Karen

Karen has attended the school since 2017 and has seen the school grow and improve in that time. Karen has an aptitude for languages and has demonstrated a keen interest in French and Spanish through her studies at Waterside Academy and tributes the fact that she can now speak five languages ( second to her native Portuguese and Creole) to the dedicated and inspirational languages department here.  

Karen has benefitted from the academic environment at Waterside Academy and is applying to selective sixth forms using the Waterside Academy prestigious colleges programme. Karen hopes to emulate the success of students in 2020 and 2021 who were also on the programme. 

Karen has also been given opportunities in the last year to take part in the wider life of the school. She has been involved in summer school as a Student Leader, a role which she interviewed for and successfully was awarded beating many of her peers.  She has also taken a lead role in the school food collection and delivery to the Hackney Food Bank, generating many donations of non-perishable goods from the school community to benefit the less fortunate in the borough.  

Karen has taken part in the Speak Out Challenge and got to the regional final. She attributes her success to the way Waterside Academy has nurtured her confidence through the focus on oracy and developed her confidence. 

For her positive contributions Karen has been awarded a Jack Petchey Award  and she hopes to study law at university. Karen demonstrates the Waterside Ways of Care, Challenge, Confidence and Courtesy in every aspect of her school life.