An Unforgettable Adventure: Our First Ever Trip to China On 19th July, 58 excited students and staff embarked on an incredible journey — our school’s first-ever trip to China! After a long flight, we touched down in Beijing, where tired faces quickly turned into smiles of excitement and anticipation. From there, we travelled to Tianjin, our home for the week, and settled into the welcoming campus of Tianjin Normal University. Our first day was spent exploring the university grounds and getting to know our surroundings — a perfect start to what would become an unforgettable adventure. Over the next six days, our students immersed themselves in Chinese culture, language, and tradition, alongside new friends from both China and the USA. Each day offered a blend of learning and discovery, and the energy, curiosity, and enthusiasm from everyone were truly inspiring. Some of the many highlights included: Martial Arts Training, where students learned the discipline and skill behind this ancient practice. A fascinating visit to the National Maritime Museum of China, exploring the country’s proud naval history. Creative Chinese Art workshops, full of colour and imagination. A trip to the picturesque Yangliuqing Ancient Town, offering a window into China’s traditional culture. A lively Traditional Dragon Dance, which brought music, rhythm, and joy to the group. Exploring the China Stone Park and Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street, where students experienced local crafts, flavours, and history first-hand. The children also had the opportunity to explore a traditional Chinese market — a truly sensory experience! They were captivated by the sights, sounds, and aromas that filled the bustling stalls. Many were fascinated by the variety of local delicacies on offer, and a few brave students (and even some teachers!) decided to sample them. This was a fantastic learning experience that opened everyone’s eyes to the richness of Chinese culture and the many differences — and similarities — that make our world so wonderfully diverse. After our incredible week in Tianjin, we made our way back to Beijing for the final leg of our journey. There, we explored some of China’s most iconic landmarks, including the majestic Temple of Heaven and the world-famous Tiananmen Square. Standing in these historic places was a truly awe-inspiring moment for everyone.

Under-16 Athletics Well done to the boys U16 Indoor Athletics squad who made it through the heats to reach the final of the indoor Athletics final at the national centre at Lee Valley. There was some outstanding individual performances and when combined together it saw us finish 4 th in an impressive field of schools from the South East of England. Well done to all. Mr Goyette 6th Form boys football The U18 boys team have finished the half term with 2 excellent wins over local rivals All Saints and Eastbrook. They have scored an impressive 15 goals over the 2 games. They currently sit top of the borough league and play an Essex cup second round game away to St Thomas More the first week back after half term. The attendance to training and the enthusiasm has been excellent all half term. Well done and keep it up gents.

What an amazing start to the term with nearly 50 year 7 students competing in their first rugby festival of the season. All teams performed really well and there was some outstanding sportsmanship on the pitch. Our friends, Grays Convent School and Riverside, gave us some great competition! Stay tuned for our next rugby festival in November! Miss Robbins & Mr Pruce

This year, our Vision and Voices students are entering the final stage of their three-year journey with the project. On Wednesday, they kicked off the year with their first trip — a visit to the National Gallery — where they focused on developing their oracy skills, particularly through exploratory talk.  From start to finish, the students were outstanding. They demonstrated impressive knowledge and understanding built over the past two years of the project. One student even shared, "This was my favourite trip to the gallery yet."

On Wednesday 1 st October 2025, Mr Hamill Careers Director, led a 100 year 11 students from all 3 sites to experience a BARKING COLLEGE TASTER DAY, with each student experiencing 4 vocational courses/workshops each from NVQ Levels 1 to 3. Barking and Dagenham College is the largest college in East London offering up to 146 varied vocational course and apprenticeship opportunities for students wishing to follow a more practical vocational route in their career. Experiencing 4 varied workshops allowed them to experience great insight into 4 professions first hand and to use the facilities on offer and meet the teaching staff. The day proved extremely rewarding for all involved and really helped in vital career opportunity awareness.

For the second year in a row, Robert Clack secured a place at the National Ski Finals. This event took place on the 11 th and 12 th October and was held at Norfolk ski slope. For the students this represented a significant step up in competition, with the best school teams from around England at this event, competing against our students. Despite the tough competitors, our four boys performed well and improved on there performance from last year. Well done boys, keep up the hard work. Mr Curtis

Our Year 7 and 8 students recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit London’s West End to see the magical musical play My Neighbour Totoro. From the moment we arrived, excitement filled the air as students explored the bustling theatre district. The performance was a captivating adaptation of the beloved Studio Ghibli story, with imaginative sets, creative puppetry, and enchanting Japanese singing that added authenticity and charm. Students were mesmerised as the characters were brought vividly to life—Totoro’s playful antics, the gentle spirits of the forest, and the heartfelt interactions between Mei and Satsuki captured everyone’s attention. The musical’s combination of visual storytelling, music, and movement sparked laughter, awe, and genuine engagement throughout. Beyond entertainment, the trip offered a valuable cultural and educational experience, inspiring creativity and deepening students’ appreciation of live theatre. It was a joyful outing filled with memorable moments that students will cherish for years to come.

Our y12 photography students were afforded the opportunity to participate in the articulations' discovery day. This year they were treated to a personal tour and art talk from a seasoned historian at the National Army Museum. They focused on the ability of art to depicted different perspectives of the same even, gained knowledge about effective research techniques, and honed their public speaking skills delivering their own art talks. Our students did us proud with elaborate presentations and deep connections. Looking forward to the internal finals of Articulation in December!

We have had a busy start to the year in the Treehouse Room. Our core books this half term have been Owl Babies; Rainbow Fish and We’re going on a bear hunt in which we have been using colourful semantics to build sentences and matching letters to key words from the text. We have especially enjoyed using our senses when exploring sensory stories and matching key characters and events in a text.  We have worked had to develop for fine motor and gross motor skills through threading, building and exploring a range of messy play activities. We have exploring shapes and numbers in maths and developing our creatives skills when making key characters from our core texts using mark making and collaging.