Dear parents,
Last week, I spent three days in Birmingham at the IAPS Heads’ Conference. It is always a privilege to spend time with fellow Heads and to have the opportunity to listen to inspirational speakers, exchange ideas and catch up with colleagues. If I’m honest, though, I am always ready to come home and get back to school. I miss the pupils and the hustle and bustle of the hallways!
So, back at my desk on Monday, with an afternoon full of sawing, sewing and glue-gunning, not to mention a queue of pupils eager to share their good work, what more could I ask for?
Our first Open Morning of the year took place on Saturday and proved to be a wonderfully busy and successful event. As always, our Upper Two tour guides were exceptional ambassadors for the school, confidently showcasing all that makes our community so special. Events such as these always remind me how fortunate I am to work in such an inspiring educational setting. A huge thank you to all our pupil helpers, whose enthusiasm, kindness and confidence helped make the morning such a success.
Miss Cox led our first assembly of the week, introducing National Poetry Day and this year’s theme of Wonder. Inspired by this, Upper Two went on a Wonder Walk around our beautiful school grounds, using their senses to notice textures, sounds, memories and hidden stories. They crunched beech masts, felt bark, spotted planes and personified nature as they began composing their poems.
We also announced our House Captains for the year. Many congratulations to Amelie and Josh, Flo and Seb, Harry and Emme, and Jacob and Finn. I know they will be wonderful role models for their peers, and I look forward to watching them flourish in their new leadership roles over the course of the year.
During our Chapel service on Wednesday, Rev Close spoke about Harvest and reminded us of the importance of being thankful and generous. This year, for Harvest, we are supporting local charity St Petrock’s. Donations can be brought to the Chapel during the final week before half-term, week beginning 12 October. Thank you, as always, for your support and generosity.
We were treated to a performance from our U2 band, Flaming Hearts. There was plenty of foot-tapping and jigging along from the audience! Well done to Amelie, Niyati, Flo and Eve. Britains Got Talent, here they come!
Congratulations, too, to our wonderful new librarians across Upper one and Lower Two, who have begun their roles in earnest this week. We are fortunate to have more than 20 librarians this year, who will help promote a love of reading, keep our library in good order and support other pupils in discovering new books and broadening their reading.
Yesterday, I had one of those wonderful afternoons that makes school life so special, watching our U8 and U9 children take part in their first fixtures of the year. The children played in festivals both at home and away at St Peter’s, and it was brilliant to see their excitement and enthusiasm as they represented the school for the first time. They all had a fantastic afternoon and should be incredibly proud of their efforts.
Scholarship applications opened on Friday 25 September. Our scholarships, offered in art, drama, music and sport, recognise pupils with exceptional talent and commitment, giving them the chance to develop their skills alongside specialist staff and to inspire others around them. The programme runs in three stages: it begins with the Excellence Pathway in Third Form (Year 7), continues with Scholarship Development from Lower Fifth (Year 9), and leads to Scholarship Awards in Lower Sixth (Year 12). Applications are therefore invited from pupils currently in Upper Two (Year 6), Fourth Form (Year 8) and Upper Fifth (Year 11), ahead of each stage. Full details and the application form are available on our website, and the deadline to apply is Friday 13 November.
Also, next week we will be sending out a parental survey, and we would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete it.
I wish you all a lovely weekend and look forward to seeing you on Monday.
