Headteacher Weekly Bulletin 24.11.17

Good evening

As I type, the Santa’s Grotto next door in Room 19 is taking shape ahead of the ‘big man’s’ arrival on Sunday morning for our Christmas Fair (10 – 1 o’clock).  Miss Berry and Miss Lloyd have once again worked wonders and we undoubtedly have one of the finest grottos south of the North Pole.  I hope you will all endeavour to pop in on Sunday morning to spend a few Christmas pennies, listen to the Year 10 music students performing carols, have a bacon buttie, sit on Santa’s knee and savour that most festive of sights, the visiting 1960’s original Batmobile!  I would stress once more that every penny raised will go towards that £80,000 target for our 3 chosen charities. 

Although we are not yet in December, with the Christmas trees up in School, the Christmas Fair pending and less than four weeks to the end of term, surely we can be allowed a touch of Christmas spirit?  I am very much looking forward to Sunday but I do appreciate that our Year 11s might not be quite so joyous this weekend as their first mock exams begin on Monday.  Of course, we expect them to give it their best shot but these mocks are about setting a benchmark, practising examination technique (particularly given the new GCSEs) and identifying areas for improvement.  Can I add my good luck wishes to the Year 11s to those of Director of Year, Miss Tidbury, in her History contribution to this week’s bulletin (some fabulous creations around the theme of Remembrance form her Year 9s). 

As excited as I am about the Christmas Fair, this is surpassed by my intense anticipation of our visit to see Bill Speakman V.C. at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on Monday.  I have mentioned this visit in previous bulletins but having finished reading his biography ‘Beyond the Legend’, told his story to Year 11 in assembly and met with my M.A.D. club today to finalise plans and compose a few questions for Bill, I now can’t wait to meet our distinguished former pupil.  I’m sure I will have plenty to report this time next week. 

As I came in off gate duty this afternoon, Mr Morgan and Miss Challinor were returning from St Ambrose with the Year 7/8 boys’ and girls’ swimming teams; we came runners up in Trafford!  Not bad with no pool and no training!  The boys’ team consisted entirely of Year 7s too.

In other sports news, my Year 7 rugby team enjoyed a good day at the Grange School, Hartford, on Tuesday, in a Cheshire Schools tournament.  They had mixed fortunes but playing several games in one day was fantastic for their development and they will have learned a lot.  Unfortunately, and frustratingly, some are still failing to take on board some basic advice, so we haven’t progressed as quickly as I would like.  The penny will drop at some point, however, and they will fulfil their considerable potential.  It’s the turn of Mr Higginson’s Year 8s next week.

In addition to the rugby and swimming, we’ve had Year 7 girls’ football, Year 10/11 basketball and Year 10 netball this week; I’ll let you find out for yourselves how they all went on.  I would just mention how pleasing it is that Miss MacGlinchey was able to field 2 girls’ football teams from Year 7.  We want to be competitive, of course, but in the long term the number of students we have participating is more important.

Thank you to our other contributors this week:  Miss Tedford (as always) in English; Mrs Cook’s crochet club producing some fine work; Miss Ryan’s cooking club and their delicious-looking ginger bread reindeer.  I’m sure there may well be other items slipped into Latest News by Mrs Roberts by the time you read this, so apologies if there is anything to which I haven’t referred.  Hopefully, we’ll get to hear more in due course about the primary school quiz we hosted on Tuesday, the Dragon’s Den event for a team of Year 10’s today and the Trafford Youth Council held at the Town Hall, also today, attended by Mr Holt and 8 students from Year 8, 9 and 10.

Well done to Mrs Sheehan for organising the Nursery Rhyme competition in assembly this week.  Judging by the noises emanating from the Vale Hall, much fun and hilarity was enjoyed by all on Monday morning.  Her report would seem to confirm this was the case.

Well, it’s a Friday evening, I’m feeling festive (although that is tempered somewhat by the Chancellor’s complete neglect of our young people and their education in his Budget this week) and it’s been a most gratifying week; so, I think I deserve a take-away of some form of Eastern cuisine and a bottle of the usual.  I have also been a good boy and resisted the temptation to stay up late for the last two nights to watch the Ashes.  Tonight may be different, I feel. 

I hope to see many of you on Sunday and enjoy your weekend in the meantime.  I may be a little blurry-eyed.

S Beeley