Headmaster’s blog 23/06/2023

It has been another bright and busy week here in Marylebone.

While many of us feel full of energy when the sun shines, this certainly seems to have been the case with some of Wetherby Senior’s young sports stars. This week’s newsletter highlights the success of Luke, in Year 8, at athletics but we’ve also had a number of boys take part in further exciting sporting opportunities, so we will have news stories about this next week. This all bodes well for our Sports Day on Monday 3rd July!

Of course, some members of our School community might have slightly less energy today, namely Year 8 and their teachers who ‘slept out’ here in Marylebone last night. To raise awareness and understanding of homelessness, the majority of Year 8 camped down in the enclosed second floor terrace at Hannah House and I’d like to thank the members of staff, who also had a rather disrupted night of sleep, for enabling such a worthwhile initiative to take place.

The creative talents of our boys have also been in evidence recently, with our Music Department trip to Paris, yesterday’s GCSE Art exhibition, and our Lower School play taking place next week. Well done to all involved – musicians, artists and actors. Again, I’d like to thank our staff for co-ordinating all of this, especially Mr Martin, Ms Bradley and her colleagues in our Art Department, and Mr Tibbles. A reminder that the last remaining tickets for The Government Inspector (on Wednesday 28th and Thursday 29th June in our Drama Studio) are available via ParentPay.

Staying with thanking staff – Wednesday’s Thank A Teacher Day was also marked at Wetherby Senior with the announcement that our very own Mr Astbury-Palmer had been recognised by the Pearson National Teaching Awards within the secondary school teacher of the year category. Further details are below, so I’d just like to echo the president of the Teaching Awards Trust – the author Michael Morpurgo – in saying bravo to Mr Astbury-Palmer.

Tonight, we say farewell to our current Year 13 and their parents at our drinks reception and then, next week, we welcome new boys, set to join Years 7 and 9 this autumn, at two afternoon tea events. We also have our Summer Fair during the afternoon of Thursday 29th and Friday 30th June, plus our previously mentioned Lower School play and Sports Day, so there is plenty to enjoy before the end of term on Wednesday 5th July.