If you haven’t yet seen Netflix’s latest sensation ‘Baby Reindeer’, then you have most likely heard about it.
Something you may not know, however, is that leading actress, Jessica Gunning, known for her outstanding portrayal of Martha in the hit TV series, is a former Greenhead College student!
Jessica studied Drama and Theatre, English, Law and Psychology here at Greenhead in 2002-2004, before taking up a place to study Drama at Rose Bruford College of Theatre.
Jessica has previously appeared in a number of films and TV series including ‘Pride’, ‘Back’, ‘What Remains’ and ‘The Outlaws’, and her latest show ‘Baby Reindeer’ is set to become one of the most watched shows on Netflix.
A huge congratulations to Jessica on her well-deserved success. We can’t wait to see more of her on our TV screens!
#GCAlumni
Chemistry students compete in National RSC Competition
This week, a number of our A Level Chemistry students participated in the Royal Society of Chemistry Schools’ Analyst competition. 54 students participated in the competition, competing both regionally and nationally, and we can’t wait to find out how they got on!⠀
Good luck to all of our students taking part 🧪⠀
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Follow @greenhead_chemistry for more updates from our Chemistry Department!⠀
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#Opportunities #GoodLuck⠀
Cambridge Chemistry Challenge Success
Well done to 50 of our A Level Chemistry students who participated in the Cambridge Chemistry Challenge.
The challenge is designed to stretch and challenge students interested in chemistry, taking them beyond the A Level syllabus.
We are incredibly proud of the results: 2 students achieved the gold award, 12 achieved the silver award and 24 achieved the copper award.
All students were recently presented with their certificates by Carl Sykes and Megan Smith from Syngenta, who came into College to celebrate our students’ success whilst taking the opportunity to look around our recently opened Hirst Building, and see our students in their brand new lab coats which Syngenta kindly donated to the College.
You can read the full article about our collaboration with Syngenta here – https://www.syngenta.co.uk/syngenta-greenhead-college-collaboration.
Journalistic Success at The Telegraph
Congratulations to Grace Dunleavy, Shauna Hyland, Aiya Agustin, Jasmine Rickwood and Charlotte Royston, who are amongst the successful GC student applicants achieving a nationally competitive place on this year’s Telegraph Media Literacy Programme. The virtual programme begins today and will run till 26th March 2024, providing access, insight, training and mentoring with Telegraph journalists from News, Sport, Culture, Travel and many other teams. All students who applied for the programme have also participated in the Greenhead College Journalism enrichment and completed a rotation on the Greenhead College Resident Journalism scheme to enhance their copywriting skills.
Congratulations to all who have applied and secured a place on this scheme.
Computer Science Competition Success
125 of our A Level Computer Science students recently participated in the Elite Bebras UK Challenge, competing against 14,570 students nationally.
The challenge is designed with a focus on computational and logical thinking, and all students who score in the top 10% nationally then qualify to participate in the Oxford University Computing Challenge (OUCC) and receive a gold award.
We are delighted that 16 of our students placed within the top 10% and were invited to take part in the OUCC in January 2024. Competing against 1457 students nationally, our students achieved some outstanding scores!
Some notable achievements include:
Thomas Cooper, who was graded a Merit in the OUCC and was the highest scoring Greenhead College student overall. Thomas scored in the top 10% of the OUCC and in the top 1% of original Bebras cohort.
Jessica Burton, who was the highest scoring A1 student from Greehead College and placed in the top 15% of the OUCC and in the top 2% of the original Bebras cohort).
Congratulations to all 16 students who qualified for the OUCC. To achieve qualification is an outstanding achievement as this competition is designed to specifically put the best problem solvers and programmers to the test!
Names as follows: Thomas Cooper, Jessica Burton, Luke Barraclough, Aaron Crosbie, Ayush Gautam, Jeremy Stocks, James Garfield, Kacper Struziak, Mayon Gupta, Toby Stringer, Ethan Bajulaiye, Nikash Shinde, Logan Bullett, Adlan Albakov, Sai Pallavajjala and Chloe Tancinco.
Well done to all 125 students who participated in the competition.
27 students secure coveted places at Oxbridge Universities
We are thrilled to reveal that 27 students have secured offers to study at the prestigious Oxford and Cambridge Universities.
