It is wonderful that summer has returned during the school day, putting smiles on everyone’s face and adding to the uptake of Vitamin D and release of hormones to lift our happiness levels.

As Academic Principal, as well as Head of Senior Boys, I like to consider academic matters first, with all those other elements that surround school life trailing in its wake. This week it is hard not to think first about the weather, with the rain lashing against the windows! Over the next few days, the major public exams at GCSE and A level come to an end, whilst Year 10 complete their year of studies with their terminal exams from their current year of study.  Today, we send home grade cards to parents of pupils in Years 7 to 9 capturing as they do the outcomes from Common Task 3, completed just before half-term. Whilst recognising success and failure may be part of the exam process, within school the learning happens when the student reviews with teacher and parent ‘what went well’ (WWW) and ‘even better if’ (EBI). This process of reflection, thinking about the work is known as ‘Metacognition’, and for the past 2500 years of humanity’s thinking (since the time of Socrates and Plato), it’s the one thing that separates the successful learners above their peers.

As the strap line picture shows, Half Term week does not look to be set too bad. As we note below, we are now declaring the arrival of Summer, so short sleeves etc. become de rigueur.

In a week blessed by a Bank Holiday Monday, it seems amazing just how busy we have been.

Welcome back one and all to the Summer Term that seems as appropriately named as it could be, with the weather leading up to and over Easter helping us leave the winter blues well behind.

Charity Week has carried a unique flavour this year, led by the Sixth Form promotional video, https://youtu.be/_BoenTFxMjs, for the school’s Global charity, the Pearl Foundation, supporting our work in the Gambia.