A Very Busy, Happy and Rewarding Term

As I write, I am very much looking forward to this afternoon’s Easter Service which marks the end of a very busy, happy and rewarding term.

A week ago, the Under 13 netball team performed to an incredibly high standard to finish 4th in the country, losing very narrowly in the semi-finals of the Prep Schools National Championships. The Under 12 girls also played tremendously well at the Nationals to finish 3rd in the Plate competition, coming home with a medal each. Meanwhile, on the hockey pitch, our Under 11 boys were up against the cream of the South-West and played superbly well to finish runners-up, losing the final by the narrowest of margins one goal to nil. Congratulations to all of these players and to the staff who have coached them so well.

Last Sunday, I was extremely impressed with the Saturday morning Enrichment Performing Arts group who gave an outstanding performance at the Tacchi-Morris Centre. Brilliantly supported by Mrs Hornsby, Mr Baker and our specialist contemporary dance teacher, Miss Hartland-Mannn, the pupils from Years 3 to 6 sparkled on stage with a wonderfully original piece especially written for the occasion by Mr Manners and Mr Riggs. What a team effort, and very well done to all of our talented pupils and teachers!

Yesterday, I was delighted to give out Amazon vouchers to 10 pupils from Years 3 to 6, who won the Battleship Reading Competition for their class. The competitions have been running all term and have done much to foster the all-important desire to read for pleasure. Having awarded vouchers to some of our most enthusiastic readers in Years 7 and 8 during the Autumn term, it was lovely to recognise at the end of this term some of the boys and girls in the lower years.

Also this week, every pupil in the Prep School completed the Channel Titan Swimathon, trying to replicate in lengths the 21 miles which some of our Year 7 pupils will swim in September when they attempt to swim across the Channel in two relay teams (6 pupils per team). All of the children were told by Mr McCarthy that it was not about being the fastest but about not giving up. The pupils certainly went on to show their tenacity and, as a whole school, they achieved the amazing total of 6036 length, which is just over 100 miles. Very well done to all of the pupils and staff!
This morning we held our End of Term Assembly and I always have particular pleasure in handing certificates to pupils who have obtained the highest Attitude to Learning grades in their year group. It is possible for every pupil to score very high Attitude to Learning grades, irrespective of how easy or how hard they find the work. Having celebrated those with the highest grades, I will, over the Easter Holidays, be looking at the grades in more detail with a view to identifying those pupils who have managed to make significant improvement in their grades since the Autumn term. I will be acknowledging their achievement at the start of the Summer term. In terms of Rolls of Honour, pupils were awarded certificates if they reached the impressive total of 7 during this term. Again, Rolls of Honour can be won by pupils of all attainment levels since they are awarded by staff to pupils who have produced work which is excellent for the individual concerned.

I hope that you all have a wonderful Easter holiday and that this wonderfully warm spring sunshine continues into next week and beyond.

Andrew Edwards
Headmaster