Dear Parents,

It is with great sadness that I announce that our former Chairman of Governors, Alan Baker, died suddenly over half term. Our sincerest condolences go to the Baker Family, especially to his wife Sue. Alan served on the Governing Council from 1998-2018 playing a prominent role at the School for many years, many of the buildings and facilities our pupils enjoy are down to his vision. I am sure you’ll want to join me in sending our best wishes to the family.

This week we have been looking at Remembrance. On Thursday, Year 2 made a touching visit to the War Memorial in Tunbridge Wells. Today our Scouts, Cubs, Brownies and Rainbows led a moving procession into Assembly. Year 8 marked Remembrance Day with a thoughtful and personal response this morning, thanks also to our wonderful musicians Henry, Axelle and Madeleine who have played in assemblies over the last couple of weeks.

The whole school gathered for a two minutes silence at 11am which is always a very moving event. Remembrance Sunday, which falls on 13 November in 2022, is a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all those that have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life. We remember the Armed Forces, and their families, from Britain and the Commonwealth, the vital role played by the emergency services and those that have lost their lives as a result of conflict or terrorism. I look forward to seeing many of you in Tunbridge Wells on Sunday.

My thanks to the Advisory Group for the detailed discussion regarding the final decisions on our uniform review. We will be publishing the information, along with a timeline of introduction and phasing out. Please be aware that a great deal of consideration was given to cost.

With best wishes,

Emma Neville, Head