1 April 2022
We have enjoyed a truly magnificent Spring Term, made even more joyful due to the long-awaited return of a normal school calendar after two years of Covid upheaval. All the staff have appreciated the face-to-face contact with parents, and it has been lovely seeing you all at the various coffee mornings, Parents’ Evenings, musical, drama and sporting events. Thank you so much for supporting all these events and we look forward to an equally busy and exciting Summer Term after the Easter break.
Ending the term in a splendid fashion, our Year 3 and 4 pupils treated parents, staff and the whole Junior School to a theatrical treat, in the Year 3 and 4 Show, Ye-Ha! The Willow Theatre transformed to the wild west town of Splodge City, as the Year 3 and 4 pupils performed with such energy, learning lines, dance moves and songs with determination and confidence. The audience were delighted, enjoying superb comic timing and catchy tunes and the pupils really were outstanding! Well done to all involved.
We have also celebrated this week some incredible achievements in the latest round of music exams. Once again, our music department and our talented team of peripatetic music teachers have supported a high number of pupils in a wide range of instruments, and we are delighted to report many distinctions and merits.
Our Creative Arts Department have also had a busy week, with our Year 13 students completing their final pieces for the A level course. In Junior School, we received some very exciting news that out of almost 2,000 entries, five our our Junior School pupils have been selected to exhibit one of their paintings at the annual ‘Young Art’ Oxford exhibition at The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford later in May. Well done to Daisy, Asha, Martha, Sophie and Sibby for such a fabulous achievement!
School trips have also continued this week. On Tuesday, our Year 2 pupils enjoyed a trip to ‘The Story Museum’ in Oxford, taking part in a storytelling workshop before exploring the different, themed rooms in the museum. ‘The Snowman’ and ‘Horrid Henry’ rooms grabbed the attention of the Year 2 pupils in particular! Meanwhile, Year 10 pupils headed to London this week to witness a powerful production of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice at The Globe. Held in the intimate Sam Wannamaker Theatre and lit solely by candlelight, the performance proved a spectacular introduction to the language and themes of their GCSE coursework text.
On the subject of school trips, we are so pleased to see the return of residential trips next term for many of our Year groups. We have also been very busy planning an exciting programme of residential trips for the next academic year and are particularly pleased to announce a Sports Tour in October for Years 7, 8 and 9 (current years 6, 7 and 8). We are equally pleased to announce the Senior School Ski Trip (Years 7 –11) in February half-term 2023 (open to pupils currently in Years 6-10).
Finally, I am pleased to announce that work has started on our DT workshop, which will be situated behind the Willow Theatre. We are looking forward to being able to share the progress of the development of this addition to the school site and curriculum with parents in due course.
Wishing you all a wonderful Easter break!
Dr James Raymond
Headmaster