Message from our Deputy Head:

“I began this term, talking to the children about our two new learning powers; tenacity and bravery. We spoke about what these words mean using, amongst other things, quotes from Winston Churchill and Nelson Mandela. As this week has gone on, the exhortation from Mr Churchill to “never give in” has seemed increasingly valuable. From fire drills to power cuts, the children have had to put their tenacity to the test, carrying on with normal School routines where possible and showing a desire to keep on going where the circumstances made this difficult.

I was particularly struck by the image of one of our Nursery children, reading by the light from the window during Tuesday’s power cut. The desire to keep practising newly acquired skills, regardless of the circumstances, is something that we always encourage in our children. At the other end of the School, Year 6 pupils have been trying out for our Public Speaking team, which has involved them delivering a talk to their peers and English teachers. For some, this sort of thing comes easily but for others, the idea of speaking in front of a crowd fills them with dread. These are the ones who need to practise bravery and it has been so very pleasing to see them doing just that. As Mandela said, “The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”

In assembly on Monday, Ms Essu spoke about the way that the School Council is operating this year, with the children taking ownership and responsibility for a number of events. If they have an idea, they are the ones who need to see if this is something they can put into action and it has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm, dedication and initiative that has been shown by many children throughout our School community, as they begin to think about how they can make their ideas a reality. Of course, to follow these ideas through will require tenacity and bravery if they want to reach their desired outcomes. Learning from mistakes and continuing to move forwards is an integral part of the system and we hope to see the first of these child-led clubs and activities happening in the next few weeks.

Senior Choir has been continuing to practise both songs and choreography for the forthcoming Young Voices concert at The O2 in February, despite the absence of Mr Moulton, whose wife gave birth to their first child earlier this week. It would seem we have tenacity and bravery in every quarter and we will continue to encourage all members of our community to step out of their comfort zones over the coming weeks, months and years.”

Mr Watkins, Deputy Head