This last week has been one in which there has been much to celebrate! Firstly, the end of the summer examination period last Friday has meant that our pupils sitting exams can take a huge sigh of relief! They got through the summer series with characteristic determination and resilience, and we hope that their hard work will be reflected in their results in August.
On Tuesday 27th June, our Year 11 pupils also celebrated the end of the year at their prom, which was held at Manor Park. The pupils were, as they have always been throughout their years in the school to date, excellent ambassadors for Bishop Vaughan. They were impeccably behaved, appreciative of the event and all of the arrangements made for it and – as you can imagine – extremely smartly turned out! The grounds of the hotel (which of course was once a convent, and whose gardens remain a beautiful setting!) were a sea of vibrant colours, with dresses and suits that were clearly carefully chosen after many months of deliberation. The pupils had a wonderful evening and we will share photos in the summer newsletter, which will be sent out at the end of the term and which will be available on this website here.
This week, we have also had an Estyn thematic inspection. While that might sound like an unusual reason to ‘celebrate’, we were truly delighted to welcome our inspector to look at the school’s work in supporting asylum seekers and refugees. This is integral to our ethos as a school, and our pupils were once again exceptional ambassadors for the school, speaking articulately about their own experiences and about the values that underpin our daily lives at Bishop Vaughan. This visit in many ways felt like a continuation of previous celebrations of this area of our work, from March’s beautiful Festival of Peace to, earlier this month, our accreditation as a School of Sanctuary. Our award as a School of Sanctuary followed a year-long accreditation process and it culminated in an award ceremony on 16th June at Swansea Arena. A section of the school choir sang three beautiful choral items to close the awards ceremony and we share the audio clip for one of these items here: https://on.soundcloud.com/SsoHj
This piece is called ‘Siyahamba’ and it is written partly in the Zulu language, with its chorus translating to ‘We are marching in the light of God.’
We look forward to further celebrations next month, including the Welcome Mass for current Year Six pupils who will be joining us as our new Year 7 pupils in September. The Mass will take place next week, alongside two transition days. We also have our Sixth Form Leavers’ Evening and our annual musical to look forward to, as well as reward trips, the ACE day and further end-of year events. We will share updates on all of these in the summer newsletter and, in the meantime, I wish all of our pupils, our prospective pupils, their parents, carers and families a happy and fulfilling remainder of the school year.
Mrs Pole
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