Francis Holland School Sloane Square

This morning, Year 7 and 8 enjoyed the exhilarating finals of one of our most gloriously eccentric school traditions: the Lauda Sion Latin Competition! 🗣️🎭

Our Head of Classics, Ms McNamara, reports:

“This week, Year 7 and 8 pupils performed in Lauda Sion, bringing to life stories from our Suburani textbook at St Mary’s. The finalists treated us to a squawking parrot screeching “tu es mendax!”, a living statue of Emperor Claudius, and a moving rendition of Boudicca’s destruction of Colchester, complete with flickering flames. The talent and creativity were undeniably impressive - not least because of the sweltering heat. We may as well have been in ancient Rome! Our group winners were in 7W with their performance of “cella” (the room) and in 8Z with their depiction of “umbra” (the ghost). The overall best performer was Eva H in 8Y, whose flawless pronunciation and costume created a moving picture of Quartilla, an enslaved woman. The Classics Department is very proud of all performers, and the winners will receive their Classics-themed prizes next week in lessons. optime, alumnae!” 🏆👩‍🎓

As well as complementing the girls’ curricular studies in Latin and Drama (plus English and Modern Foreign Languages, all of which are intrinsically rooted in Latin), competitions such as this cultivate a number of integral skills for the future including oracy, collaboration, creative thinking and interdisciplinary learning. Congratulations to all our brilliant performers and thank you to the staff who have supported and guided them. 💙

Oracy has been one of our key focuses this academic year and we have our Year 9 ‘Raise Your Voice’ drama performances, our MFL Poetry Competition and our Lower Sixth TEDx talks still yet to come with only six school days remaining. Watch this space! ✨

The Senior Hall was transformed into a World War II factory for our spectacular Lower School Play this week - and it did not disappoint! 🎭

Director, Miss Parkins, reports:
“Bringing Wellington 24 by Rachel Harper to life has been a truly rewarding and inspiring experience. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, the play shines a light on the resilience, courage, and quiet determination of women on the home front.

What has made this production particularly special is the extraordinary dedication and enthusiasm of our Year 7, 8 and 9 pupil cast. In such a short rehearsal period, they have embraced the emotional depth of the piece with maturity and sensitivity.”

Congratulations to all our amazing actors - we are so proud of you all - and thank you to our wonderful Drama Department! 🎭✨🎟️💐

𝐏𝐨𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬, 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬, 𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦-𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠.💡

This week, Years 7 and 8 put their creativity, teamwork and critical thinking skills to the test through our annual TIPS (Thinking Innovatively and Problem Solving) programme.

From creating podcast series and marketing campaigns to learning conducting techniques, tackling CSI-style mysteries, Meccano races and mathematical challenges, pupils embraced every opportunity to think differently, collaborate and innovate.

A brilliant week of curiosity, creativity and confidence-building.

On Thursday 21st May, parents, pupils and staff gathered to celebrate the extraordinary talent our Year 11 artists at our GCSE Art Show. ✨🎨✨

Our guests explored a stunning range of work spanning drawing, painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, mixed media and installation, and learnt about the deep level of thought and imagination behind every piece in the girls’ sketch books. 🖼️💭

Art at Francis Holland continues to go from strength to strength, with several recent leavers having progressed to world class institutions including Central Saint Martins, Kingston School of Art and The Slade. 👩‍🎓👏

We are incredibly proud of every one of our GCSE artists, many of whom are progressing to A Level, and grateful to our exceptional Art Department, who have offered boundless support, guidance and inspiration throughout the girls’ GCSE journey. 💙

Our A Level Art Show is coming up on Thursday 18th June - watch this space! 🙌

Creativity has glittered and dazzled throughout an extraordinary week of performing arts at FHS. ✨

Highlights have included...

