BIRMINGHAMTHEBLUECOATSCHOOL1722

Welcome back. The half-term break is behind us, the evenings are drawing in, and the autumn term lies before us. We return to it not with weariness but with resolve, and I can think of no worthier way to have begun than by pausing, as one community, to remember.

Our Remembrance services on Wednesday and Friday were a moving and beautiful tribute to those who gave their lives, and most particularly to those who went out from The Blue Coat School to serve and did not return. I am deeply grateful to Father Andrew, who led the junior service on Wednesday, and to the Reverend Charlie Butler, who led our service on Friday. The music was exquisite, and the reverence shown by the children was profoundly affecting. In that shared stillness, the School community was drawn together, and the young were joined in gratitude to those whose tomorrows were surrendered for their own. We owe the fallen a debt that cannot be repaid; we can only honour it, and we did.

It has been a pleasure to see the children back in their winter uniform, and they look splendid. As the temperatures fall, I would ask for your continued support in ensuring that they come to school appropriately dressed. We shall meet the cold on the playground and on the games field, and we shall meet it properly attired.

Across the school, the spirit of enquiry has been undimmed. Year 3 enjoyed a wonderful and highly informative visit to the Shri Venkateswara Temple, where pupils deepened their understanding of Hinduism and explored the importance of cultural and religious diversity. It was a lesson in service that no textbook could teach so eloquently. Not to be outdone, Year 4 held a Tudor Day, in which they explored the life of Henry VIII and his exploits as King of England. Such occasions lift history from the page and allow children to feel that they are participants in their learning rather than spectators of it. The Year 5 music recital was, once again, of the highest calibre, and the children performed with a confidence and poise that belied their years.

Our youngest pupils have been no less intrepid. It was a delight to see the Nursery children setting out on their autumn walk, kicking through the fallen leaves and discovering for themselves the turning of the seasons. How fortunate we are to have forest school sessions, which afford children these magical moments of wonder at an age when wonder comes most naturally.

We are also delighted to have joined the National Junior Reading Challenge this week. Those children who took part did so with impressive understanding and knowledge, and I am confident that they will have acquitted themselves well when the results are released.

This evening, we look forward to welcoming you to the Friends’ fireworks display, which is among the very finest occasions I attend in any year. I do hope that you will join us and help to make it a special evening and I offer my heartfelt thanks to all who have made it possible. Should you wish to become more involved with this wonderful enterprise, please contact me or the  Chair of The Friends to discuss the ways in which you might contribute.

Let us now press on towards Christmas with hope in our hearts. There will be challenges to meet and much work to be done, but I have every faith in our children and in the partnership between home and school that sustains them. We shall encourage them in the classroom, we shall champion them on the stage and on the field, and we shall help them to break through every glass ceiling that would presume to limit their ambition. 

Have a lovely weekend to all and good luck to all sitting entrance exams this Saturday. The end is in sight!