Headmaster's Blog
- Published on 28/03/25 by Natalie Hunt
Academic inspiration and opportunity
Supported by the head of another department, I am this week reviewing the work of the Classics Department. This forms part of our cycle of departmental reviews, when we observe lessons, look at documentation and planning (including the department’s own self-evaluation) and conduct discussions...Read More - Published on 21/03/25 by Natalie Hunt
Partners in Education
I hope the beautiful weather has put a spring in your step! At the heart of our happiness and success as a school community is the joint endeavour between home and school to give our children the best possible preparation for life. This is underpinned by shared values and an understanding tha...Read More - Published on 14/03/25 by Natalie Hunt
Being human together
I am always pleased when pupils talk about the importance of kindness towards others in our school community and beyond. It is certainly a message which we seek consistently to convey and behaviour which we hope that our staff and senior pupils model every day.Read More - Published on 07/03/25 by Natalie Hunt
Safety first
I am delighted that so many pupils were able to benefit from school trips during half-term, and I am sure that many others are looking forward to various opportunities over the next few months, ranging from subject-related day trips to Duke of Edinburgh Award, residential field courses and our June...Read More - Published on 28/02/25 by Natalie Hunt
Good sports
It has been lovely to see the first signs of spring and to begin benefiting from longer, brighter days. As it also gets warmer, we are encouraging pupils to spend more time outdoors at breaks and lunchtimes.Read More - Published on 14/02/25 by Natalie Hunt
Love is in the air
Happy Valentine’s Day! Dukes House has been raising money for charity, including a raffle for an enormous and very soft teddy bear. If your child is fortunate to win said bear, it will certainly need its own chair if not its own bedroom!Read More - Published on 07/02/25 by Natalie Hunt
Know yourself, grow yourself
You may be aware that it is Children’s Mental Health Week, and we have been holding various events in school to support our pupils’ wellbeing: an assembly led by pupils in our Change Group; mindfulness colouring; stress ball making; very popular cupcake decorating; clay modelling of...Read More - Published on 31/01/25 by Natalie Hunt
A School for Emerging Thought
You will not be surprised that we are currently discussing the use of AI in education, with a few staff having recently visited BETT, the world’s biggest EdTech event, held in London. The impact of AI is schools is likely to impact three key areas, by: reducing the time and effort teache...Read More - Published on 17/01/25 by Natalie Hunt
Cherish the moment
I am sure, like me, that you have been stunned by the devastation wrought by wildfires in the Los Angeles region. They have occurred in a highly developed and wealthy part of our planet and have not discriminated between rich or poor. 5998 structures have been confirmed as destroyed, with 27 confirm...Read More - Published on 10/01/25 by Natalie Hunt
Kind people are our kind of people
I wish you and family a very Happy New Year and hope that you benefited from both relaxation and celebration over the festive period. I hope too that you have remained warm and dry, and unaffected personally by Monday’s flooding.Read More - Published on 13/12/24 by Natalie Hunt
Our future in their hands
In the run-up to the US Presidential elections, I listened to an interview in which a commentator described the polarisation of American society along the lines of those who were university graduates and those who weren’t.Read More - Published on 06/12/24 by Natalie Hunt
Time to take a different tack
Outside my office, Year 11 pupils are sitting in preparation for their GCSE modern language oral mocks. Elsewhere in the building, others have been completing their Art or Ceramics mocks (ten hours at GCSE and fifteen at A-level), while all of Years 11 and 13 will return to school after Christmas to...Read More