November is a month of tradition and unity for St Clement Danes, a time when we come together to honour our heritage and celebrate our achievements. This year was no exception, with two significant events marking the calendar alongside other memorable occasions. On Tuesday 11th November, we welcomed alumni, governors, and trustees to our annual Remembrance Service. Pupils across the school participated in tributes to honour those who have served and sacrificed. Years 7, 8, 9, and 13 gathered in their classrooms to watch a live assembly presented by the Royal British Legion and the National Literacy Trust, offering pupils of all ages an opportunity to reflect on the significance of Remembrance Day. Meanwhile, Years 10, 11, and 12 attended a special service in the Barbirolli Hall featuring performances and tributes. I extend my sincere thanks to all who contributed to this service, including Reverend David Hall for leading the Act of Remembrance, the Evensong Choir for their stirring performance led by Stanley V, and Isla L for her evocative playing of The Last Post.

Last week, the school gathered again for the Commemoration Service at St Clement Danes Church on The Strand. This service, which was livestreamed to pupils and staff back at school, remains a highlight of the school calendar. The church’s stunning architecture provided a fitting setting for the event, enhanced by the exceptional music of the First Orchestra and the adult and junior choirs, all expertly conducted by Mr Butterfield. This year’s service was another remarkable celebration of the school’s heritage, community, and spirit, and I offer my gratitude to everyone involved in its organisation. 

Saturday 8th November set the stage for our annual Winter Market, hosted by the Parents’ Association. The event brought together pupils, parents, staff and the local community. While the final total is yet to be determined, these funds will directly benefit the school, supporting our faculties and enhancing opportunities for our pupils.

On a national level, I was honoured to join colleagues from the Trust at the House of Lords recently to celebrate schools actively championing pupil engagement. Hosted by the Rt Hon. Baroness Nicky Morgan, former Secretary of State for Education, the event was organised by The Engagement Platform (TEP) and ImpactEd Group, focusing on how engagement data is driving real change nationally. Given that our school's pupil engagement performance is above the national benchmark, I was privileged to present the work taking place within our School and Trust to further improve engagement. I shared with the attendees that TEP has provided our Trust with powerful behaviour insights and evidence-based research tools, enabling teachers and leaders to respond to the challenges of school attendance, engagement, wellbeing and attainment.  

The staff and pupils have been completing their Autumn engagement survey in recent weeks.  On Thursday 20th November we sent a letter home to all families regarding the next evolution of our work to understand and respond to our key stakeholders’ engagement with school.  We want to hear directly from you, alongside your children, about how you feel, act and think about St Clement Danes.  Please do read the letter and complete the survey.  Our work with staff, pupils and parents presents a unique opportunity for us to triangulate feedback from all our key stakeholders and make the best strategic decisions for the future of the School.

Closer to home, I am delighted to congratulate all the pupils who participated in the recent Student Ambassador elections. I would like to extend thanks to Mrs Brown for her excellent organisation of the process, and to every candidate who put themselves forward, as it takes genuine courage to present ideas in front of peers. Special congratulations go to our newly elected representatives: Betsy G (Year 7), who secured the KS3 seat with 160 votes, and Arjun D P (Year 11), who won the KS4/5 seat with 205 votes. We eagerly look forward to seeing both of them serve as dedicated voices for their peers on the Student Council. Further details on the election process can be found in our news article below.

I was also extremely pleased with the valuable and engaging presentation that author Matt Pinkett delivered to our pupils on Wednesday 12th November, ahead of International Men's Day. It is thanks to your generous donations to the Anchor Fund that we were able to invite Matt to present to all of our pupils as well as staff. Matt, the author of Boys Do Cry and Boys Don't Try?, provided an insightful session designed to aid a more respectful and responsible school environment. He expertly explored how narrow ideas about masculinity can be harmful to both boys and girls, covering key areas such as the negative impact of certain pressures on wellbeing and the role of harmful attitudes in normalising disrespect. Crucially, the talk addressed sexual harassment and misogyny, defining harassment and equipping our pupils with practical skills for safe action using the "5 Ds" of bystander intervention: Direct, Distract, Delegate, Delay, and Document. The session successfully reinforced that empathy and speaking up are true strengths, emphasising the collective responsibility everyone shares in creating a safer, more welcoming school culture, and I encourage all parents to continue this important discussion at home.

I would like to extend a huge thank you for your tremendous commitment and support during the recent Anchor Fund ‘£25 for 25 Years’ initiative. Thanks to this amazing collective effort, we raised a total of £12,885.21, a substantial amount that will make an immediate and positive difference to the learning environment and opportunities available to our pupils. We will keep the donation pages live a little longer for any last-minute contributions. Over the next few weeks, we look forward to presenting commemorative badges and rewards to our highest-raising form groups, as well as meeting with the Student Council to review their proposals on how best to invest these funds for the benefit of all pupils; we will be sure to share the final investment plan with you once it is confirmed.

Finally, as we near the end of term, I would like to invite you all to attend our Christmas Concert, which takes place in the Barbirolli Hall on Tuesday 16th December from 7.00pm. It is always a special occasion which helps to get us in the festive spirit, and I look forward to seeing you there.