Dear parents and guardians,
I can’t believe it’s nearly Christmas! In the run up to the end of term, I’ve been reflecting on the last few months, and the amazing amount of stuff we have managed to pack in! There isn’t the time nor the space to mention it all, but there have been some fantastic opportunities and achievements, of which I’d like to share just a few with you.
The academic year started with change for many, with new teachers, subjects and activities, and a whole new school for some - myself included! The year so far has been full of energy and excitement, with lots of trips including the Year 7 Residential and Year 9 Activity day; the Year 8 Hockey tour; Greece trip; various theatre trips to see some great productions; the Year 9 trip to the V&A Museum amongst many others. As well as heading out of school we’ve been privileged to have lots of visitors this term to speak to the school about various things, whether for Inspire & Guide or the various subject specific talks such as the recent debate on the question ‘Is religion compatible with science?’. My huge thanks to the many parents and alumni who have given up their time to share their wisdom and experience.
We’ve had a number of exciting musical performances; from the formality of the Autumn Concert which involved over 100 students, to the more informal lunchtime such as this week’s rock concert in the Activity Space. The glorious carol service in Great St Mary’s was a wonderful start to the Christmas period for me, and it was good to hear everyone singing with such gusto! It is wonderful to see (and hear!) so many students experiencing the joy that music has to offer.
On the stage we’ve also had a number of impressive drama productions such as the outstanding rendition of Electra put together by Years 10-13, or the rather dark Year 11 GCSE Drama showcase! It’s amazing to see what they are capable of. I was reminded of the huge journey they have been on since their first times on the stage as I watched the nursery Nativity play last week which for many was their first performance!
There are far more details about the sporting successes of this term in the section below, but for me one of the key values of sport is about inclusion and effort. So I’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has represented the school in sport this term, at whatever level and whatever the outcome.
Alongside the many co-curricular activities, we’ve also had a number of exciting academic enrichment opportunities this term. The Classics Department hosted a Virgil Vigil where students in Year 10 and above were invited to attend a recreation of a Carthaginian banquet and to read extracts from Virgil aloud. The aim was for the students to lift the words of this text off the page and imaginatively try to inhabit the story, in the midst of Aeneas' arrival in the opulence of Carthage and his dislocating flashback to the horrors of the fall of Troy. Earlier in the term, the Visual Arts department encouraged us to all take part in the national ‘Big Draw’ where we were encouraged to bring art into our day and our teaching! For my part, I explored some of the building blocks of Escher’s recursive art from a computational perspective with my Year 7s. The languages department hosted ‘Les Trois Mousquetaires’ workshop for Year 7 this week. The Mathematics department have been busy with a number of recent trips and competitions, including some outstanding results in the Bebras Computational Thinking Challenge, with 142 senior school students achieving a Distinction, and 86 proceeding to the TCS Oxford Computing Challenge next term!
All of that said, some of the events which I’ve been most impressed by this term are those which have been led and organised by the students themselves. The Eco Committee organised a fantastic clothes swap event; tutor groups have organised charity fundraising events (including many cake sales!); the Wellbeing Committee organised the excellent 9 Day’s of Wellbeing Challenge; and the term ended with the outstanding House Talent competition. My huge thanks to the House Captains Team for all their work this term supporting and developing these, and many other aspects of school life. As they start to come towards the end of their term in office, I encourage the current Year 10s to think about how they might make a difference in these roles!
One aside I wanted to mention is that, following a period of consultation with colleagues, we will be piloting some small changes to the timing of the school day next term. This will make no difference to the start or end times for the day, but will ensure that lessons start cleanly and promptly by building in a short period of travelling time between single periods which will enable us to maximise the effective use of our teaching time. The exact details of the changes have been shared with the pupils.
So as we come to the end of the longest and darkest term, we do so in the advent spirit, anticipating that the light will soon come! I hope that the Christmas holidays offers a true chance to stop and take a breath. There will inevitably be a need for some work for some, particularly those with mocks in the next term, but this must not overshadow the need to stop and enjoy time with friends and family; it’s all about balance.
Therefore, whatever you are doing with the Christmas break, I hope it will be a time of joy and peace; and we look forward to welcoming you back home to the Stephen Perse family refreshed and renewed in the new year!
Best wishes,
Dr Andy Kemp
Head of Senior School
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