Dear Parents,

The past half term has been a whirlwind of activity and I think we are all ready for a break!

The new Prefect Team has been appointed and will take up their roles in earnest after Easter. We say goodbye and thank you to the outgoing Year 11 and Year 13 girls who have been strong ambassadors for the school over the past year. As I have said to the girls in assembly, leadership isn’t just about holding a title; it is possible to be a leader without a formal position and being given a position of responsibility doesn’t automatically make a person an effective leader. At RHS we are committed to developing the core characteristics which make a good leader in every girl. These can be summed up in the 6 Cs of being Courageous, Committed, Compassionate, Communicative, Creative and Critical-Thinkers.

As you will be aware, Mrs Kate Reynolds has been appointed to replace me as Head of RHS. It has been my pleasure to introduce her to staff and parents this week when she has been in school and I hope that you had a chance to meet her. If not, there will be other opportunities next term. I am also delighted to be able to announce that the new Head of RHS Prep is Mrs Claire Lilley, who will be joining us in September 2019 from Sidcot Junior School, where she is currently Head. I know that they are both looking forward to joining RHS.

The Spring term is always busy with teaching staff appointments. Sadly, we will say goodbye to Mrs Jo Bailey, Mrs Antonia Corrigan, Ms Natalie Hannah, Miss Charlotte Hendry, Mr David Johnstone, Mrs Claire Kennett, Ms Daisy Moorcroft, Mrs Zoe Sheffield and Ms Claudia Strazzanti and at the end of the academic year as they move on to new ventures. The following appointments have been confirmed:

Mr Luke Benedict - Head of English

Mrs Andrea Wilkie - Head of German

Mrs Victoria Gill - Head of Technology

Mrs Leanne Vincent- Norgate - Teacher of Drama

In addition, Mr Hardcastle will take up the post of Head of Higher Education and will relinquish his Head of Science post, remaining as Head of Chemistry. Miss Sinead Duignan has been appointed as Head of Science. Mr Evans is relinquishing his post as Deputy Head of Sixth Form and Mrs Newman has been appointed to this role.

I will circulate details of other appointments when they are finalised.

Finally, the KS3 Head’s Forum which was held on 5^th March resulted in a helpful discussion on a number of areas of school life, particularly with regard to sport. We are undertaking a complete review of the structure of PE/Games inside and outside the curriculum with a view to developing our provision for girls across all year groups. A new Director of Sport is currently being appointed and will oversee this. I will communicate the outcome next term.

Thank you, as always, for your support and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible throughout my final term at RHS.

I wish you all a restful Easter.

Jo Duncan