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Good afternoon  I hope you’re all keeping well and possibly some of you have returned to work this week.  How’s that been?    Well, what a week – I’ve never known 5 days quite like it.  Since the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday evening, his appearance in Parliament on Monday and the subsequent release of guidelines covering so many areas of life […]

Good afternoon I hope you’ve all had a good week? The vast majority of people I speak to are now in established routines as we approach the end of week 6 of lockdown / school closure.  For some, there is little deviation from ‘life before lockdown’ (LBL) but for many it’s been a whole new […]

Good morning and how are we all on this glorious Saturday morning?  We really have been blessed with the weather of late, haven’t we?  Blessed on one hand but it is also enormously frustrating if one thinks about the things we could be doing if circumstances were somewhat different. Anyway, better to push those thoughts to […]

Good morning   It’s a bit of a wet Saturday morning, which puts paid to my gardening plans (result! get in!), so I will now have to set a different agenda for today.  I wasn’t actually going to write a blog this week as I have literally spent around eight hours per day over the last three days sat staring at my laptop […]

Good afternoon It’s a glorious Good Friday afternoon and I type this sat in my back garden trying to decide when exactly wine o’clock might justifiably be.  ‘First world problems’ as they say.  I also have a huge sense of gratitude, to be serious for a moment, because I’m fortunate, with my family of five […]

Good morning This is the second successive week I have decided to type a few thoughts during Saturday Morning Kitchen (Mary Berry is currently talking us through her version of Coq-au-vin – I might give that one a go next week actually).  It’s a reflection of what life has become as ordinarily I would be […]

Good morning all I think it’s Saturday morning but quite frankly who knows in these strange times when days seem to merge and the calendar appears irrelevant.  Actually, from a personal perspective it’s been good to have some routine this past week as I’ve been going into School with a handful of colleagues to supervise […]

Good afternoon It is now Saturday and I have already offered my apologies via Twitter for not having produced a bulletin yesterday; I hope you can appreciate that it has been something of a trying week on a number of levels and I just couldn’t summon the energy to type yet another message at 6 […]

Good evening, And what another glorious morning it is too!  It’s been lovely this week travelling in on the bus from Warrington with the sun rising that bit earlier and a crisp frost covering the ground, rendering the Dunham landscape particularly picturesque.  I’m sure it’s not just me but the longer days, a bit of […]

Good afternoon This will be unequivocally the shortest bulletin on record; we’ve just seen the final stragglers off-site at the end of the afternoon session of Sponsored Walk 2020, and quite honestly, I’m exhausted.  Sensibly, we brought the Key Stage 3 walkers in early this afternoon given the less-than-ideal conditions.  Despite the weather, the students […]

Well, a very good morning to you! Lovely stroll from Altrincham Interchange into School earlier, as I do like a cold dry morning; crisp under foot with that light frost and the sun beginning to creep from behind the trees in the distance a little earlier each day.  Naturally, there’s always an extra spring in […]

Good afternoon There has been so much going on this week, I was on the verge of saying, “I don’t know where to start!”  However, without wishing to offend anybody or undervalue any other event or activity in the slightest, there is really only one place I can begin, and that’s with this week’s performances […]

Good afternoon and happy Friday! Or not so much in my case as I type this from home feeling pretty rotten.  I hate being off and have that intense feeling of FOMO, as they say, but under the circumstances it was undoubtedly the sensible option; I won’t go into graphic detail, particularly before the ‘watershed’.  […]

A very good morning to you! It’s 7.12 and I thought I’d make an early start on this week’s blog as I have a busy day ahead.  I’ve actually still got my earphones in after my bus ride / walk to work listening to Radio 5 Live.  They’re focusing on the upcoming climate change conference […]

Good afternoon and a Happy New Year to you all! Have we really only been back a week?! Staff and students have certainly hit the ground running on their return; absolutely vital, I suppose, given it’s a mere 5-week sprint to the half-term break.  Mock exam feedback, seating plans re-arranged, new units of work begun, […]

Good morning I need to be particularly focused this morning with a view to getting this bulletin polished off pretty quickly, as we have a fun-packed few hours ahead.  We’ve just finished our weekly SLT catch-up and the Staff pantomime will be starting shortly, so time is inevitably of the essence.  Gutted I wasn’t able […]

Good morning Firstly, can I apologise for not ‘blogging’ last Friday.  I think that might have been the first time since I began this weekly communication in January 2013 that I have missed.  I was out of School from Wednesday to Friday and unfortunately wasn’t within reach of a keyboard.  Poor excuse, I know, and […]

