18 October 2019

With the first half term of the academic year behind us now, it is my pleasure to reflect on all the opportunities and achievements it has brought us.

From our inspiring Senior Languages Week through a host of fantastic sporting performances to exciting school trips, it has been a great start to the school year.

Several of these off-site visits took place this week, starting with Year 6 heading off to Shropshire for their residential trip to Condover Hall. As well as enjoying the splendour of their Elizabethan surroundings, they have also tried their hands at an incredible array of exciting outward-bound activities, conquering a few fears and creating many personal highlights along the way. Meanwhile, Year 4 visited Highclere Castle as part of their study of the Ancient Egyptians and had a wonderful time really getting into character thanks to some splendid costumes! Do take a moment to look at the fantastic photos and videos on our Twitter feeds to get a taste of both of these great trips.

Another highlight of the week has come as I have interviewed prospective pupils for places in next year’s Year 7. We are thrilled to have over 110 pupils registered to sit our Senior School entry assessment and it is very heartening to see how our ethos, combined with consistently excellent academic results, is really chiming with so many families. We are also extremely pleased by the strong demand for places into Year 12 and I look forward to sending out offers of places and scholarships next week. With the admissions process behind us, I now look forward to supporting Year 11 pupils for the rest of the year as they head towards their GCSEs.

Finally, I wish you all a restful and restorative half term and I look forward to welcoming all our pupils back after the break for our exciting Explorers Week!

With best wishes

Dr James Raymond