The next generation of Wallingford School students joined us on Thursday as it 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 to begin to shape the important triangle of communication between student, school and home.

On Tuesday we had our annual Year 8 Careers Event and it was another great session with students gaining real insights into a broad and varied range of jobs and careers. Thank you to all of the employers who gave up their time for the event – it is greatly appreciated.

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. Equally, a really good number of Year 12 students are currently on their five day Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award qualifying expedition in Wales which is a serious undertaking and full credit to them.

Finally, this week has also seen the launch of our Library Summer Reading Challenge on the theme of “Read Around the World” and it is particularly aimed at our Year 7 students who will be finding out more about it in their English lessons. I would encourage as many students as possible to give it a go and get involved.