On Thursday 14th June we took 45 members of the boys’ and girls’ choir from lower school to the Tower of London to perform as part of a joint choir for the ‘Music at the Tower’ festival which has been running there all this week. They had to perform three concerts with 5 songs in each. It was a very busy day and exhausting day for all involved. 

The students who came along were an absolute credit to the school with many of the event staff commenting on how well behaved they were and how well they knew the repertoire. They even mentioned how good they were in comparison to other schools and how they hope we return next year. They really were the best school there and we were extremely proud of how they performed and behaved all day. 

Miss Brennan - Head of Music

On Thursday 7th June we had the honour of being chosen to go to the Civic Centre in order to learn more about the Ford Dagenham and Haleford women's strikes. Not only did we gain much more knowledge about the why and how the strikes happened but I also witnessed the great bonds between these women.

Before taking our seats in the lecture room we managed to talk to the women who participated in these two strikes. It was very interesting to see what these people did to change the lives of the future generations and their thoughts and opinions on the impact they made.

Before the main presentation began we received a short speech from the mayor of Liverpool and the leader of the Barking and Dagenham council. These speeches consisted of a vast amount of thank yous to everyone who helped them reach their current position. Following this was the beginning of the main presentation. This presentation talked about the process and evolution of women's rights and it also included many things like how women were viewed 50 years ago and long before. It was truly amazing to see how the social status of women has drastically improved but is also vital to acknowledge that other people had to go through some sort of suffering to get us the privileges we have now so we should therefore be grateful for everything we have now without a doubt.

Although the rest of the trip was an amazing experience the part that I by far thought was the best was the part where all the women of the strike came together and talked about their lives since they last met. It created a  sense of unity amongst everyone and warmed my heart to see them in such good spirits even after such a hard time throughout their lives.

Overall this trip was highly informative and educational to me but most of all, I gained an experience that I will never forget. I learnt so much about women's right and equality that I never would have learnt in any history class so thank you to the Borough of Barking and Dagenham for inviting us and the staff of Robert Clack for giving us this opportunity.

Former Clack pupils, now Russell Group University students, Fisayo (Oxford), Sharon (King’s College London) and Hassan (Warwick), were back in the classroom on 18th April sharing advice, support and tried-and-tested techniques for revision with Year 12 and 13 students in the lead up to their summer exams. 

Fisayo, Sharon and Hassan – who scooped top grades in their own exams – provided inspirational stories of personal successes and challenges, as well as tangible study techniques from time management to memory retention.

Feedback from the session was extremely positive and students were incredibly grateful to benefit from the expertise of previous generations of Clack students who were in their position not so long ago.

A huge thank you to all of our Alumni members for taking the time to come back to Clack. Your support makes a real difference to the lives of current Robert Clack pupils and we love to see you back in your old classrooms!

Recently, three BBC school reporters went to investigate the building works on Robert Clack lower site. The reporters were able to see the building plans before they were carried out and how the construction company organise their staff to complete their works within the time. Once the reporters were appropriately dressed for safety precautions, they were lucky enough to be personally shown around the site by the managing director of the project. The reporters got to see various aspects of the construction and interview some of the workers.

The new building will be home to a whopping 12 eco-friendly classrooms, including a full equipped food studies class room double the size of the ones Robert Clack have already and a conference room. Plus, the lower site is now home to a block previously used at upper, ready to be kitted out for construction lessons.

The build took over three years of planning with Mr Richardson and Mid Group Construction Company, with weekly meetings and correspondence throughout. There was a time when all of this did not seem possible, however, Mr Richardson was resilient in his effort to expand the school to host more successful students.

The new lower site building will be a grade A class eco-friendly building, with reusable air for air-conditioning in each room and solar panels for the majority of the blocks energy.

The works have been completed by the passionate and successful Mid Group Construction who have been donating extra money and facilities to the school. The company have supported the rugby tour with fund raising and donated supplies for the new construction classroom. The company says working in schools is something they treasure and they enjoy seeing the pleasure the students and teachers get out of these modern buildings.

The new block will be ready for action from September 2018.

By Larissa, John and Jensen.

A select group of students have been participating in the Rivers of the World Project, where we have been partnered with a school in Palestine to create and share art based around our experiences of river/ waterway usage, purpose, history, and cultural significance.

