As we head towards half term, I want to start, on behalf of students and parents, by thanking the teaching staff for their hard work in preparing students for the external exams which are now in full swing. Both Year 11 and Year 13 have approached their studies maturely and have appreciated the extra revision and support sessions provided by their teachers. We continue to wish all of these students the very best of luck and hope that they can begin to look forward to the end of the exam period; we are incredibly proud of everything they have achieved and who they have become. We are excited to see how they will go on to contribute to Sixth Form and to the world beyond St Clement Danes.

Following the successful appointment of Mr Harris as the new Headteacher of Croxley Danes School from September, I am delighted to share with you that we have appointed Mr Shaun Barrett as our new Deputy Headteacher Pastoral and Safeguarding Lead. We have been so fortunate to benefit from Mr Harris’s experience, professionalism and dedication in this role for the last 5 years and he will leave St Clement Danes in a fantastic place to build on his work in pastoral, safeguarding and character education. Mr Barrett joins us from a large mixed secondary school, with a wealth of experience in leading on pastoral provision. His ethos as a leader and educator, as well as his vision for enhancing our existing exceptional provision, was evident throughout the interview process. I look forward to welcoming him to the St Clement Danes community in September.

As you will read from our news stories below, there has been much to celebrate this month and a wide range of events taking place. Next month, there are two events to which parents are cordially invited. On Tuesday 4th, Wednesday 5th and Thursday 6th June our Lower School Production ‘A Read Through Time’ is being performed in the Drama Hall which promises to be a joyful evening of theatre. The production is an amalgamation of the works of Paul King, with the Drama Department and students weaving these stories together into a whole new performance! On Wednesday 19th June, our fabulous art rooms will be transformed into one gallery full of stunning artwork from our talented GCSE and A Level students. The exhibition starts at 6.30pm and further details can be found here. I look forward to seeing many of you at both of these events showcasing the outstanding talent St Clement Danes has to offer.

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, our wellbeing Prefects - Lizzie L and Jessica D - led assemblies focusing on this year’s theme ‘Movement: Moving more for our mental health’. They shared the importance of regular movement to help protect our mental health, encouraging us to treat our mental wellbeing as we would our physical wellbeing. It was ‘screen free week’ at the start of May, a time to: ‘take a break from entertainment screens and experience more peace, connection and fun!’. During assemblies, Miss Ryan challenged us all - staff and students - to set goals and limits with regard to the use of our smartphones; to actively tackle that ‘fear of missing out’ - to enjoy the time and activities that we do when we are not checking our phone constantly, so as to develop positive experiences to build our confidence away from social media and promote stronger mental health and wellbeing. With half term approaching, I encourage us all to find the time and space to put our devices away more, move more, and connect with books, the outdoors and each other.  

Huge congratulations to our U16 and U18 Girls’ football teams who both reached their respective County Cup Finals over the last month. Despite both teams playing brilliantly, creating incredible games of football to watch which were thrilling from start to finish, the U16 team lost 5-4 to Sandringham and the U18 team lost 4-3 to Beaumont. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Miss Clarke and the PE staff for a superb season of girls football, and I look forward to what the 2024-2025 season will bring. The summer season of sport is well underway, with both our Athletics and Cricket teams competing in various events and matches, with early success already achieved, in what promises to be an exciting and successful summer of sport.

As in previous years, a small group of Year 9 students have been participating in the Scholars Programme this term. The 14 students have been working closely with their tutor Kat - who is currently studying for her PhD at Brunel University - on the topic of ‘Are All People Persons? An Anthropology of Personhood’. During the tutorials they have developed their knowledge and understanding of what it means to be a ‘person’, developed their research and essay writing skills and gained valuable experience of what it is like to study at a competitive university. They are currently undertaking research for their final assignment, and looking forward to celebrating their achievements on the programme at the graduation event which is taking place at St Anne’s College, University of Oxford at the start of July.

In a busy term with lots of trips going out of school and activities taking place on site, I would like to thank all the staff who organise such enhancements to our curriculum, and the parents who help out as volunteers; it is much appreciated. Finally, I would like to wish staff, students and parents a very happy half term holiday.