Head Master's End of Week Notes - 15th November

The glorious weather last Sunday set the tone for a wonderful Remembrance Service at St Marys, Bruton. It was a proud moment for me leading the school through the town to the Church.  Sgt Major Hill ensured that proceedings were in order and the Head of School, James Russ laid down the wreath in memory of Sexeians who gave their lives defending our country in conflicts past and present. I was impressed by our students who were impeccably turned out and well behaved and were a real credit to the school and to the town. After the service, we were invited back to At the Chapel where Catherine Butler looked after us and it was a useful opportunity to meet the Mayor, Mr Alex Rubbo, and other Brutonites such as the Headmaster of King’s, Mr Ian Wilmshurst and Mrs Botterill the Headmistress of Bruton School for Girls. I look forward to working with them all on various initiatives in the future. The School had its own Service of Remembrance on Armistice Day on the Monday and I was equally impressed at how the students conducted themselves during the service and the respect that they showed which says a lot about the school. The silence was eerie and the Last Post, played by Faelan Sydenham (9 GJ CSN) moving. I would like to thank all staff, the Heads of School and the prefects for their help and support during the service.

As ever, we had a packed week of House events sporting fixtures and trips, with the Year 7s travelling to Cardiff Castle on Thursday, the Inter House Hockey and Rugby matches (full details below from the Head of Sport, Mr Boyd), House Writing Competition and of course all the other clubs and societies that take place at lunch times and after school. Some of our boarders are off to see England vs Chile tonight at Wembley! The Y11s will be sitting their Mock Exams next week and I am sure there will be lots of work done this weekend and the staff and I wish them the very best for the task ahead. Our commitment to Charity fund raising continues with Children in Need today and early calculations suggest that a considerable amount of money has already been raised for this worthy cause and of course, the School’s Charity Cross Country which takes place on Friday 6 December – from what I have heard, it will be a fabulous event and it would be great to see you there – don’t forget to bring your wellies! We are also mindful of the tragic events in the Philippines this week and our thoughts and prayers go out to all the families affected by Typhoon Haiyan during this testing and difficult time.

As you are aware, the school was recently inspected for its boarding provision and the Ofsted Report is now available for you to read on the website under Statutory Information (on the bottom left of the front page) – please do read it and I would welcome any comments that you may have on it.

I received an email from our Facilities Manager this week asking about Christmas trees for School and the Boarding Houses and it hit home that we are now just 4 weeks to the end of term and only 40 odd days to Christmas! Preparations are underway for the Senior Citizens’ Christmas Party and Christmas Concert on Wednesday 4 December, Acoustic Night on the Tuesday 10 December, the Christmas Shopping Evening on Bruton High Street on Wednesday 11 December, where the PSA will be in full force as well as our Carol Singers and the Christmas Carol Service on the last day of term, Friday 13 December at St Mary’s Bruton, which will round off the term and put everyone in the Christmas spirit. After the service, all parents and friends of the school are invited back for mince pies and a glass of mulled wine in the KDR – I look forward to seeing you at this very special school occasion.