Head Master's Weekly Notes - 7th February

There has been a lot of drama (in every sense of the word) this week, both in and out of the academic arena. Kevin Pietersen, England’s prolific batsman has been dropped from the national team; Prince Charles has visited our neighbours in the flooded region of the Somerset Levels and has criticised the Government for not making the area safe sooner; and the cast and crew of the school musical production having been practising and performing since the beginning of the week. I really didn't know what to expect especially when it took me some time to decipher the title ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’. But I was impressed when I saw the opening night performance on Wednesday. It was hilarious, witty, moving and full of energy - I also learnt a couple of new words too - syzygy, acouchi and ideate! The final performance takes place tonight (it was mentioned on Classic FM this morning during the School Run!) and so please do book your tickets - you will not be disappointed!

So we had our very own Six Nations Rugby curtain raiser last Saturday with Sexey’s taking on the might of Catholic University School, Dublin and winning 29-17. This was followed by a block football fixture against Milton Abbey up on the football pitches where the weather was, shall we say, different. Wonderful to watch the individual contests and the pride and passion our Sexeians played with. This was followed by the Spiral of Light festival at the foot of the Dovecote - a glorious community event for the town which was enjoyed by all (it didn't rain, thank goodness!) and our Y11 performers really captured the moment as they performed to hundreds of Brutonites and their families under the lights of the Dovecote. I think the event will be slightly bigger next year...

The Six Nations continues to rumble on this weekend with England travelling up to Scotland to contest the coveted Calcutta Cup, having narrowly missed a win against France in their own back yard – we can only continue to hope! Closer to home on Sunday, a local derby brimming with fervor and energy will be taking place in Wincanton when Bruton United Football Club take on Wincanton FC – both teams have a huge Sexey’s representation and the banter is already in full swing! My money is on Bruton Utd and I hope to see the likes of Rob Clackson and Jamal Benzair take on Raymond Allen and Zak Wheeler – friendly rivalry and healthy competition is good for the soul. We have also had a brace of netball fixtures against Huish, Bucklers Mead, The Gryphon and Kings of Wessex and the Sexey’s teams have again triumphed – I was fortunate to have supper with some of the U15 girls’ team on Wednesday eveningwho were so enthusiastic about their recent win (26-5) that they recounted every basket back to me. Wonderful to hear and witness the team spirit and camaraderie which was so evident amongst these girls. Opportunities. And of course talking of team spirit, today sees Team GB at the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia and the conditions out there look tremendous – snow powder levels are about 350cm on the upper slopes and the weather forecast is excellent (I wish I could say the same here). The sensation of skiing down these pristine slopes created by nature amongst the imposing mountain ranges must be such an adrenaline rush and I hope it inspires many of you to sign up your son/daughter for the forthcoming school ski trip to Tonale in Italy this December. What an opportunity and a useful life skill to have. Who knows we may well a future Winter Olympian in our midst.

The Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Michael Gove in his key note speech on educational reform on Monday at The London Academy of Excellence, paid tribute to the outstanding state schools working hard to make a difference and providing educational opportunities for our pupils. His aim is for the state sector to resemble the independent sector more closely so that a visitor to any school could not tell whether the school was publicly funded or not. At Sexey’s we have always offered the best of both the state and independent sectors in an inclusive environment and Mr Gove highlighted a handful, including Sexey's, as amongst the best in the world – read the full story on our website<http://www.sexeys.somerset.sch.uk/56-news1/events/471-gove-praises-sexey-s-again>.  It is  to be recognized in this way on a national level and receive such high praise for the work that we do at our special and unique school. But a school is only as good as its staff, students and parents and we have a group of teaching and non-teaching professionals here who are passionate about what they do and are eager for their charges to do well, whether it be in the Science laboratory, on the archery course or at the Spelling Bee – and our parents work incredibly hard too supporting the school in everything it does for which I am grateful. All the ingredients of a successful school some might say? We will continue to be aspirational and ambitious for our pupils but making sure that at all times, our feet are firmly on the ground. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem though this weekend where the forecast is for more torrential rain on the already muddy Elm Field...

