Spelling Bee Contest

On Tuesday 27 January, the whole of Year 7 took part in a brilliant Spelling Bee contest. Year 7 classrooms have been a hive of activity for the past few months as students practised their spellings, and we were so impressed to see how far they've flown. There was a real buzz in the air as A and B teams from each class competed in the final for the crown.

After several rounds with extremely tough spellings (e.g. aesthetic, onomatopoeia and psychology), the winning bees emerged from Ms Scott's class:

• Maya O.
• Thora 
• Phyenix
• Keeva

Well done! They each win a national book token. There was also the chance for a class to win a prize based on their answers in the equally tough audience rounds. 

Well done Ms Neuburger, Ms Cotuk and Ms Cohen's class!

Ms Trench

Casca News  

Please help Casca raise even more money at the Indoor Carboot Sale on the 7 March. 

Please donate to our stall!

We will need bric-a-brac, jewellery, unwanted gifts and books. 

The items can be handed to reception, addressed to Casca/Mary.

Thank you very much!

Maths Student of the Week

Lynn 7C – Lynn is an incredibly polite and helpful student, who is always providing valuable input to classroom discussions. Lynn also models exemplary partner work by thoroughly questioning her partner and their logic until both students have a solid understanding.

Well done!

The Guilty Feminist comes to CSG!

On Thursday evening, CSG was host to a podcast recording of The Guilty Feminist, presented by Deborah Frances White, with author (and founder of the Women's Prize for Fiction and Non-Fiction) Kate Mosse as the special guest.

Deborah was speaking to Kate about her new book – "Feminist History for Every Day of the Year" – a non-fiction anthology highlighting trailblazing women through time, written for a cross-over audience of teenagers and adults. The book covers well-known women from the past (Emily Bronte, Florence Nightingale, Mary Seacole) and from the present (Billie Eilish, Simone Biles) as well as those who have dropped out of the history books (Pauli Murray, a civil rights activist from North Carolina, for example). Kate and Deborah spoke about a range of figures covered in the book, as well as the importance of standing shoulder to shoulder with one another to effect change. 

The hall was prepared beautifully, and we had an audience of over 200 people – students, staff, parents and visitors – and a great bar from CASCA. Books by Kate and Deborah were on sale, and both stayed signing theirs and chatting to audience members afterwards. It was such a wonderful evening: we could have listened to Kate and Deborah for hours longer! 

The event raised nearly £3,000 for the school, and we're so grateful to The Guilty Feminist team for choosing us as their venue. A particular thanks to Duska Cutler and producer (and CSG mum) Gina Decio for making this happen. 

Julia Gibson – Head of English

Year 9 English Trip 

On Wednesday, Ms Trench and Ms Essery took a group of Year 9 students to the National Theatre to see Kendall Feaver's wonderful adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's beloved 1930s novel Ballet Shoes about three adopted sisters, Pauline, Petrova and Posy Fossil, and their adventures as they discover who they are and want to be. It was a hugely enjoyable production: inventive, playful and joyous, as well as very moving in parts, and we all loved it.

Here is Lucy 9T's description:

"The English trip to see the play Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre on Wednesday was excellent. Ballet Shoes, directed by Katy Rudd, explores the story of the Fossil sisters growing up in a house full of dinosaur bones in the 1930s London. It follows the different paths that Petrova, Posy and Pauline take (acting, aviation and ballet) and how they achieve their goals. We were all very excited to go. The set was beautiful, with lots of paintings, curtains and fossils in shades of green and blue. The first half was mysterious and often very funny, especially when the absent homeowner, Great Uncle Matthew, appeared on stage during his travels. I particularly enjoyed Pauline’s monologue from The Children’s Hour at her Alice in Wonderland audition because of how bizarre and melodramatic it was. After getting some fresh air at the interval, we were back in our seats for the second half, and I was excited and invested in seeing how the narrative would resolve. As Ayo Edebiri said: “I’m seated." The plot was all tied together nicely, and it ended with each sister going off to fulfil their ambitions in various parts of the world."

Ms Trench

This Month in Medicine – January 2026

On the 22 January, NICE (National Institute of Health and Care Excellence) were happy to announce that they had approved a new combination treatment for lupus nephritis for NHS use. This treatment involves the twice-yearly infusion of Obinutuzumab, combined with immunosuppressant tablets. Obinutuzumab is a monoclonal antibody which “quiets down” the immune system by targeting pre-B and mature B lymphocytes, both of which play a central role in lupus at multiple stages. For instance, with lupus, autoreactive pre-B cells are not detected by the body. This results in autoantibody production, which ultimately causes the tissue damage and inflammation seen in lupus nephritis. As lupus is an autoimmune condition, the use of immunosuppressants further prevents the immune system from attacking the body. “Clinical trials showed 46% of patients achieved normal or near normal kidney function, compared with just 33% on existing treatment alone, which is usually an immunosuppressant tablet.” Claims NICE. It is estimated that up to 60% of those diagnosed with lupus will have their kidneys affected by it, so this new development is very much uplifting.

On January 24th, the NHS announced that they had developed a genetics programme where genetic testing will be offered to those with cancer in their family history. Those identified with an inherited risk will be added to a register so that they will be able to better access testing (e.g. being offered routine testing) and they will be given specialised advice on how to reduce their risk of developing their inherited cancer. This programme is the first of its kind in the world and will hopefully pioneer an era of early cancer detection worldwide.

In addition to this, on January 16th, an article on the NHS website was published indicating that thousands of men with prostate cancer will now be offered a “life-extending drug” within weeks. The drug in question is Abiraterone acetate, which is a hormone therapy which works by blocking testosterone production. Testosterone is a hormone required by prostate cancer cells to grow, so Abiraterone starves the cancer cells of what they need to grow. This treatment existed before, but is only now being offered to more individuals by the NHS thanks to the health service buying treatments at a better value. Research has shown that “the proportion of men alive after six years on abiraterone was 86% compared to 77%." This promising drug will be offered to men whose cancer has not spread in the past three months. As it is deemed a lower-cost generic medicine, this, combined with other lower cost drugs, may allow the NHS to spend money on treatments and resources in future.

In both the UK and US, it has been noted this month that vaccinations are decreasing. MPs have called the decrease in childhood vaccinations a “national disgrace” with the UK losing its measles elimination certificate after the disease had been circulating continuously for over a year. 68% of all cases in 2025 were recorded in children aged 10 and under. To many, this highlights the need for a stronger childhood vaccination policy to maintain coverage at the 95% level required for herd immunity. Meanwhile, across the pond, a measles outbreak has occurred, leading to two fatalities for the first time since 2015. This is a stark contrast to the USA being awarded measles elimination status in 2000. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported over 222 cases in the latest outbreak. Moreover, the Lancet has described a global outbreak, stating that “Pakistan (7148 cases), Thailand (6852), India (6203), Yemen (5000), and Ethiopia (4724) are all facing outbreaks." Although most would encourage implementing a tougher vaccination policy worldwide, others may argue that this challenges certain aspects of medical ethics, particularly autonomy, which emphasises that patients capable of making decisions should choose how they want to be treated, if at all.

All in all, this month in medicine has been a mixed bag. There have been success stories such as the world’s first ever genetics programme for early cancer detection. There has also indeed been less heartening news, especially in other countries, such as tech company Palantir disclosing private health data to ICE agents to help them better find illegal immigrants, going against medical ethics entirely. Medicine is constantly evolving, so let us hope for an even more promising February.

Selina Y12