30th March 2021

Dear Parents & Carers,

Thank you so much for your continued support throughout the very difficult last few months. We are delighted to have our students back in school and return to face-to face teaching. It has been impressive how well the students have settled back into school routines and how quickly they have re-established their friendships and football teams and favourite places. They have much to catch up on and are wasting no time!  Break times and lunch times are very noisy places but we don’t mind! Our school has been empty for far too long.

After school activities are returning. PE and Sports activities are up and running, with other curriculum areas offering an extra-curricular programme, once their work with Year 11 and 13 students has been completed.  With no terminal exams this year, teachers are busy working with students to gather the strongest and more robust evidence possible to support school assessments. They are having to work quickly and intensively as deadlines for submission are tight. Students know this and are focused and determined to demonstrate how much they know, despite school closures and much teaching being remote.

If there is one area that needs improvement for next term it is uniform. This is predictable and we have allowed  for a period of adjustment. However, from next term all students from Year 7 to Year 11 will be expected to be in immaculate school uniform with sixth formers abiding by our smart dress code. This is a non negotiable. Our expectations are clearly explained in The Student Handbook – page 7 on our website here.Please do not allow your children to convince you that ‘everyone else does’ – they don’t! Thank you for your cooperation.

Perhaps the one positive that has come out of school closure is the break through with independent learning, technology and parental engagement.  As parents you have engaged first hand with our live teaching and now know much more about what we teach and how our young people learn. We must build on this engagement and find ways to maximise our support for future home learning. Our curriculum is being adapted and designed to respond to this.

Keep your eyes open for new clubs and after-school activities scheduled to start again in the summer term!

Look out for notices in form time, on google classroom and in lessons.

It has been delightful to see all the creative practical work coming back into school that the children have completed during lock down. This was just one of the many fabulous 'favela' that was brought in this week - well done Simon in 7HRO.

Since winning last year’s under-21 category for her first art exhibition, a series of portraits of young people in South London entitled ‘Through My Eyes’, Nicole Fernandes de Silva has become increasingly confident with her photography.

Go to the website and see the full story