the Academic Year 2007 - 2008 and early 2009:
| Destination | Dates | Pupils | Status |
| Yprês, Belgium - History Trip | 11th - 12th October 2007 | Lower V Historians | Completed |
| Vermont, USA - Ski Trip | 8th - 15th February 2008 | Form 3 upwards | Completed |
| Angers, France - Modern Languages Trip | 29th March - 4th April 2008 | Form III upwards | Proposed |
| Europe - Hockey Tour | Easter Holidays 2008 | Hockey Teams | Proposed |
| Nepal Expedition - Duke of Edinburgh's Award | July 2008 | Seniors | Proposed |
| Greece - Classics Trip | July 2008 | Classics Students | Proposed |
| Le Touquet, France - Modern Languages Trip | 19th - 20th September 2008 | Form III | Proposed |
| Italy - Musical Tour | 23rd - 28th October 2008 | Musicians, various age groups | Proposed |
| The Holy Land - Pilgrimage | February 2009 | Various age groups | Proposed |
St Augustine's Priory also had a busy and exciting year in 2006 - 2007 with the Class of 2007 achieving our best results ever! In addition some of the other highlights were;
Anybody who is anybody...was a guest at Fat Sam's Speakeasy for our sell-out production of 'Bugsy Malone' at The Questors Theatre Playhouse.
This ambitious project aimed to encourage the girls to lead creatively. They were involved in all aspects of the production from designing and producing flyers and posters; to stage management; costume design; lighting; properties and sound - as well as performing as actors, singers, dancers and musicians. The tremendous success of the shows is a credit both to the dedication and creativity of the cast and crew, and to the vision of our new Head of Drama.
Every year the pupils and staff at St Augustine's Priory dedicate a week to fundraising for our nominated charities. Last year the girls planned numerous weird and wonderful events and fundraisers, including; Mad Hair Day, Resurrection Rock, Language Spellathons, Quizzes, Tuck Shops, Cafes, the murderous game 'Assassins', the infamous Talent Contests, Sponsored Swims and many Sales.
The result from our annual Charities Week was a staggering £7,607.18, which will be divided between this year’s charities;
Catholic Children’s Society of Westminster, Facing the World, Royal Marsden Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Thank you to all pupils, parents and staff for their generosity.
Masterminded by a member of the Upper Sixth, International Day was a resounding success. A multitude of nations were represented with girls (and staff!) of all ages joining in the fun, sporting their chosen national dress. Delicious foods from around the world were on sale over break and lunchtime, and girls of all ages entertained one another with dances, songs and performances from around the globe.
The day's activities raised over £700.00 for the international humanitarian aid charity, Medecins sans Frontieres, that provides medical assistance to populations in danger in over 70 countries.
A copy of the Inspection report can be found on the Diocesan Website - http://www.rcdow.org.uk/education/
Chairman of the Board of Governors, (Fr) Gregory Chillman OSB, said of the report, 'I am sure you would agree that we should congratulate the Headmistress, staff and pupils on an outstanding report. I had two sessions with Mr Anthony Clark. I found him a man of experience, and truly perceptive. He was particularly impressed by the girls' confidence, their ability to express themselves and their spirituality.'
An outstanding report.
International Competition for Young Debaters, South East Regional Round at Oxford Student Union, 20th January 2007
St Augustine's Team A were placed 7th of 80 competing teams - ahead of 73 teams - including those from Dulwich, St Paul's Girls, Westminster and Latymer Upper.
In addition St Augustine's Team B were placed 15th of 80 teams. Both St Augustine's teams have earned their place at the International Finals to be held in Cambridge on 29th April 2007. Well done.
Our congratulations also go to two Augustinian individual debaters who were ranked joint 11th of the 160 competitors.
World Individual Debating & Public Speaking Competition 2007
Four of our Sixth Form students travelled to Cape Town to compete in the World Individual Debating & Public Speaking Competition. National winners of competitions from Canada, the United States, Cyprus, South Korea, Pakistan, Lithuania, Germany and South Africa were also there. The girls performed extremely well, with three of the eight World Finalists being Augustinians.
Our U16 Hockey Team were Middlesex Champions and represented the borough in the South Regional Finals. Our swimming squad out swam local teams, and our Cross Country runners all achieved either first or second league placings in the Ealing Borough Cross Country to become overall Borough Champions. We have three County Hockey players in our team and three girls in the U13 Middlesex Hockey Development Squad.
CSI Ealing Workshop a murderer in our midst! Girls trained in various forensic techniques used by Crime Scene Investigators to detect, collect and analyse evidence - enabling them to correctly identify the murderer in our midst.
St Augustine's stopped the traffic on Hanger Lane with the landing of a Royal Air Force Merlin helicopter on our field, along with The Bomb Squad demonstrating their techniques, guest speakers from The Royal British Legion, The Royal Navy and Chelsea Pensioners sharing their memories with the girls. The day's activities ended in a moving Drum Head Ceremony, remembering those that have given the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.
In the evening our field hosted a wonderful concert by The Central Band of the Royal Air Force, raising over £2,500 for the Royal British Legion.
Each year the Company of Hackney Carriages organise a once in a lifetime trip to Disneyland Resort Paris for seriously ill children and their families. The drivers donate their vehicles and their time to transport these special children, offering them a break from treatment and the constraints of their illnesses. The children's stories touched three members of our Sixth Form who fundraised tirelessly, raising an impressive £1,000.00 - enough to sponsor a taxi's whole trip to Paris, providing a magical journey for a child.
Accompanied by Mr Laing and Miss Gandi, twenty intrepid students aged between 15 and 18 years old, embarked on an epic journey cycling from Beijing to The Great Wall and beyond. The expedition, a Duke of Edinburgh's Gold Award venture, allowed the girls to experience the beauty of China and by taking small rural routes through remote villages they met local people along the way. The girls trekked to The Great Wall of China and Hammer Rock Mountain as well as visiting the famous Terracotta Warriors. A challenging and exhilarating trip.
An engaging and exciting program of lectures and demonstrations by visiting experts, on topics as diverse as 'Pretty Pretty Bang Bang' - The Chemistry of Fireworks by Dr Jacqueline Akhavan Defence College of Management and Technology, Cranfield University with plenty of (very noisy) demos and 'Chemistry of the Movies' presented by Jonathan Hare of University of Sussex in which Hollywood Science and stunts were demystified.