Standing on the gate every morning, welcoming our students and staff, is a pleasure. It is especially enjoyable on Tuesdays and Fridays when our fabulous drum teacher, Mr Goldsmith, is here, inspiring our many drummers. I find it hard resisting the temptation to descend into a most embarrassing ‘Dad-dance’ when I hear those irresistible rhythms being played from across the playground.

It has been another vibrant and productive week. Our Year 11s took on their first GCSE exam yesterday – very well done to all of them, and to our teachers for preparing them so well.

Our Year 5/6 class spent a day at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre on Tuesday, receiving workshops on ‘the Scottish play’ which they are currently studying. Workshop leaders at the Globe told us our children’s knowledge of the play was superb, which is encouraging to hear.

Our after-school clubs have been moving on at a pace, with high attendance and lots of different kinds of activity going on, and tonight saw the launch of yet another club – our new Riding Club – thanks to the efforts of Miss Bochenski.

This afternoon, we had another session in our new Inspiring Speakers programme: our Year 9 students had the chance to question a former senior member of staff at the Bank of England, Peter Andrews, who talked to them about money and maths! Thank you, Mr Andrews, for an inspiring talk.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the week has been listening to our talented students enjoying their LAMDA lessons in the library. These sessions develop speaking and performance skills, so useful in life. For me, these performances sum up how self-confident and expressive our students are here, safe in the knowledge they are valued and supported. Bravo and encore!

Farewell and good luck!

This afternoon saw the entire school venture outside to form an avenue of cheers and applause, through which our Year 11s walked their victory walk to the gate. This was their last official day of school, only the exams remain. I have worked in education for twenty-four years and I have rarely seen a more moving and heart-warming sight than our whole school community clapping and cheering as our eldest students marched past one-by-one and off into the street. Ours is indeed a school with a soul. They leave with our love and our great pride for what they have already achieved as remarkable young men and young women. What great role models they have been!

Yours,