‘Opportunity’ and ‘participation’ are key words in the school’s vocabulary, and it has certainly been challenging to keep engaging with the wider opportunities the world offers during the middle of a pandemic. Involving ourselves in anti-bullying week has been our focus, very well expressed by our Senior prefects assembly on Thursday. We have some great role models now, most recently Lewis Hamilton, who have taken that brave step of ‘calling out’ hateful behaviour and raising the profile so clearly that above all, we need to be kind.

Returning from our half term break has seen a real resurgence in energy and commitment at Senior Boys. We seem to have seamlessly moved into masks too, and both staff and pupils seem to be very conscious of the need to keep very good hygiene and to keep a good sense of humour as they go about their business.

It has been Year 11 ‘Mocks’ week here at Senior Boys, when our GCSE students have experienced their first set of examinations for two years! It has been a bit of a ‘shocker’ for some, having to sit still for 90 or so minutes and face the challenge of reading, writing and showing off their analytical skills on passages, texts and ‘give of their best’. As we face the clear and present danger of ‘teaching and learning during a pandemic’, at least our Year 11 have ‘laid some rubber on the road’ and we have a starting point of standards achieved at the start of this academic year. Come what may, it is clear that our boys and girls have a full year of studies ahead of them, and that they are very much up for the challenge and willing to stretch and work hard to make further progress through the year. Well done boys, and thanks so much to Mrs Carr and her invigilating team for establishing a sound and sensible examination hall for us all.

More generally, school is becoming ‘canopy fantastic’ as we increase the coverage outside to protect our community from the regular showers, and we have managed to relocate both the Year 11 lockers and the boat club into our astro field shelters and locker shelters to provide even more covered space for our activities. I have an utter dread of the rain when it comes, reinforced by the very obvious joy the boys are showing in their breaktime play, allowing for the blowing off of steam before another hour of concentration and application. 

Across the school on Friday, we were able to celebrate the school’s 60th birthday with a suitably scrumptious cupcake for every child, young person and adult. 60 years is of course about a lifetime ago, but as I was one of the 19 boys sat in the inaugural photograph, the photocall event I remember quite clearly, even though I was only six at the time.

I mentioned this strongly at the Year 11 awards ceremony held here on Wednesday, at which the leading pupils from their time in Year 10 received their awards. Whilst we could not do a lot of handshaking, I was able to ensure the boys heard some inspiring words from their former headmaster, John Rayer (back on our staff coaching rowing), supported by President of the PTA Phyllis Avery, MBE, and PTA trustee Trevor Sharkey. The group photo shows the prizewinners as a whole, and the duo is of Year 10 learner of the year, William receiving his certificate from the previous incumbent, Raphael.

Welcome back to one and all to our autumn term 2020, and a huge thanks to parents and boys for being so school ready right from the get-go. I feel sure your sons will have reported back on some ‘unfamilar’ new arrangements with our infrastructure in Senior Boys, from the barrier across the main entrance, to the ‘sectioned off’ site with ‘bubble’ year group corridors and outside locker area installs. 

As my blog this week expresses in much detail, we have had an incredible summer of activity reshaping the site and facilities. Our playing field preparations were delayed by three days this week, as was the installation of three courtyard sinks, but I am delighted to confirm we are now practically complete, with only some final cosmetic touches to walls and decor to complete over the coming weekends.

One of the major activities over the break was the cleaning and servicing of over 800 Chromebooks for the boys and girls across Claires Court to use as personal devices this year. Pupils are asked to keep their chargers at home, and to make sure they put them on charge overnight. The plan is to use them every lesson, but we must also ensure that we recover the handwriting and paper manipulation skills which perhaps have decayed since #lockdown, so exercise books and files are also order of the day. Parents are reminded to add their sons Chromebooks to the home insurance cover for damage, notional value being £200.