As we come to the end of another immensely busy and highly successful term, I find myself reflecting with astonishment at all that the girls have achieved. I hope you will have seen from the regular ‘News at Queenswood’ emails just what the girls have shown themselves capable of this term.

In the last couple of weeks, our young tennis team performed phenomenally at the World Schools Tennis Championships in Brazil. The level of support and excitement in school as the results came through was palpable. The girls beat players from Italy, Belgium and Brazil en route to the bronze medal – we can now officially boast that Queenswood has the world’s third best tennis team!

 

The superb talents of our dancers were on display in the 123 Dance show. Over 80 girls were involved in the show, with some flying through the air on hoops and silks – it really was breathtaking. Our hockey squads have been dominant in the County Cup, with the U13, U14 and 1st XI all finishing the season as county champions. Meanwhile the U16 Badminton team were triumphant at the Regional Badminton finals, and are on their way to Queenswood’s first ever National final in this sport – a just reward for the tremendous run of form they have shown this season.

For those of you who follow us on Twitter and Instagram, you may have noticed that the hashtag #ILoveBoarding is trending at the moment. Some of our boarders have been interviewed for an ‘I Love Boarding’ film that is being put together by the Boarding Schools Association. It will be screened in the BSA’s ‘Boarding Bus’ at county shows up and down the country this summer.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the rigorous process of appointing our new Senior Prefect Team. The Chair of Governors and I were so impressed with the confidence, maturity and wisdom of the six applicants for the role of Head Girl. The new team will be presented to the school at Assembly on Friday 24 March, and I am really looking forward to working closely with them in the coming academic year. I would also like to thank the current Head Girl and her prefects for all their help and support during my first two terms at Queenswood.

It has been a real pleasure getting to know so many parents this term, whether at more formal occasions such as our Year 11 breakfasts and Year 10 dinner parties, at Parents’ Evenings, or at drama, music and sporting events. Next term we look forward to some wonderful social occasions, including the Queenswood Supper Quiz Night on Friday 21 April, the Lower School Play in May, the Ladies’ Polo Tournament at Silver Leys Polo Club, the Queenswood Ball and Speech Day. I hope to have the opportunity to meet as many of you as possible at these events. In the meantime, we really value feedback on any aspects of your experiences of Queenswood, and you may wish to take advantage of the new ‘Comments and Suggestions’ feature on our website.

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to listen to the fascinating BBC Radio documentary about John Ruskin and Queenswood, I urge you to do so. It’s available on the BBC iPlayer website. I was particularly struck by presenter Samira Ahmed’s comments on the Head Girl’s team: ‘In this room, I feel I’m with the strong, intelligent girls that John Ruskin talked about. They have a well-rounded education; they’re ready to take on the world.’

The Easter break is an invaluable opportunity for revision and consolidation, and I know that all girls facing exams next term will use their time wisely and efficiently. I also hope that you will all find time to relax together as families. It only remains for me to wish you a restful and happy holiday.