Headmaster’s Notes: Experience is knowledge

What a privilege it was to gather together as a school, albeit socially distanced, to mark Armistice Day on Wednesday, as we took time to remember those who bravely served on our behalf in conflicts over the past century, and those who experienced such trauma and sacrificed so much in order that we can enjoy our freedoms today. Thank you to members of our Choir too for singing so beautifully at the Itchen Valley Remembrance Service last Sunday and it was wonderful to see a number of Prince’s Mead families gathering for the parade.

A week is a long time in politics and prep schools are no different. As Year 2 went into isolation at home this week and experience our hybrid learning programme, they have been very much in our thoughts. This event has brought back many memories of the nationwide lockdown in March and we have since taken much from that experience to build something better: an education that helps our children to really understand the world in which they live through even more meaningful and relevant content. What better way of late than to invest in our own chickens – in fact, one for each class! We are so excited to continue to grow our parallel curriculum outside of the classroom inspired by Nature and my sincere thanks go to the Prince’s Mead Association for their support in this cause. We are determined to continue to create a healthier, more resilient and more sustainable way of life for all of the Prince’s Mead community. Our new additions seem very happy in their new home in Gray’s Wood and we will learn a great deal from the experience.

On World Kindness Day, I have challenged children to demonstrate even more acts of thoughtfulness over the coming days so watch this space! I do hope that you have a fantastic weekend.

Mr Peter Thacker