Senior School newsletter - 25 May 2018

Dear parents,

At this time of year it would be easy to think that there was only one intellectual skill needed to be a successful student: the ability to memorise information and then reassemble it, more or less intact, on an examination paper.

It is worth remembering that, whilst many schools feel like they stop for exams in May and June, the rest of the world keeps going, and the other skills that we are working to develop continue to be in great demand in the workplace.

 

As our Year 11 students embark on their study leave, and the (I)GCSE exams begin in earnest, our Year 10 student leaders have been getting to grips with their new roles. I have enjoyed having a long debate with the Charities Committee about the pros and cons of ‘own clothes days’ (I’m not a fan, but they used their debating skills to win me over). It has been great to see the Liaison Committee practising their public speaking when introducing themselves to the Junior School pupils.

Beyond the leadership groups, we have been continuing to foster collaboration in many areas of the school. Our STEM teams have always seen great success in local competitions and the future looks bright with some of our younger students enjoying a day of problem solving at Cambridge Consultants.

We are truly fortunate to live in a city where there is so much going on in this area, and such a strong appetite from businesses to engage with young people. Our Year 9 students have also collaborated effectively in the ‘Teen Tech’ awards and are through to the finals at the Royal Society in London, on June 25th.  They have developed an idea for encouraging the elderly to engage with social media, which exemplifies the combination of social awareness with tech know-how that will serve them very well in the modern world.

If there is one thing that exams (at least at GCSE level) don’t foster, it is creativity.  Even more vital, therefore, that we continue to provide many and varied opportunities for our students to be creative. Recent musical events have highlighted this with the ‘open mic’ and rock concerts both occurring during recent lunchtimes.  We aim to look at creativity beyond the traditional areas of the Arts, and our new Gardening Club have been getting their hands dirty creating in the most literal sense.

The ability to self-regulate, and manage one’s own wellbeing is increasingly under scrutiny and it was a delight to welcome monks from Plum Village in France on Thursday 10th May to talk to our Year 10 students about developing resilience and learning how to relax.

I wish all our students the very best for the exams and tests over the next week, and I hope they enjoy having the opportunity to show what they have learnt.  Alongside this, I also would encourage them to keep doing all the other wonderful things that they do - the world doesn't stop for exams.

Dave Walker

Head of Senior School @SPFSeniors