Headmaster’s Notes: The beautiful thing about learning is that nobody can take it away from you.

It hardly seems possible that our Reception pupils have reached their 100-day milestone at Prince’s Mead. It has been a joy to witness our Early Years pupils thriving in so many areas since they arrived in September; there have been some outstanding achievements in the classroom, some extraordinary performances on and off the stage, the start of life-long friendships, confidence blossoming, independence flourishing and, most certainly, characters developing! Such achievements reflect the remarkable talent and enthusiasm of every one of our Reception pupils and the dedication and commitment of the Early Years staff in support of them. We pride ourselves on ensuring that each child flourishes and feels a sense of belonging in our Prince’s Mead family, from the moment they join us to the time they depart in Year 6. We look forward to offering another major milestone at Easter as Reception move into their fantastic new classrooms in the Coach House!

It was a pleasure to welcome the Chair of the Bede Griffiths Charitable Trust this week and to hear that our donations have been so warmly received at The Timothy Pruss Memorial School, our sister school in India. This week was the turn of Pre-Prep and Year 3 to celebrate another ‘Breakfast for a Breakfast’ in support of some very needy children at this school. The proceeds raised will go to the purchase of fresh eggs that will offer the protein they require each day that they would not otherwise receive.

This is always the time of year when staff changes become clearer for the forthcoming academic year and sadly we will be saying farewell to the following colleagues at the end of this academic year:

Mrs Leonard is stepping back from her teaching at the end of this academic year after 12 phenomenal years at Prince’s Mead where she has left a wonderful legacy of very happy memories for all the children who have come through her doors. Jane very much looks forward to spending time with her family, particularly her granddaughter Everly Jean. I have no doubt she will be as busy as ever and we wish her well.

Mrs Thomas will be taking a career break as she spends more time with her two beautiful daughters, Arabella and Michaela. Since joining us in September 2012 Laura has gained a reputation as an outstanding Head of Art and brilliant artist, an extraordinarily caring individual and an utterly delightful person. Laura will be missed by us all, albeit we look forward to seeing her running a few of our after-school clubs next year – watch this space!

Mrs Stevenson is also taking a career break as she looks forward to spending some quality time with her granddaughter, Leila, who lives in the rather exotic location of Sarasota, in between walking the length of Hadrian’s Wall for starters. Janice has been utterly dedicated in her role as a Teaching Assistant over her last 21 years with Prince’s Mead, beginning her journey with us when the school was located at Edgar Road. We wish her every success and are immensely grateful to her for her extraordinary service.

Thank you for your continued support of all our staff who I have the pleasure of witnessing doing the most extraordinary job with your children each day. They are an inspiration to us all.

Mr Peter Thacker