From the Rector’s desk – 26/01/2024

Friday 26 January 2024


Dear Parents and Guardians,


RE: FROM THE RECTOR’S DESK

As this letter arrives in your inbox the school will be enjoying a break from the rigours of the start of the new academic year. For the D Block, in particular, I am sure they have been looking forward to this weekend following their recent Base-camp experience in Calderwood Park.


While the Christmas holiday will now seems like a distant memory, I do hope that you all enjoyed a
wonderful Christmas break and that you were able to use the time to reconnect, refresh and recharge for the start of 2024. The holiday gave us some time for some consolidation here at school and both our Estates and Maintenance Departments have been hard at work. The rains have certainly had their impact and all our grounds are looking magnificent thanks to the work of the Estates teams. On the maintenance front, the school has managed to get into a number of areas of the school and do some sterling work. On all three campuses, work has been done in repairing and upgrading a number of facilities. Most significantly we were able to do the upgrade in Snell and gut the dormitories in favour of some new furnishings. There was a lot of pressure to get this work done in a very limited time fame and there are still one or two minor finishes that will completed when pupils are not at school.


With the start of the academic year we welcome 261 new pupils to the Group. Our D Block and Grade 1 classes are full. Alongside this we also welcomed a number of new pupils into the other year groups. To all those families who are new to the Group of Schools; welcome to our community. It would be my sincere hope that your connection with Peterhouse will be both happy and rewarding.


We also welcome a number of new staff to our three schools. At the Boys’ School Mr Humphrey
Sakarombe, joins the History Department; Mr Tawanda Nyahwa comes into the IT Department; Mrs Kerrie Zaal will be teaching English and adds further strength to our rowing programme; Mr Robbie Du Rand picks up the role of Assistant Director of Sport and Head of Waterpolo. Mrs Noelene Du Rand is the new Matron in Ellis and Malvern; Mr Andrew Cumming will teach Biology and Physical Education; Mr Brian Chirairo joins us from Malawi to teach Computer Science; Miss Rumbidzai Makanza, a Petrean, will teach Physics and Design and Technology; Ms Rejoice Jim is the new Senior Sanatorium sister and Mr Reagan Evans (Petrean) and Mr Sovereign Mwanyenya are new Junior Masters. At Peterhouse Girls, Mrs Claire Mulder has been appointed to teach Biology and Ms Thandiwe Basopo will be teaching ICT. At Springvale House Tanya Changa and Ayanda Mangenah (Junior Mistresses) are new to the school.


The 2023 Cambridge Examination results have now all been released. Congratulations go to all our 2023 Leavers’ on their results and we were pleased with an overall pass rate of just under 98%. We wish last year’s A Level class every success as they now embark on the next step of their life journey. We do hope that they will be able to fulfil their post-school expectations. For our AS candidates the results will provide them with an excellent opportunity for reflection as they embark on the next stage in their UpperSchool journey. These results are an important benchmark with respect to their current academic progress and it would be our hope that they will now have a very good insight into what needs to happen, in the classroom, this year. This week’s VIth Form parent interviews provided an excellent opportunity for staff to share the importance of the need for real engagement with regard to the expectations and demands of the A2 curriculum and the importance of a consistent and focused approach to study.

The IGCSE results were very much aligned with expectation. At Peterhouse Girls the results were, once again impressive, and congratulations go to all the candidates on their achievements. At Peterhouse Boys there has been a noted improvement in subject pass rates and there is strong evidence of their having been some hard work in the final run up to the November examinations. Many of the academic interventions initiated in 2023 have proven successful. Congratulations to both the staff and boys on these successes. In the aftermath of the results the school conducts, across all Departments, a rigorous subject audit where we seek ways in which we can further fine tune our approaches to the public examinations.


With the release of the IGCSE results comes entry into the Upper School. In terms of entry into the fifth Form, the school did, as a first, run an academic “orientation” programme for the last year’s IGCSE candidates. The expectations of AS/A level are, as one would expect, significantly greater than those of the IGCSE. Experience tells us that Vth Formers do not automatically recognise this. Consequently, we have taken steps to highlight this academic transition to the new Vth Formers. Similarly, on subject choices, post the results, there will have been the need for some changes. There are some policies and guidelines in which these take place and at times the school is unable to accommodate every request. Obviously, we do our best to support subject selections but final results can alter subject choice expectations.


On the sporting front the 1st XI Cricket side recently returned from South Africa. They played a number of warm games (Pearson and Woodridge) before travelling to Makhanda/Grahamstown where they successfully participated in the annual Eastern Cape Schools Cricket Festival. Our rowers and waterpolo players were at school for a pre-season camp as they have a very full fixtures programme this term. For our rowers the South African Schools Championships looms and they travel to Pretoria towards the end of this term. Please check the calendar and weekly updates of the calendar for all our school activities and fixtures this term. The Music School also ran a very successful music camp in preparation of this year’s NIAA Eisteddfod.


In closing, can I remind you of the importance of staying in touch with the school. Obviously, the first and most important connection with the school is through your Housemaster/mistress. Can I also remind you that tutors also play an important role in providing academic input and direction. Similarly, could I ask that medical/dental appointments (non-critical) take place in holiday time. Term dates are also published well in advance so that you are able to plan accordingly. Compromising these dates does put the school in a difficult position.


With three weeks of the academic year coming to a close, it would appear that we have settled into our routines with relative ease and that we can look forward, albeit short, to a full and rewarding term.

With regards

Jon Trafford
Rector

 

 

Peterhouse

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