Head Master's Weekly Notes - 31st January 2014

It was inevitable that after England’s disastrous Ashes whitewash down under this winter, that there would be casualties. The first is coach Andy Flower, who took England to three Ashes wins, a World Twenty20 title and established England as the top test side in the world. He has stood down as of today. It’s the end of a golden era in England cricket and I think Flower should have stayed at the helm. Is cricket becoming more and more like football, after one disastrous result, it’s out with the manager and in with a new one? Are we going to see a number of coaches in as many tests? That’s a topic of debate for another day but only time will tell if this indeed is the correct decision and I hope that a detailed forensic analysis of the team’s performance is made and the opportunity is used to bring about change to build a new team over the coming years – from grass root levels, to the quality of coaching in schools to the depth and breadth at County level – all of these areas need looking at and addressing with a view of sustainable development and improvement within the sport. I hope to further develop cricket here at Sexey’s giving our pupils the opportunity to play and represent the school in numerous fixtures when the season kicks off in the summer - that’s if we get a summer! The rain has put a slight dampener on the numerous school football and netball matches that were scheduled to take place in and around the County and I hope these are reorganised when the weather clears up. The U13 Girls’ Cricket competition took place at Westfield earlier this week and our team, having beaten Westfield and Sexey’s ‘B’, lost in the final to Millfield Prep – a tremendous effort (and opportunity) for all involved.

Opportunities in life are important to develop experience and to learn new skills, whether it is travelling to Zambia on the exchange this summer to learn about the country’s culture and its people, or attending Maths enrichment lectures (and there have been two in the past week alone) to understand maths and its application in a different context. We strive to provide as many opportunities for our pupils and it’s up to them to seize these opportunities and make the most of what is on offer at School; because once it’s gone, it’s gone. The Air Training Corps (ATC) were recruiting this week in the Main Hall and it provides opportunities for cadets to take part in a number of exciting activities – from flying and gliding, to shooting and archery and, adventure training camps in the UK and Cyprus. The unit is being headed up by a new team of officers bristling with ideas on how to take the Corps forward and I strongly suggest that your son/daughter takes up the opportunity. We were also very fortunate to welcome Jacob Rees-Mogg, the MP for North East Somerset, who gave an impromptu Q&A session in a Government and Politics lesson to our Y12 students this afternoon - it certainly added a new dimension to the lesson and brought politics to life for the Y12s. Again, an opportunity and it was interesting speaking to Jacob, who is a self-confessed Tory rebel, on his views on immigration, UKIP and Europe, the American constitution and the General Election in 2015. The Y12 students were impressed with his openness and honesty and he was equally impressed with their sharpness and their searching questions.  Jacob is also a keen cricketer and an avid supporter of Somerset CCC so I am sure we will find him on our boundary come the summer!

The School Musical ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee’ takes place next week (Weds 5 – Fri 7 Feb) and we were given a sneak preview in assembly of one of its catchy numbers (‘I Am Not Smart’ – quite ironic to say the least) – it certainly looks a lot of fun and I do urge you to buy your tickets and support the students and staff in their efforts – you may learn a few new words and it’s an opportunity not to be missed! Keeping on the musical theme, the Spiral of Light Festival will be taking place at the iconic Dovecotetomorrow afternoon (4-7pm) and three Sexeians - Rosie Perrett (11 GOL ES), Daniel Higginson (11 KNI RK) and Callum Oliphant (11 GOL DB) will be representing the School and performing their eclectic mix of contemporary and classical music at this wonderful community event. Do come along and hear them play.

As I look out of my study window and see the school flag proudly flying in the force ten gale and with no sign of the torrential rain letting up (my thoughts go out to our neighbours who live on the Somerset Levels), I will be turning my attention to the Six Nations Rugby which kicks off tomorrow with Wales vs Italy and France vs England. Our very own England vs Ireland match takes place on the Elm Field tomorrow at 1030which I hope you will be able to come along and support – do bring along your umbrella and wellies though. We will be hosting a touring U15 Irish side from the Catholic University College in Dublin who will take on our U15s and it will be my personal curtain raiser for the 6 Nations tournament. Let’s hope England can do something with this ball.

