I am delighted to share news that our wonderful school has been shortlisted for ‘Independent School of the Year for Student Wellbeing’. This is a well-deserved testament to the great work our staff put in every day to maintain the health and self-worth of our cherished students. We believe in supporting the whole child in front of us and we value the warm relationships we enjoy with each and every student. I hope to share news that we have won when the voting has been held!

And in return for our hard work, our students have continued to avail themselves of every opportunity presented to them. They are insatiably curious, adventurous and resilient. Simply, they make very good company! They will have a go at anything we put in front of them, safe in the knowledge that we love them and we hold unshakeable belief in what they can achieve.

Life is long, if we’re lucky, but childhood is short, and in many areas of life, perhaps even in some schools I could mention, it appears to be getting shorter. But not at the Hall. We all want our students to do well and achieve great things academically, and they do, but we know that real, lasting growth comes not from cramming and sorting and ranking, but from the steady building of self-worth, self-confidence and self-discipline. In this aim, I believe we are not only becoming outstanding, we are standing out.

May I close with a poem by Nikita Gill,

The Meaning of a Day

Each new dawn brings with it

15 new reasons for laughs,

100,000 new heartbeats in your chest,

your lifeblood voyages 168,000,000 miles.

And each new morning on this earth translates

7,200 earthquakes in the upcoming 24 hours.

More than 18,000 thunderstorms,

our planet is struck by lightning 8.6 million times.

And in space?

The passing of a day

means the wondrous birth of

approximately 275 billion stars.

This is why everyday

Is an opportunity for rebirth.

That is why no matter what they say,

you must never underestimate your own worth.

Yours,