Key Moments – Vaccination Training at St Peter’s

Wellbeing The uncertainties we have faced over the last two years have been unsettling and our children are under more emotional pressure than ever. We have therefore taken every opportunity to celebrate the importance of wellbeing this year, to support and guide them with their mental health.

In October we marked Mental Health Awareness Week with a range of events and activities, including yoga and mindfulness sessions, meditation techniques, interpretive dance, Zentangle Art and Tai Chi. The whole school also united from 16-20 November for Anti-Bullying Week. All pupils were encouraged to wear odd socks and shoes on Monday 16 November to celebrate difference and diversity and teachers organised a range of activities inspired by this year’s theme ‘Unite Against Bullying’. Finally, we participated in Inside Out Day on 3 February as part of Children’s Mental Health Week, wearing clothes inside out as a reminder that you never know how someone might be feeling inside. The pupils talked about the importance of kindness, resilience and gratitude and how these values can be practised each and every day.

Inter-House Challenges Teachers and pupils have adapted to ensure the continuation of our much-loved InterHouse challenges, which encourage friendly competition between the Houses. The General Knowledge Challenge returned to St Peter’s 13-18 in the autumn term, with different year groups participating over the school year on rotation. The competition was fierce with impressive knowledge on display, and the Challenge continued throughout the year, moving online during lockdown in the spring term. An Inter-House Debating competition for St Peter’s 13-18 was also launched in year group bubbles, with each House competing to win the coveted ‘Inter-House Debating Cup’. Motions included ‘This House Believes We Should Impose a Second National Lockdown’ and ‘This House Regrets the Rise of Social Media as a Primary Source of News Media’. All year groups demonstrated excellent levels of style and reasoning. Well done to everyone who participated and the overall winners Queen’s.

During lockdown in the spring term, the House Isolation Olympics returned to St Peter’s 13-18, much to the delight of our pupils who were isolating at home. A range of challenges were devised to help pupils have fun, stay connected and learn new skills at home, including frugal cooking and photography. Well done to all of the pupils who submitted such creative and inventive entries, especially for the Pets in Fancy Dress competition!

Our Boarding Community This year has been particularly challenging for our boarders, many of whom have spent many months away from home and their families. The boarders have remained cheerful throughout, despite spells of self-isolation, and they should be applauded for everything they have achieved this year.

The boarders have engaged fully with our Inter-House Challenges, and also welcomed the opportunity to celebrate with their annual Christmas House Dinners at the end of the autumn term. Each House celebrated on a different evening, but the dinners provided a much-needed opportunity for the pupils to dress up and enjoy a delicious evening meal.

Chris Hall, Head of Boarding, said: “It was wonderful to see our boarding communities joining together to celebrate Christmas with such enthusiasm. Despite having spent much of the year apart, our boarding communities are stronger than ever.”

End of year celebrations The summer term saw the relaxation of some restrictions, giving us the opportunity to enjoy many of our usual end-of-year celebrations in a fun but socially distanced way. St Peter’s 2-8 celebrated the end of term with a special Beach Day in the sunshine, described by one child as ‘the best day ever!’ Treats included a pizza picnic, an ice cream van, colourful inflatables and a refreshing water fight. Other activities included the Nursery graduation ceremony, the Reception Summer Ball, and a Summer Disco organised by the Friends of St Peter’s 2-8. St Peter’s 8-13 gave their J5s a fabulous send-off with two days of activities, including a visit to the North Yorkshire Aqua Park, orienteering, zorbing, dance, water polo and a Bake Off. The J5s also enjoyed a leavers’ dinner followed by a Silent Disco. To mark the end of term, the whole school gathered in one place for the first time in 15 months, with prize-giving on the tennis courts in socially-distanced year group bubbles. At St Peter’s 13-18, Upper Sixth Leavers gathered for Leavers’ Day which began with breakfast and Chapel followed by a day of activities including inflatables, a magician, a caricaturist, a photo booth, a BBQ and an ice cream van. We celebrated the achievements of pupils at St Peter’s 13-18 with our annual Commemoration and Prize Giving which was live-streamed for the school community to watch at home. We welcomed our Upper Sixth pupils to the Chapel for the service and enjoyed beautiful music from the Chapel Choir and the Chamber Choir. Heads of House and Heads of School Thank you to all those pupils across the school who have led their Houses this year, helping to preserve the House System which is so important to our school family.

We would especially like to thank our Heads of School and Monitors who have led the school admirably, leading by example both in school and at home. Our Heads of School, Hope and Ben, and Deputy Heads of School, Jennie and Olly, deserve special recognition and praise for their cheerful optimism and determination to retain as many aspects of normal school life as possible.