Leo Patel and Sophie Daniel-Jones deliver to the community for Clarion Housing Group. Read more here
HILLVIEW SIXTH FORM STUDENTS CELEBRATE ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR OF RESULTS!
In a year of uncertainty around the new “tougher” A Level and BTEC qualifications, we are delighted that Hillview has maintained its usual high standards of student achievement. Our students can be proud of their successes and results in their sixth form studies, with particular congratulations going to: Silvie Jones – Dance A, Health and Social Care Distinction, Performing Arts Distinction; Chloe Devall – Applied Business Distinction, Health and Social Care Double Distinction; Eliza Gomersall – Textile Design A*, Photography A, Fine Art B; Izzy Woodward – Travel and Tourism Distinction*, Applied Business Distinction, Sociology B; Kat Cashman – English Language and Literature A*, History B, Sociology B; Samuel Healey – Business Applied Distinction, Geography A, Mathematics B; Holly Owen – English Language and Literature B, Health and Social Care Double Distinction; Chloe Cooper – Business Applied Distinction, Textile Design B, Fine Art B. A number of our students also made exceptional progress this year and, thanks to their hard work, exceeded their target grades and performed beyond expectations, with a special mention going to Conor Anac, Amy Austen, Isabel Brightmore (Student Voice Leader) , Christian Bevière, Georgie Fitt and Megan Smith (Deputy Head Girl).
Our students have achieved these excellent results across a broad range of subjects, which reflects the richness of the Hillview curriculum and strong Sixth Form ethos. Students secured amazing grades in both academic and vocational courses. Highlights include: Art (63% A*-B), Childcare (100% A*-A), Dance (100% A*-B), Textile Design (1/3 of students gaining A*-A), English Literature with 100% A*-C and English Language and Literature (40% A*-B), Religious Studies (80% A*-C), Sport (88% A*-A) and our Applied Science with 70% Distinction grades.
We are also thrilled that all of our students are moving on to a positive destination in employment, apprenticeships, further or higher education. For students wishing to go to university 91% have already secured offers so far, with 90% of those receiving a place on their first choice course at their preferred university.
Headteacher Hilary Burkett commented: “Yet again our Hillview students have done themselves proud and have achieved some wonderful results; following some real hard work over the past 2 years. A huge congratulations to all of our students and thanks to the teachers and staff at Hillview for their dedication and to our parents for their support”.
Megan Smith (Deputy Head Girl) and Lana Slack are excited about their futures
Izzy Woodward and Chloe Bass achieved strong marks in their subjects
Chloe Devall achieved a great set of vocational results
Our top achieving male student was Sam Healey, who received an excellent set of results
Hillview Sixth Formers celebrate results!
Student wins two prizes at prestigious Turner Prize art competition.
01 May 2018 was a great day for Hillview Art students . Lauren Browne, Will Holloway and Zoe Biagini-Jones were shortlisted for the Turner Contemporary Portfolio Prize (a prestigious competition open to Kent students from all Key Stages, including FE). The students and their families met up with Mr and Mrs Pledge at the Prize Giving in Canterbury Christ Church College.
We are really excited because Zoe Biagini-Jones was awarded two prizes. She won the Key Stage 5 art prize and also the Lilford Gallery Award for ‘Best Up and Coming Young Artist’!
Zoe’s winning extraordinary painting ‘Pigs in Blankets’ will be exhibited at the Turner Contemporary summer exhibition ‘Animals and Us’ from 15 June.
Please do go along to see the artwork. The exhibition will include artists Keith Arnatt, Joseph Beuys, Marc Chagall, Marcus Coates, Mark Dion, Charlotte Dumas, Tracey Emin, Barry Flanagan, Laura Ford, Lucian Freud, Henri Gaudier Brzeska, Mishka Henner, Candida Höfer, Andy Holden, Marguerite Humeau, Kiluanji Kia Henda, Permindar Kaur, Alice Neel, Kananginak Pootoogook, Stephanie Quayle, Paula Rego, Michal Rovner, Khvay Samnang, Roelandt Savery, Raqib Shaw, Shimabuku, Gilbert Soest, George Stubbs, Andy Warhol, William Wegman, JMW Turner. So good company for Zoe then!
https://www.turnercontemporary.org/exhibitions/animals-us
Please also see the link: https://www.artfund.org/get-involved/art-happens/paula-bear#details
And consider sponsoring ‘Paula the Polar Bear’
Ex Headteacher Stephen Bovey sadly passes away.
It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that we learnt last week of the death of Stephen Bovey, the former Headteacher at Hillview. Stephen joined Hillview in 1996 as Deputy Headteacher and was promoted to Headteacher in 1999 until his retirement in 2014 due to ill health.
Stephen was instrumental in achieving the school’s Performing Arts status and making Hillview the school that it is today.
We have set up a Remembrance Book in the main school Reception where we invite any parents, students, alumni to come along to share and express their thoughts and memories. There will also be an opportunity to leave a donation for Hospice in the Weald, which is the family’s choice of charity in Stephen’s memory. The family are also arranging online giving to the Hospice at Pembury, details of which can be found here.
Hillview will further honour Mr Bovey’s memory in the autumn term. Our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.
