Category: Head’s Blog

14th January 19

The start of a new year is traditionally a time when we make determined efforts to change our ways: to eat more sensibly, perhaps; to think of ourselves a little less; to think of other people a little more. We all want to look forward. This time we have been stopped in our tracks. Sadly,…

14th December 18

I sit typing with one ear on the radio to discover what her own MPs have decided should be the fate of our Prime Minister. As I will be saying to staff and Governors later today, one has to admire not only the dignity of this woman but also the extraordinary stamina that she has shown…

7th December 18

In a busy penultimate week of term, I decided to take my wife out to dinner. Having had a significant lunch in school that day, I bypassed the meat dishes and scanned the menu for something lighter. Fish, perhaps? Happily, the menu offered ‘Hake’. And that one syllable reminded me instantly of a hilarious incident from…

30th November 18

Of course your children will know what they want for Christmas, but can I suggest that in addition to all those gadgets and other goodies that they be given at least one book – whether it be fact or fiction. Enid Blyton is very much in the news just now. I have to say that…

23rd November 18

Time seems to be passing by so quickly; Santa will be hard-pressed to pack up all those parcels, and we certainly have a sleigh load of events to cram in over the coming weeks. This week, the Estates team got us into the spirit, putting up the magnificent tree on the Viney balcony. It seemed early,…

19th October 18

There has been much in the media recently about the challenge presented by dyslexia. We have had a week dedicated to the subject. Vast strides have been taken in understanding its nature, and finding ways to circumvent the difficulties that it causes. Of course, the early identification of signs of dyslexia in the education environment…

12th October 18

‘What is this life,’ asked W H Davies, ‘if we have no time to stand and stare?’ This week, we made time. And I was reminded of another poem that I came across back a while, which has some great images and a Zen quality. Allow me to quote Norman McCaig in full. I took…

12th October 18

U11 Cross Country Meet at Abberley Hall Date: Thursday 11th October Result: Boys – 2nd place overall. 1st Place William Smallwood. Girls Overall winners. 1st place Bea Neeson, 2nd place Phoebe Jones. This was our first outing to Abberley Hall Cross Country. We work hard on Tuesday mornings before school and that seems to have…

5th October 18

Biological determinism is an interesting and challenging subject. How much of our achievement should we credit to our forebears, and how much of the credit can we take for ourselves? In other words, to what extent is our potential dictated and limited by our genes, and how much are we thwarted in our ambitions by…

14th September 18

How often have we heard – and indeed made use of – the expression, “Do as I say, not as I do”? It may be when we have just been late for a meeting, chewing a crafty Mars Bar and have found ourselves advocating the advantages of healthy eating, punctuality and thoughtful behaviour. Well this…