Dear Parents and Carers

After a busy half term full of changes, we are up and running as planned. The cabins on the back yard are now all in use and my thanks to History and Language colleagues for working so quickly to ensure they were ready for the return of students on Monday. Also in use are the Drama spaces which are increasingly being referred to as the “Bake Off tents” which gives you an idea of the size of them. Music is where History was, our LRC is returning, albeit much reduced in size in AP2, the Sixth Formers have study space back and all the office moves have been completed. 

All 24 cabins are now carpeted which has really improved the learning environment. Construction work on the next “Bake Off tent” begins next week which will provide much needed dining space for students at both break and lunch and will improve their queuing and dining experience.

Over half term, we started to see what the “modular village” will look like. This is the next phase, a purpose-built modular block which replaces what we have lost. The company who are building this gave us a tour of a school they are finishing in Birmingham, and we were very pleased and impressed with the quality of what we will be getting. These buildings have come a long way in recent years, are light with nice high ceilings, climate control and are designed around exactly what we require. Since then, we have been back and forth a couple of times as the design evolves, and we hope to sign it off next week. Whereas up to now it has been about speed, this next phase must be about quality. Whatever the permanent solution is to our buildings (still pushing all the time for answers to this but the DfE have a process and aren’t afraid to use it!) we will likely be in this modular village for 3 – 4 years, therefore it must be right. They are built to last a long time and as we can adjust the design, it will contain a nice big library, purpose-built Music and Art rooms, be fully accessible throughout and in many ways will be a step up from the lower school block we have vacated. The timeline for this isn’t set in stone just yet but we should be in next spring or summer at which point the current cabins will be removed. As I said, this is now about quality, and we are very pleased with the way this is coming together. It is also about no more disruption, particularly over exam season, so the timeline will make sure there aren’t departments moving and the exams will always take priority.

So, it’s all looking up at the moment and I look forward to a half term of focusing on learning and routines.

Best wishes

Andy Perry

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