Sixth Form Gold Arts Award Students Filmed by the BBC
We have had a very exciting afternoon with our Sixth Form Gold Arts Award students who had a visit from Kate Griffiths: katesfxmakeup a renowned stage makeup artist who taught them different special effects makeup techniques. The afternoon was made even more memorable when the BBC arrived to film the class for this evenings local news.
‘Network’ at the National Theatre.
‘Network’ at the National Theatre.
Mr Smith and Mrs Makepeace took Year 13 Drama students to see Network at The National Theatre on Wednesday 28th February. The play had received 5* reviews from many critics and certainly lived up to the reviews. The performance was a real masterpiece and although set in 1970s is extremely relevant to our lives today. The students demonstrated incredible commitment to make it into London despite heavy snow, with some of the students walking for up to 3 hours to meet at Tonbridge station! Everyone enjoyed a really entertaining and thought provoking play which had truly excellent production values.
https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/shows/network
New York Trip
A Level Dance and Musical Theatre students spent 4 amazing days in New York City over the half term break. Upon arrival the students got straight into their first masterclass at the Ripley Grier studios where they learnt the opening sequence from ‘A Chorus Line’ which they all loved! On day two students went to see the Statue of Liberty as well as the haunting 9/11 Memorial. After a quick slice of pizza it was on to another incredible workshop at the Pearl Studios to learn how to prepare successfully for auditions. This workshop was particularly valuable for the students wanting to pursue a career in the industry. Dinner was then at Ellen Stardust which is a dining experience like no other where Broadway stars perform for you whilst you eat a yummy dinner! Needless to say the students didn’t want to leave and were up dancing most of the evening. On the Sunday it was time for the students to visit two of the most iconic dance studios in the world and experience another two amazing masterclasses. The day begun at the Alvin Ailey Studios and ended at the Martha Graham studios. The day was then finished off with a trip to the theatre to see Kinky Boots! The final day was all about the shops! Students had such fun looking around and buying souvenirs. As well as the shops the students visited the Empire State building, Grand Central Station, Rockafeller Center, Radio City Music Hall and Central Park. All in all, an amazing trip!
Stars in their Eyes Success!
Stars in their Eyes
Our annual ‘Stars in their Eyes’ concert, this year featured a ‘Back to the 80s’ theme. There was definitely an energy in the air as the performers took to the stage with a 6-piece live band, awesome lighting, makeup and costumes to deliver some knock-out performances. I continue to be amazed at the wealth of talented singers and professionalism shown by our students. It is a joy to work in an environment where the arts are respected and supported and we would like to thank all the staff that have supported us, as well as the audience who bought tickets to see the show.
Art and Design Trips
The Grant Museum and the British Museum, London.
If you do not know the Grant Museum of Zoology, it is a wonderful…yet macabre wunderkammer of a museum full of animal skeletons and specimens in jars and cases. The students were awestruck by the incredible range of specimens…some of which are now extinct…a timely reminder of the damage that we have an are inflicting on our delicate planet. The year 12 students are working on a project called ‘Witness: Art, Animals and Us’. We are planning to enter their work for the Turner Contemporary Portfolio Competition. In the afternoon we went on to the British Museum on a quest for representations of animal across time and culture. The students worked amazingly hard and produced excellent drawings.
Flow’ Exhibition, Tonbridge School
Year 12 Fine Art students visited the Old Big School Gallery at Tonbridge School on Thursday morning. They were given an very informative interactive seminar by Sarah Pointon (Gallery Educator). The ‘Flow’ exhibition is really interesting; it presents artworks that are informed by process and manipulation of media, materials and space. The students were really engaged in discussion and visual exploration, understanding the subtleties of the work, which they found to be quietly challenging. A particularly interesting piece is the video by Solveig Settemsdal, which raises the question of what a drawing actually is…can a video be a drawing? (Answer yes, it won the Jerwood drawing prize in 2016…hmm or maybe it is a sculpture?). On returning to Hillview one of the classes immediately set about responding to the vitality of the exhibition in their own work. Just in case they are wondering 12B will be doing this next week!
Nina Dunn
We had two exciting events in Art & Design this week. On Wednesday international video and projection designer Nina Dunn took time out of her busy schedule to run a workshop for our students. Nina explained how her career in theatre and live events developed, introducing the students to the exciting possibilities of video and projection design as a future career path. The students were then introduced to creative exploration with light and projection. They really enjoyed and became engrossed in their light and image experiments. I do hope they realise how lucky they are to have such exciting input into their art education. You can see some of the spectacular things that Nina does on her website: https://somethinggraphic.net
Neonatal Visit to Health and Social Care students.
Neonatal Visit to Health and Social Care students.
Year 12 Health & Social Care students recently received a visit from the Neonatal Sister at Pembury Hospital, who spoke to our students about her role and responsibilities. She gave an insight into the reality of working for the NHS in a caring capacity and how the 6Cs (Care, Compassion, Communication, Competency, Commitment, Courage) were recommended following the Francis Report after the investigation into Mid-Staffordshire Hospital.
Students watched a video made by a parent and heard the events, as written by the mother, accompanied by her photographs, of twins born at 26 weeks. There were clothes to fit very premature babies, blood pressure cuffs (as in the photograph) and feeding tubes to help visualise and imagine the size and needs of these very vulnerable babies.
Our students found it very informative and gave excellent feedback, including that they were now considering a career in nursing.
