Welcome from the Headmaster

26 February 2010

There have been some wonderful hockey results this week - very well done to all the players - the U13 boys coming 2nd to St John's College School in the Cambridgeshire Schools Mini Hockey competition and both the U11 girls and the U11 boys winning their County Cup finals and qualifying for the Regional Rounds. The details come later.

This has been an amazing Book Week. We have had two authors, one poet; a poetry competition (well done to Sophie S 2GJ, Lottie T1CH and Rosie NFJC and to all the Pre Prep children who recited their poems so beautifully); a quiz (dinner tables laid out in the Crush Hall with clues as to which famous guests were coming to dinner, though what would possibly have been James Bond’s opening gambit at the dinner table with Little Red Riding Hood I simply cannot begin to imagine); and story-telling (throughout the week teachers have been reading special stories to the children – I indulged myself very much by reading ‘The King’s Breakfast’ to FKL). This morning’s Pre Prep Book Character Assembly brought together large numbers of wonderfully apparelled children to watch ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, the tale told by Mrs Dennis and the Pre Prep staff taking all the parts – also wonderfully apparelled. I'll aim to get some pictures on the website (and then accept bribes to get them off again).

The ‘Future Schools Meeting’ for Year 5 parents on Wednesday night enabled Mr Milward and me to give some guidance on the various possibilities for the future. This has been an excellent season for Year 8 with almost all the children happily settled as to their next school and thirty-seven children in Year 6 with places for Year 9 as a result of The Leys Preliminary Assessment. Mr Milward told parents that St Faith’s was exceptionally good at providing for children’s transfer to their next schools, and the evidence that he presented clearly confirmed this.

I was delighted to hear from Sophie H(8L) that she had been successful in her voice trial for a place in the girls’ choir at Ely Cathedral. What a lot of lovely music she will be singing before too long – and what a beautiful place in which to sing it! We used to say that Newcastle was God’s own city but that God probably went to church in Durham Cathedral. I suppose that if he didn’t fancy the preacher in Durham he might well go to Ely as an alternative (where in future he will be able to hear Sophie singing).

We have been busy appointing staff in recent weeks and it’s time I announced those appointments which have been concluded. Mrs Caroline Ettling has joined the brilliant Pre Prep Late Stay team, which provides so carefully and so well for the care of the younger children at the end of the school day under the direction of Ms Joysey.

We had a strong field of candidates for our Head of Science position, and I am delighted that Mrs Alison Price, recently our Acting Head of Science, has been appointed.

As you know, Mrs Alyson Spencer, our wonderful registrar, retires at the end of this term after twenty very successful years in her key role. I have recently appointed Ms Anna Cornell to be our next registrar. Ms Cornell has a great deal of experience in this field and will be a worthy successor. She takes over recruitment for a school which continues to be buoyant in numbers and very confident about itself. This makes the task of our new Registrar especially pleasant.

Mrs Claire Thurlby has joined the Learning Support Department in a part-time role to support Mrs Lester’s work with her colleagues and she will, I am sure, contribute most valuably to this important work.

Ms Dominique Evelegh completes her time as our Art Technician very shortly, and is returning to France. As we say au revoir to Dom we do not entirely abandon our penchant for the foreign in this role by appointing, with a certain espièglerie, Mr Stephen Murphy to take over. Mr Murphy has a degree in Fine Art from the School of Art and Design in Limerick.

Tickets for the SFPA Quiz Night are selling fast. There is a rumour that we have only one hundred baskets for the supper of chicken in the basket, which suggests that the 101st punter will be disappointed. Have no fear: I am content to have my chicken on a boring old plate so that number 101 can have my basket, but if you want to avoid feeling bad about my undistinguished crockery please get in now. Tickets cost £7.50 from the Bursary – you don’t have to be brilliant (Jane Ellis is bound to win anyway) but you should, please, bring your own bottle (or two) although the SFPA is providing the glasses. The SFPA has recently purchased timpani for the music department, a new kiln for the art-room (the old one tended to go wrong, overheat, set off the fire-alarms and make everyone hysterical), and are funding the developing plans for the environmental garden.

I am sorry to give the bad news that an opportunist thief broke the window of a car in the Southfield Car Park last night during Late Stay and stole items that were on the front seat, including, I gather, a handbag and a laptop. This incident suggests that however good the school’s security it behoves us all to be extremely careful about what we leave visible in cars – the gates are open at certain times of day and it is not possible completely to exclude such thieves.

A car was parked across the gates at Southfield drive (V915 ECL) on Wednesday afternoon before the gates were opened at 4.30pm. This is inconvenient and also very dangerous as it blocks the emergency exit to the surgery.

Could parents be sure to contact the office if their contact details have changed so that our records are uptodate always? And can parents please ensure that they read the newsletter and check for ParentMail messages regularly?

May I please remind parents that any pastoral concerns they have about their children should normally be addressed first to the tutor, who may refer on to the Head of House or the Deputy Head? This means that they start with the person most likely to be best-informed and can, accordingly, save time in the longer run.

Please remember the tea-time entertainment in French next Tuesday at 1600 – please come!

Did you see the feature on Cambridge in The Times's Bricks and Mortar section just before half-term? It mentioned three schools in Cambridge as 'sought after'. They were 'The Perse, St Faith and The Leys'. Eat your hearts out, all you other Cambridge schools! What though the Times sub editor ducked the issue of the apostrophe and indeed ducked the 's' as well? He's an ignorant illiterate, but I forgive him.

Stephen Drew
Headmaster