Dear Parents, As the academic year draws to a close, pupils across the school are quite rightly celebrating their successes and highlights before departing for the long summer holiday. For some the transition to senior school looms large and for others there is the excitement of moving to the next year in the prep school system. This is, for me and my teaching colleagues, a poignant time because we share each and every one of those same emotions. Each year we look forward immensely to reading the thoughts and special messages sent by our pupils in cards at the end of term. One of the great strengths of Stroud is the willingness of the staff to go above and beyond the needs and demands of the classroom. They are in a constant cycle of planning and delivering their lessons, alongside organising trips and visits, and giving up family time for residentials and co-curricular clubs. Looking through the calendar, this term alone there have been over 140 staffed nights and weekends – even more impressive when we consider it is our shortest term at just 11 weeks. These are such an important part of what we do and, we hope, create a lasting memory and inspiration for our pupils – I want to publicly thank the team for their ongoing commitment. Earlier in the term, we celebrated success in the Sports Department as the school achieved a Gold Sports Mark Award. Sport is an important, and highly enjoyable, part of daily life at the school and I am pleased that others have recognised the high standards of this provision. I am delighted to announce also that Stroud has achieved the Foundation Level of the British Council International School Award, which recognises our efforts to link with international communities. Finally, thank you to all those pupils who helped create our new prospectus, which focuses on the six elements of the Stroud Spirit. The final version can be viewed on the school website. I wish you all a happy and healthy summer break. I look forward to seeing the pupils on the Stroud Summer Camp and I hope that you all have a chance to spend quality time, home or away, with your families. Joel Worrall Headmaster
Stroud School, Romsey
King Edward VI Preparatory School