Senior School

In a year marked by the Delta strain of COVID-19 our School community must navigate without a map, our path illuminated sometimes only dimly and a short way ahead by government announcements. While we seek to apply the many learnings of the outbreak of this pandemic in 2020, the differences between viral strains means that in some respects the rule book written in 2020 cannot be applied in 2021 without a great deal of careful thought. We know also that we do not always get it right, and this may sometimes cause significant distress for some in our community. In this regard the Senior School is no different from the many businesses and organisations in which our parents (and many of our students) are engaged. In this context, we are grateful for the feedback provided by students, parents and staff alike. This feedback helps us to gauge the priorities, needs and indeed the struggles of our community. 

For this reason, students, parents and staff will have received a variety of surveys from the School over recent days. If you have received one of these surveys, I encourage you to think carefully about the questions we are asking and to engage openly where free text responses are allowed. As we stare down the barrel of this extended lockdown, we aim to be responsive to the needs of our students and their families, recognising that in our diverse community there will be as many experiences of this season as there are individuals. Our diversity no less than our unity is our strength, and the challenge of the School’s leadership team is to balance the needs of everyone within our community where they cannot be achieved simultaneously. 

Recently, we announced Wellness Wednesdays. Our intention in launching this program is to respond to the very real and concerning reports we have received over recent weeks regarding the wellbeing challenges experienced by many of our students. Shortly after the announcement of Wellness Wednesdays we received feedback from a number of parents concerned that their children would miss vital classes and potentially fall behind in their learning. As a school, learning must always be our first concern. We know, however, that when children and young people are not OK their ability to learn is reduced. This means that we must balance the needs of both learning and wellbeing in this difficult season. 

To do this, we have resolved to continue Wellness Wednesdays, but to vary the periods and therefore the subjects affected. In Weeks 6 and 7, students missed whichever lessons they normally had in Periods 4 and 5. In Weeks 8 and 9 students will do whichever classes they would normally have in Periods 3, 4 and 5, but will do their Period 4 and 5 lessons in Periods 1 and 2. Teachers will plan their lessons accordingly and where this poses particular challenges for individual students, parents are encouraged to contact their child’s teacher or tutor. 

Mr. Owen Laffin

Deputy Head - Head of Senior School