Head’s Foreword

It’s safe to say that I don’t think I could have ever anticipated my first term as a Head to be in the middle of a global pandemic but being able to see our entire Plymouth College community support one another, face adversity and prevail, makes me incredibly proud. This term has seen us face many challenges but, despite these, I have had the pleasure of seeing our pupils and staff rise to the occasion and show resilience and determination to tackle what is in front of them.

A particular strength of Plymouth College has always been the plethora of extra-curricular activities on offer - this has been particularly important since our return in September and especially during the second lockdown, where pupils were only permitted to participate in sport and other extra-curricular activities via their school. As always, our teaching staff organised an incredible variety of clubs; from Space and Computer Animation to Art and STEM, our pupils have had much to develop and challenge them. I would like to thank all our staff who have organised, supervised and supported our pupils in all our after-school clubs, extra-curricular sports and creative practices.

I feel it is important to recognise the achievements of the Upper Sixth Class of 2020, who faced a tough end to their academic careers at Plymouth College, without the final examinations enabling them to demonstrate their academic prowess following two years of hard work and missing out on their celebrations and goodbyes. We hope to organise a fitting celebration at a suitable time in the future and will be delighted to welcome them back as OPMs, who always remain part of the Plymouth College family. I am delighted to share in this newsletter the success stories of some of our OPMs who have furthered their careers through hard work and adaptability, especially during these challenging times.

We have much to look forward to next term - including our continued extra-curricular programme and after school clubs, the continued progress of the Prep School relocation and our Blended Learning programme, which will start with our Year 7 and Year 10 pupils. As restrictions hopefully ease in the Spring, we eagerly anticipate a return to other events such as sporting fixtures, field trips and residentials - we will keep you posted on these.

My family and I would like to wish the entire Plymouth College community a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year.

Mrs Jo Hayward, Head