It has been wonderful to welcome our students back onto the School site this week. As your son or daughter gets used to their new timetable, they will see some changes that have been implemented for 2024. One of these changes is an extension of Mentor time, which will now be scheduled for 30 minutes after Recess every day, for every student. Among other activities, Mentor Groups will attend weekly Assembly, Chapel and Year Meetings together.

In addition to their other timetabled PE lessons, students in Years 7 to 10 will have an offsite PE practical class, once per cycle. This extended lesson will take place during one of their Mentor sessions and run into the following period (Period 3), allowing students to travel offsite in order to engage in a range of different sporting activities.

On the day of their offsite PE practical class only, students in Years 7 to 10 are permitted to wear their Sport Uniform when travelling to and from school and throughout the school day. The schedule is shown below

Students are permitted to wear Sport Uniform to and from School on:

Year 7 – Mondays, Week A
Year 8 – Mondays, Week B
Year 9 – Fridays, Week A
Year 10 – Fridays, Week B

Students in 9PAS_2 (LC) have a double PASS class every Friday morning, in Week B, and are permitted to wear their Sport Uniform to school on these days. These students will change into their School Uniform at the beginning of Recess.

Similarly, students in 10PAS_1 (DG) have a double PASS period every Friday afternoon, in Week B. These students are required to wear their School Uniform during the day but having changed for their PASS class, are permitted to travel home in their Sport Uniform after the lesson.

With the exception to the above, all students should wear their full Summer Uniform throughout Term 1. Students are not required to wear their blazer when travelling to and from school during the summer months but are required to present in their blazers when attending weekly Assembly and Chapel, which take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Students can apply for a Sport Uniform Pass (providing them with an exception to wear Sport Uniform during the School day on other occasions) from Student Reception.

Year 12 students are free to continue to wear their Year 12 jackets throughout the week but are required to wear their school blazer to weekly Assembly and Chapel. Their importance as role models to younger students is significant and I am looking to our senior students to continue to set a high standard of personal presentation throughout 2024.

As a final point, please note that from Term I, 2024, students are only permitted to wear a single plain, unadorned stud earring whilst at School. In the past, ‘sleepers’ were permitted – and this is reflected in the Student Diary (which will be updated for 2025) – but to avoid any uncertainty, please ensure that the only earrings worn to School are a single, plain stud.