Head Master's Weekly Notes - 24th January

The Secondary Schools League Tables were published this week and the results are very pleasing indeed. Our scores have been consistent over the years and rivals many of our competitor schools in the county. I cannot take any credit for this achievement and thank the previous administration for their sterling efforts – the new administration has a lot to live up to! There is still plenty of work to do and although the league tables give us an indication of school standards, I feel that they do not paint the whole picture about a school, particularly a special one like ours. Don’t get me wrong, we certainly care about these results, and celebrate the success of our pupils, but not exclusively. I believe education is about more than just grades; the published data doesn’t tell us about the character and quality of our school. Nor do they give a true reflection of the ethos and culture of our school – from the wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer (art, music, drama and sport to name but a few) to growing up in a caring community. Personally, we need to be careful when looking at league tables in judging whether a school is successful or not when in reality a whole range of factors need to be considered before a judgement can be made. We will continue to strive to get the best out of our pupils but at the same time understanding what is important about education.

Remaining with that theme, congratulations to Jenny Paull (OS) and Miles Haines (OS) for completing their expedition (and all the paperwork) in the wilds of Borneo last summer with Camps International and to both Becky Rundle (13 GOL PC) and Harrison Minter (13 HOB PC) for successfully completing their Gold Duke of Edinburgh award. The latter two will be attending an awards ceremony hosted by Prince Philip at St James Palace in February. A tremendous effort by all involved and an experience which all of them will learn and draw from and will remain with them for many years to come. This is education.

I was asked to take a seat at break this morning as I was informed that England were on the brink of their first victory down under since arriving in Australia back in October last year for their Ashes campaign. They did end their losing streak winning by 57 runs. This series has certainly been a test for the England players and I hope they have been learnt much from their experience. Some good news to brighten up a somewhat cold, damp and dreary day. And the dull weather seems to be with us for the next week at least but that hasn’t dampened the spirits here. With fine wins against a strong Sherborne side in football yesterday (the U16 won 6-0) and the netball team going from strength to strength beating The Gryphon, the weather can continue as it is. As I conducted my Learning Walks this morning, in the rain, I was privileged to see students and colleagues in action – from understanding Gaia Theory in Geography, Shackleton’s expedition to the South Pole in Science, measuring wavelengths in Physics and verb conjugation in Spanish. Rehearsals for the School musical next month were also taking place and I do urge to get your tickets! The Sexeian spirit of endeavour and drive are certainly evident in and around school.

And so the weekend beckons and with no let up from the weather in sight, there will be plenty of prep and assignments to complete, governors reports to write and of course the 5^th and final ODI cricket match in Adelaide to watch. Thank goodness for small mercies

Head Master's Weekly Notes - 17th January

Howzat! And what a wonderful week it has been for sport at Sexey’s.  Not only have England registered a win down under with the England Ladies Cricket team winning the first Ashes test in Perth, but our U15 Girls’ Cricket have also triumphed. The A team won the South Somerset round of the National U15 Lady Taverner's indoor cricket competition at Stanchester School this week and now progress to the County Finals in Taunton.  The B team came second!  This prestigious competition is organised by Somerset CCC Ladies Coach and Ashes winning former England international Caroline Atkins who has also been in this week supporting and mentoring our girls.  Captain India Gill (9 KNI AB) has showed she is an all-round sports woman dominating at the crease in cricket and last term on the hockey field.  Sport is an integral part of what we do at Sexey’s and the skills and values it develops and encourages should never be underestimated.  Not to be outdone, the U15 Boys beat Millfield 3-0 in an absorbing and entertaining football match and the House Netball competition also started in earnest this week.  I was also privy to the Primary School Competitions that we host here at the School and this week saw the Basketball competition take place for our local partner primary schools and it was great to see the boys and girls from the likes of Evercreech, North Cadbury, and  Ditcheat (amongst others) enjoying the tournament. The Sports Hall was packed and the atmosphere was electric.  We host a number of Primary School competitions throughout the year from rugby, hockey, swimming, football, cricket, athletics, rounders; the list goes on and my thanks to Mrs Davis for organising these – participation and engagement are important and everything we can do as a community to help the next generation of hockey players, cricketers, swimmers is vital.  Even though the weather has been cold and miserable, there is plenty to smile about here.

