Dear Parents
I hope you all summered well.
We were absolutely delighted with best ever A Level results. 16 pupils gained at least 3 A grades and you will see from the list of leavers’ destinations, that they have gone on to study at some prestigious universities. The GCSE results were more modest but still our candidates achieved 98% 5 A* to C passes, although we had less high fliers than for some time this year. Like thousands and thousands of candidates across the country our GCSE English pupils were marked down 5% in comparison with last year and this moving of the goal posts reflected very unfairly on their efforts and capability. The protest from schools continues and there is still the possibility of combined legal action.
We have taken 68 new pupils into the senior school and I have been thrilled with the new pupils’ enthusiasm, personal standards and varied talents. I am on record as saying that I think that this is our best intake for many years and these new pupils add generously to our already rich store of talent.
New too for this term is the totally re-furbished, all-singing and all-dancing Biology Laboratory. The pupils learning will be enhanced by the use of excellent IT facilities, including a bank of 10 i-PADs. Planning permission (always a sensitive issue at the Abbey) has delayed the move of the maintenance department to new accommodation and the creation of an excellent, new and much-needed changing facility for the girls. All should be in place now by the start of next term at the very latest.
The staff here are very excited about the promise of the year ahead. Thank you for entrusting some of the education of your wonderful children to us and please do let us know how you think we are doing.
Best wishes
Roger Clark
Friday, 7 September 2012
Friday, 29 June 2012
29th June 2012 - Message from the Headmaster
Dear Parents
1.30pm and oh the sinful pleasures of school lunch! Rare beef salad and Tiramasu on a Friday – calorific overkill but so tasty! Catering at the Abbey just keeps on getting better and this happy eater carries the evidence to prove it. My diet always begins tomorrow.
You will read of the successes of the last week, as the term spins madly towards its crescendo.
Mr Mercer’s Activity Week was a fabulous educational opportunity for Yr 7-9 to think outside the confines of the regular curriculum. The Junior Dance and Drama evening, with its large audience proved that in the area of performing arts we are as strong at the lower ends of the school as we are at the top.
And then the concert on Saturday evening was a triumph and the culmination of seven years hard work by Mr Langridge and his team.
Not a day will go by next week which does not offer something special to our students. Do come along to the Art exhibition in the library, open each evening next week 6pm - 8pm.
Best wishes
Roger Clark
1.30pm and oh the sinful pleasures of school lunch! Rare beef salad and Tiramasu on a Friday – calorific overkill but so tasty! Catering at the Abbey just keeps on getting better and this happy eater carries the evidence to prove it. My diet always begins tomorrow.
You will read of the successes of the last week, as the term spins madly towards its crescendo.
Mr Mercer’s Activity Week was a fabulous educational opportunity for Yr 7-9 to think outside the confines of the regular curriculum. The Junior Dance and Drama evening, with its large audience proved that in the area of performing arts we are as strong at the lower ends of the school as we are at the top.
And then the concert on Saturday evening was a triumph and the culmination of seven years hard work by Mr Langridge and his team.
Not a day will go by next week which does not offer something special to our students. Do come along to the Art exhibition in the library, open each evening next week 6pm - 8pm.
Best wishes
Roger Clark
Thursday, 7 June 2012
1st June 2012 - Message from the Headmaster
Dear Parents
The second half of term offers several opportunities for you to join in and attend a range of events. Among these will be the Family Fun Day. This is a social get-together to celebrate the centenary and I do hope that lots and lots of you will come along with your children and join in. There is such a thing as a free lunch!
Other events include our Centenary Concert and the Dads v Lads cricket match. All tickets for the Summer Ball have already been sold, so we know that this will be well-supported and then of course there is Speech Day.
There is a special joint Sports Day on Tuesday 3rd July at the Abbey with Prep School athletes joining in with their senior colleagues.
I hope that you all have a very good half-term.
With my best wishes
Roger Clark
The second half of term offers several opportunities for you to join in and attend a range of events. Among these will be the Family Fun Day. This is a social get-together to celebrate the centenary and I do hope that lots and lots of you will come along with your children and join in. There is such a thing as a free lunch!
Other events include our Centenary Concert and the Dads v Lads cricket match. All tickets for the Summer Ball have already been sold, so we know that this will be well-supported and then of course there is Speech Day.
There is a special joint Sports Day on Tuesday 3rd July at the Abbey with Prep School athletes joining in with their senior colleagues.
I hope that you all have a very good half-term.
With my best wishes
Roger Clark
Friday, 25 May 2012
25th May 2012 - Message from the Headmaster
Dear Parents
The English summer sound of leather hitting willow announced the start of the cricket season this week, delayed so badly by the rain. A win against Bethany and two nail-biting, final over defeats against Eastbourne College and Dover College have allowed our boys to display their competitive spirit and skills in different age groups. At the same time, the girls enjoyed a win and a loss in Rounders matches and we take on Vinehall at Athletics this afternoon. The heat is on.
Talking of cricket, the Dads have been dusting down their cover drives, square cuts and googlies in the nets at Horntye in preparation for the annual, and this year, centenary Dads v Lads cricket match later in the term. Crowhurst Park is the delightful venue for this event on 24th June.