The first part of this was project a small trip for the students to see our section of the Thames river and to collect images and experiences of how the river is currently being used. We went to The Rainham Bird Sanctuary, where the students were able to witness both the highly industrialised and natural sides of the Thames, drawing and gathering interesting rocks to bring back to school as inspiration for their own art.

Whilst there the students were exceptionally well behaved and a credit to the school.

Look out for more images and artwork to come! The artist working with the program will be here in the next few weeks to do a two day program with our students to produce artwork that will be exhibited and then traded with our chosen sister school in Palestine.

Mrs Davis and The Art Department 

West Ham United’s Academy of Football are delighted to announce the signing-on of nine players on full-time Scholarship deals.

A change in Premier League rules meant that the date by which clubs had to offer U16 players a Scholarship contract had this year been brought forward to 1 January where in previous years, clubs would not have to submit their lists until later in the month.

This campaign, players who have signed their Scholarship deals are: Keenan Appiah-Forson (central-midfield), Harrison Ashby (full-back/centre-back), Samuel Caiger (full-back/central-midfield), Daniel Chesters (central-midfield), Jake Giddings (central-midfield), William Greenidge (full-back/centre-back, pictured (right)), Samuel Nsumbu (centre-back), Joshua Okotcha (centre-back, pictured (left)) and Lennon Peake (winger).

Academy Director Terry Westley was delighted to get the boys signed on and believes there could be a number of Hammers stars for the future within the group.He said: “I’d like to offer many congratulations to the all the boys as they take another exciting step on their career pathway.“Thanks also goes to their families for their unerring support in helping them reach this stage.“We look forward to welcoming these nine players into the world of professional football in July 2018 but before then, we as of them that they work hard to achieve their GCSEs and aspire to leave school knowing they have performed to their highest level.

“There are a number of very talented players at the Academy in the younger age-groups and I wish them all success as they progress to this next stage.”A number of the U16s have already begun to make their mark on the older age-groups at the Academy.

Will Greenidge and Josh Okotcha broke into the U18 squad earlier this campaign and their impressive performances for Steve Potts and Mark Phillips’ side later earned them U23 appearances in the Premier League International Cup against Benfica. Meanwhile, Daniel Chesters, Keenan Appiah-Forson, Sam Caiger and, most recently, Harrison Ashby all broke into the U18 side in the second half of 2017.

This morning (Wednesday 2^nd May) three BBC school reporters went to investigate the building works on Robert Clack lower school site. The reporters were able to see the building plans before they were carried out and how the construction company organise their staff to complete their works within the time. Once the reporters were appropriately dressed for safety precautions, they were lucky enough to be personally shown around the site by the managing director of the project. The reporters got see various aspects of the construction and interview some of the workers. There will be a full report written about the tour for BBC School Report. 

In the last week of the Easter half term 40 of Robert Clack’s finest footballers from years 8, 9 and 10 travelled to Germany for a week of football and cultural enlightenment.

The boys played a total of 8 matches, winning 5, drawing 1 and losing only 2. The first set of matches took place in 3 inch deep snow, an experience we will not forget in a hurry!

The standard of football was excellent and as well as performing well, the behaviour of our students was exemplary and many coaches and parents commented on our sporting nature.

As well as the football, the boys were guests at a reception with the Mayor of Halver at the town hall, spent time in lessons in a German school, visited Cologne Cathedral and spent a day at Germany’s biggest theme park. The tour was a great success and the students were a credit to the school and Dagenham.

Mr Goyette

Local MP Jon Cruddas visited Year 12 pupils at Robert Clack School this week to hear about their progress as part of The Scholars Programme - a prestigious national scheme which gives school pupils an opportunity to experience university-style learning.

The programme recruits, trains and places PhD researchers in non-selective state schools to deliver university-style tutorials based on their own research to small groups of pupils. The pupils Jon Cruddas met with are studying a course entitled What Can Animals Teach Us About the Human Brain and Dustin Neighbours, The Tudor Progress  with their tutor Robert Ellingford from King's College London.

As part of the programme, the pupils will also visit two highly-selective universities, where they receive information, advice and guidance about university life and making a successful university application.

