I would like to welcome everyone back to school for the third term of the year. Following our Easter break it has been lovely to catch up with the students and hear all about the different ways they spent their holidays.
For our Year 11, 12 and 13 students, they spent the time revising for their IGCSE and A level exams, which started last week. This can be a stressful time for the students involved in exams, butI have been extremely impressed by the way that our young people have prepared themselves and are conducting themselves in this exam season so far. Good luck to all of them!
Over the Easter break, a group of students went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, USA for the annual Nord Anglia STEAM Conference. This is an amazing opportunity where, with many other students from the Nord Anglia family, they spent their time looking at all sorts of technology, and developing ideas, under the guidance of MIT staff, in order to create solutions for real world problems. My thanks to Ms Thompson for taking this trip - which I know will live long in the students’ memories.
This weekend, we are hosting the HAC Volleyball tournament, and our teams go into this as one of the favourites. Over the last three years, the school’s volleyball teams have developed so well, both with their skills and team play, and now go into most games able to win or compete very closely against any other school. I thank the PE staff and the coaches for all of the hard work that they have put into the development of this sport, and look forward to supporting them this weekend.
Details will be sent out very soon by Mrs MacIver, about the Key Stage 3 Assessment Week at the end of May, where the students in Years 7, 8 and 9 will be given end of year assessments. At the start of June, we will also be having a Year 10 exam week. Both of these occasions are really important at developing students’ awareness of study skills necessary for preparation at IGCSE, and gives each student the chance to consolidate and apply their learning gained from the year. For Year 10, it enables the students and teachers to see what progress has been made over the year and what areas might need a little more consolidation ahead of Year 11. All the students facing these assessments will, as ever, be fully supported by the school, and this should be seen as an opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and thinking.
I hope you all have a great week ahead.