The Abbot’s Hall was full on Sunday afternoon for the Centenary Service, when the anthem written especially by Kevin Anderson, with music by John Langridge, to commemorate our hundred years, was given its world premiere. The Choir did full justice to this special composition. At the book launch three weeks ago we were privileged to receive her Majesty’s good wishes for the future of the school and very fortunately her senior representative in the county, Lord Lieutenant Peter Field, was a highly supportive attendee at the service with his wife.
I wish you all a good weekend in the sun!
Best wishes
Roger Clark
Friday, 18 May 2012
18th May 2012 - Message from the Headmaster
Dear Parents
A third Battle Abbey baby arrived in the third week of May! This time it was me, who had the opportunity to celebrate the miracle of new life, as I became a grandfather to William, who weighed in at a healthy 8lb11ozs, born very magically on his mother’s birthday.
May 14th will be a doubly special day in my family in future!
In a Centenary year, we are able to celebrate both the past hundred years and the new beginnings at the start of the next one hundred. We look forward, while learning from and being grateful to all that brought us thus far.
On Sunday we will remember our school in a special service in the Abbot’s Hall, led by Father Kevin Taggart, the Benedictine Abbot of Worth. Battle Abbey was a Benedictine foundation and we are very privileged to have Father Kevin with us to lead our worship. We are also delighted to welcome the Lord Lieutenant and his wife for this special occasion.
Best wishes
Roger Clark
A third Battle Abbey baby arrived in the third week of May! This time it was me, who had the opportunity to celebrate the miracle of new life, as I became a grandfather to William, who weighed in at a healthy 8lb11ozs, born very magically on his mother’s birthday.
May 14th will be a doubly special day in my family in future!
In a Centenary year, we are able to celebrate both the past hundred years and the new beginnings at the start of the next one hundred. We look forward, while learning from and being grateful to all that brought us thus far.
On Sunday we will remember our school in a special service in the Abbot’s Hall, led by Father Kevin Taggart, the Benedictine Abbot of Worth. Battle Abbey was a Benedictine foundation and we are very privileged to have Father Kevin with us to lead our worship. We are also delighted to welcome the Lord Lieutenant and his wife for this special occasion.
Best wishes
Roger Clark
Friday, 11 May 2012
11th May 2012 - Message from the Headmaster
Dear Parents
Another week, another baby! Aaron Pawson, our wonderful Catering Manager, has become a father. Rufus and Mrs Pawson are both doing well. It offers us another brief moment to reflect on what is important in life.
At the end of this week, I am enjoying meeting some of the excellent candidates who have been selected for interview to fill the posts left vacant by the departure of Mrs Heasmer and Mr Patel, in terms of his PE commitment. I have been very pleased with the strength of the field and we are of course looking for the person who is the very best fit for our school. I will be able to share the news of the appointments with you next week. Whilst it is always sad to see high quality staff leave us, it is also very exciting to see new faces and the school looks forward to the different expertise and enthusiasm that new staff inevitably bring with them. A certain amount of staff movement is very healthy for a school, which must be a dynamic organisation to function at its best.
This is the time of year when the Art and Textiles examination classes are producing their final pieces and it has been a privilege to see some of the astonishing work being produced at the moment. My room has always been used as a mini art gallery and visitors are able to admire the latest creations of our students. There will be an opportunity for all parents to see samples of this year’s work at a special Centenary Art Exhibition at the end of term.
Best wishes
Roger Clark
Friday, 4 May 2012
4th May 2012 - Message from the Headmaster
Dear Parents
Every cloud has a silver lining and at the end of the wettest and dullest month of the year so far, the school can celebrate another birth. Dr Demoncheaux and Beatrice celebrated the birth of a baby boy on May 1st, saying goodbye to the month of April and heralding in new life and hope. Pierre-Eric’s adventure starts now and just like your children, he will be the most precious part of his parents’ lives. It serves to remind all those who work at the school of the enormous responsibility that lies on our shoulders, as well as on the parents’ shoulders. From this very fact arise some of the great joys of parenting and teaching but also some of the inevitable tensions and disappointments and the closer that we can work with each other, the better the result will be for the young people in our care.
In May, the more silver linings we can discover, the less influence the clouds will have on us. Our best way is to go back to the children, who are naturally optimistic, laughing and smiling. They are the ones who make teaching so fulfilling and compensate for a dull April, with its hosepipe bans and its flood warnings!
Best wishes
Roger Clark
Every cloud has a silver lining and at the end of the wettest and dullest month of the year so far, the school can celebrate another birth. Dr Demoncheaux and Beatrice celebrated the birth of a baby boy on May 1st, saying goodbye to the month of April and heralding in new life and hope. Pierre-Eric’s adventure starts now and just like your children, he will be the most precious part of his parents’ lives. It serves to remind all those who work at the school of the enormous responsibility that lies on our shoulders, as well as on the parents’ shoulders. From this very fact arise some of the great joys of parenting and teaching but also some of the inevitable tensions and disappointments and the closer that we can work with each other, the better the result will be for the young people in our care.
In May, the more silver linings we can discover, the less influence the clouds will have on us. Our best way is to go back to the children, who are naturally optimistic, laughing and smiling. They are the ones who make teaching so fulfilling and compensate for a dull April, with its hosepipe bans and its flood warnings!
Best wishes
Roger Clark
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