The Scholars Programme is run by The Brilliant Club, an award-winning charity whose aim is to increase the number of pupils from under-represented backgrounds progressing to highly-selective universities. An independent evaluation by the Universities and Colleges Application Services (UCAS) showed that nearly sixty percent of pupils who complete the programme go on to attend a highly-selective university. For pupils on the programme who were eligible for free school meals, 58% progressed to a highly-selective university, compared to a national rate of 11%. 

Jon Cruddas said:

"It was great to visit Robert Clack School today, and meet pupils taking part in The Scholars Programme. I was very impressed at how they engaged with such a complex and challenging academic topic. It just goes to show what young people from Dagenham & Rainham can achieve if we give them the opportunity.  I wish the pupils the very best for the future, and I encourage more schools to give their pupils the chance to benefit from this programme".

Richard Spandl, Deputy Head said:

"I was delighted to meet with Jon Cruddas and show them the work pupils are doing in The Scholars Programme. I'm proud of the achievements of our pupils who are participating and am excited to see how their participation inspires their study and university choices".

Dr Chris Wilson, CEO of The Brilliant Club said:

"In Britain today, there's an entrenched link between a young person's background and their chance of education success. The Scholars Programme helps pupils develop the knowledge and skills necessary to fulfil their academic potential and secure places at highly-selective universities. We're really grateful to John Cruddas for taking time to come and see the great work that our PhD tutors and partner schools are doing, and the amazing things pupils are achieving".

The Year 9 rugby team took part in a fiercely contested county cup final last at Barking Rugby Club against a strong Saffron Walden side.

The boys showed a resilient attitude towards the match and really put their bodies on the line for each other and the school.

The score at the final whistle was 19-19 with tries from Joe S x2 and Josh M.

The team were crowned champions of Essex last night really finishing off their superb year of rugby with a total of 21 Wins, 1 Draw and 1 loss. (Please see pictures attached)

Mr O’Neill

From 3^rd-6^th April, Year 10 History students visited Berlin in order to gain more knowledge about Germany’s significance in the Cold War for their GCSE Unit Conflict and Tension. It was an exciting trip to a city full of history, and the Year 10s also got to visit sites and learn about the Nazi regime and the Second World War and the Holocaust.

We visited the Holocaust Memorial, the Topography of Terror and 1936 Olympic Stadium where Hitler refused to shake gold medal winner Jesse Owen’s hand.  For the Cold War, we visited the Stasi Prison in which people trying to escape East Germany where imprisoned and interrogated right up until 1989! We also visited the Berlin Wall and went to the top of the Reichstag into the Dome where we had amazing views of Berlin at night!

To top it all off we went bowling on the last night and also had free time walking around German markets, trying Bratwurst and of course doing some shopping!

Budding artists in years 7 – 10 have produced some amazing entries into the Spring art competition. First prizes go to Rachel S (year 10)  and Tisha R (year 8).

Well done ladies!

Taylor Wessing is an internationally based, well-known law firm which established in 2002, but with predecessors dating back to 1782. It has offices around the world, based in countries such as India, Japan, The Middle East, Brazil, USA and many more. Taylor Wessing offers legal expertise in fraud, employment, banking and finance, real estate, tax and also deals with private clients. Taylor Wessing offers a vast array of jobs to apply for, such as jobs in IT, admin, risk assessment, real estate as well as training to become a solicitor.

On Friday, 16th March the Robert Clack Alumni Association arranged a visit to the Taylor Wessing office in New Street Square, London. We were given a tour of the 7 out of 11 storeys of which Taylor Wessing owned. The glass building consisted of many departments and job roles which an employee described for us. Furthermore, we were informed about what each department does and how it affects other areas of the business. We also fortunate enough to visit a garden which was attached to the side of the building. From the viewpoint we were able to see monuments such as the London Eye, The Shard and The Walkie Talkie.

We found the trip very beneficial and interesting, especially how Taylor Wessing were able to incorporate so many different activities into only a few hours. When we arrived, we expected to simply be taught about the routine of an accountant or lawyer and how they achieved their job roles. However, although we did learn about this there where was a vast amount of other activities such as debates and learning about communication, respect and how to present yourself in a positive manner. At first, we were all overwhelmed at the sophistication of which the building was run but after further witnessing the environment and how polite other people where we were soon eased into it.

