From the Head of Secondary 27.02.2021

Dear Parents,

Without doubt, the global pandemic and the events of the last year have resulted in significant disruption, especially when it comes to education.

According to a UNESCO Monitoring Report, at the peak of the first wave, 192 countries had implemented nationwide closures, affecting about 99% of the world’s student population. This means a total of 1.725 billion students have, at some point, worked remotely from home. These numbers are mind-boggling, and difficult to comprehend, but what never ceases to amaze me is how our Secondary students have responded to this challenge. Their attitude to learning is exemplary and the way they have approached working remotely is simply inspiring. Well done to each and every one of you.

Someone recently described the last 12 months as a time of ‘peaks’ and ‘troughs’ and with the return to face-to-face lessons for Years 11, 12 and 13 there has been a real buzz around the corridors this week.     A school without students can be likened to a lost soul and, with the other Year groups starting back on Monday 8th March, there is genuine excitement in the air.                                                                       Hopefully the sun will keep on shining too!

The next two weeks mark a pivotal point in the academic year for our sixth form students, with the start of the mock examinations. The mocks start on Wednesday 3rd of March and run through to Friday 12th March, providing students with the opportunity to experience completing real papers, under formal examination conditions. The outcome of each mock paper will help a student to evaluate their understanding of the course content but, most important of all, it will help inform their revision and address any knowledge gaps before the start of the AS and A2 examinations. Whilst sitting mock examinations is rarely described as fun, it is nevertheless an essential part of the learning process. 

On the horizon, and rapidly approaching, we also have the Adventurous Journey for the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh International Award. This will take place on Friday 12th and Saturday 13th March and will involve a large number of our Year 10 students. A great opportunity for students to get away from their computer screens and blaze the trails of Bukit Padang. Thank you to Ms McNutt and the DofE team for all the time you invested into making this possible. 

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend.

Kind regards,

Andrew Hallas

Deputy Head of Secondary/Head of Sixth Form