A Broad, Balanced and Engaging Curriculum

It has been a fabulous first week back after the half-term holiday and the the roses, hanging baskets, flower beds and lawns are looking lovely thanks to the hard work and dedication of our excellent ground staff.

In the classroom, many of the children have been receiving their exam papers back, learning what they have done well and what they can do even better next time. I have been very impressed with the Attitude to Learning grades for the Summer term and it is terrific to see the high levels of effort and motivation which the boys and girls have been putting into their academic work.

Just before the half-term break, it was wonderful to see so many parents at Sports Day. The weather was perfect for an athletics event, there was a great sense of community, and every pupil participated in a good number of events. There was a lot of very competitive and high quality athletics to enjoy, with many school records falling during the day. There was also a lot of fun, and congratulations to all the pupils for playing their part in a superb competition.

Staying with sport, this week has been another enjoyable one, and we are all very excited for our team of elite swimmers who will be competing in the London Olympic Pool in the Prep Schools’ National Championships. 22 of our pupils have qualified to swim this weekend which means that we are amongst the strongest Prep schools in the country. It is of course a great thrill for our boys and girls to be swimming in such a famous pool and we wish them the very best of luck.

I am very much looking forward to seeing Year 8 perform Annie tonight and tomorrow afternoon, and I have been hearing very positive reports about the way in which rehearsals are going. When I show parents around the school, they are without fail impressed to hear that we dedicate fie days per year to rehearsing and performing a musical play in Years 4, 6 and 8. They are even more impressed when I add that any pupil can opt to join the Drama after school club for their age group, and that all pupils at TPS enjoy one hour and ten minutes of Music, drama and dance lessons in their weekly timetable. So many state schools have narrowed the educational experience for their pupils in response to the pressure of SATs, and I am delighted that we have such a broad, balanced and engaging curriculum.

I wish you all a restful and enjoyable weekend.

Mr Andrew Edwards
Headmaster TPS