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Message from Mr Hymer: 10 June 2022

After a busy week of Jubilee celebrations, it was good to be back to start the busiest half term of the year. No doubt as this newsletter is sent out, we will be returning from the Year 5 bushcraft camp. The events and fixtures come thick and fast, as demonstrated in the plan for next week.

Our learning strength for this half term is creativity. I spoke to the boys on Monday about the importance and value of creativity using the life and work of Pablo Picasso as an example.

It is probably true that as most children progress through school and into the workplace, chances to be genuinely creative become fewer. Junior School life is full of creativity as boys are tasked with writing stories, designing, building and reviewing their models, games and artwork. 

In contrast, the adult working week can often be dominated by routine tasks and activity. Routines provide reassurance: when surgery is required, in most instances we need to know that the procedure is a tried and trusted method with a strong likelihood of success. However, with so many new industries and opportunities in the world of work, creativity will continue to be highly valued. 

Given the speed of change in the world, what we need to provide are more opportunities to be creative. Our Year 6 boys are shortly going to begin their 'Young Enterprise' projects when they create a company before marketing and advertising a product. This is a most rewarding experience as the boys learn key skills and allow their creative instincts to flow. 

At the other end of the school, our Year 3 pupils are starting their 'Shipwrecked' project. This is a great chance for them to use their teamwork skills to come up with creative solutions to problems as part of their work on measurement, length and capacity. They will be tasked with jumping across crocodile infested rivers to reach exotic fruits.

In all year groups we will be challenging the boys to find creative solutions to their work. We hope to report on and share some of their experiences in the final weeks of term.