⛪ The beautiful Evensong at Holy Trinity Church, Sloane Street on Sunday evening
🎼 A fabulous Musical Theatre Showcase on Monday lunchtime.
🎷More amazing music with the Battersea Jazz Festival workshops on Tuesday, culminating in a brilliant concert in the evening
🐎 A Lower Sixth Drama trip to War Horse on Tuesday evening
🎭🌍 An epic Myths and Legends showcase on Thursday, where every Year 8 pupil performed their creative takes on Celtic stories. Each class performed a different story, with roles assigned by pulling names out of a hat.

With our GCSE Art Show and Sports Day having also taken place, this has been a week that has encapsulated the joyful sense of belonging that makes our FHS community so unique. 💙

What better way to conclude a phenomenal half term - wishing our FHS community a wonderful break. 🙌

An intrepid group of Year 10 pupils have just returned from a brilliant practice Silver DofE expedition. With over five hours of walking per day and some inclement weather to contend with, we were deeply impressed with the girls’ teamwork, resilience and perseverance throughout the weekend. 🥾🏕️👏

It is wonderful to see so many of our pupils embracing our DofE programme at FHS. Every student in Year 9 is encouraged to complete the Bronze Award and we take the whole year group on practice and assessed expeditions. Girls wishing to continue their journey are similarly supported through the Silver Award in Year 10 and many also complete the Gold Award in Year 11 and the Sixth Form. 🥉🥈🥇

As well as being a fantastic way to develop friendships and have fun, the Award allows pupils to develop many skills including problem-solving, communication, self-belief, self-discipline, team-building and responsibility. It is also a qualification that future employers value and respect. 🫡

Well done to all our Year 10 DofE-ers and thank you to all the staff who accompanied the trip. We look forward to the assessed expedition in June! 🙌

🎉 Cheers to our Upper Sixth 💙

Last week had it all — Leavers’ Dinner, Prize Giving, milestones, memories, and plenty of big feelings.

The next chapter is all yours now.

Best of luck with exams and we can’t wait to hear where you end up 💫

🏅 LESS THAN 2 WEEKS UNTIL SPORTS DAY 🏅
Friday 22nd May at Battersea Park 🏃🏼‍♀️ 🏃🏾‍♀️
We can’t wait to see you there! ☀️

Over the May Bank Holiday weekend, 45 Year 7 and 8 pupils embarked on a fabulous Lower School Choir Tour to Barcelona. 🎼🇪🇸✨

✍️ Our classroom reporter, Kira reports:

“The choir trip was incredibly fun! After the landing in Barcelona, we got to the hotel to find a Spanish buffet! After a long night of rest, we visited a beautiful castle and had the privilege to sing in its chapel. Later that day, we went to Port Adventura and it was most likely the highlight of the trip! After getting home, the teachers took us on a relaxing walk along the beach. The next day, the teachers made our day enjoyable with games on the beach and shopping in Barcelona! Before returning home the next day, we sang in the Montserrat monastery. Overall the teachers made the choir trip extremely fun and enjoyable. Thank you very much to FHS!”

🔚 Swipe to the end to hear the girls’ beautiful singing, thoroughly befitting the magnificence of the concert venues. We are immensely proud of every member of our Lower School Choir and grateful to all the staff and parents who made this wonderful trip possible. 💙

🛎️ CALLING ALL FHS PARENTS! 🛎️

Our ‘Her Story’ Gala Dinner is coming up on Friday 19th June. ✨

It promises to be our most spectacular Gala yet (which really is saying something!) and there are still a handful of tables available – do book your ticket using the link in our bio. 🎟️ 🔗

Booking closes at midnight on 1st June or earlier if tickets sell out, so we would encourage you to book soon. All proceeds will support our Bursary Programme, The Promise Campaign, and Unlocking the Potential of our school site, helping shape the future of Francis Holland for our girls and for generations to come. ✨

If you are unable to join us on the evening and still wish to support - donations of any size are truly welcome and will help bring these inspiring enhancements to life. 💙

We hope to see you there! 💃🏼🪩🕺🏼