Headmaster’s blog 18/03/22

Our Field Days enable our young people to go beyond the usual curriculum, extending their learning and knowledge in a fun and memorable manner. I’m delighted that, following the pandemic restrictions of the last two years, we can offer a diverse range of Field Day activities once again and thank you to all staff involved in creating and supporting today’s inspiring programme.

Although next week’s newsletter will talk more about our Field Day, I’d like to highlight a couple of today’s activities now.

Firstly, our Year 7 undertook theatre workshops at our Marylebone Road Drama Studio this morning, before heading to Shaftesbury Theatre to watch the musical, & Juliet. I mention this because it seems a return to live theatre is very much part of life at Wetherby Senior right now. As outlined last week, rehearsals are well underway for our Trib Drama production on Monday 28th and Thursday 31st March. I’d like to remind parents that tickets are selling fast – please purchase via ParentPay now to avoid later disappointment! In addition, Years 7 to 9 can audition for our Lower School production next week, please see our news story for more details and, if your son is in those year groups, please encourage him to take part.

Secondly, many in Year 12 spent today at St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Regardless of whether our sixth formers are considering this institution or not, this visit provides a valuable opportunity to see a campus university, receive advice on degrees, and speak to current undergraduates about university life. In addition, it follows our university fair last Wednesday, for Years 11 to 13. Our young people were able to talk with over 20 representatives from institutions across the UK and beyond, learning more about higher education opportunities.

All these activities form just part of the work undertaken by our Sixth Form team to support the further study ambitions of our young people. And, as you’ll see in our news story, we have an excellent track record. Our current Year 13 presently hold 120 offers, across 35 subjects, at universities around the UK and at 18 institutions in North America, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. In the months ahead, we plan to feature many of our successful sixth formers in our newsletter and on our website. As well as being a fantastic opportunity to praise their hard work and commitment, I feel sure their accomplishments will act as further inspiration for our younger pupils.

Finally, I am very proud of how sport remains such a key part of life Wetherby Senior, with our boys making good use of our outstanding equipment at Marylebone Road and facilities nearby, such as Ealing Trailfinders. This week, our superb offering for sport was further recognised with a feature in The Guide to Independent Schools Spring 2022. I hope you enjoy reading this article on page 34 of the publication.