Launch of new House - Carter House

A sixth house is needed for the increased number of pupils coming in for September 2021. After much discussion and deliberation, the new sixth house continues the house tradition of the school and the school’s vision and Christian ethos: to have life and to do so abundantly.

The new school house will be named Carter, after the inspirational female jazz musician: Betty Carter.

A Brief Overview of Betty Carter (1930-1998)

Carter was an American jazz musician, known for her improvisational techniques and complex singing including scat singing. Vocalist Carmen McRae once remarked: "There's really only one jazz singer—only one: Betty Carter.”

Her passion for jazz, her resilience and independence, despite the pressures to conform to styles of the time, led her to create her own label called Bet-Car Records which became the sole recording source of Carter's music for 18 years.

Carter often recruited young accompanists for performances and recordings, insisting that she "learned a lot from these young players, because they're raw and they come up with things that I would never think about doing."

1993 was Carter's biggest year of innovation, creating a program called Jazz Ahead, which took 20 students who were given the opportunity to spend an entire week training and composing with Carter, a program that still exists to this day and is hosted in The Kennedy Center.

How will Carter House fit with the current house system?

Betty Carter also fits well with the house system as the third musician, equaling the number of mathematicians and musicians that make up the houses. Her surname also fits well with SAINT-C to represent ‘Cecilia’s’ in the school’s name.

Pupils in Carter House will wear ties with an orange stripe, a strong dynamic and energetic colour that fits with the current bright colours of the existing houses.

 How will pupils know if they’re in Carter House?

We will not be pulling pupils from an existing house to join the new house. So, for example, if your child is in Newton, they will remain in Newton. Instead, our new Year 7s in September 2021, will start the 6th house and Carter House will build from there, year in, year out, until pupils from Year 7 to 13 populate the house.

We look forward to welcoming new Carter House pupils with a new house leader in September!

Being Black at Cambridge

Former student Sharon, who left our Sixth Form last year, was kind enough to return to school and report on her first year at Jesus College, Cambridge, describing her experience there as a Black student. The Sixth Formers and teachers who attended thoroughly enjoyed her informative and entertaining talk, and we are very grateful to Sharon for sharing her impressions.

DofE celebrates Saint Cecilia’s Volunteers

The committed group of DofE volunteers from Year 9 to Year 12 has been awarded a social value certificate which reflects all the hard work they have dedicated to their community.

Volunteering is a key part of the DofE programme as it is proven to have a huge impact both on a young person's life and on the wider community. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, pupils have managed to devote a phenomenal 767 hours to volunteering between April 2020 and March 2021, with a social value of £3,489.85.

The pupils were involved in a huge range of activities including:

• Cooking meals for Merton emergency accommodation project and frail/shielding people in Merton

• Assisting in the school library and after school clubs

• Assisting neighbours who were shielding by cooking meals, delivering groceries, and picking up medications

• Writing letters to elderly people in care homes to minimise loneliness during the pandemic

• Assisting various local food banks

• Hosting weekly zoom games nights and parties for family members who might be shielding or lonely.

• Online conservation work by doing animal identifications all over the world

• Coaching and teaching music for a church choir

• Litter picking in neighbourhoods and parks

• Working to assist in the cleaning and maintenance of horse stables

• Coaching and leadership for intermediate dance troupes and tennis groups

• Helping siblings with homework, maths and reading skills during lockdown

Huge congratulations and keep up the good work!

Congratulations Ignatius!

We would like to congratulate Ignatius in Year 12 for his achievement in coming 4th in the British Athletics (UK) Triple Jump competition. His remarkable skill has made everyone at school very proud. We wish him the very best for all his future athletic endeavours.

Open Event dates released

We are hosting the following Open Events:

Friday 2nd July 2021, 9am - 12pm morning school tours for Year 5 parents/carers only. Places are limited so please book your free ticket here.

Monday 13th September 2021 9am - 12pm school tours for all parents/carers and children

Thursday 16th September 2021 6.30 - 8.30pm open evening and school tours for all parents/carers and children

Monday 11th October 2021 9am - 12pm school tours for all parents/carers and children from all year groups

We will be releasing booking information for these events in the next few weeks. To join our mailing list for advance information, see our main admissions page.

If you have any further questions regarding the school or admissions, please do not hesitate to get in contact with our Admissions Manager, Sally van der Meer svandermeer@saintcecilias.london

London Irish Rugby Trials for 2021/22 Squad

On Tuesday 25th May, we held the latest round of trials for our London Irish Rugby Academy. Over 35 boys, including trialists from other schools, attended the session at the prestigious Hazelwood Training Ground in Surrey, the home of London Irish. The effort from all boys was outstanding and some of the skill level on show was exceptional. The four professional London Irish coaches who led the sessions were impressed with the core skills and gamesmanship on show which is a credit to Saint Cecilia's School.

Those selected will receive:

• Training from London Irish Rugby coaches three times a week: full training on Monday, match or Hazelwood on a Wednesday and strength and conditioning on Friday

• Full training and matchday kit including tracksuit to wear to school

• Opportunities to attend London Irish home matches

• Strength and conditioning programmes and nutritional support

• The opportunity to meet London Irish first team players

• Discounted gym membership at a local facility

The squad for 2021/22 will be selected in the coming weeks and will be announced at the Sixth Form Freshers Fortnight in June. Selection and trials for our 2022/23 squad will take place in October 2021 , full details will be posted on our London Irish Academy pages.

Star Rugby Kicker through to National Final

Year 10, and member of our London Irish Academy squad, Maximus, has kicked his way through to the national final of the coveted Alred Trophy – the search for the best under-18 rugby kicker in UK and Ireland. The Alred Trophy is named after its founder legendary kicking coach Dave Alred MBE, famed coach to Jonny Wilkinson, and is run by kicking coaching programme, the School of Kicking.

In the competition talented up and coming kickers put their skills to the test by taking part in a range of challenges, designed to gauge their power, accuracy and performance under pressure.

Maximus came 5th in the South East regional heats and will now head to Nottingham Rugby Club for the grand final. The kicker who comes out on top in July will receive a 12-month scholarship to The Kicker’s Club, including mentoring from the world’s best kicking coaches including Dave Alred, and sports gear from Alred Trophy partners.

Well done Maximus, We are all so proud of you!

Year 11 Top UK sprinter

Freddie (Year 11) took part in the Lee Valley open athletics event last month. Freddie ran the 200m and set a PB of 22.00 which ranks him 1st in the UK under 17. This time also puts him 63rd in the whole UK including all adult men sprinters.

On the same day, he ran the 100m and achieved a PB of 10.94 which ranks him number 4 in the UK under 17 in 100m.

Well done Freddie, an amazing achievement, we are all so proud of you.