As a learning community, we have proven ourselves yet again to be endlessly adaptable and resilient in the face of a shifting educational landscape, whilst bolstering our ultimate goal of striving for excellence in all that we do. Pupils are progressing; lessons are creative and engaging and the school continues to thrive in new and innovative ways. However, it is clear that there are many interests, hobbies and passions we cannot currently pursue. Watching a thrilling football match live; a windswept walk along a beach; a long lunch in our favourite restaurant. 

Maintaining a sense of perspective in our lives can help us to deal with the challenges we face; by identifying and celebrating what we do have, we can begin to realise that there is much to be thankful for, regardless of current limitations. During form time, Year Eight pupils have been focusing on the purpose and value of gratitude and what it truly means by creating ‘gratitude jars’ and filling them with positivity from our lives. Gratitude is acknowledging goodness; it is thankful appreciation for what we have. It is also an exchange of thanks in which we recognise the goodness in someone else. The word itself is rooted in gratefulness. It comes from the Latin word gratia, meaning graciousness, grace, and gratefulness. In recent studies, people who express gratitude have demonstrated that they are more connected to others and that they also feel positive emotions in more depth. There is also evidence that expressing what you are grateful for is beneficial for your mental health.

I am certain we will look back on our experiences during the various iterations of lockdown with the full range of human emotion and perhaps with a renewed sense of gratitude for those interests and passions temporarily absent from our lives.

Mr Hart