Dear Parents,
We have made it to the end of a very busy and successful term and there has been so much crammed into the last two weeks. The production of ‘Into the Woods’ was probably the most impressive student musical I have ever seen and the cast and staff are to be applauded for their extraordinary efforts in staging such a difficult yet captivating piece of theatre.
The dust had hardly settled on the play when the school launched itself into a simply amazing week of Christmas celebrations. Proceedings started on Sunday in the evocative setting of the ruins for the Evensong service. The choir did us proud as ever and we all enjoyed a very moving, very special occasion together. Attention turned to the Prep School on Monday as we took part in a wonderfully entertaining ‘Carols at the Gate’ which saw a combination of singing, dramatic story telling and the odd killer joke. Next, the Senior School hosted Carols round the Fire on Tuesday which was much appreciated by a packed audience in the Abbots Hall. Wednesday, unsurprisingly, didn’t give the students a chance to breathe as the 6th Form vs staff football match kicked off in front of a sell-out and highly partisan crowd. Thursday was soon upon us as we came to the memorable tradition of the Christmas lunch which, this year, was preceded by the 6th Form panto. The turkey and trimmings were accompanied by some hearty singing and the most astonishing (and wacky!) paper fight I have ever seen – ably ‘refereed’ by both Mr Malewicz and Mr Payton. We just about managed to digest our Christmas pud before we headed to the Prep School to watch their panto of Dick Whittington – which saw every student from year 3 upwards participating in one way or another. I don’t imagine that any other school in the land does Christmas quite like Battle Abbey – it has been a truly spectacular week*.
I hope that, like me, you enjoyed the recent Time Team Special on the controversy surrounding the site of the Battle of Hastings. It was fantastic to see our school featuring so prominently on mainstream television and seeing the aerial views just reinforced how lucky we are to be part of this internationally significant historical community.
Finally – can I take this opportunity to thank all our staff and students for their many contributions this term and to wish you all a restful holiday and a very happy Christmas?
David Clark
*Video highlights of Christmas week will be available to view on the school website in the new year.