Good morning all I appreciate I always come up with some lame excuse as to why my ‘blog’ has to be brief on any given Friday but on this occasion I genuinely have about 10 minutes to throw down a few random thoughts, as I am unavailable for the rest of the day.  I have […]

Good morning A busy morning so far; the usual commute, SLT meeting at 7.30 and then Year 11 assembly. I’ve just come back to my office and have decided to start typing a few words as the rest of the day is looking pretty congested. In that assembly, I spoke of the inspirational story of […]

Good afternoon I’ll be quite frank; I ain’t hanging around after School this afternoon! I intend being en route as soon after 3.30 as humanly possible Why? Simply because it’s been the maddest of mad weeks, I’m shattered and need sleep / a dark room / peace and tranquillity / a glass of red wine! […]

Good morning Week 2 of the new commute nearly over and no sign of my enthusiasm waning.  Given what the car lease company want to charge me for excess mileage and some (minor) body work damage on the vehicle I returned last week, this is a routine I may be wise to continue for a […]

Good afternoon and welcome back after the half-term break; I hope you all had a suitably relaxing / restful time? I’m going to have to type extra quickly today as we are interviewing for a new Data Manager.  Mr Collins, whom many of you will not know given the nature of his role, leaves us […]

Good afternoon I’ve been out this morning so have a lot of catching up to do; I’m particularly keen to find out how the knife crime play, “Fall-out”, for Year 11 went this morning.  Consequently, I will have to be pretty brief with my reflections.  Anyway, given how busy the school Bulletin was looking at […]

Good afternoon and happy (wet) Friday! I suppose we can’t whinge about the weather too much as other parts of the globe have it far worse, with parts of Japan, for example, facing their worst tornado of the season. I do sympathise with what the citizens of Tokyo and the surrounding regions will have to […]

Good afternoon It’s been very much a Year 7 week this week starting with the Bonding Day on Monday, numerous sports fixtures and the Family Fun Night last night. I’ll leave Mrs Dunne or another colleague to report on the Bonding Day (although Mrs D is currently driving a minibus to Dorset for a Year […]

Good morning to you all! Making an early start on the bulletin this week as we are hosting colleagues from a school on the Wirral this morning. They are coming over primarily to pick our brains about our Maths provision but there will no doubt be much sharing of other good practice. Inevitably, I suppose, […]

Good afternoon There’s only one place to start this week and that has to be Tuesday’s Awards Evening at the Bridgewater Hall. It really is impossible to pick out a highlight from the outstanding musical contributions, the presentation of the £33,000 cheque to our two charities, Andy Burnham’s stirring address, the evident joy of the […]

Good morning And a truly glorious morning it is too to end what has been another excellent week. Inevitably, the summer holidays now seem a dim and distant memory as the ‘autumn’ term gathers pace. Lots of highlights (27 at Year 7 rugby practice!) from the last 5 days to reflect on, too many to […]

Well, a very good afternoon and welcome to the new school year to you all. Many of you will be aware that I’m prone to hyperbole, over-excitement, gushing enthusiasm etc. (a big kid in a smart suit, in essence) but I would suggest that it might possibly have been my most enjoyable start to a […]

Good afternoon Well, we made it! And I have to say, we have done so in pretty spectacular style.  These are the words of one parent who emailed this morning; “To Mr Beeley & all the staff at Wellington, A massive big thank you for another wonderful school year! What a way to round it […]

Good afternoon This is possibly the last ‘blog’ of the year as next Friday is both a half-day and the last day of term, which inevitably means I shall be shattered and heading for either a lie-down or a cold pint, dependent on just how shattered I am.  Having said that, there is so much […]

Good afternoon I hope all our students are enjoying their extra day off?  The weather is certainly a blessing.  It’s a vitally important day for those of us in School today; the main theme is planning for the 2019-20 academic year.  Clearly, this is a process that takes longer than a single day but today […]

Good afternoon Scorchio! Phew … Britain sweats!  Timperley is hotter than Naples today!  Just some of the possible headlines after a glorious Friday and start to the weekend. It was an even brighter day than might ordinarily have been the case as students and colleagues alike donned the ‘colours’ of their favourite sports teams (in […]

Good morning As I have just declared to staff at our 8.15 briefing, I am rather jaded but absolutely ‘buzzing’ this morning after a fabulous day yesterday.  Following a ceremony at the Interchange in Altrincham to unveil a blue plaque in honour of former Wellington pupil Private Bill Speakman V.C., the party made its way […]

