June 24th - Message from the Headmaster

Dear Parents,

The time is fast approaching where we will have to brush the dust off our buckets

and spades and prepare for the summer holiday. This is the penultimate newsletter

of the year and I write amid a hubbub of stimulating activity and enthusiasm.

There are many exciting things to achieve before the end of term. I have just

come from a wonderful Yr 7 assembly where the children, with the help of the

wonderful Mrs. Hoffmann, looked at their ancestors and traced their roots back

all over the world to some famous, some infamous and some little known but

extraordinary people, were all encouraged to make the most of our lives so that

future generations would look back at us in admiration and wonder.

The Year 12 and 13 Performing Arts Productions yesterday evening also . lled me

with admiration and wonder at the incredible achievements of that department.

Will Cousins and Lewis Bennett, assisted by the extraordinary talented Lily

Lindon, gave one of their last, memorable performances and the Lower Sixth

proved there was talent in abundance coming through for next year.

Parents, your children amaze me and it is a privilege to work with them.

I am looking forward very much to spending Open Day and Sports Day at the

Prep School tomorrow and I will be spectating at the Dads v Lads cricket match at

Crowhurst Park on Sunday. Next week the whole of Years 7 – 9 will be off

curriculum for four whole days and will be steeped in the drama of ‘Les

Miserables’. The following week there are two whole days given over to Sport.

Busy, busy days ahead and I hope something for everyone.

Roger Clark

June 17th - Message from the Headmaster

Dear Parents

"I have never been to such a nice school" - a comment from a visiting, prospective parent today. It was the day when many had sat their last GCSE and all the work was over for a while but to be fair we saw many other people smiling too. I was quick to point out that we have our moments of disappointment and struggle and that a school is a microcosm of life. I was delighted to tour the school and find all of the pupils in such a good mood, but then it is Friday! We saw Battle Abbey at its best but I would be naïve in the extreme to assume that’s how it always is. We have to contend with "triumph and disaster and treat these two imposters just the same."

I am always gratified as a Headmaster to hear good news but of course there are problems and perhaps one mark of a good school is how we change a challenge into an opportunity.

There is an absolute determination at Battle Abbey School to keep improving and I remain very grateful to those parents who work with me so that we can become stronger and stronger. There is so much to be proud of; your children never cease to amaze me with their talent and optimism.

Today I was immensely proud to show off some recent outstanding Art work and to have an Art teacher from another school say how excellent the standard is at Battle, I was proud too that the performing arts department astonished my visitors with its versatility and

talent.

Have a good weekend and I look forward to seeing many of you in the last three weeks of term as so many of your children will be taking part in the plethora of activities that marks the end of the summer.

June 10th - A message from the Headmaster

Dear Parents

The week began for me with an illustration of the rich variety of pupils that we have in the school. I sat talking through a translator to a parent from Samara in the southernmost part of Russia. Samara has a population of two million and is just a bit north of Kazakhstan. Of course, like any other mother the world over, she wanted to know how her son was behaving and whether he was trying hard. What a trust the world has in English boarding schools and what a responsibility this trust lays upon us! We try very hard to live up to the high expectations and are grateful for the privilege of educating young people from so many different backgrounds.

Several times this week I have talked to parents about the perennial problem of choosing options for Year 10 and fitting everything in that the pupils want to do. As a small school we tailor the timetable to the individual, which occasionally gives us huge challenges.

The Lower Sixth spent a day on the important process of personal statement writing in preparation for university application next term and were entertained by the Head of Admissions from Sussex University. This very witty gentleman is becoming a regular and welcome visitor to the school.

It has been a very constructive week, because I have met so many parents both present and prospective and shared their hopes and fears and thoughts about the future of their most precious possessions, their children. I am always delighted to meet parents and I urge you to remember that. All of us here have a deep vested interested in the education of your children and we are constantly seeking to exceed your expectations of us.

Last night at about 8pm there were still about twenty pupils deep in rehearsal for "Oh What a Lovely War." I spent an hour watching their final throes of rehearsal and wondered once again at the enormously diverse talents and opportunities there are at the school. There were still five teachers here after 9pm and two wonderful former pupils, Chris Rogers and Fergus Bruce, back from university and helping in the same way they always did whilst at school. Three other staff are currently in France with Year 7 and will be back at the end of the weekend.

It is a good opportunity for me to thank the teachers who are so committed to the education of your children that they give up so much of their extra time over and above what I can reasonably expect.

At the start of the week, it was very good to receive so much overwhelming support from parents following the publication of the article in the Observer last Friday – you will recall the newspaper had received an anonymous letter, concerned that I had not kept parents informed about changes to the governing body and furthermore, by implication, that the School was in financial difficulty. Several parents have since expressed an interest in becoming a governor and others have asked for further information about the role of our governing body. The Bursar, who is Clerk to the Governors, will be producing an article on the governing body for a forthcoming newsletter, which will provide you with more information. In the meantime, I extend my grateful thanks for the support you have shown over this matter.

I look forward to seeing many of you in the next four weeks. There will be many

opportunities to visit and, of course, if you want to come in for a chat, please do so.

Best wishes, Roger Clark