As I wrote last week, this has been the first week of mock examinations for our Year 11 students and they are to be commended for the focus and maturity of their approach – it has been impressive all round and they are set up well for next week. Other key events in school this week have included House matches for several year groups and the spirit of competition has shone through – we look forward to seeing the results when they are completed and how they contribute to the overall House standings at the end of term.

Trips, visits and fixtures are of course a key part of what we do at Wallingford School and I am delighted to confirm that we are now in a position to purchase a brand new minibus to support such activities. We are extremely fortunate to have secured funding from the Wallingford School Association and the Walter Bigg Foundation in order to buy it and would like to express our gratitude for their ongoing and considerable support for the school. It may not be surprising that there is an extended delivery time for such vehicles at the moment but we will be patient and very much look forward to its arrival.

Finally, I would like to confirm that next Friday will be a Christmas-themed non-uniform day. Christmas jumpers are optional and we are suggesting a donation of either £1, or of tinned goods, which will benefit local charity ReadiFood and those people they support over the Christmas and New Year period.

We are in the process of creating a 'GoFundMe' page for cash donations and will release the link next week.