Good afternoon. The excitement builds but the rain falls!  I made the mistake last week of declaring how fortunate we had been with the weather since we moved Sports Day to Longford Park some 7 years ago; this was obviously a curse and we have since had pretty constant downpours of biblical proportions! Fingers crossed […]

Good morning And no, I’m not going mad, it is indeed morning as I type my reflections for this week at 9.07 a.m. I have a full day of meetings and other stuff planned and then I’m off to watch our Year 11 footballers in the first of their two finals in the coming week […]

Good afternoon I normally have a justifiable excuse on those occasions when this ‘blog’ has been somewhat abbreviated.  Today, quite frankly, I’m just knackered (excuse the use of the vernacular)!  I could quite easily lie down on my office floor and go straight to sleep right now.  So, you must excuse me if I’m even […]

Good afternoon. I am just having a 5-minute break from a termly SLT review day where we evaluate our progress against the School Improvement Plan; exciting stuff, I hear you cry!  You can probably guess an excuse is coming and you are absolutely right!  I will have to be super quick this week (incidentally, I’ve […]

Good afternoon Firstly, my apologies for failing to produce a blog last Friday; I was sat on the M25 on the way back from the Year 9 Battlefields trip to Belgium (Miss Memery did provide a report direct from the coach so I suppose this is a somewhat lame excuse).  With three days missed with […]

Good afternoon I thought it would be busy this week trying to cram 5 days’ worth of work into a 4-day week but then on Monday I suddenly remembered that I would also be out of School today (Friday) with the Year 9 Bronze D of E group for their practice expedition, essentially, therefore, making […]

Good afternoon and welcome back. When I decided on the dates of this school year over 18 months ago, I did so to keep aligned with the dates proposed by Trafford (clearly many others chose otherwise).  The ‘benefit’ of returning to a 4-day week and an extra-long weekend never crossed my mind, but now that […]

Good evening Believe it or not, I am beginning my weekly ‘report’ on Thursday evening.  And what a glorious Thursday evening it is too!  I’m hoping to get a couple of paragraphs knocked out before heading over to the GCSE Preparation Evening where we offer practical tips to the parents of our Year 11 students.  […]

Good morning. I really will have to be brief this week, as I’m about to start our weekly SLT meeting, then meet and greet candidates for a Science post, pop along to the GCSE second mock result assembly and then begin the observation / interview process with the aforementioned candidates, which will inevitably last all […]

Good morning. As I began my journey to work this morning, I heard the tragic news breaking from Christchurch in New Zealand; the horrific and senseless murder of 40 innocent people attending Friday prayers.  The full facts (at 7.07 a.m.) have not as yet emerged but it appears this was another vile act of bigotry […]

Good morning It’s going to be a bit frantic today so I’m making an early start on the old bulletin.  We have a weekly SLT meeting at 7.30 (it’s now 7.13) so hopefully I can bang out a few paragraphs in the interim as I absorb my first dose of caffeine of the day.  Second […]

Good afternoon. I am not ordinarily the bitter and twisted type but we are officially not celebrating St David’s day today following England’s defeat in Cardiff last Sunday.  Apologies Mrs Moorhouse and any students / parents of Welsh heritage but it just can’t happen!  To be fair, the better team won and we (Eddie Jones […]

Good morning. And yes, it is morning and we are nearing the end of the first session (Years 10-13) of this year’s Sponsored Walk.  I must say the students and the staff for that matter have been on great form.  Inevitably, with just 25 minutes of the two-hour plus walk remaining, there are a few […]

Good afternoon. Well, there we are, another half-term nailed!  Five and a half weeks, four parents’ evenings, a Year 9 options evening, countless extra lessons for GCSE and A level students, plenty of sport (a fair few weather-hit fixtures though), trips to here, there and everywhere, careers’ events and even a ‘snow day’ (I could […]

Good afternoon. Firstly, my apologies for the school closure on Wednesday; I do hope parents weren’t overly inconvenienced.  There has been much talk on the radio this week about how schools arrive at the decision to close under these circumstances.  For me, it boils down to two simple considerations; is the site safe and can […]

Good afternoon. What a day!  I’ve had a few busy ones in my time but it has been particularly frantic today.  I must say, however, that it has been the usual gratifyingly varied mix of stuff that only a school environment can throw at you.  It might seem like I’m whinging a little, but I […]

Good afternoon. I know I’m prone to saying this but I really will be brief this evening.  Principally because I’ve been out for what turned out to be five hours today on a panel at Sale Waterside (I won’t / can’t go into detail of course).  Consequently, I am shattered but also have a great […]

