Dear Parents and Guardians,
The start of half term brings with it a welcome respite from a high paced term and the demands associated with the expectations of the Trinity Term. In the classroom, the prospect of mid – year examinations has raised the academic temperature, whilst on the sports fields our teams have had two weeks of high intensity competition. Culturally, NIAA Speech and Drama Appraisals and LCM Music examinations take place in July.
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT
Over the last six months the school has actively been engaged in a process of re-examining our curriculum offerings with a view of widening the curriculum in the post IGCSE space. To this end, and with support of the Board of Governors and the assistance of an Educational Consultant the school has investigated the broadening of the curriculum to include vocational training at an Upper School level (Vth and Vith Form). Currently, the process involves building on current capacity and resources so as to offer a subject base which is internationally recognised and which will offer subjects that have been identified, from a recent parents’ survey, as a priority. While there is still some ground to cover, it is the intention to launch this project in January 2027.
MID-YEAR EXAMINATIONS
The “Mock Examinations” start in the week after half term. These examinations form a critical part of the preparation for the Cambridge Examinations in October and November. Alongside these examinations, internal examinations will also take place for non-public examination classes. The recent mid-term Mark Order provides a telling benchmark for academic preparedness. In discussing the Mark Order with your children, it would be useful to highlight any academic concerns you might have with them, given the upcoming examination season.
FAREWELL TO CORRALEE GREEFF
It is with considerable sadness we will be bidding Corralee Greeff farewell after half term. The Petrean Community will know her well for the pioneering work she did in the building the Development Office. For more than a decade, Corralee has connected the school to the Petrean community. Her commitment to serving Petreans is unparalleled and we will certainly miss her passion for organising and supporting a host of functions and events. Fortunately, she will continue to work within the Marondera community, and we look forward to her continuing to support Petreans and the school community.
SPORTS
We have enjoyed some incredible sporting fixtures recently and our teams continue to be fiercely competitive. While we have secured some impressive wins, it has been the spirit and tone in which these games have been played that has really won the day. My thanks go to our players and coaches for the manner in which the game has been played and for upholding the highest levels of sportsmanship. Similarly, thank you to you our parents and supporters who continue to reinforce and demand good sportsmanship. There have been, locally, some appalling examples of support and these highlight the importance of ensuring we play all our games in the right spirit.
We return, after half term, to a number of exciting sporting fixtures in which I hope we can continue to build on the very positive foundations laid in supporting our teams so far. Congratulations must go to all our sportsmen who have been selected to represent the province or, more significantly, the country in a host of sporting disciplines.
The Trinity Term brings with it a host of demands and expectations. For our pupils it demands balancing acts between academic and co-curricular commitments. For the staff the pressure on academic and sporting results always looms. With this as a backdrop, I wish to express my very sincere thanks to the whole Peterhouse community on the successes of this half of term and continuing to recognise the importance of reinforcing the right balances in a good education.