At the midpoint of the day, we were separated into teams, and given motions to debate on, such as ‘The age of criminal responsibility will be increased from its current age’ and ‘You should be allowed to say whatever you want, without any fear of the law’. They were very challenging debates, and producing interesting points, but the Robert Clack pupils were ever present in the debates and performed fantastically, dominating the speaking times, getting their points across clearly and with precision and convincing evidence. They quite simply, outshone all other schools there.

We took a lot of information away from this trip as well as learning new skills. We learnt about what the general working life of an accountant and lawyer was like such as the working hours and how the environment is. This trip allowed us to meet new people from other schools but also to employees who worked in Taylor Wessing. Furthermore, we took away tips from employees working at the firm like how employers don’t just look at your GCSE results but other things like your CV and what you’re good at in relations to the job. Also, first impressions are important as it shows your work colleagues an impression of what you’ll be like during your working career. The whole day was filled with life skills and gave us an insight of how working in an office environment is like.

By, Mujahid, Justin, Abidur, Wesley and Chimwemwe.

Students in years 7 - 9 who have been the most avid readers were invited to visit The Globe last Monday afternoon. The students were treated to an exciting production of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. There were superheroes, love stories, deception, mistaken identity and lots more! We were lucky enough to be seated, rather than standing as 'groundlings'. 

Our students were a credit to the school and they were complimented by the staff at the theatre. 

Both Boys’ and Girls’ choir were invited to a Primary Music Festival in William Bellamy on Wednesday 14^th of March. 

At the festival they got to enjoy many choir performances from neighbouring primary schools and were given the opportunity to perform too. Robert Clack were the only secondary school representatives at the festival so it was very important that they pulled out all the stops and proved that choir continues strongly in secondary school too! 

The boys’ choir performed ‘Don’t Blame it on the Boogie’ by Jackson Five in the first half of the program and the girls’ choir performed ‘Don’t Stop Believing’  by Journey in the second half. Both choirs sung wonderfully and received a massive round of applause. Well done to all involved!

A new young mayor of Barking and Dagenham has been elected.  Wesley Oparaugo, 15, of Robert Clack School, has replaced Vaisaly Gnanapandithan and becomes the borough’s fourth young mayor.

Wesley, who is the first male to hold the position, was one of five candidates who stood to be elected.Members of the Barking and Dagenham Youth Forum voted for their preferred candidate after hearing each give a speech summing up their manifesto pledges at the Vibe Youth Centre on Monday. March 5.

Wesley said: “I am extremely excited and deeply honoured to have been elected as the Young Mayor.

“I really wanted to be the Young Mayor because I want young people to feel that they can speak up, regardless of whatever they are going through.

“I have been elected for a reason and I vow to give my all to make sure the young of Barking and Dagenham are heard, and not just seen.

“I am also very honoured to be the first male Young Mayor, and I hope to pave the way for more to gather confidence and go for roles like this.”

Wesley’s term will run from March 2018 until February 2019 and he will work alongside the Barking and Dagenham Youth Forum to choose a local charity to fundraise for via a vote.

Once a charity has been selected the group will plan fundraising events for the year in an effort to raise as much money as possible.

Cllr Evelyn Carpenter, cabinet member for educational attainment and school improvement, heaped praise on the new appointment and also thanked the outgoing young mayor for her contribution to Barking and Dagenham.

She said: “I am very pleased to welcome Wesley to his new post as young mayor for the borough. I have no doubts that he will be a major success and will do everything to help the youth of Barking and Dagenham."

The MFL department remains very active when seeking opportunities to allow our pupils to further improve their language learning, develop their interests as well as offering new and real life experiences within the national curriculum and other subjects.

For three years in a row, some KS3 groups have taken part in a pen pal exchange with schools across Europe. This year; we have looked further afield and we have run a new project with the Leon M. Goldstein High School in New York. This year all pupils from both schools write only in Spanish… ifantástico!

Ms Muller and Miss Ward have been busy organising this enterprise and they are confident that it will create unforgettable memories on both sides of the world. Needless to say our pupils can barely contain their enthusiasm. i Viva la Amistad !

