What a week!  There was the Year 13 Leavers Ball, all sorts of opportunities outside the classroom, the fabulous new Year 6 in for three days and their parents on Thursday night, and then we only went and won the National ‘Up for Debate’ Competition.  After coming second last year we did one better with the Year 9 team on Thursday.  Coached fantastically by the Year 10 debaters, the students travelled to Harrow School where they smashed the competition.  A fantastic achievement – well done to all involved including Miss Spikesley – their intrepid leader!  The team consisted of Layla Keating (who also achieved the accolade of Best Speaker in the competition), Stefania Stamford and Craig Nyamarebvu.  Just as important was Josh Benge and the Year 10 students who helped train and support:  Cameron Turnbull, Caitlin Everett, Louise Pearce, Alexander Liney, Will Steel and Lewis Rendall.

Lots to look forward to this week too.  Some Year 12 students will have the opportunity to resit their internal exams between Tuesday and Friday – good luck to them.  Talking of Year 12, our current Year 11 students who will be joining us in the Sixth Form next year have their Induction Days on Tuesday and Wednesday.  These are vital for the students to take part in some team building, in addition to having taster lessons where they will be getting work for the summer, so they can hit the ground running come September and the start of their courses.

Departments are out and about too making the most of the sunshine (well fingers crossed).  Maths are off to Bletchley Park with Year 9 students on Monday and Science are off to Swavesey Village College on Wednesday.  The History Department are taking a fair proportion of Year 9 (90 to be exact) to the Battlefields in both Belgium and France from Thursday and there is a Gold DoE trip taking place Thursday and Friday.

Additionally there is the Interhouse Art display and perhaps not quite so nice, but vital all the same, the HPV vaccinations for Year 9 girls.  There is more to celebrate too as 14 of our Year 8 students head to Leicester on Tuesday for the PiXL EDGE Awards ceremony.  This is for students who have taken up the challenge and completed the Apprentice Level of this nationally recognised award.  Students have to complete 10 activities in their own time which demonstrate a range of skills including leadership and resilience.  It is a real credit to then that these students have achieved this so quickly and quite right that they are recognised.

We have the Royal Meteorological Society paying us a visit on Thursday and a number of students will be off timetable to work with and listen to the information they have to impart.  On the same day we have ‘The Brain Day’ for Year 12 Psychology students from both Hinchingbrooke and St Ivo.  Guy Sutton is in for the event who is a lecturer in neuroscience and genetics.  Sounds like a fascinating day ahead, delving into the deepest parts of the brain.

To top all of this off is the fantastic Picnic in the Park event which takes place this Wednesday.  Doors open at 6:30pm and if the weather holds it will be a great evening with music, dance and art.

So much to still look forward to in the last few weeks of term and so much to celebrate.

Have a great week everyone!

Anna Nightingale

Vice Principal