Happy Easter!

Selections from Mr Lissimore's end-of-term letter to parents.

This has not been the sunniest spring term, but the school has nevertheless felt very much in bloom of late. The website has celebrated a wider range of activities and achievements than ever before; highlights of the term have included unprecedented success in squash, a very memorable production of Richard II, and a trio of distinguished Old Wilsonians featuring in our Maths Circle Lectures (coordinated by Mr Jerrom).

There have also been more excellent student publications - do not miss the latest edition of the Environment Newsletter - and dozens of students continue to participate in the Young Reporter Scheme, producing regular articles and imagery for local news sites. The school has hosted many visitors from other schools for various events, including the LEAP Ensemble workshops earlier this term, as well as this week’s UKMT Team Maths Challenge this week, facilitated by the Director of Mathematics, Mr Hudson.

We have also been delighted to invite all parents of current pupils in Year 9 to visit and tour the school this term. As with every logistical challenge, our Senior Administration Manager, Mrs Hamilton, and her very hard-working team have made this possible.

The school’s Charities Committee (led by Charities Coordinator, Miss Jones) has had another busy term, promoting and fundraising for our Charity of the Year, Newlife, which provides vital equipment and support to disabled children and their families across the UK. Mr Englefield will be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon 2026 in support of Newlife. Please click here to donate.

Thanks to the research of Ms Denison and regular discussions in the Lead Teacher team, the school has kept abreast of developments in artificial intelligence, with adaptations to the curriculum and teaching that reflect its growing influence on education and the labour market. As recent assemblies noted, the best chess players have not become weaker since Deep Blue’s victory over Garry Kasparov in 1997; instead, they have worked with technology to train differently and become stronger. We aim to take inspiration from this as we seek to harness the power of AI without surrendering our own talents to it.

Finally, we have marked the festivals of Holi, Eid and Easter with a range of displays and events this term. Thanks to Ms Amoako-Williams and her team for continuing to ensure that we celebrate the diversity of our school, our culture of acceptance, and our desire to learn more about different faiths.