Return to School

What a scorcher of a week for our return to school! It’s baking hot in our beautiful valley but the glorious sunshine has helped us get the new academic year off to great start. The pupils seem happy and increasingly settled; classes, activities and communal life are all underway, and I hope our push on reading for pleasure is already taking root. In Assembly this week, and in Fr Ambrose’s excellent homily yesterday, the pupils were reminded that Ampleforth has the power to transform them. For their part, they need to be willing to be inspired. This doesn’t just mean willing to receive information, but entering every classroom, every activity, every encounter, with the intention of being changed by that moment, and leaving a different person. 

Ampleforth in recent years has built up the reputation of being an exemplar of best practice on safeguarding. The first thing our pupils say here is that they are happy and feel very safe as part of our community. In recognition of his wonderful contribution to this collective effort, I have granted Deputy Head status to Alastair Dunn, our dedicated and excellent DSL.

All best wishes, Peter