Congratulations to all the girls that took part and in particular to Anya, Year 7, who gained her level 2 Award in Performance with distinction. The pupils were well prepared giving such detailed responses in all areas on the knowledge questions and their projection was clear and fluent. Lamda has continued to grow across Claire's Court and this year we had the largest group of pupils taking grades ranging from Entry Level 6 Acting which is equivalent to a GCSE Grade. Mrs Warren and I will have the pleasure of presenting the awards to all the pupils who achieved either a Merit or a Distinction in an assembly.

The sniff of elections and the seeking of public office is not only being felt in the local and national political scene but also amongst Senior Girls. Year 10 have another two busy weeks ahead as we hold further rounds of interviews for the leadership role for applicants who didn’t quite make the cut in the early stages. The process required candidates to write a letter setting out why they think they should be appointed, and what they would bring to the role, which was followed by a group challenge and interviews. I was delighted with the standard and quality of the letters and interviews.

I am impressed to see how many of our Year 10s have put themselves forward, and believe that they can undertake leadership roles. We look forward to them rising to the challenge and I will keep you informed as the process continues.

Our athletes continue to impress us! At the County Championships on Saturday at Palmer Park, against competitors from all over the county, there were some truly impressive performances with Claudia, Year 9, qualifying for Discuss with a throw of 31.63m and Rachel, Year 10 , who is still waiting for confirmation with a distance of 5.26m in long jump, qualifying for the English Schools’ Track and Field Championships Competition in mid July. We also had further success with Ariel,  Year 10, throwing a creditable 9.41m in the Shot placing her 3rd and Anna, Year 9, ran the 200 m in a time of 27.4s also coming in third.

The PTA are busy finalising arrangements for the Summer Fete on Sunday 23 June and Years 7, 8 and 9 are planning a range of games and fairground type activities. Our usual parent stalwarts will be there but we are also appealing for any of our parents to give up an hour or so of their time to man a stall or serve behind our soft drinks stall.

School summer terms are often focussed on achievement - end of year exams, GCSEs, athletics competitions, academic awards... et al. With exam grade cards coming home on Friday for Years 7 to 9 it seemed an opportune time to reflect in assembly on the nature of achievement and belief. So when your daughter brings home that grade card (limited to exam outcomes only) please focus on how they have tried and strived rather than just grade outcomes.

Wednesday next week we welcome all of our new Year 7s, both from our own Junior School and many others. Our induction evening is their first step in learning about life at Senior Girls, making friends, and meeting their tutor and their mentoring prefects.

A week of efforts rewarded, responsibilities confirmed and creativity and boldness shining through...

So pointers for the future and reminders. Year 7 are very much looking forward to their Medieval History Day, where Senior Girls join Senior Boys for an experiential learning day on Tuesday; a reminder to sign up for the Festival on the Field; and please complete google forms for Year 7 to 10 Activity Week.