25 January 2019

The week started in tuneful style as a group of our young musicians headed to Birmingham to take part in the Young Voices concert.

After weeks of rehearsal that saw them honing their vocal and performance skills, they were finally given the chance to perform a varied medley of songs alongside 6,500 other school pupils from across the country! It was wonderful to learn about this exciting experience in Thursday morning’s assembly and to hear them performing a selection of songs from the concert. Please do take a look at the pictures of this joyful musical extravaganza in our weekly Flickr album. Elsewhere in the Music Department this week, pupils have also been rehearsing for tomorrow’s concert of Benjamin Britten’s ‘Saint Nicholas’ which they will be performing at St Mary’s Church, Cholsey with the Cranford Choral Society.

The importance of Music and the Performing Arts in our school life have also been highlighted as we participate in a research project with Goldsmith's University investigating the link between growth mindset and musicality. On Tuesday, Professor Daniel Mullensiefen joined us to discuss his research project, as well as ideas about the implications for teaching and learning in Music and across the school. I look forward to keeping you informed about this project as it develops.

Several exciting trips have taken place over the last few days with a team of six Year 8 scientists taking part in the Faraday Challenge at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Aimed at inspiring the next generation of engineers and technicians, the challenge saw pupils creating and presenting a product to support NASA’s James Webb telescope with outstanding results. Year 10 pupils also headed out as they visited the Poetry Live! event at Reading’s Hexagon and enjoyed watching world-renowned poets such as Carol Ann Duffy and Simon Armitage performing their work live.

Finally, the week has also held several meetings with Heads of Department in the Senior School to review preparation for life in our Sixth Form. Curriculum development is at an advanced stage as we complete the final aspects of our planning and we are greatly looking forward to sharing more detail with parents and pupils as the term unfolds.

With best wishes

Dr James Raymond