I am so pleased that we have finally had a week of pleasant weather. The sun has been shining on our students, both physically and metaphorically. Read on for recent highlights and updates from our College.

Congratulations to our Inspirational YoungStars!

The Inspirational YoungStars Awards is an annual celebration that is run by the Cambridge Charity Fundraisers and Cambridge Independent. It recognises exceptional young people who have a special story to tell.

I am absolutely delighted to share that students, Isla M-K. and Sydney K. have been shortlisted for the awards and invited to attend the ceremony evening on 5 July – huge congratulations to them both! I am so proud of them and would like to wish them the very best of luck at the awards evening. I will share an update following the ceremony.

A sweet farewell to our Year 11s

The summer is a particularly exciting time in education, with many students entering the next stages of their learning journeys. On Wednesday, we held a leavers assembly for our current Year 11 students to celebrate all of their achievements during their time at the College. During the assembly, staff shared a series of video messages containing anecdotes, highlights and well-wishes, and students collected their leavers hoodies. No summer celebration would be complete without refreshments, so the assembly closed with ice cream for all of our students. I look forward to seeing them again at their Prom in a couple of weeks and at their GCSE results day on 22 August!

Students trek towards bronze

In last week’s blog, I shared details of our students who completed their Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards at Mount Battenfield. On Sunday, over 100 of our students completed their Bronze Award training day, which included a series of guided walks around the local area. Students were also taught how to properly pitch a tent in preparation for their Award assessments later in the year. I wish them the best of luck in completing their Awards.

A harmonious celebration of inclusion

On Tuesday night, a cohort of our students joined with almost 200 students from Milton CE Primary School and the Castle School for an evening of singing and dancing at the West Road Concert Hall. The evening, titled ‘Better Together: Inclusion through music’ invited students to come together and form an inclusive choir, where all are welcome, to sing a series of songs for an appreciative audience. Whilst I was, unfortunately, unable to attend the show personally, I am told that it was an incredible evening of musical entertainment. I’d like to congratulate all of our students who participated.

Mobile phone usage survey

Ahead of the start of the new academic year in September, we are considering our approach to mobile phone usage at the College and would welcome your input as a parent/carer. I would be very appreciative if you would take five minutes out of your day to complete this brief survey.

As a note, we are also gathering feedback from students and staff and will consider their thoughts and yours while making a final decision on our updated mobile phone usage policy.

School Sports Week 2024

Finally, this week is School Sports Week which is a fantastic opportunity to reflect on some recent sporting successes from across the College. I am incredibly proud of our robust International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum that provide a well-rounded education encompassing academic, personal, sporting and performance development.

In football, our alumnus, Carlton Morris, spent this year competing in the Premier League with his Luton Town FC teammates. Alumnus, Tyger Smalls, was drafted by US Major League Soccer team, Charlotte FC, where he trains under the guidance of former Premier League manager, Dean Smith. Elsewhere, alumna, Lauren Tomlinson, continued to excel as a midfielder for Norwich City FC Women’s team.

Our current Rugby Scholars have enjoyed a successful year too, with many of them receiving callups to play for county teams, including Cambridgeshire RFU, East Midlands RFU and Eastern Counties RFU.

Congratulations to all of our current and former students who have been displaying their sporting talents recently. I look forward to celebrating our next student sporting successes in the near future.