Head’s blog – Reflections ahead of Easter

Friday 27 March 2026 | By Samantha Hockney

The last four weeks have flown by in a flash and we find ourselves approaching Easter. Time is a thief!

The sun has made a welcome return to the grounds and the children have truly made the most of the fresh air, lighter evenings and spring conditions.

It is lovely to see match reports from sporting fixtures with blue skies complementing smiling faces – our pupils seemingly relish these opportunities whatever the weather. There have been an array of matches to choose from in this short half term and our teams have represented the school brilliantly, with some fantastic results to boot.

Trip to Munich

It was an early start this morning for Year 8-11 students visiting Munich over the start of the Easter break. The group will be touring the city’s most important historical and cultural sites as well as making trips to the BMW Headquarters, Allianz Arena (home of Bayern Munich football club) and the Olympic Stadium. It is set to be an incredible trip and I look forward to hearing all about it.

Since our return from Iceland during February half term, pupils have enjoyed a range of visits a little closer to home, too. I loved reading about Prep pupils’ experiences visiting Locomotion and Hopetown this week – and particularly how both days linked to classroom learning. The purpose of any educational visit is to deepen understanding, provoke curiosity and encourage interest, and it’s clear these off-site excursions have done just that.

STEM Week

Curiosity was at the heart of this year’s National Science Week and pupils across the school embraced a wide range of exciting STEM opportunities as a result. As a physicist, I cannot express how rewarding it is to see students demonstrate an inquisitive mindset – questioning both theory and its real-world applications. Mr Glasbey was certainly put to the test in our Senior School assembly!

I hope this edition showcases just how enthusiastically pupils have engaged with STEM this half term; I am confident we have some future stars in this field.

Sister Act Jr.

Finally, I must say an enormous congratulations to the cast and team behind this year’s production of Sister Act Jr! What an amazing celebration of music, drama and performance from across the Senior School and Sixth Form. Our students shone in their roles and gave us a show to remember. Well done.

A reminder that we return to school on Wednesday 15 April to a Week 1 timetabling arrangement. In the meantime, have a wonderful and restful break. I hope you enjoy all that this beautiful season and Easter celebration offers.

Read our latest newsletter here.

Mrs Mackenzie, Head