Aidan was nominated by Mrs Fox and Miss Pemberton who said: “Aidan has demonstrated exceptional initiative and independence in his GCSE Dance choreography so far. This unit is entirely independent and accounts for 50% of the practical GCSE grade, and Aidan has approached this with maturity and commitment. 

Aidan has undertaken extensive research, arranged additional rehearsals with a Year 9 dancer, and off his own back, consulted with Mrs Harrison to validate the physics-based stimulus for his work. Drawing on the concept of wave phenomena, Aidan has created a thoughtful duet exploring hearing loss and the interference experienced by hearing aids. He has also edited his own music and has got Mrs Moore involved to incorporate voiceovers.

 
This work demonstrates outstanding creativity, organisation, independence, and strong cross-curricular thinking. Well done Aidan!” 

To complete our series of reports from an exciting and jam-packed German Week, here is a photo of some of the kitchen staff who prepared German food for students to sample in the Restaurant on Tuesday, along with the menu. There is also a collage of some of the posters on display in the Library where students could find out more about German towns, cities and landmarks. 

Looking forward to next year’s German Week already! 

Thank you to Miss Dutton, Lead Teacher of German at Richmond and organiser of the German Week events, for the following: 

“As part of National German Week students were invited to bake a cake or biscuits to a German recipe or to decorate a cake with a German theme. 

This was a first for Richmond School, and staff were blown away by the number and quality of entries. We had over 35 entries from students in Years 7-10. All entries were tasted by the judging panel which included Mrs Potter, Miss Tucker, Ms Doak and the MFL team. We tasted apple cake. Black Forest gateau, apple strudel, traditional gingerbread biscuits, marble cake,  Streuselkuchen, Baumkuchen, and Bienenstich to name but a few.  

A number of students coloured their cakes in the colours of the German flag which could be seen when you cut into the cake. The bakes were decorated in creative ways: we saw flags, hearts as well as more unusual ideas including a Miniatur Wunderland, the Swiss mountains, a traditional German Bollen hat and a beer stein. A lot of deliberation was involved but eventually we decided on 10 overall winners. We have definitely seen the work of some future Bake Off stars - well done and thank you everyone for taking part!” 

Winners  

Year 7 

Maggie Copland 7HWH 

Lila Diamond and Freya Stimpson 7MRA  

Sherwain Mathurin 7 MPE  

Leland Gregory 7RSH 

Eleni Barron 7 EHE  

Year 8  

Lottie James 8LCH  

Noah Sandell 8LCH  

Maha Farhat 8TMA  

Rachael Foyle 8TMA  

Max Adcock 8KAT   

Year 10  

Aiden Johnson 10KHB 

Last week Richmond School honoured Holocaust Memorial Day - delivered via an assembly - which explored both the long history of antisemitism and the people who stood against it. The assembly explained how centuries of prejudice created the conditions for the Holocaust, then discussed individuals such as Oskar Schindler and Nicholas Winton, whose courage saved thousands through rescue, protection, and quiet acts of defiance. 

The assembly also drew attention to Jewish resistance groups, including the fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, who chose to resist despite overwhelming odds. By sharing these stories - of rescuers, resisters, and ordinary people who refused to accept hatred - it was shown that resistance can take many forms. 

The assembly closed by linking these lessons to the school’s credit value of respect, emphasising how everyday actions - treating others fairly, listening, and showing understanding - help challenge prejudice and create a welcoming community for all.  

Mrs Moore, Teacher of History at Richmond and organiser of the Holocaust Memorial Day events, said: “I'm incredibly proud of the students involved. I feel it's so important for these messages to be told to students by their peers as it resonates so much more. Thank you to Oliver Allinson, Year 13, Myles Fairhurst, Year 12, Izzy Barnes and Lucas Trenholm, Year 11, James Hall and Zeke Wild, Year 10 and Rita Cardie, Year 8, for speaking so articulately and confidently - it was a joy to present the assembly with you.” 

Oliver was nominated by Mrs James who said: “Oliver has excelled in Art throughout Richmond School. His talent is exceptional and his ability to render his ideas in any materials he is given has consistently impressed every member of the Art department who has taught him.  

Oliver's current sketchbook work is outstanding, and he clearly devotes hours to refining and improving his work to a technical standard beyond GCSE level. 

As well as being amazingly talented Oliver demonstrates an unbelievably strong work ethic and is also incredibly humble about his work. Outside of school Oliver also pursues his own original, creative ideas which are equally impressive technically. 

Oliver embodies the Richmond school values of Excellence and Creativity in Art and is fully deserving of recognition in the form of the HTCVA.”