This has been a busy week for Year 11s as they have joined their parents in ‘Planning the Future’ meetings with form tutors. Discussions initially centered around  defining a clear view on what needs to be done over the next 8 months or so to ensure the best possible outcomes in their GCSE exams. Secondly these meetings also took a longer view as to the pathway to be taken post GCSE - Sixth Form study and A Levels, or a vocational course via BTECs and Modern Apprenticeships.

Tutors will have reiterated the need to maintain a positive mind set and to always believe in the possibility of change. This was also theme of  several Monday assemblies when we have heard about how adaptable our brain is - ‘plasticity’, and how this impacts upon our learning. Sometimes it is hard to find the the key that unlocks that understanding, or gives the eureka moment, but we do know that remaining confident and retaining a growth mind set is an essential piece of that jigsaw.

Sport performers know that on the road to success there always be failures. This week it is lovely to report some excellent successes. In hockey Under 13s and 14s played Newlands School with our first teams winning 2-0, 2-1 and the Bs gaining a very creditable 0-0 draw. The 1st team took an a very strong Reading Blue Coat XI and secured an excellent 2-0 victory, and then repeated that result against Reddam School. In netball the U14As defeated Cox Green, Newlands, Windsor Girls, drew with Holyport and lost to Charters to achieve 3rd place in the first RBWM tournament, and the Bs defeated all those schools to win the B team tournament.

Over the summer we undertook a complete refurbishment of our art and textiles rooms and they are already coming alive with a real creative buzz. The school’s creativity has been on show at Norden farm with the results of the Windsor Arts Festival entries, and on Tuesday of next week we shall be competing in the ISA London West Art competition, also at our local arts centre Norden Farm. If you can get along there at about 12.00noon you will be astounded at the work of not just our own pupils but that of other schools.

I had an opportunity to attend Junior Girls Harvest Festival on Wednesday, and to see each child performing on the stage with their class brought a real sense of joy and well being. I was amazed at what our talented junior team and children managed to produce in such a short time.

We had our first Open Morning of the year on Wednesday and we were delighted to welcome nearly sixty visitors who came to see us at work. It was lovely to hear after the tours that they can see that ‘we do what we say we do on the tin’ and how much our ability to offer a broad educational experience alongside excellence both academically and in the wider curriculum resonated with them. I must congratulate our Year 8 and 9 guides for doing a splendid job in talking about their school.