The weeks of hard work, learning poetry, rehearsing prose and planning and practising presentations have certainly paid off this year, with record numbers of pupils (33!) achieving distinctions in their English Speaking Board exams. Almost all of our candidates achieved a merit, with no less than 84% getting Merit Plus or higher; our best results so far. The results apart, the opportunity for independent, personalised study and research, the chance to learn from and critique one another’s work, and the development of analysis and presentation skills make this a hugely important part of our curriculum.

Early years and KS1 enjoyed some exciting Easter activities on Tuesday.

The day started with an egg rolling competition in Reception, where the children rolled their hard boiled eggs across the playground, trying to get their egg to land nearest to the Easter egg target. Hannah and Maddie were victorious, but all the children enjoyed the challenge and lots of interesting techniques arose!

The Easter Bunny had been hard at work in the woods, and all year groups enjoyed searching for the Easter eggs, which he had thoughtfully left behind. This was certainly the highlight of the day for many, and we had some very vigilant Easter egg hunters! The eggs came in all sorts of colours, shapes and sizes, and were found in some unusual places! Fortunately we were very thorough and every class ended up with a sizeable collection to share out.

Variety is the spice of life - this was certainly the case at the Chamber Music Concert presented by the Senior School pupils. From the serene sound of Debussy's Syrinx on solo flute played by Hannah to the Gorilla Rock, composed and performed with panache by Katie. Hannah also gave an accomplished performance on recorder and piano of her A2 examination recital.

Chamber groups also featured - the year 9 flute quartet delighted the audience with their Ragtime piece whilst the wind quartet brought back nostalgic feelings with an arrangement of The House of the Rising Sun.