Friday 6th February2026
#AHSWalksTall
Friday 6th February2026
#AHSWalksTall
Dear Parents, Carers, and Students
It has been another great week of sport and achievement at AHS! Beyond the busy fixtures in sport, our students have secured incredible results in prestigious public speaking events. We are especially proud of our participants in the Rotary Club of Aylesbury ‘100s’ Youth Speaker competition, and we are thrilled to have the school compete for the first time at the Oxford Union Schools Debating competition. A huge well done to everyone involved! Your dedication, preparation, and eloquence have truly shone through.
In addition to these achievements, we want to say a massive well done to our Year 13 students, who have now completed their mock exams. We also extend our gratitude to our staff, who are working hard to mark papers and prepare to best support both Year 11 and Year 13 in the months ahead. These efforts ensure that every student receives the guidance they need as they approach their final exams.
As a follow-up to last week's update, we would like to share a quick reminder regarding our upcoming non-uniform day and our Games and Curry evening. Please see the details below for everything you need to know.
Last week
Handball
Our U13 Handball team put in a stellar performance last week against The Grange School. The team showed great tactical awareness and agility, winning 9–4. A fantastic result for the squad!
Netball
Our "B" teams were in action against Kingsbrook School, demonstrating the fantastic depth of talent we have at AHS.
Year 7B - A dominant display and a 15–1 win.
Year 8B - A hard-fought defensive battle, narrowly missing out with a final score of 5–7.
This week
Cricket
Our U15 Cricket team displayed incredible skill and composure during the Cricket Indoor Rounds 1 at Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School this week. The squad showcased brilliant teamwork and despite a series of fantastic individual and team performances, they narrowly missed out on qualification. A huge well done to the team for representing the school.
Handball
It was a double-header against Kingsbrook this Tuesday with two very different matches.
U13s vs Kingsbrook U15s (5-a-side): Our U13s showed immense bravery taking on a significantly older U15 side. While the final score was 4–15 to Kingsbrook, the U13s never gave up and gained invaluable experience.
U15s vs Kingsbrook (7-a-side): The U15s put in a dominant performance in their 7-a-side clash, controlling the game from the start to finish with a 7–3 win.
Cross Country
A massive well done to our 10-strong Cross Country team who competed at the Bucks Schools Cross Country Championships at Stowe School. Despite the challenging, muddy terrain, our runners showed true resilience.
National Qualifiers: Shona – 2nd Place (Minors) Gabriella – 4th Place (Inters) Lucinda – 9th Place (Seniors)
All three received their invitation envelopes for the Nationals! A fantastic achievement for the team and a great day for school sport.
Swimming
It was another fantastic gala for our Inter and Senior swimmers this week. AHS truly stood out at Pipers Corner School, being the only school to field a complete Senior team and bringing more swimmers to the blocks than any other competing school. The team’s consistency was remarkable with a huge haul of 2nd place finishes. Our relay teams were particularly dominant, showing great synchronization and speed.
Well done to Sophia, Olivia, and Emilia for their excellent individual swims.
Mrs Colclough
PE Technician
On Saturday 31st January, three groups of Year 7 and 8 students competed in the Rotary Club of Aylesbury Hundreds Youth Speaks competition. The overall winners were Tanaya Chotai, Tammanna Rajaratnam and Amaira Deotale (all Year 7). Tammanna also won best Proposer. They will proceed to the District Final, which is held on Saturday 28 February 2026 at Bedford Greenacre Independent School.
Runners up were Shreya Saxena, Eva Deotale and Hania Rehan (Year 7 & 8). Hania also won best Opposer.
All groups worked incredibly hard on their debates and we are very proud of their achievements!
Ms C Smith
KS4 English Coordinator
Whole School Literacy Coordinator
On Wednesday our debate society took part in the Oxford Union school debate competition for the first time. Our students faced some fierce competition but with help from their coaches, Scarlett and Cecile (Year 13), the teams performed fantastically in the face of some very tough proposed motions. We are delighted to announce one of our teams, Jenny & Mia (Year 12), have successfully made it through to the finals. The finals will be a mix of international and national teams such as Eton, Wellington College, Euonia junior college (Singapore). We hope you wish them the best of luck for competition day in March.
Mrs. Gaunt
History & Politics
A massive well done to our two teams of 6th Formers; Maggie, Grace, Tia and Jess who competed in the recent regional French debating competition. Both teams were praised by the judges for their persuasive arguments and impressive fluency. You’ve done yourselves and the MFL department proud. Félicitations à toutes ! "
Ms. Aquilina
Foreign Language Tutor French
Children’s Mental Health Week 9th -13th February
Children’s Mental Health Week is a national opportunity to highlight the importance of emotional wellbeing and to remind young people that it’s okay to talk about how they’re feeling. This year’s focus encourages students to notice their emotions, express themselves safely and seek support when needed.
Here are links to the Families & Communities Mental Health Week Pack and This is my Place Art Project:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YgR7AfgSeKwIgGS3DeQLkfJ4r5gJ5v_k/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NBlu1mlcKQExtPFfQy36-5wCmHbktUVy/view?usp=sharing
Mrs S McNally
Mental Health & Wellbeing Lead and DDSL
Year 12 Psychology students have been busy creating (and parenting) egg—and occasionally potato—babies this week in a creative ‘eggsperiment’ designed to help them understand Bowlby's attachment theory.
To start, their eggs had to be decorated to demonstrate ‘social releasers’—the cute features that encourage an attachment bond. The photos show just how beautiful this year's birth cohort is; see if you can spot Mary Shell-ey and Tater Swift amongst them! Katy and Jess even created their own egg-baby carriers to encourage a close bond.
Students were then tasked with maintaining constant care of their ‘babies’ for at least two days, simulating the critical period during which the attachment bond must form. Following this, students reflected on the impact their parenting might have on their baby's future social and emotional development. This prompted the class to think critically about Bowlby's claims, considering: what research evidence is there to show that early connections with primary caregivers shape future relationships? And what other variables might be at play?
Some people may be asking: will this creative learning help students remember Bowlby's theory in future tests? We have great eggspectations that it will help our students to crack it.
Mrs Jayatillake
Head of Department for Psychology
To find useful information on Classroom to Careers for families, please click the link provided above.
Mrs Sutton
Next Steps and Careers Lead
Please do not drop off students for AGS and AHS in the Wynne Jones Centre. It is a busy entrance at this time and stopping here is not permitted. We have also been contacted by the Probation Service whose office is there and they have told us that it is not a safe place for our students to be dropped off. Your cooperation with this is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
With thanks, as ever, for your support, and wishing all a lovely weekend,
Marieke Forster
The AHS Fund helps us to enrich the curriculum and develop the school's facilities to ensure that every student is able to fulfil their potential, wherever their strengths lie. Support from our Parents, our Alumnae and our wider community allows us to provide the outstanding education you expect and the students deserve.
Please click here for further information AHS School Fundraising