It has been a very smooth start back to school this week. Particular congratulations to all students in Year 11 and 13 who have completed their second (and final) week of mock exams. I have been struck by the absolute commitment of these two year groups to their own success. For example, for students in Year 11, we opened the doors from 7:30am and each day more and more students came in early to revise. We will spend the next week or so marking the many exam scripts, and then give feedback to students in a couple of weeks.

Redeveloping the school

The building work is forging ahead, with all parts being completed on time – at present! As it stands, we will move out of most of the main parts of the school at the start of the summer term. We are retaining the smart new building at the front of school, as well as our sports hall and the Modern Languages/SEND block. But all other parts of our current site will be demolished in the summer, making space from September 2025 for the building of two new blocks with brand-new science labs, drama spaces, a larger canteen and a school library.

I will continue to put updates into these Friday letters about the building work. You are also welcome to click here on our website for updates, as well as the story of the build so far. At the end, we will have an amazing school site, and one that is good enough for our brilliant students and staff.

Coming to school in PE kit, w/b 24th March

With the change to the buildings, we are committed to keeping our focus on the quality of teaching and learning. One of the changes we will make is that students in all year groups who have a core PE lesson will be allowed to attend school in their PE kit. This will make one fewer bag to carry, and also mean that there is less time lost when changing before and after PE lessons and more focus on activity.

INSET Day – Monday 3rd March

I am just reminding families that the first day next week is an INSET day. As a parent of two children in secondary school, it’s always reassuring to hear from the school directly that your children are not meant to be in school on a normal school day. School starts on Tuesday 4th March at the normal time. 

Information events next week

It is always great to welcome students and their families into school, and there are three evenings next week when we are running events. We always run information events twice on an evening, hoping that this gives flexibility for family and work commitments so that as many as possible can attend. Please check our school calendar here on the website for timings. I look forward to seeing you next week.

• Monday 3rd March – Year 11: How to support your child for GCSE success 
• Tuesday 4th March – Year 8: Understanding GCSE subject pathways (Transition)
• Thursday 6th March – Year 9: Understanding GCE subject pathways (Specialisation)

Students of the week

Congratulations to these students for their combination of hard work, community spirit and great social contributions. Meeting them to hear more about their achievements, and present them with certificates, is absolutely one of the highlights of my week.

Year 7	Year 8	Year 9	Year 10	Year 11	6th Form
Luke	Nathan	Alexandra	Hassan	Abena	Imasha / Heran

Wishing you all the best for a restful, and hopefully very sunny, weekend.

Mr N House, Headteacher