Yesterday was the Taster Day for our rising Year 7 students and it was a pleasure to have them with us for the day. The multi-coloured jumpers from a range of Primary Schools are always great to see and, as I said to all of them, will be replaced by their Wallingford School uniform when they join us in September to form what will be an outstanding year group. I have to say that their enthusiasm, manners and overall approach have already been hugely impressive and all bode very well indeed for the future. It was also excellent to welcome back the students and their families in the evening and the sense of community which is one of the defining characteristics of our school felt tangible amongst a great many conversations and a lovely “buzz”.

Another highlight of this week was our Art Exhibition on Tuesday evening. It was extremely well-attended and all of those who came enjoyed the exceptionally high standard of work produced by our students this year; it was a celebration of creativity, inspiration and hard work and congratulations must go to both our fantastic young people and also our wonderful team of staff for supporting them to produce such impressive work.

Finally, our Year 9 Residential visits have been taking place during this week and everyone is having a superb time. Our social media feeds have been full of photos and stories throughout the week and it is clear that some great experiences have been had and lasting memories have been made. Our Year 12 students have also taken a great deal from their Enrichment Week and I would like to thank all of those who were able to support the Human Library in particular and also the visit to Southampton University in particular. The maturity and reflection of our young people as they plan for their futures are, as ever, so very impressive.