Welcome back to a new school year following what I hope was an enjoyable summer for everyone.

As always, September is full of promise for the year ahead, but some of our students did not want to wait for the new term and spent their summer preparing for the future. From Year 12, three students successfully secured a summer placement on the highly competitive Nuffield Foundation Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme. Only 22 student across Hertfordshire were successful in joining this scheme, and so we were particularly proud of  Sebastian Pira, Max Aldous and Michael Wooler, who spent 4 weeks of their summer holidays working alongside STEM professionals completing real research projects.  This rigorous and academically challenging opportunity will position our young STEM students well for their upcoming university applications.

Meanwhile, our ongoing relationship with Access Aspirations enabled Year 13 students to undertake the type of work experience most can only dream of, with Assistant Head Girl Priya Patel spending a week working with Raymond Blanc’s team in the kitchens of the 2 Michelin starred restaurant Le Manoir, and Head Boy Nejmi Sadak using his break to work at Scotland Yard.

Beyond the school gates, I would like to congratulate Hannah Wales for playing the lead in the Youth Musical Theatre’s production of Fame in the Rudolf Steiner Theatre in London, and Rebecca Russell on the opening of an exhibition as a young curator at Watford Museum. It is always very pleasing to hear of the successes achieved by members of the academy as they pursue their interests and passions.

Over 200 new Year 7 students have settled in well to their first week at the academy, and I am pleased to say that the new break time arrangements are working well to enable the largest number of students we have ever had to eat and relax during their non-lesson time.

Coming up this month:

15 September: Open Evening from 5.30pm to 9.00pm

20 September: UCAS evening for parents of Year 12 and 13 students from 6.30pm to 7.30pm

27 September: 1-9 Information Evening from 6.00pm – 7.00pm: another chance for all parents of students in Years 7 to 11 to learn about the new GCSE 1-9 grading system, which replaces the A*-G grades.

28 September: Year 7 and new starter Form Tutor Evening from 3.30pm to 5.30pm.

And during school time, Modern Foreign Languages week runs from 26 September to 30 September, so expect to hear all about different languages and cultures from your children at the end of the month.

It promises to be a busy term, and I look forward to bringing you the highlights as the weeks progress.