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.