On 11th March, two of our teams participated in the JP Morgan Final, presenting their prototypes and pitches to a panel of esteemed judges.


Team Aquinity presented their Revolution Wave product – a device designed to be installed in rivers to help remove pollution from the water. Laura, Nainshi, Kacie, Lucy, David,, Ali, Aravind and Shayaan

 

Team Green Lungs showcased Air Nova, an innovative concept designed to help filter CO₂ from the air on busy roads. Nichola, Amritpal, Samar, Maria, Zafir, Hamaad, Adam and Tomas 


Top Influencer Awards – Brightside

Across all schools, Robert Clack achieved a clean sweep in the Brightside Top Influencer Awards for positive engagement:

🥉 Laura – Bronze Award
🥈 Adam – Silver Award

🥇 Hamaad – Gold Award


We also held a celebration event where students were recognised for their achievements and received personalised report cards.


Both of our teams worked incredibly well and scored highly among the teams present. One of the judges, who attended school in our area, commented on how great it was to see students representing Dagenham at such a prestigious event.


Some Reflections from the students

Amritpal 

After the final, I think it is the best thing I have joined because it has actually improved my public speaking a lot, and I get to learn different things that I never had before. Even though none of our ideas ever work together, we always make a final decision together. My favourite highlights of JPMorgan are that I get to meet everyone that I've seen around the school and meet everyone outside of school which made me inspire alot.


Aravind

After the final, I think JP Morgan has improved our community skills by letting us work together to makes something beneficial for our world. My most memorable moment is when we first built the product, and everyone I met had a powerful impact on my life.


Shayaan

After the final, I think it was still useful for me to join as it improved my teamwork, public speaking and speechwriting skills. We discussed ideas and put long thought into our product, which gave us a job - like experience which can be useful in the future and as part of our skillset. It was also a great experience as we got to visit workshops, the JP Morgan headquarters and Tottenham hotspur stadium, which for me are the highlights of our JP Morgan schools challenge journey.


Kacie

I think the JP Morgan program has been a great opportunity to be apart of as it’s helped people form new friendships and work on things they struggle with. Personally this experience has helped me with my confidence and my ability to solve problems. My favourite moments were designing our product in the studio and watching our product come together but also watching the team get so excited in the finals.


Lucy

JP Morgan has been one of my favourite experiences as it’s taught me how to be confident in what I talk about and has shown me how to work in a team with everyone who I may have not known at first but has grown to cherish as life long friends. The JP Morgan mentors have been such a help in growing our company into the best it could be and I’m forever grateful for this wonderful experience as every session has been so fun and I’ve enjoyed myself the whole time.


Congratulations to all the students involved – a fantastic achievement!

Mrs K McBride , Mr R McBride, Miss F Hibbit 

China Trip October 2026

By mhooper • November 2, 2026
This October half-term, 38 students from across our three sites and a range of year groups flew out to China for our annual exchange programme. The week-long trip consisted of a combination of amazing cultural activities, school visits, traditional food, and lots of shopping. Students had the opportunity to climb the Great Wall of China, go on a boat ride, and walk around the Forbidden City. They also visited four different schools, ranging from kindergartens to high schools. Despite their intense, action-packed days, the students still managed to keep their spirits high. Well done to all the students involved. Your behaviour was amazing, and you were great ambassadors not just for our school, but for the country! Thank you to Mr Walker and Mr Curtis for organizing the trip, and to the PTA for their funding support. 

Year 12 and 13 Beauty Students Explore the Professional Beauty Show!

By Nick Power • October 27, 2026
On Monday 5th October, our Year 12 and 13 Beauty Therapy students enjoyed an exciting and inspiring visit to the Professional Beauty Show at ExCeL London , accompanied by their teachers, Mrs Rose and Ms Wallis. The event provided students with a fantastic opportunity to explore the latest trends, innovative treatments and exciting new product launches within the beauty industry. Throughout the day, students were able to experience professional products, observe live treatment demonstrations and engage with industry experts, gaining valuable insights into the ever-evolving world of beauty therapy. The visit was an excellent opportunity to broaden students' industry knowledge, develop their understanding of emerging technologies and treatments, and discover potential future career pathways. A fantastic day of learning, inspiration and professional development , helping our aspiring beauty therapists take another step towards their future careers in the beauty industry!

Barking and Dagenham College

By Nick Power • October 27, 2026
Across all three school sites, 150 Year 11 students experienced a Taster Day at Barking and Dagenham College, Rush Green Campus. This provided them with the opportunity to experience college life, try out different subjects and explore potential career pathways. Throughout the day, students took part in hands-on sessions across a range of curriculum areas and got a feel for what it's like to learn at the college. Our students got stuck into new experiences and began thinking about what their next steps could look like. Mr Hamill

Year 9 National Cup

By Nick Power • October 27, 2026
The Year 9 boys played in their first National Cup game against Saffron Walden last week. The boys had a fantastic start, with the whole team working together through their set pieces and plays. A big contribution to their defensive only conceding 1 try through the match. A proud moment, scoring a rain of tries to finish the game at 44-7. The boys worked extremely well seeing them through against Southend High School in the next round at home.

