Many parents and carers will remember a 1980s TV show called “Why Don’t You?” It was very much of its time and was always regarded by kids of the day – I was one – as supremely ironic. It was a television programme encouraging children not to watch television and to do other things and this seemed very strange to us.

Despite this, “Why Don’t You?” was great. Like all great TV shows, it had a great theme tune – parents: please sing it to your children; students: it will be on Youtube. The song got things started and gave it some energy and the enthusiasm of the presenters and the diversity of the activities explained in the programme drove it on from there. They covered almost everything and anything a pre-teen or teenager might want to do. They suggested activities from building treehouses with any wood you could find (health and safety was a bit different back then) to teaching yourself the guitar to building an ant farm to doing pretty much anything with paper cups and washing-up liquid bottles – and in most episodes there was something to do with learning a magic trick.

I’ve been reminded of “Why Don’t You?” during the lockdown. In a time of restriction what is clear is that nothing has changed. Young people today are just as creative, curious and wacky as we all were back then. We’ve set a great range and number of challenges for students through the school during this time and it’s been great to see what has been going on. However, what we also know is that there has been a huge range of other activities undertaken, talents embraced and skills developed at home throughout this time. Please keep letting your teachers, your form tutors, your Heads of House and me know what you have been up to – we are always delighted to hear from you and really want to know what you have been doing.