This week was the final set of public examinations for our year 11 and year 13 students and tonight we will hold our first prom in three years. These young people should be so proud of their attitude and conduct throughout the year, their attendance has been strong and they have been focused on doing as well as they possibly can. Their teachers have been very complimentary about their work and commitment and we are grateful to them for showing such resilience in the face of significant challenges.

For the first time in three years our young people are graduating through normal rites of passage, from sixth form to university and from school to sixth form or college. These rites of passage punctuate our lives, they are when we change and grow as people. Some of the challenges our young people have faced since the first lockdown have been due to a lack of rite of passage moments; especially those from primary to secondary school. I will attend the prom tomorrow night to say goodbye to our students and celebrate their graduation into the wide world. I will be both proud and sad to see them go.