‘Shake it Off’, our annual Shakespeare festival took place this week. Last year this took place virtually, so I am delighted we have been able to be celebrate this together this year. The theme was ‘Women in Shakespeare’ and as an English teacher it has been lovely to see the school covered in quotations from Shakespeare’s plays. Such activities bring life back to the school. Managing this in a Covid safe way, with the additional pressure of Year 11 assessments, is not straightforward and something I am particularly grateful for. My thanks to all colleagues involved.

We are gradually bringing assemblies back as well. Since the start of term Years 10 and 11 have had presentations from our Safer Schools Officer on issues raised nationally on the ‘Everyone’s Invited’ website. This is such an important topic in all schools, and we will share a school wide proactive approach to this in the weeks ahead.

In lessons this week Year 8 have impressed in Spanish lessons by preparing scripts and rehearsing waiters taking orders from customers in a restaurant. I am sure we are all looking forward to more of this happening outside school as restrictions are lifted!

We were pleased to play our first sporting fixture in over a year last week- a 14 run victory for the Year 11 boys cricket team against Avanti House. When the school first opened in 2016 we shared our site with Avanti whilst their permanent home was built, so these students know each other well. It is always a close game between our schools, and since Year 7 the four matches between the teams had been evenly split 2-2. With just 3 weeks left until Year 11 complete their studies they were particularly pleased to edge ahead in this fixture!