our teachers' and support staff's charitable and public benefit activitiesOur Staff’s Charitable and Public Benefit Activities

Teachers and support staff at Highgate have always given their time willingly in support of the School’s charitable activities. Although commitment to supporting the School’s work in these areas now forms part of teachers’ employment agreements (or contracts), it is very pleasing that there is such enthusiasm for voluntary participation in this area. Furthermore, there are many teachers whose work in their own time as examiners, lecturers, writers or volunteers exemplifies “the provision of incidental or ancillary educational activities, and the undertaking of associated activities for the benefit of the public”.

The time given to these commitments can’t sensibly be quantified, but their impact should not be ignored. Amongst many examples, Andrew Szydlo (Chemistry) and David Smith (Physics) make an especially significant contribution to improving the teaching of Science, and to widening public access to Science. Highgate School happily supports them to do so.

Andrew Szydlo:

  • Lecture to Hampstead Scientific Society as part of National Science week;
  • Lectures at the Royal Institution and at an international conference (in Poland) on environmental chemistry;
  • Lecture at the Wellcome Institute on April 8th (see The Independent, April 12th);
  • Chemistry presentations to pupils in six state schools, and a talk about alchemy to a Polish cub scout pack;
  • Preparation of photographs for a new chemistry book;
  • Translation of Polish Eastertide and Passiontide hymns for a new recording;
  • Four articles published (one in Turkish, two in Polish, one in English);
  • His experiments on dehydrated urine were discussed in Hugh Aldersey-Williams’ Periodic Tales.

David Smith:

  • Member of the Editorial Board of Physics Education, a bi-monthly journal for secondary school/first year university physics teachers put together by the Institute of Physics Publishing (http://iopscience.iop.org/0031-9120);
  • Co-writing the bid to the Science and Technology Funding Council for support to extend to more schools the project CORUS (Cosmic Ray Experiments in UK Schools, which was set up at Highgate in partnership with King’s College London), so that more pupils have the opportunity to participate in this important and interesting research experiment;
  • Lecture to the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institute, about the Welsh artist Kyffin Williams.