Our students were inspired in assembly by our guest speaker, Lyn Pendle, who spoke passionately about her conservation volunteering work with orangutans in Borneo. Lyn also shared her experiences of time spent in the Galapagos Islands with the students who have already signed up for our expedition there in a couple of years’ time, bringing to life the importance of protecting fragile ecosystems and understanding our impact on the natural world.
Acts of social responsibility are something our students naturally gravitate towards. Whether through fundraising events, supporting local and global charities, or championing environmental initiatives within school, they consistently show a desire to help others and to make a positive difference. In Senior School Council this week we talked about recycling needs in school and there was a request for more wildflower spaces around the site to support bees whilst Junior Eco Committee are busy preparing for their litter picking mission next week. All of these efforts are driven not only by generosity, but also by a genuine curiosity about the wider world and a growing sense of their place within it.
Furthermore, our Period X and careers programmes play an important role in nurturing this mindset. Through enrichment activities, service opportunities and themed sessions, students are encouraged to consider issues such as sustainability, equality, ethical leadership and global citizenship. They explore how their interests and talents might be used to benefit others, learn about careers that contribute to positive change, and develop the skills needed to be thoughtful, responsible members of society.
Earth Day provides a timely reminder that small actions matter and that social responsibility is not a one-off event, but a daily practice. We are continually proud of the compassion, initiative and sense of responsibility shown by our students, and we look forward to seeing how they continue to turn these values into meaningful action.
Darren Payne, Head
Kate Millichamp, Head of Juniors and Whole School Deputy Head
Key Dates –
*Please note changes to the penultimate week of term, including Senior Sports Day*
Tues 28th – Thurs 30th April – Legally Blonde at Theatre Severn
Fri 1st May – Golden Ticket Early Years’ event
Wed 13th May – Careers Convention
Fri 22nd May – Half term
Thurs 4th June – Drama & Storytelling Early Years’ event
Thurs 18th June – Year 12 Parents’ evening
Thurs 18th June – Year 7 and Junior school photographs
Sat 20th June – Friends of SHS School Ball
Wed 24th June – Junior Sports Day
Fri 26th June – Leavers’ and Prize Giving service
Fri 26th June – Lunchtime concert at St Chad’s
Monday 29th June – Senior Sports Day
Tues 30th June – Junior Prize Giving service
Wednesday 1st July – Reserve Sports Day
Thursday 2nd July – House Drama for parents (evening)
Fri 10th July – End of the school year – finish at 12.30pm
Shropshire Bookfest 2026
Years 5 and 6 took part in the ninth Shropshire Big Book Award project last term. The girls read 6 shortlisted books between them and each class studied one of the titles, ‘Inkbound: Meticulous Jones and the Skull Tattoo’ by Philippa Leathley in more depth. For the award, we entered three competitions: Art, Letter Writing and Poetry that were sent off and judged by an external team with the awards ceremony taking place on Tuesday 21st April at the Theatre Severn.
On Tuesday, the girls in Y5 and Y6 had the opportunity to celebrate success at the Bookfest Awards. Molly, Y6, won the school prize for her beautiful art work based on ‘The Boy with Big Decisions’. India, Y5, was our worthy school winner for her fabulous poem based on ‘Inkbound’. We are also all incredibly proud of Betty, Y6. Betty claimed a top prize for her letter advising a character from ‘The First Year’. She stunned the judges with her entry and was one of only 6 winners across the whole county to have the opportunity to meet the authors on the stage at Theatre Severn.
Well done to all of our winners and to everyone at SHS who took part in the competitions.
Read India’s poem by clicking the link below!
It's Showtime!!!
Following months of hard work for everyone involved: be it working on complex harmonies, perfecting skipping technique, learning the Irish jig, wading through mountains of costume, making new doggie-friends or contemplating whether orange could indeed be the new pink, our cast has risen to the challenge with grit, determination and a big smile on their face. It’s fair to say: they are more than excited to share all their hard work with you and so are we!
We would therefore like to take the opportunity to formally invite you to this year’s production of Legally Blonde-The Musical. We would be absolutely delighted if you joined us at 7pm on 28th-30th April at Theatre Severn for a fun filled adventure into the holy halls of Harvard Law where Elle battles stereotypes, defends sisterhood, fights for love and eventually finds out who she truly is. What, like it’s hard?
Please note that whilst the show does not have an official age rating, Legally Blonde-The Musical contains adult themes, mild sexual references, and moderate language in places. The show is generally recommended for age 8+ and parental guidance is advised.
If you haven’t already booked your ticket, why not?! With a handful tickets left for the Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday is almost sold out, so book now to avoid disappointment.
County Hockey Success
Four of our fabulous year 9s took part in the Midlands Finals Tournament – U14s County Hockey last weekend.
Grace A, Charlotte, Grace D, Polly and team were undefeated, coming 3rd overall. The played fantastically and were so close to finishing second. Amazing work girls!
Beat Leicestershire 3-0
Beat Derbyshire 1-0
Staffordshire 1-1
Northamptonshire 0-0
Warwickshire 0-0
Jess' Stylist Work Experience
Work experience is the best way students can gain a better understanding of what their dream career might look like, and for Jess in Y13, it has made her even more excited about making it a reality. Last weekend she was offered the opportunity to head to Debenhams HQ to help style a fashion shoot-
Working behind the scenes on a PRETTYLITTLETHING shoot as a beginner stylist helping, gave me a real idea of what my future career could look like. Being in a fast-paced, creative environment showed me how much organisation and attention to detail goes into every look. I got to see how outfits come together on set and how the team works to bring everything to life. It boosted my confidence and made me even more sure that this is what I want to do!
The week in pictures ...
