24 January 2020

Learning from those at the pinnacle of their profession is never less than inspiring.

So we were thrilled to welcome England U21s Netball Coach and Superleague Coach of the Year 2018, Karen Greig, to school this week to work with netballers from Year 3 to 11. The chance to work with a coach of such calibre is an incredible privilege and Karen really helped pupils boost both their skills and game play.

Our Year 10 pupils also encountered giants in their field as the cream of the world of poetry gathered in Reading’s Hexagon for this year’s Poetry Live extravaganza. They were lucky enough to hear Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, Carol Ann Duffy, Imtiaz Dharker and many more celebrated poets reading and sharing their work.

Back at school, we were visited by representatives from Reading’s RISC centre who led an inspiring workshop with our Junior and Senior Eco Councils to help them plan steps towards greater sustainability and environmental credentials as a school. We look forward to helping them realise those plans.

Elsewhere, I was delighted to welcome families to our Reception Open Morning. It is always a treat to share in the children's excitement as they begin the process of taking those important first steps into school life! And, as the Sixth Form Centre nears completion, today saw our Year 11s visiting their future home. It is great to see our designs taking shape as we incorporate pupils’ ideas into the final planning for the furniture and decoration of the Common Room. I very much look forward to sharing the completed space with you all over the weeks ahead.

In Junior School, we were also pleased to launch the Oxford Reading Buddy with parents as a way of supporting children’s reading at home and at school. This digital service offers hundreds of books and book quizzes, all matched to your child’s ability. Please do take the time to log in to the system when your child brings home their sign-in card and encourage them to use it regularly. For more information click this link and choose Parent Support: https://support.oxfordreadingbuddy.com/

Finally, I'm very pleased to be able to inform you of the promotion of Mr McIntyre to the role of Assistant Head. Whilst Mr McIntyre will continue teaching Mathematics, we are in the process of recruiting a new Head of the department. In the meantime, I am delighted that Mrs Eden Tailford has taken on the role of Acting Head of Mathematics.

With best wishes

Dr James Raymond