Willington News

Opening Minds

In last week's newsletter, we previewed the exciting visit of Paralympic gold medallist Dimitri Coutya to Willington, marking the commencement of our 'Opening Minds' assembly series. Monday's assembly surpassed expectations, captivating all in attendance. Dimitri, with eloquence and engagement, shared with our children the essence of becoming an elite Olympic athlete. His ability to distil such a monumental journey into concepts that resonated with every child was remarkable. Generously, he offered his gold medals for the children to hold, bringing the tangible weight of success into their hands. The assembly was not only inspirational but also a vivid illustration of dedication, achievement and inclusion. We are immensely grateful to Dimitri for sharing his time and insights with our school community.

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of visiting Hurstpierpoint College in West Sussex. While I'm aware that boarding may not be the first choice for many of our families, Hurst presents a distinctive proposition with its weekly boarding option, running Monday through Friday, which could be particularly appealing. Remarkably, it's located just over an hour away from Clapham Junction by train, with the added convenience of a chaperone service provided by the college. The campus itself is spectacular, boasting incredible facilities. Noteworthy among these are the soon-to-be-unveiled brand new swimming pool, three full-size astro pitches, and a particularly impressive chapel. If this has piqued your interest or you're curious about what weekly boarding could offer your child, I'd be more than happy to share further insights. It's possible that Hurstpierpoint could be the perfect match for some of our families.

I'm delighted to share news of tangible sporting achievements recently attained by our pupils. Although Mr Gibbs will undoubtedly provide a more detailed account in the sports section, it's worthy of early mention that we have secured two trophies in the past week alone. Congratulations to all the children from Year 2 and Year 3 who participated in these successes. With the way things are going, it seems we may soon need to invest in a new trophy cabinet!

In just under two weeks, we will be delighted to welcome 19 of our senior school partners to Willington for our biannual Future Schools Showcase. For the first time, we are thrilled to include a select group of girls-only schools alongside our traditional roster of co-educational and boys' schools. Although we have only managed to accommodate 19 schools this time, there are still numerous other institutions to which we send our children, and I eagerly anticipate discussing many of these options with parents in the future. This event is primarily aimed at pupils in Years 4 to 6, providing plenty of opportunities for all our families to engage with this showcase event every other year.

I hope you all have a relaxing weekend. KB