Dear parents,
The term is picking up pace now and last weekend was a fantastic example of a busy weekend of sport, with over 20 fixtures at home and away in netball and hockey. We welcomed eight schools to a brilliantly organised netball tournament for U14 and U19 players and I was pleased to be able to see some of the action; alongside a gripping encounter with Blundell’s on the hockey pitch. Sporting opportunities at school are a wonderful way for pupils to learn how to win (and also lose) graciously, to develop collaboration and teamwork skills and also to have a break from the academic challenges of the classroom; as well as being beneficial for good mental health. This weekend we have block netball fixtures against Mount Kelly and hockey against King’s School Bruton. In addition, the runners are away at the Devon Schools Cross Country Championships. I wish all our athletes every success in their various events over the weekend.
Ten Tors
This weekend sees the first Ten Tors full training weekend and teams of Lower Sixth and Middle Fifth pupils will be donning their expedition kit and trekking on the moor between Sticklepath and Okehampton. For some, this will be their first such challenging adventure and I hope that the weather is kind to them and they are successful in their route-finding. My grateful thanks go, as always, to Mr Ben Hall, Ten Tors Manager, and his staff team of Mrs Helen Sall, Dr Matt Commin, Mrs Katie Coe, Mr Tim Halpin and Mrs Delphine Masters for giving their time to generously support the expedition over the weekend. Huge thanks, also, to the team of volunteers, including many parents, for their skills and support. It makes a huge difference that we have such committed volunteer helpers and I am very grateful for their input.
Sixth form
The sixth form have a dedicated programme on Tuesdays in which they focus on careers, university application and employability skills. This week saw the Lower Sixth developing their interview skills. This will come in handy for the prefect application process, which was launched by Mr Chu last week. With some changes to the prefect selection process this year, we anticipate more pupils being interviewed for senior prefect positions and I am looking forward to reading the pupils’ applications. Thinking ahead to careers, the school careers convention is coming up soon and we hope that lots of sixth form pupils, and indeed those from other year groups, will come along on Wednesday 29 January 2025, 5-7pm to meet with representatives from a range of career pathways and professions in order to help formulate their own plans for the future. This is always an excellent event and I hope that your children will take advantage of it. Many thanks to Mrs Mel Szender for masterminding this event so well.
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE)
Last year we offered the bronze DofE as an option to the Lower Fifth and a large proportion of them decided to take up this opportunity. This year we are doing the same and the programme was launched in an assembly to the pupils on Thursday. If you are a Lower Fifth parent, please ask your daughter or son about this. The scheme is a nationally recognised award scheme, with four sections; skill, volunteering, physical activity and expeditions. The expedition element tends to be the one that is the most memorable (for so many reasons!) and is a cornerstone of our character education programme. I still remember my own DofE expeditions, and am still closely connected with the friends in my team from bronze through to gold. It has created lifelong friendships and memories to cherish and I encourage your children to start their own DofE journey here at school. It is a wonderful scheme to be a part of. You can learn more about the scheme here.
Open house
Next Friday, 24 January we have an admissions open house event for prospective families. This is a chance to see the school on a working day and we look forward to welcoming visitors on Friday. If you are looking for places for siblings, or if you have friends, family or neighbours who might want to come along then please do visit the school’s website and book a place for Friday. Your children do a great job in acting as ambassadors for the school by showing visitors around and I thank them in advance for their assistance on the day.
Inspection report
In case you did not see my letter on Monday, we have now published the inspection report from our ISI inspection in November and we are delighted with the outcomes.
As the mornings get lighter and we start to look forward to spring, I wish you a lovely weekend.