Good afternoon. Well, didn’t that week just fly by?! Christmas? What Christmas? Easter eggs will be in the shops soon! In all seriousness, it has absolutely been full-steam ahead in School this week and I do think our students have slipped back into routine extremely well and should be applauded for that.  6th Form parents’ […]

Good afternoon. Happy New Year and welcome back!  I trust that you all indulged suitably over the festive period?  I wonder how many of you are doing ‘dry’ January or have begun new exercise regimes?  I’ve never quite grasped that whole abstinence / detox / masochism concept.  I would like to think I don’t do […]

Good afternoon. This is going to be the shortest Headteacher’s bulletin on record as it is now 13.30, so the term finished over an hour ago, and I’m due to meet Mr Pinkerton to buy him a farewell pint.  Mr Pinkerton was one of the four colleagues leaving us today; Mrs Maddison, Mrs Young and […]

Good afternoon. First of all, my apologies again for any inconvenience caused by the school closure on Wednesday.  Although I deliberated to a degree on Wednesday morning due to the potential impact on parents and loss of learning time, it was, on reflection, the right decision.  Nick Woolley, site team member, walked the School with […]

Good afternoon. A day of playing catch-up today as I’ve been out at a conference in Birmingham with Mr Fenwick for two days.  There is so much going on in the wonderful world of education that it is crucial that we as a school keep abreast of things.  One has to be selective, however, of […]

A very quick good afternoon and goodbye, I’m afraid. I’m in the middle of a manic day and have to shoot off very promptly this afternoon. I’ve just about dried out from a very wet and cold Tuesday afternoon at Chester Rugby Club with the Year 7 team in a mini Cheshire schools tournament.  We […]

Good afternoon, folks, A bit busy at the moment setting up for Sunday’s Christmas Fair so I’ll have to be particularly quick this week.  I hope many of you will be able to join us to begin the festive season and raise a few pennies for our students and for charity in the process.  Doors […]

Good afternoon. It did cross my mind that I perhaps ought to write a ‘Brexit special’ bulletin this week given that topic’s dominance of the news.  I’m sure you would be fascinated to hear Wellington’s official line on the customs’ union, the single market, frictionless borders, the ‘back-stop’ and all other pertinent matters.  Perhaps not!  […]

Good afternoon I apologise in advance but this really will be the quickest and briefest Head’s bulletin on record.  I’ve been on a three-day first aid course with the Red Cross, which was excellent but has inevitably meant that I’ve had to fit in School ‘business’ during a two-hour period either end of the last […]

Good afternoon. Well, I can’t believe the half-term holiday was only last week; it seems an eternity ago.  One minute I’m on the tube getting decidedly (k)narky with the persistent jostling by ill-mannered ‘Londoners’ and the next my festive fires are burning following the wonderful Christmas Fair project presentations by our incredibly talented Year 7 […]

Good afternoon. Is this weather a sign of things to come for the half-term break?  I seriously doubt it but, hey, let’s make hay (or anything else you’re inclined to make) whilst the sun shines!  Although, chatting to a number of colleagues and students today, they aren’t particularly concerned with the local weather forecast as […]

Good afternoon. I’ve got to be honest (I usually am and sometimes it’s not a good thing) but I am not going to be at my computer too long this afternoon; it was a long day in London yesterday (train at 5.56 a.m. from Warrington, returning just after 11 p.m.), so there was inevitably plenty […]

Good afternoon and happy World Teachers’ day! I’m sure you already had the date flagged in your diary.  I’ve actually put a link on a separate article should anyone wish to show their appreciation to any of my wonderful colleagues; with a few quick clicks, you can send a postcard free of charge to a […]

Good afternoon. Glorious weather this morning but I believe it’s going to turn a bit chilly over the weekend.  Actually, I don’t mind this as I always seem to have a wider range of clothing in my winter wardrobe than my summer one.  Metaphorically speaking, of course; I don’t actually own two separate wardrobes.  There’s […]

Good afternoon. I say ‘good afternoon’, it’s actually extremely grim out there; the sort of evening to get home, slip into my Captain America onesie and drink a cup of cocoa / hot chocolate / Horlicks in front of a classic black and white movie.  Oh yes, I know how to enjoy myself! We’ve just […]

Good afternoon. Well, I can’t believe it’s only the end of Week 2! I was reflecting with colleagues on SLT in our meeting this morning what a busy and eventful week it has been.  There really can’t be many other jobs that provide the same levels of excitement, enjoyment, variety, reward and stimulation as teaching, […]

