Dear parents and carers,
we have now reached the end of the final full week of term, which has come around very quickly. The boys continue to impress by their conduct and attitudes and I am confident that they will approach Holy Week in a suitably-reflective frame of mind next week.
This is a momentous time for our students, especially those in Year 12. The Year 12 ballot was held today, incorporating Student and Staff votes and we will interview for our new Executive Prefect Team on Thursday.
We are delighted to have been awarded a FFT Attendance Award once again, as our attendance has been in the top 10% of schools nationally this year. There is a direct correlation between high attendance and high achievement!
This week our Year 9 and 8 Rugby Sevens teams have been competing in the national Rosslyn Park Festival. The Year 9s qualified for the National Plate, remaining in the tournament overnight, and Year 8 finished 2nd in their group. Maintaining this sporting theme, old boy and Cambridge Hockey blue Obe Callaghan dropped into the College yesterday and donated his shirt from his man-of-the match performance in this season’s Varsity Match against Oxford.
We have recently hosted a display in the Geography rooms about old Anselmian Dom Phillips, a contemporary of mine, and noted music and environmental journalist, who was murdered in Brazil in 2022 as a result of his fearless campaign against the spoilation of the rainforest and the destruction of the traditional way of life of the local indigenous tribes. His sister Sian was our Guest Speaker at KS4 Assembly on Wednesday and spoke movingly about his life and campaigning, including his school days at the College.
If your son is in Saturday Detention tomorrow morning, please ensure that he attends or his sanction will be doubled by me! Several boys are detained as a result of vaping which we will not tolerate on site. It is injurious to their health and leads to abuse of student facilities with discarded vapes blocking toilets. We now have vape sensors which have proved very effective in bringing these malefactors to justice!
Next week we continue our Lenten charitable activities with a Key Stage 4 Cake Sale and Year 8 Non-Uniform Day, as well as the much-awaited Year 11 Darts! Our Anti-Bullying Ambassadors have their next training session on Monday afternoon.
We break up on Holy Thursday next week at 3.30pm. During the week students will participate in Masses and Services of Reconciliation, as well as Key Stage Assemblies focused upon the Passion of Our Lord in preparation for the Easter Triduum, the most important weekend of the Christian calendar.
I wish you and your families a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.
Yours in Christ,
Simon Duggan
Headmaster
