Message from the Headteacher Friday 15 December 2023

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

The mock examination period for Year 11 has now ended, and we are very proud of our students who approached this challenge in a calm, focused and determined manner. The results of their papers will be used to inform the teaching and support programme for the remainder of the year. Well done, all! Students in Years 7-9 have been attending a weekly KS3 Creative Writing club, where they develop a range of creative writing skills and are encouraged to enter national writing competitions. Arianna W, Laura D and Emily B in Year 7 entered a competition run by Young Writers called ‘This Is Me I Am’, and their entries were selected to be published in an anthology! Their poems explored their own identity, and what makes them who they are. They also entered a competition called ‘Wild Words’ for which they were asked to co-author a poem with an element of the natural world. Arianna’s and Emily’s poems have been selected to feature on their website and social media platforms! Congratulations, all!

On Tuesday this week, our U12 Cricket team travelled to Lord’s Cricket Ground with Ms Parker, to compete in the U12s Middlesex competition. The team played three games and won every single one! All our players performed strongly and improved ever more with each game they played. Afterwards, they were treated to a short tour of Lord’s and were able to enter the BBC Box and Sky Sports Centre. Their impeccable behaviour was a credit to the school. We now look forward to the next round!

Our Student Chaplain, Gloria S. in Year 13, assisted by volunteers of the Christian Union, organised a fantastic lunchtime Christmas event this Thursday. Bonnie Collington, a youth worker from Holy Trinity Clapham, was invited to speak in St Michael’s chapel on the theme of “the true hope of Christmas”. Many students attended to hear the talk – we even ran out of chairs - as well as playing games and enjoying nibbles. There was a great festive cheer overall!