The Spring Term at the Foundation has been an exceptionally busy one, defined by students taking on challenges well beyond the four walls of the classroom. From the volcanic landscapes of Iceland to the historic sites of Naples, our Year 8s and senior students have been traveling far and wide, earning praise from local guides for their conduct and curiosity as they explored everything from the eruption of AD 79 to the geography of the modern world.

Back on home soil, academic ambition has been a constant. Two teams of chemists – “Avogadro’s Amigos” and “Methyl Orange” – successfully took on the Cambridge Chemistry Race at Rugby School, both earning Bronze awards and Honorary Mentions. Our linguists also showed their mettle at St Peter’s in York, where Year 12 and 13 students debated complex motions entirely in French and Spanish. Saachi and Oscar’s run to the French semi-finals, missing out by just a single point, was a standout performance.

This momentum continued onto the international stage at the Oxford Union. Competing in the world’s largest debating competition, Saachi and Sophie secured first place in their opening heat. They tackled a profound motion on whether authors from marginalized backgrounds should prioritize “hopeful stories” over narratives of oppression, demonstrating sharp analytical skills against teams from across the globe. This drive for innovation was also seen in the Rotary Technology STEM Tournament, where Lucy, Buba, Adam, and Ihan designed and built the winning mechanical bridge structure.

It has been a standout term for sport, headlined by a massive international achievement. Hettie was selected for the England U17 Netball squad for the European Championships in Aberdeen. Not only did she help the team to a clean sweep of victories to become European Champions, but she was also handed the captain’s badge during the final match. Domestically, our U19 Netball squad finished an impressive 4th in the country after a grueling weekend at the National Schools Finals and Sisters N Sport Top 4, marking the end of a five-year journey for our Year 13 players. Our U14 Rugby 7s continued their winning streak with back-to-back tournament victories, while the KS4 Girls’ Badminton team officially qualified for their own National Finals in Milton Keynes.

The term also saw a fantastic display of performance in the QE Hall for the Senior House Music Competition. Sam took the title of Musician of the Year, while Savile/Mackie were named the overall House winners. Amidst the competitions, the daily life of the school has remained focused on the future; we hosted a successful Oxbridge InSight evening with help from alumni and Year 13 Oscar, while our Academic Mentoring sessions have helped students across the year groups stay on top of their goals. We also marked International Women’s Day by celebrating the achievements of our “Old Girls” and the potential of our current pupils. It has been a term of hard work, significant wins, and, most importantly, a lot of shared success across the whole community.