In assembly this week, Sam Wilson (9 KNI SW) and Ollie Marsh (10 GLY JM) performed some eclectic drum pieces in front of the school and the pupils sang the school song with great gusto and pride.  Mr Kelley, the Head of the Chaplaincy Team, led the assembly and highlighted how we should be thinking of those less fortunate than us in the wake of the excesses of the recent festive season.  We also talked about how we should be keeping those new resolutions that we have made with all good intentions at the beginning of the year.  Making the resolutions is easy, but keeping them is the challenge.  I’m glad to say that I haven’t broken any of my resolutions (yet!) and it has been tough – the food served in the KDR is second to none…

New colleagues have settled in well to life at Sexey’s and Mr Reddick is getting used to the traditions and nuances of the school whilst conducting his numerous learning walks, lesson observations (he watched me today) and meeting the pupils.  The pupils have also settled back into the rhythms and routines of scholarly life and there seems to be an atmosphere of purposefulness and determination, especially with the Y11s who have a Parents’ Meeting this afternoon.  Whilst on lunch duty, I overhead two girls talking about their revision plans and the type of revision they felt worked best for them  – I was impressed that academics was the hot topic of conversation.  I have read through some Shakespeare projects too that the Y8s have completed in English over the Christmas holiday and the quality of work was outstanding.  Rehearsals for the School Musical ‘The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ’ are also in full swing and last year’s Y13 students (Old Sexeians) returned last week to meet with the current 6^th Form and to receive their A-level certificates, before they embarked on the next leg of their academic journeys. Speaking of Old Sexeians, I received a charming letter from a lady whose grandfather was Philip Biggin who was a student at Sexey’s back in 1925 and was taught by the school’s first Head Master, Mr William A Knight MA – Mr Biggin (OS) turned 100 back in December, which I believe makes him the oldest living Sexeian.  From the old to the new, we seem to have started the year with the right attitude and in the correct frame of mind – I only hope that the England Ladies continue to do so too.

I wish you a pleasant and peaceful exeat weekend.

Head Master's Weekly Blog - 10th January

So we lost the Ashes Test in spectacular fashion losing 5-0 to the impressive Australians. I admit, I did not see the final two tests, nor the highlights as I was being constantly updated with the scores by colleagues in Australia who were basking in their Christmas sunshine.  I take my hat off to the Australians who only 6 months ago lost the Ashes and were able to turn things round in a relatively short period of time and taught us a thing or two about the beautiful game. We too can learn much about the England defeat and how they cope now with the tests in Sri Lanka and India looming will be testimony to them. No doubt I will keep you posted about development on the sub-continent. However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom over the Christmas holiday - there was some sporting consolation in the fact that Arsenal remained top of the league in 2013 and in 2014 and that Yeovil Town (and not Manchester Utd) have made it through to the 4^th round of the FA Cup!

We started back this week (have we really been back only a week?!) on a cold and wet Monday morning (thankfully we had repaired the roof before the onset of the storms so the new Deputy Head did not walk into a flooded study!) with renewed vigour and enthusiasm ready for the challenges of this Lent term. We welcome the following members of staff to Sexey’s - Miss Breeshey Harkin, who joined the Science Department (Miss Harkin is a Biology specialist) and will be with us until Mrs McCarthy’s returns from maternity leave later this term; Mrs Elena Buchanan who joined the MFL department and will teach Spanish and French and Mr Paul Reddick the new Deputy Head –Teaching & Learning, who is a Historian with a keen eye for detail and policy.

Intellectual risk-taking and the detrimental effects of ‘mollycoddling’, was the topic of this week’s assembly to the Sixth Form. They are currently preparing for their Mocks in February and Mr Reddick spoke to them during the assembly about his philosophy on teaching and learning . With the absence of January modules under the current educational reforms, there is more continuity and time devoted to teaching which will hopefully ensure that the students are well prepared to achieve their university offers this summer. Similarly, the Y11 pupils are now embarking on their individual GCSE campaigns in preparation for this summer and hopefully have been using the holiday to take on board the advice given to them by colleagues in light of their Mock performances back in November. You will be able to download their reports this afternoon from Moodle and they are also being posted and we look forward to seeing you at the Y11 Parents’ Meeting which will be taking placenext Friday (17^th January) at 4.15pm across the estate.

