Mr Wilding's Words Summer 7
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.
Despite the weather, I am delighted that our sportsmen have continued their run of successes. My words last week inevitably missed out some of the many high points of our sporting endeavours, not least that the boys broke five Championship records at the ISA London West Championships last week, with 10 athletes winning selection for the London West team for the nationals next week. They are:
Year 7: 100 metres - Finn*
Year 7: 200 metres - Jamie*
Year 7: 4 x 100 metre Relay team - Oscar, George, Jamie, Finn*
Year 8/9: Long Jump - Ben*
Year 8/9: Triple Jump - Jack
Year 10/11: 1500 metres - James*
Year 10/11: Discus - Will
*championship record
This performance was matched by the girls; congrats to Anna (Year 8) who took three championship records 100m, 200m & relay, and to Claudia (Year 9 discus*), Rachel (Year 10 300m*) and Kate (Year 10 javelin).
The rowers had an amazing showing at the Metropolitan Regatta at Dorney Lake, with both the Quad and the Eight winning their respective events. The Quad’s great rivals this year hail from Henley and Leander Rowing Clubs (both Henley based) and we hope the quad’s victory against a Henley crew encourages the crew further. The Eights victory in the Open Academic final was even more remarkable, beating crews from Queens, Belfast, UWE Bristol, Liverpool and Southampton Universities - that’s an extraordinary set of scalps!
Latest News
World Book Day 2023 - Celebrating Books and Reading for Pleasure
World Book Day has been an absolute delight this year, and w...
Read more