There are moments in most school days that are familiar. Every day of the year we greet pupils as they arrive, see them head off to lessons and hear them chatting excitedly over lunch in the dining hall. Sometimes there are other moments that are not daily or usual, and that has certainly been the case this week.

Each day a stunning  voice has rung out through the school hall giving an extraordinary start to the day. Sathanaa, in Year 12, has shared her vocal talent to launch our assemblies for International Women’s Day. We have talked to all of our pupils and staff this week celebrating women’s identity through the lenses of culture, science, technology and sport, to name just a few areas. We have also raised awareness of discrimination, sharing areas of achievement but also ensuring that where things are not as equal as they should be we are aware of this, and consider what we can be doing to make a difference.

Thank you to Abishaya, Eisha, Jessica, Nana, Sathanaa, Sherin, Tahjae, Tariro and Yashvi for preparing and presenting such a strong assembly. I appreciated it, but more importantly just before we entered period 1 a girl in Year 11 said to me, “Sir, that was a really good assembly. I didn’t know a lot of that information.” While our role is to develop curriculum knowledge for end of course exams, the concepts of equality and inclusion are central to our values and we will always take our educational responsibility in the broader sense.

Congratulations to our national judo champion

Last weekend, David in Year 10 competed in the 2024 national judo championship in Moldova. He has developed his fitness, trained at camps at weekends and the holidays, and competed in national competitions. He is now the national champion in two countries for the under 55kg category - a fantastic achievement. David’s next target is a medal at a European Cup or a Masters event.

David is a great example to all of us how preparation, alongside perseverance and taking advice can lead to success. Huge congratulations from all of the school community for your achievements, and we look forward to hearing more as your sporting career develops further. 

Year 11 Public Exams Preparation Evening

On Tuesday 26th March at 16:30 and 17:30 we will host our final year 11 event for families ahead of the public exams that begin in May.  This will be an in person event, with the aim being to provide year 11 families with further details about the final few months of their child's GCSEs and discuss what assistance is being provided to support students' preparation for their assessments. More details will follow shortly.

Students of the week

Congratulations goes to our stars of the week listed below for maintaining their commitment, focus and sense of drive. Well done to all!

• Year 7 - Bonnie
• Year 8 - TBC
• Year 9 - TBC
• Year 10 - Abena
• Year 11 - Emilia
• Year 12 & 13 - Ashraah and Bartosz