The Lent term is packed (I wouldn’t have it any other way!) with plenty of activities in and around school – from sport, drama, music, art, charity fund raising, lectures and Open mornings. For a list of this season’s sporting fixtures (Football and Netball) please do check the schoolsports.com website which is easily accessed through the school’s website – go to Extra Curricular along the top navigation menu and click on Sport in the drop down menu. Fixtures start in earnest next week and if you can come down for the Home matches it would be wonderful to see you and share post match tea with you. The music and drama department are busy rehearsing for the School musical production ‘Putnam County Spelling Bee’ which takes place on the evenings of Wednesday 5^th to Friday 7^th of February (we were given a sneak preview at the Christmas Concert and it looks incredibly entertaining) while the Boarding Open Morning takes place the morning after on Saturday 8^th February.  

The PSA Quiz Night last term was a resounding success and I thank you for supporting it – there were a record number of parents, staff and friends of the School in attendance and it is great to see the community coming together to enjoy such an occasion.  I still refute the claims that it was a fix - the Head Master’s team won the Quiz fair and square. The PSA are organising a Spring Dinner and Dance this term on the 1^st of March and it looks to be another glorious occasion for the school community – do get your tickets quickly (details are on the website) as I expect these will sell out pretty quick – something to look forward to after Christmas!

With regards Charity Fundraising, I have been impressed at the way the school supports such endeavours and the event this term is equally as impressive. The school will be supporting a 24 hour cyclathon in aid of the Children’s Liver Disease Foundation and the event ‘Big Yellow Friday’ will be taking placeon Friday 7^th and Saturday 8^th of Marchwhere the Bishop of Taunton will be also present. Please do read the flyer attached for more information and if you could support the event in whatever capacity it would be much appreciated. I hear that the 3am slot may still be available…

The new term is already in full swing and it proves to be an exciting one – England are doing well in the First Test of the Women’s Ashes in Perth, Australia.

Regards

Irfan H Latif JP

Head Master

Dates for the Diary:

Friday 17^th January – Year 11 Parents’ Meeting

Friday 17^th January, 3.40pm – Sunday 19^thJanuary, 6.00pm – Quarter Term

5^th – 7^th February – School Production ‘Putman County Spelling Bee’

Saturday 8^th February – Bruton Spiral of Light

Friday 14^th February, 3.40pm – Sunday 23^rdFebruary, 6.00pm – Half Term

Saturday 1^st March – PSA Spring Dance

Friday 7^th March – Big Yellow Friday

Friday 7^th March – Year 9 Parents’ Meeting

Friday 14^th March – Inset Day – All Staff In

Thursday 13^th March, 3.40pm – Sunday 16^thMarch, 6.00pm – Three Quarter Term

Friday 4^th April, 3.40pm – Monday 21^st April – Easter Holiday

Tuesday 22^nd April – Inset Day – All Staff In

Tuesday 22^nd April, 6.00pm onwards – boarders return all houses

Friday 2^nd May, 3.40pm – Monday 5^th May, 6.00pm – Quarter Term (Monday 5^th May – Bank Holiday)

Friday 23^rd May – Sports Day

Friday 23^rd May, 3.40pm – Sunday 1^st June, 6.00pm – Half Term

Thursday 26^th June, 3.40pm – Monday 30^thJune, 6.00pm – Three Quarter Term

Friday 27^th June – Inset Day

Monday 30^th June – Inset Day

Friday 18^th July, 3.40pm – End of Term

The whole school calendar can be found on the website -https://www.google.com/calendar/embed?src=calendar%40sexeys.somerset.sch.uk&ctz=Europe/London

Head Master's Weekly Notes - 13th December

I have always defined the arrival of the end of the Michaelmas term by the completion of reports (and Christmas cards) and this year it has come early … then I remember that the majority of the world do not break up for a week yet, at least, and that I should pipe down a little - it is after all Friday the 13^th.

