Head’s blog
I hope you all had a lovely half term despite the weather. From a meteorological perspective, it has been pretty average this week but at least the children were momentarily excited about seeing a few snowflakes yesterday.
Les Misérables
Last night was the final night of the Year 8 musical Les Misérables. The performance was remarkable. From start to finish I was mesmerised by the quality of the acting, singing and music. The set was spectacular, the choreography original and stylish and the chorus performances were full of energy and passion. There were so many moving moments in the show that I ran out of tissues. The Year 8 cast are a talented bunch but also a great team with a fantastic work ethic. Thank you to all the staff involved in putting the show together but in particular to our Director of Music, Georgina Perrin, and our Head of Drama and the show’s Director, the inspirational Libby Russo. In all my years at Belmont, it was one of the most memorable events that I’ve had the privilege to attend; I felt so proud of every pupil involved.
11+ and 13+ Scholarships
Just before half term many of our pupils received news on how their 11+ and 13+ scholarship assessments. I would like to congratulate all of the children who received an award. Those who were nominated but missed out on this occasion should still feel proud of their achievement and be even more determined when the next opportunity arises for them.
Future of Education
I was fortunate to be invited to a consultation group for two days this week that is looking at the future of education. Based at Windsor Castle, the group of leaders from education (schools and universities) as well as business leaders, considered what an education should look like to best prepare our children for an uncertain future. I was privileged, not only to be invited, but also to be able to talk about the Belmont curriculum, in particular the House Carousel, and how it is part of our offer to develop the important skills of creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication.
We are looking at how we can further enhance our future skills offer and we will be relaunching the Carousel in September. We have had some good feedback from parents at the Afternoon Tea sessions but if any parents have any further suggestions for an activity that would help to better prepare children for the future, please email Mr Philips, our Head of Future Skills.
Second Round of Townsend Warner History Prize
On Monday seven pupils took part in Round Two of the Townsend Warner History Competition. This was a gruelling two-hour paper which required pupils to write on a whole range of themes including being asked what topics they felt every child in the UK should be taught as part of the History curriculum, and to tell the story behind historical quotes such as “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”. The pupils worked tirelessly throughout and wrote brilliantly on diverse topics such as The French Revolution, the origins of the Cold War, the rise of the Nazis and the work of Roy Lichtenstein.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
With best wishes,
Leon Roberts
