Oxford High School for Girls

6th Form at Philosophy of Religion Conference

Religious Studies — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:20:02 +0000

RS students from Years 12 and 13 joined hundreds of other 6^th Formers at a Philosophy of Religion conference on February 3^rd. Oxford Town Hall was filled to capacity to hear the eminent Dr Peter Vardy and Professor Alister McGrath talk on key subjects such as the God of the Philosophers, miracles, death and eternal life and credulity and credibility. Each subject was covered in a jam packed session which deftly covered the issues in a way which was very relevant for A Level questions. Video extracts from interviews with other key figures such as Professor Richard Swinburne and Rev Dr Gerard Hughes added another dimension to the discussion. Peter Vardy kept up a rapid pace and swept the gathering along with his usual energy, while Prof. McGrath added an element of humour with his reference to leprechauns.

The day finished with a debate entitled ‘This house believes that God could have created a better world, a world in which free beings always choose to do good’. Charlotte Vardy skilfully chaired this lively debate which was open to everyone. The heat raised by some of the student contributors making a welcome contrast to the super zero temperatures outside! OHS students all agreed it had been a very worthwhile day.

French Luxury Goods Lecture

French — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:16:23 +0000

On Tuesday 31^st of February, after school, French students ranging from Year 10 to Year 13 had the pleasure to attend Mrs Greenwood`s lecture about the famous French luxury goods business conglomerate Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (MHLV) whose chairman, Mr Bernard Arnault is the richest man in Europe and the 4^th in the world, just behind Bill Gates.

Mrs Greenwood had the privilege to work for this group for 8 years and gave us a rare insight into the workings of such a huge enterprise employing more around 83500 people around the world and marketing prestigious brands such as Fendi, Marc Jacob, Givenchy, Dior, Bulgari, Guerlain, TAG Heuer, De Beers and many more. Secrets of their success were revealed such as the fact that every luxury fashion item is handmade in France (apart from some new world wines) and that instead of selling the previous year`s collections cheaply, they simply destroy everything which is not up to date in order to keep the high value of their luxury products. It is not unusual to have to go on a waiting list to be able to get hold of the newest collections, including wines and spirits like Château Yquem , Veuve Clicquot champagne and Hennessy cognac.

Who knows, one day some of our girls might choose to do work experience or even work for this prestigious group, so keep up your French…

The Careers Event 2012

Careers — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 08:08:18 +0000

Emma Bridgewater returned to OHS, her old school, to talk to our students about doing and creating, drawing on her own experience of setting up her company when she was still a young English Literature graduate with only £400 in the bank. She found it tough to enter the male-dominated world of manufacturing but succeeded through a mixture of will power, passion for what she loves doing and for the intensity of creating new ideas within the traditional ceramics industry in Stoke on Trent. Her work and life were inspiring and set us up perfectly for an evening of workshops. The idea behind the OHS Careers event this year was to offer the students a hands-on experience of what it’s like to be involved in the world of work. Rather than just listening to professionals talk about what they do, the students attended two workshops (from a choice of 23) and got stuck in! We had workshops on making a film, a court case (which reached a judgment with a judge and two barristers as guides), acting and Making a Difference amongst many others from Psychology to Landscape Garden Design, Archaeology to Forensics. Here are some of the students’ comments to give a flavour of the evening: ‘The Marketing Mix was AMAZING, interactive, personal and really inspiring.’ ‘I enjoyed being able to get really involved in specific subject areas.’ ‘Fantastic – a really great experience.’ ‘I loved the evening and came away feeling excited about the career possibilities ahead of me – thank you for organising it!’ ‘Was really fun. Definitely do it next year.’ ‘A really unusual and one-off chance to hear about careers.’ ‘I thought it was great!’
Cathy O’Neill
Head of Careers and Life-Long Learning

Language Lunch Time Talk

Mandarin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:09:41 +0000

It is not often you meet a man who speaks over a dozen languages fluently, and for any student with a passion for learning languages, this was a truly inspirational lecture. Even before the talk began, we witnessed Adrian Bullock explain his coffee preferences to Dr Liu in Mandarin, greet Mrs Solovyova in Russian and engage in animated conversation with Madame Harskin in French. Then followed a highly interactive discussion, as Mr Bullock explained the history of linguistics and how this explains the metaphorical aspect of many of the words we use today. In the small space of an hour, we became aware of the importance to simply have confidence and try things out, to adopt the persona of the people of the language and to step out of our comfort zone. Following Mr Bullock’s gripping tale of arriving at the dangerous Greek-Turkish border knowing only one word of Turkish, we discovered the importance of taking a leap of faith when speaking languages abroad and the unexpected rewards it can bring in the form of new friends, opportunities, experiences, and if nothing else, great stories for the grandchildren.

Year 1 Dance

Junior School — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:04:02 +0000

Year 5 – Bat Man

Junior School — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:03:07 +0000

Snow !

