E-weekly Issue 295 - 14 March 2025

Welcome

Last Friday brought a delightful display of friendly competition as our staff took on parents in both netball and football. With the parents claiming victory in football (my husband maintains that hobbling around for the next two days was well worth it) and the staff triumphing in netball, it was a wonderfully balanced outcome! A huge thank you to everyone who took part—these fixtures are fast becoming a highlight of our school calendar.

This week, we also had the privilege of celebrating International Women’s Day in school. We were delighted to welcome Tracy Edwards MBE, the trailblazing sailor who led the first all-female crew in the Round the World Yacht Race. Her inspiring talk reminded us of the power of resilience, an open mindset, and the importance of authentic leadership. She encouraged our girls to lead with confidence, keeping communication at the heart of all they do—valuable lessons for life.

Additionally, I attended the Cornelian Schools Network Meeting, where I had the opportunity to reflect on the Cornelian philosophy of education. Cornelia Connelly was a true pioneer, challenging conventional ideas and advocating for an approach where children learn best through being engaged in their education. It was a privilege to share in discussions about how these values continue to shape our teaching today.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Deborah Bligh, Headmistress.

In the News This Week...

Hands on History at the National Archives

On Tuesday the Year 10 historians visited the National Archives for a interactive workshop examining genuine Tudor documents from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Girls were challenged with deciphering the original handwriting and used the evidence to deepen their understanding of the nature of Elizabeth’s power and rule. They were particularly thrilled by the opportunity to get hands on (no white gloves needed!) with a letter penned by the queen herself, and were stunned by the rare opportunity to see the famous ‘Tide’ letter (valued at over £30 million) written by Elizabeth before her reign in an attempt to stave off execution by her sister Mary. In the afternoon we visited Westminster Abbey to learn more about Elizabeth I’s coronation, religious changes and also to visit her tomb, and that of her rival, Mary Queen of Scots, whom the girls have been learning so much about in class. Many thanks to Mr Meek, Mr Ferguson and Miss Taylor for accompanying the trip.

Kitty said: “On Tuesday, we were lucky enough to go to the National Archives to see and feel some incredibly important documents that we have been learning about. This was a really cool experience and I had lots of fun throughout the day!”

Haniel commented: “I had a great time on our History trip. Walking through Westminster Abbey was amazing - I liked seeing the tombs of so many famous people, dating back hundreds of years and thinking about all the major events that happened there.”

Olivia reflected: “Seeing the original copies of so many Elizabethan documents at the National Archives was really amazing. It was great fun being able to flip through and attempt to read them. It was especially interesting to see the Tide Letter that Elizabeth wrote to her sister Queen Mary in an attempt to delay her arrest.”

Frances said: “What fascinated me the most was the documents and variety of seals from the Elizabethan period, which we explored in greater depth beyond the curriculum."

Mr Warren, Head of History

Frances Reaches Columban Media Competition Final

Frances in Year 10 did Mayfield and the Scholars very proud this week by reaching the final of the 2024/2025 Columban Schools Media Competition, themed ‘Jubilee: Pilgrims of Hope’.  Her essay was titled: 'God Knows What We Require'. The competition was targeted at students aged 13-18 years and invited them to highlight one community or group bringing hope in the world today. This might be one they are part of or one that inspires them. The community/group chosen should act in some way for the common good, responding to the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the poor (Laudato Si’ #49). Despite the fact that Frances is not Catholic herself, she fully immersed herself into the task using Cornelia as her inspiration. 

The competition organisers told Frances: 

"I can say that your entry was outstanding and got through to the final stage of judging by the judging panel of Ruth Gledhill (Assistant Editor at The Tablet), Josephine Siedlecka (Founder and Editor of Independent Catholic News), Andrea Speranza (CAFOD Campaigns Manager), Columban Father Ed O’Connell (now back in Britain after many years on mission in Peru), James Trewby (Columban Education Worker) and a group of people with lived experiences of Migration from Hope Garden in Birmingham."

The panel praised the high quality of all the entries that were shortlisted.

Mrs Bligh was also very impressed with Frances' submission saying:

"An excellent submission - this part really stood out for me:

Decisions to be more God-friendly during the Jubilee are to also be more Earth-friendly. Values held by Catholics are naturally values of persons of any religion or none. As Pope Francis said, “Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.” It is not just Catholics who have infinite value; everyone deserves infinite love and is of infinite value, as is the natural world. It is not just the Catholic social teachings that highlight the importance of this, but many international documents like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that share the same values as Catholic doctrines.  

I couldn't have put it better!"

You can read Frances' essay here
She is hoping to be able to also wow the judges of this year's 150^th Anniversary Competition with her essay, which is being launched across the School on Monday on the theme of 'Hope' - more information to come next week!