National Poetry Day

By Nick Power • October 27, 2026
To celebrate National Poetry Day on Thursday 1st October 2026, our English, Science and Geography departments created a lesson linked with their subject that explored this year's theme of 'Wonder' around a poem called 'Who's The Boss'. Lessons were taught to Year 7 and 8 students, and provided the opportunity to explore discussion and oracy based skills with students. Mrs Crowther-Green

Biology Field Trip

By Nick Power • October 27, 2026
On Monday 5 th October to Friday 9 th October 2026, 36 of our Year 13 A-level Biology students visited Trewern Outdoor Education Centre in Hereford, Hay-on-Wye, to participate in a 5-day long residential field trip. During the trip, students showcased excellent biological understanding, traversing many different ecological habitats (including stream/river systems and rocky shores) to expertly sample populations of plant and animal species. Pupils not only developed excellent fieldwork skills, but they also demonstrated fantastic levels of communication and teamwork. Our Year 13 pupils left such a fantastic impression at Trewern Outdoor Education Centre that they were even invited back to participate in work experience! We are incredibly proud of the excellent attitude and sense of community our A-level Biology students showed on this trip, and sincerely hope the memories they now have of this trip are lifelong.

Year 9 PSHE – Safety on Public Transport led by TFL

By mhooper • October 23, 2026
As part of Year 9 PSHE this year, representatives from Project Guardian as part of Transport for London delivered sessions about Safety on Public Transport to all Year 9 pupils across the three sites. Pupils were given clear information about how to keep themselves and others safe, including how to report an incident as well as what pupils should do if they need support. Year 9 pupils were actively engaged throughout each session and made very valuable contributions towards the various discussions surrounding safety on public transport. The representatives from Transport for London were very impressed with the maturity shown by our pupils and the excellent behaviour displayed on each site. They not only provided our pupils with very important information, but also provided pupils with the tools to keep themselves and others safe on public transport. We look forward to booking the sessions again next year.

Student Signed for Queens Park Rangers Football Club

By mhooper • October 23, 2026
A massive congratulations to Elijah A , who has officially signed for Queens Park Rangers Football Club. This is a fantastic achievement and a very proud moment, and we wish Elijah every success in this exciting next chapter of his football journey!

Students Given Free NFL Tickets

By mhooper • October 23, 2026
An unforgettable NFL experience at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. What an incredible opportunity for our pupils! As the No. 2 ranked NFL Flag team in the UK , our pupils were recently given the fantastic opportunity to attend an NFL game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — and what made the experience even more special was that it was their first ever live NFL game! On Sunday 4th October, the pupils travelled to London to watch the Indianapolis Colts take on the Washington Commanders in front of a packed crowd at the spectacular Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.  Having worked so hard on the NFL Flag field and established themselves as one of the leading teams in the country, receiving free tickets to an NFL game was a fantastic reward and a brilliant way for the pupils to see the sport they love being played at the highest level. For many of the pupils, stepping into the stadium was an experience in itself. The atmosphere, the noise of the crowd, the music, the entertainment and the sheer scale of an NFL game made it a day they are unlikely to forget. The excitement continued once the game got underway, as the pupils were able to watch professional NFL players up close and see many of the skills, tactics and techniques that they have been developing through their own NFL Flag sessions. It was a fantastic opportunity for them to experience the speed, intensity and atmosphere of American Football at the highest level. The Colts went on to defeat the Commanders 30–13, but for our pupils, the final score was almost secondary. The real highlight was being there, experiencing their first live NFL game together and seeing the sport they enjoy brought to life on such a huge stage. The trip was a fantastic celebration of the pupils' achievements and a memorable experience that they will hopefully look back on for many years to come. A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this opportunity possible. Experiences like this not only inspire our pupils to continue developing as players, but also show them where their passion for NFL Flag could potentially take them in the future. No. 2 in the UK, first NFL game, and one unforgettable day!

New Scientist Live

By Nick Power • October 21, 2026
On Monday 12th October several of our Year 9 students attended the annual School’s Day at New Scientist Live at the Excel in London. At the event they got to see the Ministry of Science Live where they learned about vortexes, saw a fire hurricane and tried their best to get Mr Skeels on stage (luckily the hosts saw how terrified he looked and didn’t choose him!) Students also attended a talk titled ‘Are we alone in the Universe’ where they heard about all the amazing planets outside of our solar system and saw some evidence of life on Mars! Along with this, they toured the expo area, meeting industry professionals and scientists. They were able to enter a giant helicopter, watch robots walking around the zones, and got their hands on a few freebies as well (including some water bottles and T-shirt!)  Our students behaved brilliantly on the day and represented Robert Clack with pride. Coming back, they reported on the success of the day and their renewed interest in Science! Well done to all who attended!