Headmaster’s Blog 24.09.21

I hope that you have had an enjoyable week; as you would expect, it has certainly been busy here. We hosted a film crew this week who were shooting some new video footage for the website, and I hope to be able to share the finished product with you in due course. Their day was very busy as they endeavoured to capture as many aspects of school life as possible. The boys they met were fantastic, and as they always are, were terrific ambassadors for the school; I am much less certain about my contributions – I felt rather wooden in front of the camera!

Some of you may know that we have now been working for a number of years with an organisation called Beyond Equality who are a community interest company working across the UK to promote healthy behaviour and an awareness of gender issues amongst young men and boys. Their project aims to combat the negative stereotypes and attitudes sometimes held by boys towards girls – as well as themselves – that may adversely influence behaviour in later life. They returned this week to run some extended workshops with all Year 11 boys, and I am told that they went very well indeed. I know that our boys find these sessions incredibly useful, fun and thought-provoking. They appreciate the opportunity to discuss key issues in a safe environment, and always comment on how much they have learnt from the workshops. We are proud of our important work here and I am grateful for all members of the pastoral team for their continued commitment to providing the best resources and speakers for boys of all ages as we continue to help them develop and grow as individuals and seek to prepare them for the challenges of life beyond school.

Some of you who live locally may already know that Westminster and other London Boroughs are helping to support a number of refugees who have recently arrived from Afghanistan. Currently, there are about 500 Afghans staying at the Hilton London Metropole Hotel on Edgeware Road. There are approximately 100 women, 100 men and 300 children. About 20 newborns, a further 25 under 2, and another 10 on the way! Many different members of our local communities have been amazing at supporting and donating clothes and other required items to help these people who have arrived here with very little. I am extremely grateful for members of the PTA for bringing this to our attention, and I would like for all of us here at Wetherby to also help if we can. From Monday 4th October, we will be asking pupils, parents, and staff to bring in what they can from a list of required items. A mixture of boys and PTA members will coordinate the sorting of donations and their delivery.  It is at moments like this that we can demonstrate our commitment to our school values and shared humanity in helping those who need it.