Headteacher’s Lent Reflection

It has been a wonderfully busy term for students in the Sixth Form. I felt a great sense of pride in the students during our end-of-term assembly in which we celebrated the students’ participation and achievement in a huge number of extra-curricular and super-curricular activities. The amount of student involvement in academic competitions, sporting events, musical concerts, Duke of Edinburgh, CCF, debating, volunteering, leadership initiatives, mentoring and much more has been super to observe. We had 30 students leading different parts of the assembly and sharing their reflections on the term.

A real highlight for me was in the personal development lecture series when three pupils each delivered a talk about challenges that they have faced and overcome in life. We all felt grateful that they were willing to share their stories with us and that they helped us to understand different perspectives from our own. The rounds of applause that they received at the end of the talks spoke volumes for the students’ appreciation and respect for their peers.

I am struck by the students’ level of ambition, their desire to give back to their community and to act as role models to the younger pupils in the Girls,

Boys and Prep Schools. Leadership schemes like the Allies and Advocates, the Wellbeing Ambassadors, the Cultural Diversity Champions and the Learning Leaders are having a positive impact on the wider school community whilst also enabling the Sixth Formers to develop their character strengths and develop their leadership skills.

We were delighted to have a record-breaking number of applications for the leadership positions in Year 13 next year, particularly as the selection process has become increasingly thorough as we seek to mirror application systems for professional roles and to make the process as meaningful as possible for the students. As our minds turn to appointing the next cohort of student leaders, I’d like to pay tribute to the students in Year 13 who have done such a good job. They organised an outstanding Academic Gala Evening and have set up a weekly student-led debating club called the Berkhamsted Union which has been hugely popular. It’s great to see that some Year 12 students are already taking over the reins on some of these initiatives.

Of course, we are approaching the examination season for Sixth Formers and we have provided advice on effective studying. We have shared research on the most effective study habits with the students whilst also stressing the need for students to look after themselves and to maintain a healthy balance as they prepare for their examinations. If parents are interested in further reading in this area, you can rewatch the webinar on revision here. I can also recommend the book ‘Make it Stick’ by Brown, Roediger and McDaniel. Finally, the Counselling team have provided a pack of wellbeing advice to students who are preparing for exams.

Please note that Year 12 students will be on study leave during these examinations (17 – 28 April) which means that they will not have any lessons and will not be required to be in school unless they have an examination (school resumes on the morning of Friday 28 April, except for Photography students.) Please find the Year12 Exam timetable here and the instructions to candidates here

Year 13 students will be on study leave from 16:20 on Thursday 11 May – if they have an examination before this date, they may opt to take the previous day as study leave as well. Please find the Year13 Exam timetable here and the instructions to candidates here. Please remember that the exam boards now set aside contingency dates in case a national event makes running an examination on any day impossible. The dates are the afternoons of 08 and 15 June and the day of 28 June – it is wise to make sure that students can be available at these times.

I wish the students well with balancing time for rest, relaxation, and socialising with the need to prepare well for examinations and hope that you, as parents or guardians, will also be able to enjoy something of a break over the coming weeks.

With best wishes,

Martin Walker Headteacher