Summer 2016 Half-Term Review - 6th June 2016

Dear All,

Over the half term, Angela and I spent some time packing up the Old Police Station in readiness for our move back to the refurbished Lupton House today. It has been an interesting sojourn in our temporary accommodation, which has served us well and certainly had the sense of space which some may miss in our more intimate Cottage. However, I have definitely looked forward to the return of a central Day Room – its value has been confirmed to me by the short space of time in which the boys, unwittingly and due to circumstances, moved towards an insular year group existence. As I write this, the first reactions of the boys entering the real Lupton this morning have been very positive: the makeover is stunning, not to mention the benefits of being at the heart of campus life again. All boys now have a desk area, at least two shelving ‘cubes’ and a large combination code locker, with a kit cage on the way in the near future – now it only remains to train some of them how to use them! You may wish to view some of the images on the School’s website via this link, although the following ‘before’ and ‘after’ shots encapsulate the dramatic change for the better:

   

   

With all Luptonians now involved in examinations, either internal or external, and the Upper Sixth and Fifth Form pupils already on exam leave, there is an inevitable shift towards the cycle of end of year events and even thoughts of next academic year. Any Lower Sixth form pupils who have an interest in the role of House Monitor next year will be penning a letter of application. Interviews with Mr Beet and myself will follow shortly and there may well be some tough choices and disappointed pupils when I reveal my decisions in the final House Assembly of term. It will be the same as we have witnessed with the School Monitor process: whilst we are delighted and offer our congratulations to Ben Adamson for his appointment to the role before half term, others may feel overlooked and, like all Houseparents, my loyalty to my own House makes me too partisan to have the overview required by the Headmaster to take such decisions. However, as many adults will testify, life is what you make of it and any perceived set-backs can be used positively for future success.

In the final run-up to the examinations, the first set of summer grades were published and, at this crucial stage of proceedings, it was good to note that they were some of the most positive of the year. I was pleased to recommend Edward Shinner (F5) and Morgan Bennett (U4) for Headmaster’s Commendations for their excellent effort average of 1.3 and 1.4 respectively. Special mention must also go to Fraser Foster (U6) who finished off his school career with an effort average of 1.0 – it does not get any better than that. The following boys were awarded School Commendations for an average of 1.9 and below:

L4 Jamie Cox, Harry Dodworth, Rorie Dodworth, Freddie Harvey-Gilson, Iain Messore, Josh Osborn-Patel, Ben Russell

U4 Archie Batham-Read, Andreas Frangeskou, Jonny Green, Ben Humphries, Jagveer Uppal

5 James Bromley, Jamie Day, Toby Finnemore, Dominic Gardner, George Hatfield, Aled Luckman, Freddie Owen, Hayden Owen, Oliver Plummer, Alex Spurgin, Tristan Stephens-Jones, Henry Stone, Gabriel Thornton

U6 Will Edwards, Fraser Foster, Jonny Howcroft, Michael Matthews, Niall Slater

On the sporting front, it has been good to see George Hatfield (F5) and Ben Humphries (U4) making some appearances for the First XI cricket, whilst Elliot Mason and Awais Mohammed (both L4) continue to participate in their respective county cricket set-ups. This term is also highlighting the amount of athletic and cricketing talent in Lupton, particularly in the junior year groups, which is on show each week in School fixtures. I was pleased that, after the torrential rain which accounted for Sports Day, there was a chance for plenty of Fourth Form individuals to wear a red House shirt for the cause in the rearranged junior athletics competition – we shall await the results in the next few days.

As I mentioned above, the Upper Sixth Form pupils are now on study leave so, before their final swansong in the week of Commemoration, the Tutor team enjoyed a very pleasant evening in their company at the Ewe & Lamb in Hanbury for the annual leavers’ meal. The thanks of all present on the night go to the Lupton PA for their now traditional and generous contribution to this event.

Before the end of term, there will be the opportunity for parents of next year’s new Lupton Lower Fourth Form to visit the House and get a feel for the place over a cup of tea with some Sixth Form pupils, Angela our Housekeeper, Mr Beet and myself. The boys themselves will also get a chance to spend a couple of days in the House, and we shall hopefully see some of them at the Summer Party.

Speaking of which, it is only right to finish this newsletter with a big plug for the Lupton PA’s end of year Summer Party. As published in the calendar, this takes place on the evening of Friday 24 June. Further details are on the flyer/reply form attached by email, but I can promise you some jovial cricket, hearty fayre including a hog-roast and plenty of puddings, and a few words about our departing Upper Sixth Form pupils. This is always an enjoyable event – some would say almost a dress-rehearsal for Commemoration – and it would be great to see as many as possible supporting our loyal PA committee.

As ever, please do feel free to contact me on any matter either by telephone (extension 229) or email (amcclure@bromsgrove-school.co.uk). I look forward to seeing many of you at the Summer Party.

Yours faithfully,