The Headmaster writes…
As you will no doubt have read in recent weekly newsletters, the last couple of weeks of the spring term have been remarkable for the unprecedented plethora of accolades which have been won by St Hugh’s pupils.  As I write this piece, the school has recently been celebrating ten scholarships awarded in the last month (taking the current total to twenty five altogether – already a record with the possibility of more to come); we have won the Sir Winston Churchill Public Speaking competition (see photo above); we came third in the National Prep Schools’ General Knowledge Competition; first in the ‘Demosthenes’ Inter-Prep School Debating Competition and fifteen of our children have been selected to have their artwork exhibited in the Ashmolean.  Year 7 have sung at Wembley Arena, our netballers and cross country runners have won big tournaments and our senior boys are preparing to take on their Caribbean counterparts on a tour to Barbados.  It has been quite a term!  Despite its relatively short length, it has also been quite a gruelling one and the usual bugs and poor weather have taken their toll.  I think we’re all ready for a break and I hope that you and your families are able to enjoy a restful and enjoyable Easter holiday. I look forward to seeing you all again at the beginning of the summer term.

The Headmaster writes…
It was a real pleasure for the whole school community to welcome back Derek and Verena Cannon recently for the official opening of the new Science, Art and Design Technology building named after them. Many of Derek and Verena’s former colleagues and the school governors joined the celebrations and enjoyed seeing the wonderful new teaching facilities. (See pages 2-4). We have, of course, been using the Cannon Building since the beginning of this term, though the warm, bright days of early September now seem a long time ago given that we are just a few days away from Christmas. So much has happened in the last fifteen weeks and we have enjoyed a busy and highly successful autumn term, some of which is reported on in this vibrant colour newsletter. The end of term was celebrated with a fabulous Pre-Prep nativity play and a joyous carol service in Bampton Church. We now look forward to the holidays and I am sure we and our children are ready for the break. Sarah and I, and all the staff, wish you all a happy, healthy and restful Christmas holiday.

The Headmaster writes…
The autumn term barely seems to have begun yet already we find ourselves at half term. Having said that, the last seven weeks have been extremely busy and productive – reflected in this newsletter - so I am sure the children will be ready for their break. Of course, before this term began there was a huge amount of activity on the school site preparing for the new school year and I am most grateful to our Bursar, Andy Robinson, and his team for making sure everything was ready for the start. As you may be aware, the major project was the new Cannon Building, which now houses state of the art facilities for Art, Design Technology and Science. My predecessor, Derek Cannon, will officially open it in November and at this time we will also create an opportunity for all existing parents to view the new building. We also have a new French room, meeting room, ICT room and junior Science room: all of which have been excellent additions to the school’s provision. Six new members of staff joined us in September - in addition to forty-two new children - and I am delighted that all have settled in well and have become established as members of the St Hugh’s family. ! The second half of term promises to be just as busy as the first and I much look forward to seeing you all again in just over a week’s time.

The Headmaster writes…
The summer holidays are now upon us and so ends a truly outstanding year for St Hugh's. Speech Day provides the occasion for us to mark formally the contribution of those leaving us, and to celebrate the many whole school successes we have enjoyed. Successes that include the fourteen scholarships being awarded to a range of first rate schools; the best ever Common Entrance grades achieved and the continuation of our 100% success rate in this exam. I am enormously proud of the children's achievements.As usual, we continue to feed a very wide range of schools and the list this year numbers sixteen overall: Abingdon, Bloxham, Cheltenham College, Cokethorpe, Dean Close, Downe House, Downside, Headington, Malvern, Our Lady’s, Oxford High, Radley, Stowe, St Helen's & St Katharine's, Tudor Hall and Winchester.For those returning to or joining St Hugh’s in September, our new building – the ‘Cannon Building’ - will be open and will have brand new, state of the art science labs, Art Room and DT suite. Other changes will include a relocated and refurbished music room, a new French room, another ICT suite and a conference room. Whilst we evolve and develop, those things that will continue to endure are the ethos of the school, its happy feel and family atmosphere. Thank you for your support this year; St Hugh's would not be the place it is without the support and kindness of our parents; the dedication and enthusiasm of our pupils and the talent and commitment of the staff. (Please note this file is too large to download the entire newsletter. If you would like an additional hard copy, please contact school.)

