Head’s Foreword

As we emerged from a rather different Christmas celebration, the staff and I turned our attention to welcoming the children back to school for the Spring Term. We were aware that things may be slightly different but somewhat convinced that despite what was happening, schools would be re-opening in some form, albeit with a delayed start for senior pupils. Then suddenly, barely twenty four hours before the Prep children were due to come back, the announcement was made that we would return to a national lockdown where all schools would be closed and a period of remote learning was thus required. I am still quite staggered at just how brilliantly the entire Plymouth College community responded to the enormous challenge that was presented to them; pupils, parents and staff. Your perseverance, resilience and collaboration were evident in spades!

Despite lockdown, it has been amazing to reflect upon what a busy term we have had as you will see throughout the pages of this newsletter.

Our “An Evening With…” series has proved extremely popular. Conceived as a way of keeping the wider school community together, I have been fortunate enough to welcome some inspirational guests from a variety of backgrounds; from Olympic and World Champions to Hollywood actors; from serving Members of Parliament to TV news journalists. It has been a fascinating and inspiring series, and I would like to extend my thanks to Mr Mutlow for his work in making this happen.

Keeping both our physical and mental health in check is often a struggle during home learning. Our ‘Evolution Expedition’ has made considerable progress during the course of the last few weeks. Following the success of the Mayflower Marathon during the first lockdown, Mr Mutlow set us another virtual journey challenge, this time around the world to follow the voyage that Charles Darwin completed when studying evolution and completing his book, ‘On the Origin of Species’.

We know that exercise plays a big part in our mental health, but to specifically focus on our mental wellbeing, Mrs Byrne, our School Counsellor, organised the #PMCSelfCareChallenge. Daily video snippets were published on our social media channels to give us all the opportunity to take five minutes in our day to think about our wellbeing. The community has also been able to take part in other activities such as yoga and singing.

I must make mention of our Upper Sixth pupils who have, this term, received a wealth of offers from top universities with over 70 from Russell Group institutions including Cambridge, King’s College (London), Imperial College (London), University College (London), Durham and Exeter.

Whilst most pupils have not been physically present at school, we have still seen plenty of activity at our Ford Park site. Not only have we welcomed our Preschool children, but also those pupils whose parents are critical workers, and I thank our staff for enabling them to have as ‘normal’ a school day as possible. In addition, we have been able to continue the work on the new Prep School and it is beginning to take shape nicely.

With the emergence of Spring and the return of all pupils back to both the Senior and Prep schools in March, it has been a joy to witness our pupils embracing again the dynamic, inspiring and creative atmosphere that Plymouth College provides - one where our pupils thrive and flourish. We look forward to providing as many opportunities as possible for learning and extra-curricular activities outdoors next term.

I wish you and your families a peaceful Easter and look forward to hopefully seeing many of you in person again next term.

Mrs Jo Hayward, Head