In this final blog before we break for Easter, it feels like a timely opportunity to look forward to the Summer and the light at the end of a long, dark winter. This weekend marks the Spring equinox. At this point, day and night will be around the same length which is evident in the word's origin derived from the Latin equi (meaning 'equal') and nox (meaning 'night'). Ultimately, it marks the beginning of spring and from this day forward the day is longer than the night meaning that on Monday our day will be 12 hours and 4 minutes. It doesn’t sound a lot, but it matters. The days are getting longer, the temperatures are (slowly, but surely) warming up and we are almost into the Summer Term. 

As I was leaving school at the end of the day this week, I saw the carpet of crocuses and daffodils blooming again around Heads Lane and Jenny Brough Lane, as they do every spring. They reminded me – as they always do – that out of the cold and dark, brightness always returns. Working in schools, we are in the business of optimism. Every day, we work with young people who have the potential to go out and make the world better, to solve its problems, to make a positive difference. No matter how difficult things are, the positivity and potential of our students make the job worthwhile. 

The Summer Term is where this potential can really grow. It will bring with it new challenges and opportunities including: 

• Bridge Day on Thursday 6th June 

• Careers Week starting on Monday 1st July 

• Sports Day Tuesday 16th July 

We’ll also encounter the shift in year groups as our Year 11 students complete their courses and sit their final exams and Year 10 move up into their place. This is where the positivity and potential mentioned earlier are really tested and where students are given that chance to mature and show what they are truly capable of. They’re no longer waiting for their time – their time is now. Over the last fortnight, some of our students have taken their chance to show what they are capable of and have demonstrated our values in the following ways: 

Mr Penny has issued praise for the aspiration demonstrated by Ruby in 10P3: “Has shown an excellent attitude to learning in recent Physics lessons, answering questions and getting on with work despite the difficulty of the subject.” 

and Mason in 10O2: “Always has done excellent work since the start of the year and is doing well due to the effort he puts in.” 

Mrs Brennan has praised the responsibility shown by Libby in 10A1: “Libby always brings cooking ingredients to her practicals and is always willing to give everything a go. She works hard in theory lessons and contributes well to verbal discussions showing good understanding of the topics. Keep working hard Libby.” 

and Cooper in 10O1: “Cooper always tries hard to bring cooking ingredients for his practicals and is always willing to give everything a go. He is enthusiastic and loves trying new things when we are experimenting. He is always engaged and listening which shows in his answers and he always contributes when having verbal discussions or questioning. Well done Cooper!” 

I’ll finish by returning to the theme of light and looking forwards. As I write this blog, I am reliably informed that sunset tonight will occur at 6.07pm but by the time we return on the 8th of April, it will be almost 8pm by the time the sun goes down. A huge leap forwards. I hope that the Summer term also brings some big leaps for Year 10 students in their journey towards Year 11 and success.  

Mr Riches

Head of Year 10

Mrs Lacey 

Assistant Head of Year 10