Category: Head’s Blog

8th February 19

Perhaps inspired by the recent School Quiz, my eye was taken last week by a tantalising crossword clue. ‘Young mind not yet affected by outside impressions and experience, as in the philosophy of John Locke (6,4). Not being a classical scholar, and feeling sheepish about asking my friend the crossword fiend, I was bound to rely…

1st February 19

Traditionally, we are approaching that time of the academic year when we – and children in particular – feel at our lowest ebb. As I said last week, snow can be an exciting arrival, but the weather is dark and gloomy, the nights are still closing in all too quickly, and we are all prone…

25th January 19

There is surely no truer test of how one is ageing than by applying the following gauge: ‘How excited do you feel about snow?’ Of course, there was excitement for every Blue Coat child this week when they woke up on Wednesday morning. Only a thin covering, I grant you, but there was of course the…

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…