This is an exceptional achievement following a rigorous application process, involving admissions tests and multiple interviews, competing for coveted places against a worldwide field of applicants.
Offers have been made in a range of disciplines including Computer Science, Law, English, Chemistry Biological Natural Sciences, Economics, History, Modern Languages, Mathematics, Archaeology, Experimental Psychology, Physics and more.
Bella Craig, who came to Greenhead College from Salendine Nook High School, secured her offer to study French and Spanish at Oxford University said:
“For future applicants, I’d say to believe in yourself, believe that anything is possible and be open and honest on your personal statement.”
Laura Verdina, who came to Greenhead College from Dixon’s City Academy, secured her offer for Cambridge University to study Biological Natural Sciences said:
“The support at College is really great, I had a mock interview for my subject before my actual interview and that really helped me be prepared and understand what it might feel like to go through an academic interview.”
Greenhead College remains to be the leading state educational institution in the North of England for Oxbridge success. Aspiring students benefit from a dedicated Oxbridge Support Enrichment Programme, comprising of masterclasses, mock interview workshops, dedicated Oxbridge admissions tutors, residential visits, and practice admissions tests.
Richard Pember, Oxbridge Coordinator at Greenhead College commented:
“I’d like to offer my congratulations on behalf of the Oxbridge Team at Greenhead. We have an incredibly talented team who support the students in small group sessions to help them through the application process. We’re immensely proud of the 27 students who received offers; it’s an amazing achievement. Competition becomes more acute year on year, and for Greenhead to remain the most successful school or college outside the South East is a reflection on our wonderful students and staff.”
Congratulations to the following students:
Name | University | Discipline | Previous School |
Aaron Crosbie | Cambridge | Computer science | Royds hall |
Abdullah Aziz | Oxford | Law | Halifax Academy |
Akshat Kothari | Cambridge | Engineering | Trinity Academy Halifax |
Anna Bentham | Cambridge | HSPS | Thornhill Community Academy |
Bella Craig | Oxford | Modern Languages | Salendine Nook High School Academy |
Ben Cooper | Cambridge | Engineering | Beckfoot School Bingley |
Brook Seed | Cambridge | Natural Sciences Bio | King James’s School |
Elizabeth Kay | Cambridge | History and Modern Languages (French) | Horizon Community College |
Emily Oliver | Cambridge | Law | Holmfirth High School |
Emma Nelson | Cambridge | English | Holmfirth |
Esther Boutle | Oxford | Law | Ossett Academy |
George Selby | Cambridge | Architecture | Whitcliffe Mount |
Harry Cross | Cambridge | History | Netherhall Learning Campus Highschool |
Haydn Clifton | Cambridge | Archaeology | Penistone Grammar School |
Izzy Rouse | Oxford | Physics | Horbury Academy |
Jacob Lord | Cambridge | Biological Natural Sciences | Holmfirth high |
Jeremy Stocks | Cambridge | Mathematics | Honley High School |
Julia Millington | Cambridge | Economics | Heckmondwike Grammar School |
Laura Verdina | Cambridge | Biological Natural Sciences | Dixons City Academy |
Leela Beth Guha | Cambridge | History | Calder high school |
Megan Coleman | Oxford | Chemistry | Whitcliffe Mount |
Mia Yates | Oxford | Biochemistry | The Mirfield Free Grammar |
Miriam Lomas | Cambridge | History | Holmfirth High School |
Nina Rainbow | Oxford | Biochemistry | North Halifax Grammar School |
Rowan Harrison-Walker | Oxford | Mathematics | Ryburn Valley High School |
Sam Franks | Oxford | Philosophy, Politics and Economics | Rastrick High School |
A2 student Nick develops app for RSPCA
A bespoke app, created for the RSPCA by A2 student Nick Marshall, has been commended by the charity and will be launched to the public later this spring.
Nick, who is hoping to go into a career in Software Engineering, developed the majority of the ideas for the app during the College’s Step Into Your Future week in June 2023, alongside his peers, but has since taken the development of the app further, working closely with the RSPCA representatives to get a full understanding of what features they required. After months of hard work (alongside his studies), Nick reached the final goal, a point where the local RSPCA have now taken delivery of the app and are now in the stages of rebranding it for an official release.