It is always an oddity of schools like ours that the Christmas tree goes up at the end of November, the Christmas lunch occurs in the first week of December (this year the 6th), and by the time the month is half over, I have attended three carol services, had the Christmas playlist on the iPod on repeat and eaten innumerable mince pies and drunk a fair amount of mulled wine. My 'bah humbug' traits can rise to the surface, just as much as they do as Christmas advertising hits our screens almost as soon as the previous year stopped (or so it seems). But the festive spirit eventually holds sway: fuelled by images for example of colleagues taking part in a superb Staff Christmas Revue - the cameo appearance of Captain Jack Black, aka Mr Trevor Oats - he didn't fluff his line; the dulcet tones of our very own 'Partridge in a Pear Tree', Mr Keith Partridge; Scrooge's wicked sister Debeneezer Holmes (Mrs Debs Holmes), the cast of Harry Potter; the exquisite reading of 'The Twelve Letters of Christmas by Emily to Edward' read with such aplomb by Mrs Wendy Kiddell and Mr Darryl Carpenter and the fairy tale antics of the PE department. And I take my Santa hat off to my staff - in the midst of report writing, marking, effort grades and delivering lessons they have managed to rehearse, write new songs, produce and direct various sketches to a very high standard - truly remarkable and I thank them for all their efforts this term and for the numerous opportunities they provide for our students. At yesterday's Revue, we also said farewell to six colleagues; Sam Armitage, our Aussie Gap; Miss Rachel Davies, Assistant Housemistress in Coombe; Kara Clarke, Assistant Housemistress in Macmillan; Miss Sarah Coombes from the MFL department; Mrs Caroline Cook from the Science department and Mrs Jean Hopegood, the Deputy Head. We wish them well on their onward journeys and hope they will have fond memories of Sexey's - the scarf at least should keep them warm! The Revue set the tone for last night's Feast Night celebrations, a Sexey's tradition, where the boarding community put on their best frocks, have a sumptuous meal and then celebrate the end of term together in the Main Hall with a dance. Some of the dance moves would even have had Len Goodman, one of the judges from Strictly Come Dancing reaching for his score cards!  It was a lovely occasion which further demonstrates how strong the boarding community is at Sexey’s.

A true diehard Scrooge would have been hard pressed to avoid a sense of festive occasion at quite a superb Carol Service this afternoon at St Mary's the Virgin in Bruton and my thanks go to Father Justin, the Sexey's Choir and our readers in particular for leading that. The PSA were in full force in the Main Hall afterwards (and incidentally at the Bruton High Street Eventon Wednesday evening) with their fetching aprons bringing festive cheer (and more mince pies) to what has been, in my opinion, a wonderful term. The achievements of our students were celebrated in Tuesday's Achievement Assembly with over 150 students being awarded various accolades for triumphs both in and out of the academic arena - it was a proud occasion for myself and my colleagues and we also paused for a moment as we reflected on the achievements of one Nelson Mandela. Formalities were ended by the School Song being sung with great gusto and passion - a real sense of pride could be felt around the Hall and I do encourage your sons and daughters to learn the song.  And speaking of songs, Acoustic Night on Tuesday showcased the talent that is so abundant in this school, and it was lovely to see a packed Sixth Form Centre with students and parents alike (standing room only) supporting their peers and Sorrell Vince (OS) returning to take to the stage.

Highlights of the term? There are far too many too list (and I have to dash shortly as Mrs Latif and I will be hosting the HM's Staff Christmas Reception at Walwin) – the Remembrance Service, the Ofsted Inspection (is that a highlight?), the Christmas Concert, Jack 'The King of Cool' Wingate and Rosie Perrett at Acoustic Night, Speech Day with Kate Allenby MBE, Sixth Form Assemblies, House Cross Country, The Andrew Marr Show, rugby and hockey fixtures galore, India Gill's hockey triumphs, the Equestrian team, Jemma Jones, badminton, Open Evenings, China, KDR lunches, Y7 HM Suppers, Movember, Charities committee….and I've only just scratched the surface!