Good afternoon and here we go again – eyes down till Christmas! Can I welcome you all back to another school year and one which will undoubtedly have the usual heady cocktail of joys, successes, trials, tribulations, peaks, troughs, blood, sweat and tears? In short, I can’t wait! Of course, I hope you all had […]

Good afternoon. Well, we made it! In fact, to be quite honest, it doesn’t really feel like the end of term; it’s crept up on me somewhat and, of course, I’m tired but not quite as tired as I might be and there’s even still a little left in the tank.  I can assure you […]

Good afternoon. I’ve fallen a bit behind today, with very good reason, so will have to type my reflections on this past week extra fast.  What’s more, it’s the Year 11 Prom this evening so I will have to get out my ‘glad rags’ pretty soon and spruce myself up for the big event. Former […]

Good afternoon. Can I firstly apologise for my failure to write anything last Friday?  Although I’m sure the absence of a blog didn’t entirely ruin your weekend, it was still remiss of me and I ‘must do better’ in future.  I won’t go into the circumstances surrounding this omission, other than to say events just […]

Good morning It’s going to be a busy day today ahead of Open Morning tomorrow so I’m making an early start on my ‘blog’.  The School always looks pretty damn good but by the end of today it will doubtless look even more splendid than normal.  Open Mornings just seem to have gotten better and […]

Good morning Just a quick hello from me this week as I am about to head off to our annual Sports Day at Longford Park.  It’s not quite the sunshine we’ve been blessed with for most of the previous 5 years since moving the venue to Longford Park but at least it’s dry and probably […]

Good afternoon I cannot honestly believe that the half-term holiday was only last week; this has been the busiest of busy weeks but, as always, it’s been immensely rewarding and productive.  Our A level students have joined their Year 11 counterparts and are now in full examination swing, and internal exams have also begun for […]

Good afternoon Well, we sort of said goodbye to our Year 11 and Year 13 students this week (of course, they return for exams on 4th June for another three weeks or so).  Mr Cropper held a fabulous final assembly for the Year 13s during period 5 yesterday, which included ‘Guess Who?’ with photos of […]

Good afternoon I can type a little more leisurely this week, without the pressing need to shoot off to a meeting or, like last week, on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition.  On that note, what a weekend it was!  The students acquitted themselves exceedingly well on the whole (a minority may need further fine-tuning of […]

Good morning It is just turned 7 o’clock on Friday morning and I literally have 20 minutes to knock up a quick bulletin before our SLT meeting starts and then I head off to Rivington with 12 colleagues and 81 Year 9 students for Duke of Edinburgh (I will send over some pictures later); fingers […]

Good afternoon I say ‘afternoon’ but it is in fact 7.12 on Friday morning; I envisage a particularly busy day ahead and thought it best to grab a few minutes for bulletin-writing prior to the madness and mayhem ensuing and the weekly SLT meeting at 7.30. I apologise for my brevity last week; as explained […]

Good afternoon. Not much from me today, I am writing this while on the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition (pictures below) with 81 Year 9’s and 14 colleagues. Thank you to all the teachers and support staff who are generously giving up their weekend to help the students. Can I also say a huge […]

Good afternoon … and what a glorious afternoon it is too! On that note, my colleagues are currently sunning themselves outside the Moss Trooper, bidding farewell to two of the Wellington team; Tim Webb, Pastoral Manager and more recently responsible for the daily running of the Hub, and Dave Baldwin, one of our estates team.  […]

Good afternoon. I did say last Friday that I wasn’t going to write a bulletin this week but given the news I’ve just been received (at 16.25), how could I not?  Following today’s own clothes day and a few more submissions of Sponsored Walk money, our fundraising total now stands at (drum roll) … £61,648! […]

Good afternoon. I type with some difficulty with my hand in a rather cumbersome cast (see last week’s bulletin) so I will be keeping this brief.  There is plenty to read in Latest News, however, for your delight and delectation.  From sporting successes to crochet club and from Year 10 Food Tech to 6th Form […]

Good afternoon. I really will have to be exceedingly brief on this occasion. I’ve just had to cram lots into a very busy Thursday ahead of a visit to Wrightington Hospital first thing tomorrow morning for an operation on a damaged right hand (years of sporting wear and tear, I’m afraid) that has now become […]

Good afternoon It just occurred to me that I always begin this ‘blog’ with a ‘good afternoon’, regardless of the time of day I actually write it.  I suppose, I work on the assumption that people read it when it is sent out late afternoon each Friday.  Due to the often unpredictable nature of life […]

