It has been a real pleasure this week to read the prefect applications which have been submitted by a great many of our Year 10 students. We changed the application process last year so that, if you wish to be considered to be appointed as a prefect in school for the start of Year 11, you are required to write a letter to me outlining why you feel that you are a suitable candidate.

I received a lot of letters by the deadline and they are simply superb. A large number of our Year 10 students have sat down and written the most fluent, mature and well-crafted letters that anyone could wish to read. They outline why they wish to be a prefect – to give back, to mentor, to support, to be a role model – and what they have done to prepare from D of E to sport, school productions and concerts to a raft of activities both inside and outside of school. We will now proceed to the next step in the application process and for now it is very well done to everyone who has applied.

Public examinations are rolling on in school this week with Year 11 and Year 13 continuing to display admirable focus and commitment. We have also had Year 9 students at the National Theatre to see the production of War Horse and our first day trip to Boulogne for Year 8 students today. I have again been in and out of lessons with tours for prospective Year 5 families and it is always great to walk around and see our school "in action" as we reach the end of the first week of the last half-term of the academic year.