Junior School — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:02:41 +0000

Music from Chile

Junior School — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:02:34 +0000

Year 3 visit Pitt Rivers Museum

Junior School — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:10:57 +0000

Year 1 Toy Workshop

Junior School — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:09:57 +0000

Author Matt Dickinson visits Oxford High School

Magazine — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:41:50 +0000

Author Matt Dickinson visited Oxford High School on Thursday 2nd February to talk about his new book, Mortal Chaos, and his adventures as a filmmaker for National Geographic Channel. The students were gripped by his tales of daring on icy surfaces. The book was actually published (by OUP) that same day, so girls were able to buy the very first editions. It is the first in a trilogy, and everyone who has got hold of a copy is already saying it is absolutely gripping, and they can’t wait to see the second – which just might be in the hands of the OHS librarian as a proof copy!

EYFS – Police and Firefighter visit

Junior School — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:08:55 +0000

Year 4 enjoy the CBSO

Junior School — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:47:12 +0000

Year 1 Polstead Road Playground – Forces

Junior School — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:23:33 +0000

: Year 1 Polstead Road Playground

Spanish Literature Inspired Cake

Spanish — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:38:11 +0000

The Y13 Spanish group have clearly been so inspired by the play they are studying (Federico García Lorca’s Bodas de Sangre) that two of them felt compelled to make a cake that depicted the main themes of the play: the yellow and white flowers (edible!) represent death and purity, Muerte (Death) is cheerfully spelt out in icing, and the fake blood and the knife need no further explanation. Thanks to Izzie Daggitt and Libby Scott for their highly imaginative (and delicious) cake – we all enjoyed it!

Year 2 Science – Light

Junior School — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:47:55 +0000

Economics trip to Brussels and Frankfurt December 2011

Economics — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:48:53 +0000

Nineteen Year 11 to Year 13 students went on an Economics and Politics students week long trip to Brussels and Frankfurt. They explored how small and large businesses operated from a chocolate factory in Brussels to a brewery in Leuven. The students particularly enjoyed the chance to make chocolates at the Chocolaterie Duval. They also went to the National Bank of Belgium, where they discussed monetary policy, as well as visiting the Atomium in Brussels.

In Frankfurt they enjoyed the chance to visit the European Central Bank to explore current issue surrounding the Euro. They also went to the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as well as visiting Frankfurter Allgemeine, where they talked to a leading journalist for the afternoon. There were also a wide range of Politics visits. Thanks go to Miss Pallas-Brown and Miss Burton for giving up a week of their holiday.

The White Devil

Careers — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:40:18 +0000

Why do we want to put on and watch this play, four hundred years after it was first written and performed? Maybe it’s because its obsessions remain our own. Flamineo and Vittoria’s dying rejection of the court, with its flattery and its malice, express our own contemporary mistrust of the fawning and viciousness of government and the press. Real tenderness and regret are in the play too, as Flamineo weeps at his mother’s deranged grief: ‘I have a strange thing in me, to th’ which/ I cannot give a name, without it be/ Compassion.’

The greatest pleasure, as always, has been working with the cast as we’ve discovered together the bizarre jokes of 1612 and the disturbing veins of fantasy and misogyny that run through the play. All life is here and, if it makes us squirm with recognition at some points, that’s no bad thing.

Mandarin Chinese Trip to London – February 2011

Mandarin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 12:18:48 +0000

On 17^th February the Year 9 and 10 Mandarin classes went on a trip to London for the Chinese Lantern Festival. Our first stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum, where we went to an exhibition of Chinese Robes from the Qing dynasty. This was the first time that these robes, which had been worn in Beijing’s Forbidden City by China’s Emperors and Empresses, had been exhibited in England, so it was a real privilege to be able to go to see them. It was fascinating to learn about the different purposes of all these clothes and about the lives of all the interesting people that wore them. Once both groups had had a chance to look through the exhibition, as well as the Asian rooms elsewhere in the museum, we drove off to Chinatown. There we were given time to explore the area, experience a taste of a traditional Chinese street along with shops, restaurants and the various sights and smells that accompanied them. We learnt lots about more modern Chinese culture, and the visit was made even more special by the beautiful rows of lanterns strung from building to building in honour of the festival. Many of us purchased souvenirs here, including lucky charms and ‘dragon beard’ candy. For dinner, we went to the Golden Pagoda Restaurant, where we experienced a variety of scrumptious traditional Chinese food and drink. The complimentary Jasmine Tea (hua cha) went down very well along with noodles, egg-fried rice, dim sum, sticky buns and more.

The yuan xiao (traditional Chinese New Year sweet dumplings) and deep-fried tofu weren’t to everyone’s taste; but on the whole the meal and lively conversation were very much enjoyed! This trip was a wonderful experience, and we thank Mrs Pan and Dr Liu for organising it.

Politics trip to Brussels and Frankfurt December 2011

Politics — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:54:33 +0000

Nineteen Year 11 to Year 13 students went on a Politics and Economics trip to Brussels and Frankfurt for a week after the end of the autumn term. Students enjoyed the chance to visit the key EU institutions of the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers in Brussels as well as two minor EU institutions in the form of the Committee of the Regions and the European Economic and Social Committee.

In Frankfurt the students also went to the European Central Bank at a pivotal time for the Euro as well as a range of Economics visits. Thanks go to Miss Pallas-Brown and Miss Burton for giving up a week of their holiday.