Wearing an amazing array of wigs, hats, and face-paints and armed with flags, thirty children and four members of staff piled into the mini-buses on Saturday 14 November. Their destination was Twickenham to watch the England versus Argentina Rugby International.

  Excitement was high as we pulled into the car-park, despite driving rain and swirling wind. Inside the stadium the weather didn’t seem so bad, however, and there was superb photo opportunity beside the famous pitch. The children behaved extremely well as they waited for the match to start and excitement built to a crescendo as the England team – including Johnny Wilkinson ran onto the pitch!

In order to raise funds for their upcoming journey to India, the Sixth Form girls organised a Quiz night. The event was a sell out and a buzz filled the air as the teams eagerly waited for the questions to begin. All ten rounds brought new challenges, stretching team member's brains to consolidate their answers.

Supper was provided in the form of a delicious Indian Curry which was served by the girls whilst items were displayed for the silent auction and raffle tickets continued to be purchased. The Music round was a highlight for many and an excellent chance for teams to scratch together extra points. As the quiz masters Tara  and Olivia  drew the evening to a close, there was delight sounded by all on the winning team Mumbai who had managed to work themselves into the lead in the final rounds.

It appears that the way the many people feel about their body image verges on the obsessional! There is little doubt that the culture and time in which we live determines how we all view body image - but are we as a society becoming more obsessed with ‘the body beautiful’? For many people the idea that they do not fit the ‘normal body’ image is very stressful.

 These issues and many more were explored at Alton Convent Sixth Form Conference. More than ever women, and increasingly men, are feeling the squeeze, with the same enormous pressure, to achieve physical perfection. From compulsive weightlifting to steroid use, from hair styles to cosmetic surgery, growing numbers of men and women are taking the quest for perfect muscles, skin, and hair to new levels.

“When they opened the golden envelope and said my name, I couldn’t believe it.” Hannah Pusey’s last minute entry of a review of ‘Mamma Mia’ had taken her to Young Film Critic of the Year shortlist, thence to a ceremony at the BAFTA HQ and finally up onto the stage to receive her award!

Hannah, a Year 11 student, first learnt about the competition through a page in her homework planner, advertising National Schools Film Week. She promptly forgot all about it, and only entered just before midnight on the closing day.