It will not have escaped your attention that a team from Ofsted have been inspecting the school over the last two days, whilst we are unable to share the outcomes of the inspection and the report until it is fully published, I wanted to pay tribute to the students and staff for how they have approached and coped with the last two days. The inspectors throughout their time here have commented on the exceptional behaviour, commitment and respect the students have displayed. In every lesson and meeting with the students, the students have been open, honest, articulate and a credit to you and the school. Thank you also to the over 500 parents who took the time and trouble to complete the Parentview Survey and provide the inspection team with a comprehensive sense of what this school means to you and your children.

As you will know if you follow our X, formerly known as Twitter, feed, as well as the news articles posted on our website, March has been an incredibly successful and action packed month at school. Events to celebrate World Book Day and Science Week, performances from our Year 11 Drama students and Year 13 music students, along with numerous sporting competitions, to name a few, have all taken place - my thanks to the staff and students involved in putting these on and taking part.

We were treated to an incredible fashion show earlier in the month which showcased the amazing work of our Textiles students; thanks to Miss Georgiou and Mrs Twine for their organisation. My thanks, also to Mrs Fern for an extremely successful visit to SCD by the German Exchange students, and I look forward to hearing about the experiences of our students when they visit Potsdam in early June. 188 of our Year 9 students braved the elements last weekend to participate in their training DofE expedition to Phasels Wood, developing their map reading skills, road safety and hazard awareness. Over the Easter weekend 29 Year 12 students will travel to the Lake District for a 4 day expedition, 2 nights of which will be wild camping in preparation for their trip to Norway in the Summer. My thanks to Mrs Kirby, other staff involved and the team of parent volunteers who without their support these expeditions would not be possible. SCD also hosted the regional finals of the English Speaking Union debating competition; this was a hard fought afternoon of debating by both our Year 10 girls’ team and Year 11 boys’ team and despite some exceptional individual performances, we narrowly missed out on a place in the next stage of the competition. Thank you to Ms George for facilitating this fantastic opportunity for these students.

On Thursday 14th March, we welcomed Dr Gianfranco Conti, CEO, and founder of The Language Gym, as well as over 40 teachers from across Hertfordshire and London, to attend the ‘Becoming an E.P.I Teacher’ Language Conference. The conference inspired attendees to adopt a new methodology in their classrooms aimed at assisting students in chunking information and reducing cognitive overload. This is just one example of the outreach we provide, extending superb opportunities wider than just our local community. My sincere thanks to Mrs Floyd whose time and effort in organising the conference resulted in the day being a resounding success. 

This week saw the announcement of our new prefect team; after hustings, making speeches to their peers, and an interview with me, I am delighted to announce Yona Ramphort and Jai Bakhda as Head Girl and Head Boy, and Amelia Jones and Oliver Hutton as their Deputies. I was blown away by the quality of the 8 students who made it through to the final stage of the process - the Headteacher’s interview - their confidence, depth, humanity, humour and intelligence was humbling. Congratulations to the new senior prefect team and new prefect team, and thank you to the outgoing prefects who have done a remarkable job.

It was wonderful to be part of the audience for our Easter Concert which was held this week; we are fortunate enough to have an amazing hall in which amazing concerts can be held, none better than the concert this week. There was an eclectic mix of music performed and too many stand out performances to mention. A special thanks to all those staff - in particular Mr Butterfield - and students who made the concert possible. It was a fitting end to the term, and a reminder, if ever I need it, of the wide ranging talents of our student body.

It has been an exhilarating term and I know that staff and students are looking forward to a well deserved rest over the holiday period. For those revising for internal and external exams, please do ensure that you balance study with relaxation. To all our families, enjoy the break and we look forward to seeing you again on Monday 15th April.