This week has seen our Year 10 Rewards Trip, the Year 7 Science trip at the Birmingham NEC as well as the Year 12 Biology visit to Colchester Zoo  and attendance at District Sports. Thank you to colleagues for organising this and to our students for their excellent conduct. Congratulations to our Year 8 and Year 9 Girls who won their respective District Rounders competitions last week and are now District Champions. A fantastic achievement! 

Sir Stephen Wall

On Tuesday, Sir Stephen Wall visited us and Ethan, in Year 12, has written this report:

Sir Stephen Wall delivered a speech to us describing his life serving in the civil service and being a diplomat, as well as being Britain’s Ambassador to Portugal where he lived for a few years. Throughout his career he met famous political figures such as Margaret Thatcher and President Bush. He described how he went on a fishing trip with him and later watched CNN with him to “see what was happening in the world”. He also shared an anecdote from when he worked for John Major, who had told the press that he had just sent a letter to President Gorbachev of the USSR and later told Stephen that he hadn’t written one and that Stephen needed to do it for him while he went out for lunch. Additionally, he described his involvement in affairs in Southern Africa and trying to deal with white minority regimes there, and violence on the borders of South Africa and what he did in Rhodesia. 

Despite retiring from the civil service he still campaigns - he is the chair of the Kaleidoscope Trust which fights for LGBTQ+ rights in other countries around the world. He told us that when he joined the civil service he was questioned about his sexuality as, at the time he started, you were not allowed to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community, so he had to hide his true feelings throughout his career. 

Sir Stephen Wall is a very interesting man with an incredible career in the civil service, serving as a diplomat and Ambassador in Portugal, and is an inspiration for anyone who wants to follow a similar path to him. It was a great experience to hear his life story.

Toilets Update: Plumbing Works Completed

We’re pleased to share some good news—our recent plumbing works have now been completed, and all toilets across the site are fully operational again. Thank you to students and staff for their patience while the work was carried out.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to let you know that new toilet facilities will be available from September in the Maths corridor and near the Year 7 canteen. These improvements are part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring a comfortable, clean, and well-equipped environment for all our students.

Farewell to Our Year 11 Students

Today we celebrate a special moment in school life as we say goodbye to our Year 11 students at their Leavers’ Assembly.

Although I’ve only had the pleasure of being your Headteacher for this final year of your journey, it has been a real privilege to get to know you and to witness your hard work, resilience, and growth. You’ve handled the pressures of GCSEs with maturity and determination, and each of you should be proud of what you’ve achieved.

To the parents and carers of Year 11: thank you for the support you’ve shown not only this year but throughout your child’s time at the school.

To those moving on to new opportunities—we wish you every success. And to those staying with us for Sixth Form—we look forward to continuing the journey together.

Well done, Year 11—you will be missed.

Mr M Barrow, Headteacher