Thought For The Day – Friday 26^th May 2023

In a community, we each stand on one other’s shoulders.   Thank you very much for all your many positive contributions in so many areas again this half term.  Thank you to your parents. Thank you to all the staff, in every area of school, for all they do. 

In particular, thank you to Year 11, 13 and 7 students for their preparation for, and focus and resilience in, examinations. Good luck to Year 12 and Year 8 students who are preparing for their important examinations.

We hope you have a happy, healthy and safe half term.  Keep making good and right decisions. That includes your on-line decisions also, of course. Keep doing your family proud.

A couple of weeks ago a former student visited the school.  Wing Commander James Sjoberg, now a very senior leader, a Commanding Officer, in the Royal Air Force, left the school over twenty years ago and yet here he was standing in the school hall for the first time since Results Day of 1999. 

Wing Commander Sjoberg has been flying high around the world ever since, including helping people in Sudan this year and playing a leading role in the fly past at the Platinum Jubilee last year (his plane is the first pictured below).  In his presentation, he commented that it was strange being called Sir by someone he had called Sir.  But that is how life is.  You are the leaders of the future, not to mention all the leadership you show at school.    Sir was very impressed by the manners, engagement and questions of the students as he talked about leadership and teamwork.  Great teams need inspirational and brilliant leaders and our former student was humble about all he did.   Sir thanked his family, including his wife, parents and brother (his brother, William,  is also a former student and is now a golf professional)  and the school in his presentation and presented us with the picture of the plane he commands below.  Sir was genuinely interested to have a tour of the school site, as memories came flooding back, and seeing some of his former teachers.

As he was sitting in reception, Wing Commander Sjoberg was most impressed with all the many sixth formers who, without being asked or prompted, thanked him for his presentation, rather than just hurrying out of the door and walking on by. Absolutely brilliant. 

Aspiration, commitment, respect, integrity and community. The“The Black and Gold Spirit“.  Stand up, dream big, fly high, help others