She will be asking questions like:

· Do you read the bulletin every week?

· What bits of the bulletin are most important to you?

· What do you read first?

· On what platform do you read the bulletin? (phone/ipad/pc)

· When and where do you read it? (work/home/2 days later/ Sunday night)

· How do you feel about clicking out of the site for the heads words?

If you are unable to see her on the Thursday and would like to share with us your thoughts, please feel free to email me at jms@clairescourt.net with the title ‘Bulletin’.

Right, onto the important topic - the boys. With our assessments taking place this week for Year 1-6 the boys have been put through their paces with the new style Progress Tests for English and Maths. We are expecting to be able to publish the results of these to you by Friday 10 June, although as the papers are being externally moderated, we are at the mercy of GL Assessment! I was very pleased with how the boys applied themselves, and we have been trialing a new ‘checking’ and ‘proofreading’ strategy with certain year groups to establish how effective our pupils skills are when they have a chance to correct any errors.

Outside of school, well done to Freddie Duff and Thomas Webster who were part of the very successful Maidenhead football team who came second in the Sandhurst Under 9 tournament last week. By all accounts, they reached the final without conceding a goal, a remarkable achievement. Well done Freddie and Thomas. Joseph Brittain has also been on impressive form on the tennis court, being officially rated as the top player Under 9 player in Berkshire. I know he has aspirations to take his form onto an even stronger stage, playing regional tournaments. Again, he has already been successful at this level and we may well have a budding Andy Murray in the school. I know a significant number of you were at Maidenhead Rugby Club for the annual presentation of awards to the players this Thursday - we are blessed in this school to have so many boys who enjoy playing their sport both inside and outside of school.

Mr Rowan is getting ready for his ‘extremely busy season’ and is preparing the boys for their annual production. I know he is still looking for a few more boys to join the Key Stage 2 choir, so do give your son a little nudge in his direction if they are interested in singing with their many of their friends in our very active singing group.

This is also the season for Outward Bounds and Tours. This evening Year 4 will be camping over at school having spent the day on Summerleaze lake taking part in all manner of team events and challenges. Year 3 have their camp coming up towards the end of the summer term, and Year 5 and Year 6 will be either traveling on Cricket tour, or travelling on their Bushcraft expeditions! Look out for some wonderful pictures that will be constantly updated on our website in the gallery. I am firm believer that Outward Bounds carries not only a significant educational experience, it also helps the boys to realise skills that they did not know they had. On so many levels, having the confidence and the inclination to challenge yourself in the ‘Great outdoors’ (also our theme for the summer Fete) provides boys with the plenty of life skills, especially regarding collaboration and teamwork.

Our younger boys have also been very busy with their outdoor work, visiting the Thicket, as part of our vegetable growing campaign, and in their afterschool activities. But it has not just been about the external environment for them this week,. And I was delighted to be visited by a number of boys on Thursday with some superb pieces of writing, as you will see from the picture gallery where Adam Cairns, Charlie Yeulett, Ollie Dart and Seb Bose are proudly displaying their work.

In assembly this morning we spoke about the qualities I am looking for in my pupils next week when they take part in our Pupil Problem Solving week. Lots of good answers were offered including independence and resilience……..let’s hope we see plenty of this in our boys!! Wandering around the playing fields I have seen some excellent cricket and athletics being displayed, with Jack Aranaz and Sam Robertson showing lots of speed in Year 1, Freddie Holgate and Oscar Lewington impressing with their all round ability from our Year 2 squad, and Ben Savidge, George Paish and Freddie Galitzine-Scott showing everyone how to hit the ball a long way in Year 3. Well done boys! You can read more of our sports performances in Mr Butterfield’s words below.

What with great determination shown in chess club this week and a superb Year 1 ‘Chinese’ party, it has been a really successful seven day period for our boys, and most importantly, they just seem so happy….even with the assessments going on!! I walked into Mrs Sullivan’s Reception class the other day to be greeted by such happy little faces, with Freddie Frize and Fynn Hennig the first to welcome me proudly and politely into their room, asking if I wanted to play. Some days, this is such a rewarding job to do, and such a privilege to do it in a warm and friendly environment.

I am told that the Summer Ball was very successful, and that there was a bid of £850 for a pupil to do my job for the day. I was delighted to hear of this, and intend to pass all responsibilities (especially the paperwork) over to our winner for one glorious 24 hour session. I am already planning my day off!!!!!!

Mrs Susan Payne remains in hospital and although in great spirits, the C Difficile infection has unfortunately returned. Everyone of the cards you as parents have sent remain with Susan in her hospital room, and she tells me regularly that she draws great inspiration from them. I will continue to update you when I have more news.

I hope you all enjoy a lovely weekend, and I would like to thank you all for your continued support of the school.

Justin Spanswick