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SCD student Alex Pullen named Young Musician of The Year 2017

On Saturday 24th June 2017, Bucks Learning Trust Music held its first Young Musician of the Year Competition in the beautiful surroundings of Stowe School.

Over 30 talented musicians applied for a place in the Grand Final with the final 6 successfully making it through to perform to a live audience and a panel of judges, which consisted of Clive Fairbairn from the New Mozarrt Orchestra, Aileen Douthwaite, a freelance Music Consultant and Nick Smart, Head of Jazz at the Royal Academy of Music. The quality of the performances was extremely high and St Clement Danes student Alex Pullen performed so well that he won 1st Prize for playing the Marimba.

On winning 1st place, Alex was awarded a cash prize, a music voucher and  the opportunity to perform with the Bucks County Youth Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in June 2018.

Congratulations to Alex on this fantastic achievement. We wish him every success in his future competitions, including his entry to the International Youth Percussion Competition, which will be  held in Belgium later this month.

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21st November

Celebrating Success: Anchor Fund Initiative Raises Over £12,000

We are absolutely delighted to announce a tremendous success following the recent Anchor Fund ‘£25 for 25 Year’ initiative. Thanks to an amazing collective effort from our school community, we have raised a total of £12,709. This is a substantial amount that will make an immediate and positive difference to the learning environment and the opportunities available to our pupils We are incredibly proud of the pupils who fundraised with such enthusiasm and determination. Their commitment has been nothing short of inspiring, and we offer our congratulations to everyone who participated in raising such a significant sum. To honour these efforts, we will be presenting commemorative badges and rewards to the highest-raising form groups over the next few weeks. We would like to extend a huge thank you to the staff for supporting this initiative and ensuring that pupils were engaged in a wide range of fundraising activities.We also want to express our sincere gratitude to our parents and carers, as your generosity and support behind the scenes were instrumental in helping us reach this ambitious goal. Regarding the use of these funds, we will be meeting with the Student Council to discuss their proposals and finalise how best to invest this money back into the school to benefit all pupils. We are eagerly awaiting their inspirational ideas and will share the final investment plan with you once it is confirmed. The fundamental aim of the Anchor Fund is to support the educational development of pupils at St Clement Danes School, making projects possible that might otherwise feel impossible due to financial constraints. To that end, we will continue to keep the donation pages live so that any last-minute donations and outstanding fundraising money can still be submitted. Thank you once again for your incredible support; it was a great effort. Well done to all. MONTHLY DONATION ONLINE ANCHOR FUND 25 YEAR CELEBRATION DONATION PAGE
20th November

Future Leaders Elected: Student Ambassador Sees Strong Turnout in Mock General Election

Pupils went to the polls on Thursday 13th November to elect their new Student Ambassador representatives, completing a campaign period that featured speeches in assemblies and a system designed to replicate a real-life general election. The ballot saw the election of one representative for KS3 and one for KS4/5, providing all pupils who chose to participate with valuable experience in the democratic process, including the requirement to use identification to cast their vote.  The high engagement was noted, with a 49.4% turnout for KS3 and an impressive 59.2% for KS4/5. This electoral practice took on particular significance, given the potential for 16-year-olds (our current Year 8 and above pupils) to vote in the next General Election in 2029 if proposed legislation is passed. The candidates for the KS3 role were Inaya A, Betsy G, Oliver H, Rithvik N, Ishvaa S and Isaac W. Contesting the KS4/5 position were Jasmine C, Arjun D P, Blake S and Charlie W. We extend congratulations to all candidates who participated, with Mrs. Brown, Head of Faculty for Political & Social Sciences, highlighting that it was "tough to stand in front of your peers and present," and emphasised that the candidates were "future leaders" whose participation was essential for a "democratic vote." Following the final count, Betsy G (Year 7) was announced as the new KS3 representative, having secured 160 votes. The KS4/5 seat was won by Arjun D P (Year 11), who tallied 205 votes. Both winners now begin their terms as the voice of their peers on the Student Council.