Good afternoon. What’s this weather all about?  I’ve just returned from Timperley village with 10 members of my MAD club to remove the ribbons that have been adorning lamp posts and railings (and of course Frank himself) along Stockport Rd to mark our Sponsored Walk; it is brass monkey weather and that Siberian wind chills […]

Good afternoon … and what a splendid afternoon it is too. Welcome back too after your half-term and I hope you’re suitably rested, if indeed you were fortunate enough to have some time off. I will be particularly brief this week as I have popped in for a quick break from the afternoon session of […]

Good afternoon. I look forward to most days in work but I am particularly excited about today; we are interviewing for a new Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo).  Mrs Cooper has done some sterling work in over-seeing this area since September, following the departure of Mrs Beese, but the appointment of the ‘right person’ today, I […]

Good afternoon. Well, I can’t quite believe it’s Friday already again; the end of the week does seem to come around ever so quickly but I suppose that’s an indication of how busy and productive things are.  I had a particularly good Thursday evening (for the most part anyway).  I do enjoy parents’ evenings and […]

Good afternoon. I’m buzzin’, as they say, this afternoon; it’s a Friday, the sun’s out, the days are getting longer and I’ve just had the biggest attendance at my M.A.D. Soc meeting thus far (14 Year 7s, 1 Year 11 and our 5 Year 12 stalwarts).  As usual, we drank hot chocolate / cappuccino and […]

Good afternoon. I have stated before that, although ordinarily of great benefit, I try to avoid spending too many occasions out of School attending conferences, meetings or professional development opportunities; there is always a mountain of ‘stuff’ to catch up with on one’s return.  This issue was compounded yesterday / today on my return from […]

Good afternoon I hope the first full week of work of the new year for many hasn’t been too exacting.  At Wellington, we are certainly back in full swing, epitomised by the business-like and focused sense of dynamism that pervaded Year 11 parents’ evening last night. Following their first mocks in December, the students received […]

Good afternoon and a very Happy New Year to you. I hope you enjoyed the all-too-short Christmas break and, by this stage, probably now feel like it was an eternity ago.  I haven’t pressed colleagues for any items this week, given the 2-day week, so don’t build your hopes up, but I’m sure there will […]

Good afternoon My apologies, first of all, for not contributing to the bulletin last week (I’m sure it didn’t cause too much upset or inconvenience).  I spent the whole of last Friday at training for the GDPR (data protection) that comes into effect in May; as essential as this was, I’ve had more stimulating experiences […]

Good afternoon I really must be brief this morning due to commitments later in the day and, furthermore, as I have started typing a few words earlier than normal, there will inevitably be items in Latest News that I won’t have read and therefore cannot comment on.  I will enjoy catching up over the weekend […]

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 […]

Good afternoon I hope to complete the bulletin this week before Saturday morning and, all being well, in one sitting (if you didn’t read last week’s bulletin, you will be oblivious to what I’m referring to). I trust you’ve all had a pleasant working week but are looking forward to some respite over the weekend.  […]

Good afternoon (or at least it will be when you receive this but it is actually 7.16 on Friday morning as I type). First of all my sincerest apologies for not having written a ‘blog’ last Friday; I won’t go into the specifics but it was very much just ‘one of those weeks’.  Despite the […]

Good afternoon. Well, I did suggest last Friday that this week would prove to be particularly busy and so it has turned out to be (no winding down for half-term) and that’s exactly how we like it.  Consequently, there is plenty to read on the website / email this week, which will doubtless lift the […]

Good afternoon. Last night completed a hat-trick of Thursday evening events with our 6th Form Open Evening. Word must have circulated about the very positive Ofsted 6th Form report in March and the fabulous A level results this summer, as we had a record number in attendance, including 56 Year 11 students from other schools […]

Good evening. And it genuinely is ‘evening’ and, therefore, late even by my standards to be starting the bulletin.  I am actually typing this at home in my kitchen, unusually, having come straight home from helping with some interviews at Loreto.  I can’t help but feel that a glass of something would speed the bulletin-writing […]

Good afternoon. First of all, a huge thank you to those of you who attended last night’s ‘£80K in our 80th year’ fundraising meeting.  We had staff, former staff, governors, parents, community partners, local businesses and even a parish councillor, in the form of Nathan Evans, represented at the gathering organised by our very own […]

