Shipston High School has had a wonderful year, with students and staff involved in a range of activities. As the school pauses for the summer break, it is worth reviewing the year.

In September 2016 we celebrated our best ever examination results, with 82 % of pupils achieving at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C. A fantastic result by any standards, and in excess of the national average. This success was confirmed with our impressive ‘Progress 8’ score of +0.46, one of the highest in Warwickshire.

In November, we celebrated these impressive results at our annual awards ceremony. The young people looked justifiably proud as they received their awards, and guests enjoyed an address by Olympic gold medallist Matt Gottrel.

November is also a time of reflection, and the whole school joined with the British Legion to commemorate Remembrance Day in the school and the community. Remembrance was also a focus for year 9 students on our history department’s trip to the battlefields of World War I, where students laid a wreath at the Menin Gate. Again, we thank the local British Legion for their involvement in these events.

We recently confirmed the start of building work on our next phase of development. Work will progress across the summer and the next few months. This will provide space for us to offer more school places and further improve our environment.

Students continue in their incredible commitment to the extracurricular opportunities in the school. We enjoyed a production of The Jungle Book, featuring a huge cast of actors, singers and dancers. The year also concluded with creative arts, taking part in the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company ‘playmaking’ festival in July.

The Shipston Proms concert at the school was massively well attended. It was lovely to welcome visitors from across the community. Pupils of all ages played a variety of music in what was a thoroughly entertaining evening. So impressive were the performances it was often easy to forget the young age of the performers.

The year in sport has been equally active, with pupils participating in an impressive range of teams and activities. Pupils have had real success in national and regional competitions. For a school with under five hundred pupils, everyone involved should be proud of what they achieve in cricket, netball, rugby, football, hockey and so much more.

The school also excelled in the Rotary Youth Speaks public speaking contest, with strong performances from all involved. We were especially proud of our three national finalists; an outstanding achievement.

We closed the year with our Shipston Award ceremony in July. This programme enables pupils to demonstrate their independence, maturity and resilience across a range of criteria. I am delighted with the work of the whole school community this year, and am proud of what the school is achieving. I wish everyone a relaxing and refreshing summer.