Mr Pavis' Video Newsletter: Friday 26th June

Most of the talk this week has been about the heat — but I have to say, in our slightly elevated spot with the breeze coming in off the sea, we've probably been one of the coolest schools in the UK. Then again, I think we're probably the coolest school in the UK every week.

This week the theatre played host to our production of DNA — a tremendously powerful dark comedy performed by Year 7 to Year 10 students, with a couple of last-minute cameos from Amber and Flo, who stepped in brilliantly at short notice. Well done to absolutely everyone involved. That was followed on Tuesday by the Year 7 and 8 Arts Pathway Showcases — a wonderful celebration of creative talent across the year groups.

Sports Day has been postponed to next Wednesday due to the heat, and we look forward to that. And save the date — next Thursday at 2:30pm we have our end of year service at St Mary's Church in Bideford. We'd love to see as many of you there as possible.

Our Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh expeditions are well underway. The Silver cyclists are already out on expedition today, enjoying a slightly cooler breeze, and the Bronze expeditioners head out this weekend. Good luck to all of you. Our Earth Centre and geography students have also been out this week exploring the River Torridge and the River Exe — and I suspect the cool water up in the hills was very welcome indeed.

This weekend our boarders are slipping and sliding at Adrenaline Quarry, getting thoroughly soaked, and a group are heading out to the Women's Cricket T20 World Cup — what a brilliant trip that will be.

A few very well-deserved thank yous to close. To our kitchen and laundry staff — your working environment is tough at the best of times, and this week has been a real test of resilience. Thank you for continuing to feed us all and keep everything running so brilliantly. And a huge thank you to our Connect Centre staff — teaching staff, HLTAs, TAs and students — who have all been busy this week moving into the brand new Connect Centre building. We've completely refurbished the old boarding house into a fully functioning classroom block, and despite the punishing heat, everyone has done an amazing job making it their own. And finally, thank you to our estates team, who have managed this fantastic conversion from day one.

Enjoy the cooler weekend, have a wonderful final week, and I look forward to speaking to you all again next time.