Good afternoon. It really has been ‘one of those days’ without going into too much detail and, consequently, I am rather keen to get home and unwind.  I’m sure that will be a relief to a number of you, particularly those who had to sit through nearly twenty minutes of my waffle on Tuesday at […]

Good evening At 17.35, this must be the latest I’ve ever begun to type my weekly musings, and that’s pretty much a reflection of the way the week has gone.  It has been incredibly hectic but, nevertheless, rewarding and, indeed, inspiring. The school week began a little earlier this week as I had volunteered to […]

Good afternoon ‘Happy New Year’ to you all and a very warm welcome to autumn term 2017 at Wellington School. I trust you all had a suitably relaxing / exciting / revitalising summer break and are once again ‘raring to go’ in your respective roles. A particularly warm welcome, of course, to all our new […]

Good afternoon Only four more get-ups for the staff and students of Wellington School before a well-deserved summer break but, as I alluded to last week, there is no sign of the pace slowing as we head towards next Thursday.  As you will see in ‘Latest News’, it has been another action-packed, fun-filled extravaganza at […]

Good afternoon A fabulous afternoon / early evening was had by all at Bowdon Cricket Club last Friday, as we bid farewell to our Year 13 class of 2017.  I have to say, there were certain amongst them who weren’t looking too ‘chipper’ when I first arrived; I discovered, subsequently, that one of the students […]

Good afternoon My apologies once again as I seem to be developing a habit of having to quickly throw down a few words on a Friday afternoon rather than taking time to ponder the last 5 days.  Unfortunately, today is no different as it’s been a hectic morning and I’m off shortly to the 6th […]

Good afternoon. Nothing from me really this week I’m afraid; I am just about to leave for a meeting with Trafford at Sale Waterside where I will be for the rest of the afternoon, and this morning was spent feverishly preparing for tomorrow’s Open Morning.  I have to say, School is looking splendid. Following on […]

Good morning And yes, I do mean morning; I’m making an early start on my ‘blog’ this week (it’s 6.52) as I have the customary SLT meeting at 7.30 then it’s off to Longford Park for our annual Sports’ Day, followed by other commitments after school on my return.  Ultimately, I’m going to be hard […]

Good afternoon. 16.37 on Friday afternoon and the sun is veritably ‘bursting’ through the clouds; it bodes well for the weekend, after an appalling week of British spring / summer time weather.  What’s more, don’t we just deserve a bit of cheer and ‘light’ in our lives after what has been another week when the […]

Good afternoon Well, what about this weather?  Perfect timing for the start of half term / a Bank holiday weekend and, my goodness, aren’t we all ready for it? What a week it has been too.  It was my son’s 15th birthday on Monday but the 22nd May will now be forever engrained in our […]

Good afternoon. Not a huge amount under ‘Latest News’ on the website this week, largely, I suspect, due to the start of GCSEs and (the one or two remaining) AS levels. Regardless, however, of it being a rather quiet news week, there is, and always would have been, only one place to start; Wellington School […]

Good afternoon. If I remember rightly, I referred last time to my own working week and I might, therefore, be in danger of appearing somewhat self-indulgent as it’s more of the same on this occasion.  Although, in my defence, this is purely because I genuinely enjoy my work (it may be wise to not declare […]

Good afternoon. I accept that you have absolutely no interest in the details of a Headteacher’s working day but I have just completed a most fruitful and gratifying ‘day at the office’.  The leadership team (currently depleted with Dr Chard and Mrs Shelley on maternity leave) meet once a term to review and update our […]

Good afternoon and a belated welcome back. First of all, my humble apologies for not producing a bulletin last week; I returned from the sports tour to South Africa with a stomach bug and subsequently missed school on Friday and a further two days this week. I managed to lose over half a stone in […]

Good afternoon I’m going to be unusually and particularly brief this afternoon as I have a pressing engagement; more of which shortly.  I am actually typing this at home having been to Halton Hospital for an ultra sound scan on my left arm.  You may recall I played my first game of rugby in 17 […]

Good afternoon and, finally, the sun returns!  Fingers crossed it remains for the weekend and Mothers’ Day, of course, on Sunday.  Mums really are fabulous and (although I rarely say it openly) I admire hugely my own mum and, indeed, my wife’s capacity to do all the amazing things they do and have achieved.  It […]

Good afternoon After some glorious weather this week, in time-honoured fashion, it’s just started to pour down in preparation for the weekend.  Depending on your personal views, is this purely bad luck or a deity with a wicked sense of humour?  What’s more, someone mentioned yesterday that we may get snow in April!  Whatever the […]