Well done to 8Vichy and 9Rouen!

On Thursday 8th March, we were delighted to welcome a dynamic professional theatre company, Orange Tree Theatre, who performed William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. This was a unique opportunity for our entire Year 11 cohort, who are studying Romeo and Juliet as part of their GCSE English Literature examination, to appreciate the text as a live performance: the theatre company combined humour, sensitivity, movement, cultural references and audience participation to bring the text to life for our students. After the final performance, the company ran a  workshop for students keen to explore the play in more depth – this fantastic opportunity allowed the students to reflect on climatic action in the play with the actors, and explore the approaches and directorial decisions that really made this Elizabethan play feel relevant and important in 2018.

On the 6 th of February 2018, nineteen year 11 students were given the amazing chance to visit the Guildhall for the 2018 careers day. This was an exciting opportunity for the students to explore the different working sectors in the city and also aid them in choosing what type of career they

would like to have in the near future.

The day began with a surprise cruise ship on the river Thames passing Greenwich and heading to Canary Wharf also known as the financial district. The cruise was one of the biggest highlights of the trip because the students were able to learn about life in the city and the history of it as well.

On the cruise we passed many iconic buildings and some of the biggest companies in the world for example, the London Bridge, the Shard, the WWII navy ship, HSBC bank, etc. When our cruise tour came to an end we were given the chance to explore the city of Greenwich. Greenwich is a

charming and historic area of London best known for lending its name to the time by which the British set their clocks. On our adventure in Greenwich we came across many tourist attractions such as the Cutty Sark, Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory. After our mini adventure Mr. Hamill guided us to the Guildhall and when we got their we were greeted kindly by the staff at the Guild hall which was very nice and welcoming.

At the Guildhall we met many booming businesses in London and some of the world's best entrepreneurs. The very companies that covered every single job sector in the City for example insurance, law, banking, surveying, marketing. Meet all these different types of companies gave us an insight of what types of jobs are available in the city, how much you could earn yearly

doing that job and the daily work that people does. The objective that we learnt from all of these companies was that it is important to plan your career properly and wisely because the career that you choose will affect the quality of your life and will determine the respect and recognition you

receive in life.

Towards the end of our visit to the Guildhall, we had the pleasure of meeting the Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Charles Bowman, who was also pleased with the event and had given us some inspirational advice as well as shared his thoughts on the educational trip too.

Honorable mention to the Event Managers & Staff at The Guildhall who showed coordination and were welcoming, and even gave several of us a tour around the attraction and we were amazed at how picturesque the historical landmark is.

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our experience at the guildhall and it allowed us to consider the possible options we could take in the future. On behalf of all the students, we would like to thank Mr Hamill for organising this eventful trip for us.

Who was Robert Clack?

Mr Robert Clack was a fighter for social justice, he was Mayor from 1940 to 1942, and was well loved by the people of Barking and Dagenham. When he died, there was a total of 27 cars for his funeral.

One of the most influential things he did for the borough was the opening of PFUs (Portable Feeding Unit) that were made by Ford and managed by the council. PFUs were portable canteens to feed people during WW2. They were capable of feeding 500 people for a week. There were three PFUs opened in Dagenham, helping people survive the rationing.

We went to Valence House, Dagenham, where we were astonished to find original Dagenham Post papers, the council meeting logs, and much more! We received an exclusive look into the archives, and there were boxes of history, some containing hand-written documents from 1665.

Whilst we were there we interviewed Teresa Trowers, the Local Studies assistant to find out more about Robert Clack:

“Robert Clack was a man of the people. He stood with the people and listened to the community. He did so many great things that even a school was named after him. His name lives on throughout Dagenham.”

After his death in a piece named “Dagenham Chapters” by Lesley Cannon, the Head of Library Service, stated: “Happiness can be shared; grief must be borne alone.” Another piece said “Robert James Daniel Clack, citizen of the borough, fighter for social justice, loyal comrade, loving husband and father, is dead.” This shows just how much he was missed, but also praised. Many condolence letters were sent to his family, to represent their gratitude and respect for him.

By Londrina, Dylan, Larissa, Peter.

BBC School Reporters