Mrs Kasia Kilvington, Director of Scholars

Be and Emilia Reach Regional Finals of ‘Performing Shakespeare’

Be and Emilia gave a brilliant performance of their scene from ‘Julius Caesar’ in round two of this national competition, which was held at Bede’s Prep last Thursday evening. 

They both took on the demanding roles of Brutus and Cassius conveying the tension and aggression in their scene and delivering the challenging sword-fight with great verve. The judges were impressed that they wanted to explore one of Shakespeare’s many violent scenes and that they pulled it off so well. 

Isla and Nancy also performed in this round, giving very assured performances as Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. They tackled the extremely dark language and themes with impressive commitment and conviction. Although they did not get through to the Regional Final this time, the judges praised their performance and stressed how stiff the competition had been. 

We wish Emilia and Be much luck in the next round and fingers crossed they go all the way to Shakespeare’s Globe for the grand final. 

Mrs Jane Leslie, Teacher of English

Year 13 Drama Students Give Skilful Performance

Well done to Year 13 students - Breanna, Leni, Tabby, Valentina and Alice - for their engaging performances on Thursday evening. They performed two extracts to a visiting examiner as part of their A Level Drama Component 2; monologues and duologues from a selection of contemporary plays and their group performance of 'Find Me' by Olwen Wymark, which explores the personality of a child with mental illness, the effects her illness has on her family and her treatment by an imperfect health system. Thank you to Mr. Savage and Mr. Smith for their technical support. 

Ms Victoria Nash, Director of Drama and Media

Year 13 English Trip to Stratford upon Avon

The Year 13 A Level English class had a special trip to Stratford upon Avon at the weekend, where they saw a thrilling new production of 'Hamlet'. We also visited William Shakespeare's birthplace, and learned more about his life and social context. There, we all enjoyed trying on gloves, especially the fancy sort that Shakespeare's father made to satisfy the gentlemanly fashions of the era. The visit was a chance to learn so much more about Shakespeare's world and the unbelievable power of his creative genius. We all shared a special dinner at the rooftop restaurant at the theatre, enjoying looking at the swans on the Avon. The girls also enjoyed a serene walk along the river, admiring statues of Shakespeare's characters. As is evident from the photos, we all had fabulous weather while out and about exploring.

The girls have since reflected that having visited Stratford upon Avon and seen Shakespeare's work performed live, it has given them a renewed sense of confidence for their upcoming exam. I'd like to thank Breanna, Amelia, Chloe, Katie, Mikaela and Ayomide for their company and engagement over the weekend.

Miss Joanna Staunton, Head of English

MESSy Car Boot Sale for Charity

Staff v Parents - Netball & Football

Netball
We enjoyed a lovely friendly staff v parents netball fixture last Friday! The parents came out strong with Izzy and Amelia leading the parent warm-up. As we headed into the match the Hakes scored the first goal of the game, but staff reacted quickly and the game started to level. All teams played a variety of different positions with some outstanding interceptions and passes. Parents gave the staff a big challenge to rise up to, but the staff kept their cool, finishing on a win. A great game was had by all and some amazing stand-out play! Well done to all those that participated!

Football
Friday also saw the latest instalment of our Staff v Parents Football series. After being postponed from before Christmas, this time round saw a large uptake with 10 parents signing up to play and take on the staff looking to go 3-0 up in this sport. This year there was a vast improvement from the staff team and the game was nicely poised at 1-1 at HT.

The teams couldn’t be separated, and the score was 2-2 until the last five minutes of the game due to both goalkeepers making some good saves. Unfortunately for the staff, the parents scored two late goals and took the 4-2 victory. For the third year in a row, the parents were successful in the Football but unlike other years, the staff had good chances to get something from the game. It was competitive but played in the correct spirits.

A huge thanks to Isobel in Year 7 and Trini in Year 8 for refereeing the game so brilliantly and for everyone who came along to watch and support.

Cricket
Mr Walser would like to thank everyone who signed up for both events and hopes the interest will be there for the Cricket. A reminder if you haven’t, please fill in the below form to register for the Cricket. 

Staff v Parents Form

Year 12 Chemists Celebrate Olympiad Success

The Year 12 Chemists decided to take the mind-bendingly difficult Year 13 Chemistry Olympiad a year early this year, and were celebrating considerable success yesterday with unicorn cakes and doughnuts. Their results will be shared in April when they receive their certificates, but this is a tremendous achievement. Well done girls!

Dr David Turner, Teacher of Chemistry

Library News

Visiting Poet on Wednesday 19^th March
On Wednesday 19^th March, we will be welcoming hip hop artist and poet, Karl Nova, to Mayfield. 