The Headmaster writes…
I write this having just returned from one of our assemblies, at the end of which I was delighted to present the following: twelve Achievement Awards, three Silver Awards and a Gold Award; the trophy to our public speaking team who (for the second year running) won the inter-prep schools' competition at Bradfield; certificates to our Red mini tennis team who had performed really well at the weekend; rosettes and awards for one of our riders who came top in a national event; cross country colours to ten of our athletes - three of whom had represented Oxfordshire at the national cross country championships which had been televised on Sky Sports;medals for our U12 netball team who had come 4th in the national netball finals. I also read the names of fifteen of our children whose pictures had been selected for exhibiting in the Ashmolean as part of the 'My Oxfordshire' art competition; and finally I passed on the good news that one of our pupils had won a top art scholarship to Radley. All this was after two boys had sung a superb and amusing duet to the whole school. Suitably, the theme of the week, and the subject of the assembly, was 'perseverance'. I am pleased to say that the children at St Hugh's have it in abundance - as do their dedicated teachers - and all of the triumphs we celebrated today show that when you combine talent with the will to keep trying and be the best you can be, the results can be extraordinary. I have to say, I never cease to be amazed by our children and am hugely proud of their achievements.

The Headmaster writes…
Fifteen weeks of a highly successful term are now at an end, concluding with our very special carol service at Bampton Church. A huge amount has been achieved over the last three months and it is quite revealing to ponder on a simple, statistical analysis of the term: roughly 17,000 lessons have been taught, 35,000 meals served, 210 matches played, 16 parents’ meetings held, 2,000 flexi-boarding nights slept, hundreds of exam papers completed, dozens of AB music exams taken and over 7,000 credits and gold awards distributed. Then there were the ten school trips, the Harvest and Remembrance services, the Pre-Prep’s ‘Nativity Tableau’, the Autumn Fair, the new parents’ drinks, ‘Take Footsteps’ and ‘Bushcraft Survival’ courses, the St Hugh’s hockey, rugby, cross country and netball tournaments, School Council meetings, tea concerts, Boarders’ events and trips, our Reading Competition, Languages Day, Science Day, the inter school quiz competitions, Leviathan, the FOSH Halloween event, house matches and house cross country and, of course, the staff and children’s Christmas entertainment! Such statistics don’t tell the whole story and are just an indication of the high level of industry at St Hugh’s. Of course, the consequence of this breathless range of activity is tired children (and parents) in need of a good rest. I hope that you have the opportunity to relax and spend precious time with your family over the next few weeks. A very happy Christmas to you all.

The Headmaster writes…
It seems unbelievable that we have already reached half-term and the last few weeks seem to have flown by, no doubt helped by the recent Indian summer.  We are delighted to have welcomed many new families to St Hugh’s and I am so pleased that the new children have all settled in well.   We like to feel that being such a warm, friendly, supportive environment makes St Hugh’s a place where those joining are made to feel part of the family straight away and it is a feature of the school which, without exception, prospective parents always remark upon. In addition to the new boys and girls who joined us, we have also welcomed several excellent new members of staff: Mrs Sally Russell is our new Head of Pre-Prep, Mr Robin Cleaver is a new Maths teacher and Mrs Julie Robinson is teaching drama.  In addition to this, we have four dynamic new GAP students, three of whom are former St Hugh’s pupils: Harry Copson (ex Abingdon), Philippe Edwards (ex Radley), George Sandbach (ex Cheltenham; as well as Rebecca Taylor (ex Moreton Hall).  I hope you and your families have a good break and I look forward to seeing you all again in November.

The Headmaster writes…
The summer holidays are now upon us and so ends an outstanding year for St Hugh's. Speech Day provides the occasion for us to mark formally the contribution of those leaving us, and to celebrate the many whole school successes we have enjoyed. Successes that include the eleven scholarships being awarded to a range of first rate schools; the best ever Common Entrance grades achieved and the continuation of our 100% success rate in this exam.  I am enormously proud of the children's achievements.   As usual, we continue to feed a very wide range of schools and the list this year numbers fifteen overall: Abingdon, Bloxham, Bromsgrove, Cheltenham College, Eton, Headington, Magdalen College, Malvern, Marlborough, Radley, Stowe, St Helen's & St Katharine's, St Edward's Oxford, Tudor Hall and Winchester.

The Headmaster writes…
One of the many pleasures of being a headmaster is morning assembly and at the time of writing, I have just returned from a wonderful one taken by a Year 5 form who were exploring the theme of the week: ‘Carpe Diem’.  As you are probably aware, each week we explore a different theme, published in the school calendar, which covers a wide range of different values and moral issues which are a vital part of the education we provide. From Reception to Year 8, each form takes an assembly at least once a year so that everyone has a chance to make a presentation in front of their peers and become involved with us in delivering the so-called ‘hidden curriculum’.  The subject of ‘Carpe Diem’ seemed particularly appropriate last Monday morning when the sun shone and all around was evidence of the richness of spring and the fast approaching summer.