Schools/colleges

PUPILS at Harlyn School in Northwood Hills got a pizza the action last Tuesday (9) when they visited a nearby Italian restaurant for a cookery class.

Year three students at the school, in Tolcarne Drive, learned the art of making the perfect pizza under the watchful eye of Paul Lewis, executive head chef at Prezzo in Pinner.

DOZENS of children in Three Rivers have been left disappointed after being denied their first choice of secondary school.

Out of 182 applicants in the Rickmansworth and Maple Cross area, 46 per cent (83) missed out on their preferred school, with 30 per cent of pupils (47 out of 157) in the Croxley Green area failing to secure their top school, after Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) allocated places last week.

Overall, 64 per cent of children in Three Rivers achieved their first ranked place.

LITTLE St Helen's in Northwood enjoyed a visit from children's author and illustrator Jane Hissey last Thursday (4), who shared her story ideas to mark World Book Day.

Best known for her collection of books, Old Bear and Friends - which formed the basis of the BAFTA award-winning television series, Old Bear Stories - Ms Hissey showed the girls some of the childhood toys which inspired her.

FANTASTIC Mr Fox and other popular children's characters were brought to life in events at Hillside Infants School to mark World Book Day.

Pupils at the school, in Northwood Way, Northwood, dressed as animals from books including The Tiger Who Came to Tea, Giraffes Can't Dance, The Hungry Caterpillar, The Wind in the Willows and The Cat in the Hat.

A LUNCH time recital by AS and A level students at the Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth Park will take place on Friday, March 19.

The concert will feature mezzo-sopranos, Rachel Lily and Florence Odumosu, and pianists Jun Lin and Gabriella Scanio.

Admission is free. Call 01923 773168 for more information.

A 16-YEAR-OLD genius from Northwood College with an IQ to rival Carol Vorderman has been accepted into Mensa.

Brainy Charlotte Pain, a straight-A student, has an IQ of 149 - just five points below the former Countdown maths queen.

The gifted year 11 pupil's intellect is within the top two per cent in the world. Only 14 per cent of Mensa members are under 20 - making the achievement all the more remarkable.

ROMANCE and tragedy were the order of the day at Royal Masonic School for Girls in Rickmansworth, as pupils rehearsed for a production of West Side Story.

Students at the school, in Rickmansworth Park, have collaborated with boys from Merchant Taylors, Rickmansworth School and Watford Grammar School for Boys, to put on the show, which is based on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

EIGHT potential sites have been identified for a new secondary school in Rickmansworth after £82.5million worth of funding for extra school spaces was approved.

The Gazette reported last week that the funds had been earmarked by Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) to increase places where pupil numbers had risen.

MORE than 200 students crammed into the library at Northwood College last week to learn the truth about vampires.

As part of events to celebrate World Book Day next Thursday (4), the school, in Maxwell Road, Northwood, welcomed award-winning author Marcus Sedgwick, who has written a range of titles for children and teenagers based on the blood-sucking creatures.

This week is the last chance for Three Rivers residents to have a say on school admission arrangements for 2011/2012 in Hertfordshire.

The county council is asking for feedback on proposed changes to move from the shortest designated route method of measuring home-school distances to the straight-line distance measurement.

A public consultation closes this Friday (26). Visit www.hertsdirect.org/sayschools for more information.