Dear Parents & Guardians,

I hope you have all had a good week. It has been great to see so many activities happening as part of Wellbeing Week as we come to the end of Term 3. Learners and staff showed great resilience and did not let the rain stop their activities. There have been opportunities to drop everything and stop for a couple of minutes to recenter and focus, opportunities to try something new and to reconnect and have conversations with familiar and new people.

We all need to make time for some self-care and reflection. Our brains are like supercomputers working 24/7 and it is only when we are asleep that our brains can consolidate memories. Consolidating memory is essential for academic success. You cannot underestimate the importance of good sleep routines, especially when young people are growing. There have been many studies into this To find out more about how sleep is linked to successful academic performance, please read this article.

I hope you are all able to spend some time together during the break even if you are not able to travel far. For our Y11 and Y13 learners there is much to do in preparation for the exams. They are bringing two years of learning together. Regular short focused episodes of study are more effective than cramming for hours nearer the day. Good sleep routines, healthy eating and lifestyle also lead to more productive study and where possible should be supported at home. Every learner should aim to enter the exams knowing they could not have tried any harder.

Term breaks are a good point to review what has been learned and set goals for the term ahead for any learner. Too often we do not stop and think about what we have achieved and the journey we have been on. I hope you can all use the break to reflect, recharge and enjoy some recreation.

Best wishes,

Dr Heather

Head of Secondary