Head Master's Weekly Notes - 6th March

C S Lewis, the great novelist and poet, best known for his fictional work, The Chronicles of Narnia, once wrote ‘Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become.’ And yesterday saw literature come to life at Sexey’s when students dressed up as their favourite literary characters and assumed their roles – from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist to Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, the school and the library was alive with literary references. Reading is so vital for the soul and events such as these can only encourage our students to pick up a book and become immersed in their own imagination – do please encourage this at home. To say it’s been a busy week is an understatement – best-selling author and (he’ll hate me for saying it) futurologist, Mark Stevenson, gave an insightful and thought-provoking Annual Centenary Lecture on the future and how we deal with it to governors, staff, parents and guests in the evening and our lucky Y10 and Y11s during the afternoon. He was outstanding and his knowledge simply breath-taking - he has promised to return to do workshops with our students in the future…

Amongst all this, the Y10s have kept their cool and sat their trial exams this week and I congratulate them on how they have conducted themselves during this important week – it will prepare them for the future. The Sexey’s U15 Rugby 7s competition was a great success with Marlborough College winning the spoils; netball matches, hockey matches, football matches (the U16s beat Millfield School 7-1), Big Yellow Friday (the buckets and yellow mufti have been out in force today collecting for The Children’s Liver Disease Foundation) and plenty more.

You may have noticed in the press yesterday the Headteachers of the local schools in the area talking about the state of education funding in Somerset. The national picture does not look good and the way South West schools are funded must change in order that our students have the same opportunities as those from London and the major cities. I am sure it will be at the heart of many a manifesto over the coming months.

We had the pleasure of welcoming the Head Master of Glasgow High School today, Mr John O’Neill, who dropped in to find out why Sexey’s is so successful – the news of our small school has obviously reached Scotland. And my answer to that is – the people who live and breathe the school – the staff, students, parents, governors, friends who all contribute in making Sexey’s the school it is today. And as I write this, I can see the Chair of the PSA and parents setting up for tomorrow’s Spring Dinner and Dance – commitment, dedication and loyalty are in abundance here.

Now, where is that yellow bow tie…