KARL NOVA – Hip Hop Artist | Poet | Author
I hope the girls will enjoy the lively and interactive presentation of poetry. An invited group of Year 9 girls will have the opportunity to attend a workshop in A1. If you would like to purchase a copy of one of his collections for your daughter to have signed, please respond to the link in the email sent out last week. There will be books available to purchase on the day, but these will be limited in number.

Book of the Week
The librarians in both libraries have selected books celebrating the diverse talents of women past and present to mark International Women’s Day. If you are looking for something new to read, please take a look at the displays.

The Book of the Week in lower school, chosen by Sofia in Year 7, is 'Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief' a popular series of books, drawing on the myths of ancient Greece transported to the present day.

Last week’s news was so full of the excitement of World Book Day there wasn’t space to mention the choice of Helena in Year 8 for Book of the Week. 'Fake' by Ele Fountain, moves the reader into a believable near future scenario, where AI controls most aspects of life and information.

Ms Jan Blagden, Librarian

Sixth Formers Attend Enterprise and Innovation Conference

Six Sixth Form students were lucky enough to be invited to attend Beneden's Enterprise and Innovation Conference a couple of weeks ago. They listened to an inspirational talk from Rob Law MBE, who outlined his journey with Trunki, as well as various other speakers covering topics such as sustainability, maximising time and AI. We had a very informative day and all came home with some great ideas, and even a gift from Charlotte Tilbury!

Mrs Ania Cox, Head of Economics and Business

Year 8 Mathematicians Tackle Travel Graph Project

This year, for the 'Travel Graph with a Story' project, Year 8 have surpassed their predecessors in terms of story craft, mathematical skills and teamwork. All of the graphs presented included steep gradients, periods of rest and colourful characters ready for adventure in imaginary worlds like 'The Land of the Wibidies’, or simply had a nice picnic on the beach in the company of their friends.

The winners: Katya, Nancy and Christina have created an amazing story about wannabe astronaut named Dominique who gets kidnapped by aliens, but manages to escape and return to Earth - with her journey represented magnificently in a travel graph. However, what set them apart from all the other teams was their rap and comic book, which they enjoyed presenting to the class.

Mrs Lavinia Motoc, Teacher of Maths

Easter GCSE Revision Courses

We are delighted to announce that Mayfield is running Easter GCSE revision courses aimed at Year 11 students who are taking GCSEs this summer.  Five courses are available to book, offering a different GCSE core subject on each day. Mrs Parrett will be leading the English course, Mr Taylor the Chemistry course, Mrs Lewis the Biology course, Mr Clark the Maths course and Mr Smith the Physics course. (If there is sufficient demand to run a second course each day, Mrs Staunton, Mr Everitt, Mrs Garcia Claramonte, Mrs Motoc and Dr Kasina will also be providing tuition). 

These courses will take place during the second week of the Easter Holidays (7th April - 11^th April) and are open to Mayfield students, as well as those from local schools.   For more information about dates, content, prices and how to book please see the revision booklet below or visit the school website.

Revision Booklet

Mayfield School  - GCSE Revision Courses

Curry & Quiz Night - Friday 9^th May

Book your places here

Chaplaincy News

This week, the Chaplaincy news is more about advertising than informing... First of all, one final, gentle reminder about our Taize prayer service here in the school chapel tomorrow evening at 7:30pm. Arranged and led by students, it promises to be a calming and prayerful experience. And as preparations continue for our first school Taize pilgrimage in the summer term, a wonderful opportunity to learn about this unique style of meditative prayer. All are welcome to join us for the approx. 40-minute service.

Next week, as we continue our Lenten journey, we have a focus on Reconciliation. On Tuesday evening, all boarders will participate in a short Reconciliation service in the chapel, while those who wish to will have the opportunity to speak to a priest, and to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation if they wish. Then, during A1 Thursday (1:45-2:30pm) day students and staff also have the same opportunity to speak to the priest. Anyone who wishes may avail of this opportunity, regardless of faith background.

Finally, Mass on Sunday is at 11:30am as usual. All are welcome. (On that note, we at Mayfield School are delighted to announce that Fr Raymond Tumba OSA has been confirmed as the new Parish Priest of Mayfield and Wadhurst. He is expected to take up residence in Wadhurst presbytery after Easter, and we know he will be a wonderful pastor to both parishes and both schools. We look forward to welcoming him to our community, and to working closely with him in the years to come.)

Next Week's Daily Prayers

Daily Prayers 17-21 March
Mr Ronan Lavery, Chaplain

Photo of the Week

This week our photos celebrate the natural beauty of Mayfield! Thanks to Jemima, Felix and Mrs Misiewicz for their pictures.

We would love to receive submissions for future 'photo of the week' stories. Please send your chosen photos to jtompsett@mayfieldgirls.org.