Good afternoon First of all, I must apologise for the lack of a bulletin and parent email last Friday; you may have been aware that I was somewhat pre-occupied with other matters towards the end of last week!  You may know that I am not permitted to share the findings of the inspection until the […]

Good afternoon Well, I’ve just come in from the cold to make a start on this week’s bulletin as we near the end of Sponsored Walk 2017.  It’s been another fabulous day and, with the very odd exception, the students have been superb once again.  As we always say, the walk is the easy bit; […]

Good afternoon Perhaps we might spare a thought, first of all, for the staff and students on the ski trip who finally arrived at their hotel in Vermont a full 27 hours or so after leaving Wellington!  The delay was due to flight cancellations from Heathrow to Boston following heavy snow fall in the States.  […]

Good afternoon Every week’s a good week in the magical kingdom that is Wellington School (I don’t know whether I’m more comparable to the Lion, the Tin man, the Scarecrow or the Wizard of Oz himself) but I have found the last five days to be particularly rewarding and enjoyable. N.B. I refer to the […]

Good afternoon You will deduce from the wide range of activities covered in this week’s ‘bulletin’ that it has been another full and enthralling week at Wellington, and here we are just two weeks away from half term.  Mrs Copeland also mentions that it is a mere 4 weeks from our sponsored walk (24th February), […]

Good afternoon and I hope you have all had fruitful and rewarding working weeks. I have every intention of being brief this evening as it is already 16.45 and I am only just beginning my contribution to the weekly school report. That is largely due to being out yesterday at a conference in London and […]

Good afternoon I shan’t dwell on the items featured on the website / in the parent email but a passing reference would perhaps be appropriate, particularly to congratulate the Year 7 netballers who join their Year 8 counterparts in the Trafford finals to be held here at Wellington on 1st February.  Incidentally, both are against […]

Good afternoon and a Happy New Year to you all; I hope Santa was kind to you and that you feel suitably rested and ready for whatever excitement and challenges 2017 may bring. I have to say I could get quite used to this two-day week malarkey.  Inevitably, however, because of the abbreviated period, there […]

Good afternoon. You will notice that I have adopted a new approach to my weekly ‘blog’; items have been forwarded by colleagues throughout the week and uploaded onto the website under Latest News as soon after the event as possible.  These items have also been added to an email allowing you to select which you […]

Good afternoon TGI Friday! Perhaps it’s because we’re nearing the end of a long and very busy term or perhaps it’s the result of a particularly challenging week on a number of levels or, most likely, a combination of the two, but I haven’t felt more ready for the weekend in quite some time. There […]

Good afternoon. Unusually, I am writing this week’s bulletin on Thursday evening as my schedule tomorrow will not allow. What’s even more strange is the fact that it is 1st December; how did it get to that date so soon?! As promised, the new website is up and running, despite one or two teething problems, […]

Headteacher’s Weekly Bulletin Friday  25th November 2016 Good afternoon. Well, I’m afraid that this will have to be the shortest bulletin on record as we are rushing around trying to get things ready for the Christmas Fair on Sunday.  Due to the efforts of Mrs Tasker and the team, we now have a record number of […]

Good afternoon It would be remiss of me, to say the least, not to begin with a reference to Remembrance Day.  The two minutes silence this morning was observed impeccably by the entire School community and it was commented by a number of staff that they couldn’t recall so many of our young people wearing […]

Year 10 Football Mt Tomlinson reports on a thrilling and ground-breaking performance by the Year 10 footballers on Tuesday, and one which I had the pleasure of watching in fact; “Although the league season has paused for a winter break, the Year 10 team are still going strong in the English Schools Cup competition. This […]

This from Head of Maths, Mrs Heaton; “This week Sam Gregg from Year 11 and all of our Year 12 and 13 Mathematicians completed the UKMT Senior Mathematics Challenge. The students put their Maths skills and logical thinking to the test to complete a series of puzzles and challenges set by Leeds University. We have […]

Miss Ryan reports on this year’s ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ event which took place this week. “On Wednesday 9th November, the whole of Year 8 watched a ‘Ready, Steady, Cook’ food roadshow. TheSchool’s caterers, Chartwells, operated the event led by chef James who was assisted by the our catering manager, Leon. The Green Peppers team were […]

Unsurprisingly, Wellington School (in the form of the three colleagues listed below) was asked to present to other schools and providers in Trafford on our ‘Careers Education Programme’. Mrs Mackay reports; “We were asked to do this presentation because we are regarded as an excellent example of ‘good practice’ for the implementation of the Statutory […]