One of the great privileges of working in a school is to see and experience the synergy that can be conjured up magically when a team functions well together. This was illustrated perfectly earlier in the week when George, Chloe and George, from Year 8, showcased their incredible team effort in assembly. They have built an entire replica of Hall School Wimbledon on Minecraft, inside and out! They projected the construction onto a large screen and took us all on a virtual tour of the corridors, classrooms and gardens that make up our unique campus here on The Downs. Creativity was in abundance, and collaboration too. They communicated the project expertly and showed tremendous critical thinking to overcome challenges and obstacles in the design process. Now, are they not the four ‘twenty-first century skills’ most in demand today? Well done all!

We had a couple of very busy Taster Days this week, in our Junior and Senior schools. It was another privilege to be able to interview all of the individual candidates and speak with their parents. All the families left our campus with a very favourable impression of a happy, charming school. Thank you to everyone for all your help – not in ‘putting on a show’, but in continuing to do what we always do: caring for our children’s health and self-worth at the same time as inspiring them to learn.

Tomorrow is another busy Open Day; we have many more families visiting and I am very much looking forward to having the opportunity to share with them what makes HSW so special. Ours will never be a large school – we want to stay small so that we know each other well and act as a family together – but it is good to know we are in demand and generating much interest in the region.

May I close by wishing our Year 11 students all the very best for their mock GCSE exams next week. I know you have worked so very hard and will achieve some outstanding results come the real thing. These first ones are a practice that will help you, and your teachers, tailor your learning for the next few months so that it is targeted and bespoke. I am sure you will do so well and we are all very proud of you. But remember, you are, and always will be, far, far more than the sum of your grades.

A J Hammond