When asked about the features the app has, Nick said “The app has been designed to allow for better and easier communication between the local RSPCA and its supporters and volunteers. It features an updates tab, where users can be notified of things happening within the local RSPCA, an events tap where users can view upcoming events and all the event information, a maps tab to allow users to see nearby RSPCA branches, and an animals tab where the RSPCA can post photos of animals that either need a home or are being rehomed.”
Fay Gibbons and Lauren Moore from the RSPCA have both showered the app with praise, stating “We’ve launched it in-house with our staff and volunteers who think it’s amazing and you’ve really opened up our eyes to this new communication tool that can seriously benefit our charity!”
They have even published an article on their website publicly thanking Nick for his hard work on the app – https://www.rspcahalifaxhuddersfieldbradford.org.uk/news/thank-you-nick-greenhead-college-huddersfield/
A very worthwhile use of Computer Science skills and a great way of networking with a local business and the community, all while building up a portfolio. Excellent work Nick!
Greenhead College presents ‘Twelfth Night’
Our Drama department are proud to present our annual College production ‘Twelfth Night’.
This year, the production will take place in Greenhead Park’s Conservatory Cafe.
The show will take place from the 11th – 14th December, starting at 6.45pm with the Park Cafe open for refreshments from 5pm.
Tickets are £8 Adult, £5 Students / Concession and are available to purchase via Wisepay.
📍Greenhead Park Conservatory, HD1 4DT
⏰ 6.45pm
7 Film Studies students accepted onto prestigious British Film Institute Programme
Congratulations to a group of our Celluloid students on their successful applications to the prestigious British Film Institute Academy, a competitive and highly sought after academy for aspiring film makers.
Heidi Butterworth, Freya Jacks, Amaani Ali, Harry Holbrook, Finn Boyle, Anna Robinson and Grace Ford were all successful in gaining places onto the Leeds and Bradford BFI Academy Programmes, allowing them the opportunity to explore a range of different aspects to film making including directing, filming, editing and sound, and to work with industry-standard kit and professional mentors from the industry. The students will also gain an additional qualification equitable to a GCSE and a pass to all films in this year’s Leeds International Film Festival.
A huge well done to all 7 students on this exceptional achievement.
Philosophy Trip to London
“Civilisation is not to kill human beings, not to destroy things, not to make war. Civilisation is to hold mutual affection and to respect each other.” —The Most Venerable Nichidatsu Fuji.
One of the highlights of this year’s trip to London was our visit to the Battersea Peace Pagoda. In a turbulent world, where war sadly is a tragic reality for many. The Peace Pagoda serves as a beacon of hope and a stark reminder of the need, more than ever before, for world harmony and peace.
As part of the 1984 Greater London Council Peace Year, the Pagoda was offered to the people of London by Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Order by its founder the Venerable Nichidatsu Fujii, a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi. Nipponzan Myohoji is a relatively small and unknown peace movement with a few thousand followers worldwide, of monastics and lay people, that emerged from the Nichiren sect of Japanese Buddhism. Since 1947, the movement has been constructing Peace Pagodas all around the world including Europe, Asia, and the United States to promote world peace.
A Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa, which in Indian means ‘heap’ and contains relics of the Buddha, resembling in shape an upturned begging bowl and folded monastic robes and a stick. The Battersea Peace Pagoda is a two-roofed structure, made of concrete and wood and has on each of its four sides four large gilded bronze sculptures of the Buddha depicting a key event in his life.
On our visit we met up with Reverend Gyoro Nagase who helped to construct the Pagoda and who the serves the Pagoda daily, living close by in his temple in Battersea Park itself. Reverend Gyoro kindly gave us a brief talk on the movement which primarily involves its followers chanting a mantra; Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō and beating hand drums while whilst undertaking peace walks throughout the world promoting peace and non-violence. On 9 August, Nagasaki Day, Reverend Nagase will go on a Peace walk from Westminster Abbey to the Battersea Pagoda to commemorate all the victims of war. As we left, we reflected on the words of Mahatma Gandhi:
“The moral to be legitimately drawn from the supreme tragedy of the bomb is that it will not be destroyed by counter-bombs, even as violence cannot by counter-violence. Mankind has to get out of violence only through non-violence. Hatred can be overcome only by love.”
Students comment about the trip.
“Great experience not only for learning but socialising with classmates.”
“Really fun and educational.”
“Helpful in consolidating knowledge and very enjoyable.”
“Very interesting people and places.”