Headmaster's Message

Letter From The Headmaster

I’m sure your sons and daughters, like our staff, will be getting very tired. But with welly-wanging today and “Pink Day" (Non-Uniform Day) next Friday, Half Term is now almost in sight.

Despite all the restrictions, we have had a really good term and pupils and staff have mostly been in very good heart. The cricket season has extended to October, we’ve had two cracking Sports Day, the Duke of Edinburgh expeditions had pretty good weather and two Princethorpe pupils have recently been awarded prestigious Arkwright Engineering Scholarships.

It has been difficult managing our small number of COVID cases and many thanks for the steadfast support of all those families caught up in this. I think the fact that as yet, unlike other schools we have not had to send home a whole year group, is a good indication of the planning and hard work put into school routines and arrangements plus tremendous support from our parents.  With our BYOD laptop policy up and running, combined with TEAMS and our “blended” learning, we have been really pleased with how we can support pupils both in and out of school.

We clearly have a long winter ahead and will be making a number of changes next half term in view of the colder and wetter weather, not least re-organising pupils’ break and lunch zones so they have good indoor and outdoor options. We will be undertaking a pupil survey next week which will help to inform all our plans.

We had another “first” this week with last night’s extremely successful Year 8 Virtual Parents’ Evening (see separate article). A number of parents are already suggesting that we should keep this on-line format post-pandemic…we’ll certainly consider it.

I hope you have a good half term when it comes. My own family plans like yours I’m sure have been put on hold. With a trip to France ruled out, I was planning to visit my 80-year old parents in Bolton - with home visits ruled out some time ago, I could still have met them in the pub…but the pubs have just been closed…

Best wishes to you all and thank you as always for your continued support.

Ed Hester
Headmaster