After all, in the midst of all that goes on in this fine institution of ours, it is the community spirit that really matters and the willingness of students and staff to put themselves out on behalf of others, both within and beyond Sexey’s. In a year that has seen real challenges, those values of tolerance, respect and kindness have remained paramount and we have seen them in abundance again this term. At this time of year, as we celebrate the Christian festival that sees the sacrifice of God being ‘pleased as man with man to dwell', it seems a good place to pause, and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Even for me, the Scrooge begins to fade away.

Head Master's Weekly Notes - 6th December

It was with great sadness we learnt yesterday of the passing of President Nelson Mandela, one of the most influential and inspirational leaders of all time. He changed the course of South African history for the better and taught us the values of tolerance, kindness and respect in the face of adversity. The freedom and peace he bought to his country will remain his lasting legacy and I hope countries around the world currently in conflict will pause for a moment and reflect on the remarkable achievements and contributions of this truly great man.

Last weekend the weather was very kind to our Gold DofE Y12 students who were on a practice walking expedition on Dartmoor.  They were accompanied by one of our parents, Lt Col Rich Cantrill (father of Sophie in Y7) who taught the students important navigation skills. My thanks to Mrs Jenny Wilkinson and Mr Ed Southwood for taking the trip and I am sure Mr Cantrill will be joining the DofE team on their next expedition! The support we have from the parent community never ceases to amaze me and I am grateful for all that you do to support the School and the education of our Sexeians. It was hoped that the weather would be slightly more inclement to challenge our students - maybe they should go this weekend…

Sunday saw the First Day of Advent and it was fitting that I was joined by my elves who helped decorate the Main Hall and the School tree. I hasten to add that we took all the necessary health and safety precautions while putting up the decorations and my thanks to all those students, some of whom returned on Monday to further decorate the tree, for giving up their Sunday evening for this Sexey's tradition. A particular thank you to Hannah Petrovic without whom Christmas would not have been possible at Sexeys! Father Christmas also made an appearance at Sexey's this Wednesday at the Senior Citizens' Christmas Party - it was a splendid occasion and it was a real pleasure to meet so many friends of the School - Old Sexeians who fondly remembered their time here; residents of Hugh Sexey's Hospital and those who served the School. Hearing the old stories over a cup of tea was inspiring and I look forward to welcoming back our friends next year. Our 6th formers were outstanding in looking after our guests and were in fine voice when we sang carols together along with the Choir and the Wind Band. The festive season is well and truly here!

The Christmas Concert that very evening saw fine performances by the Wind Band, the newly formed Folk Band and some individual performances, namely Rebecca Parham who played Ludovico Einaudi’s ‘I Giorni’ (which incidentally was played at mine and Mrs Latif's wedding) and Rosie Carroll's stunning rendition of Keane's ‘Somewhere Only We Know’. We were also given a taster of next year's Drama musical production; ‘The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee Company’ which looks very entertaining indeed - remember to bring along your dictionary!
On Thursday afternoon the Y11s received their Mock Examination Results, which are also available for you to download from our eLearning site, Moodle. Strategies will be discussed with the Y11s over the coming week when colleagues go through the exam scripts in class for the students to implement over the coming Christmas break. There is now only 6 months to go and it’s important that the Y11s make good use of their time to prepare effectively for their GCSEs.

I witnessed another Sexey's tradition this Friday when the Annual House Cross Country event took place. The school was awash with students (and a number of colleagues) in their colourful kit and fancy dress running for their Houses and charities such as the Bodies Hodges Foundation (Joe Stewart-Sendell and the Head of School, James Russ were in quite fetching numbers!). Thankfully the weather was kind to us today and the atmosphere by the Coombe was electric. The camaraderie and support shown by the students for each other, and for colleagues was truly humbling. Again, it never ceases to amaze me the sheer talent that is in such abundance here and the fervent pride the students have for their Houses, let alone their School. I am very privileged.

The 2nd Ashes test started in earnest this week in Adelaide and I look forward to another set of sleepless nights...