From the Principal

This term we welcomed another 20 members of staff, we had our official opening for the new building, our Year 11s sat their GCSE mock exams, we launched our new Sixth Form, and we had our first large scale school production using our new theatre. I should also mention that prior to the new term we received our first ever GCSE examination results for the 20 pupils who sat exams in their community languages. We were delighted that 50% of pupils earned a grade 9, and 95% were grade 7 or higher. Congratulations to all of those pupils.

Mr Olufola and Ms Green have been working hard with other staff to develop our exciting Sixth Form provision, which offers four different pathways. The traditional A Level route will be the most popular, with a broad range of subjects being offered. We are also offering two T Levels (in Health and Digital Production), as well as a Pre-Apprenticeship course, which will prepare pupils for an apprenticeship and give them significant work experience. Finally, there will be a Sports Performance pathway, where pupils can study A Levels or a T Level and make use of Saracens high performance coaches to develop their sporting prowess.

We had anticipated about 130 pupils joining our sixth form in the first year, but we already have applications from 170 young people, with another 9 months to go before they start! I can understand the enthusiasm, particularly around the A Levels being offered, and T Levels which can lead to university or an apprenticeship. Our relationship with Middlesex University means that pupils studying a T Level at Saracens will be guaranteed a place on a related Health or Digital degree course, and students who study health-related degrees at Middlesex are all offered jobs within the NHS.

The formal opening of the new building was a wonderful occasion with the Lord Lieutenant of London, the King’s representative for London, declaring our main building open, and Owen Farrell of Saracens and England men’s rugby teams opening our sports facilities. Some video highlights of this event, along with the recent visits of Maro Itoje and Richard Hill, can be found here: https://saracenshigh.org/videos/

We are so fortunate with our relationships with individuals and organisations linked with the wider Saracens family, which provided funding for our new gym equipment and our theatre staging, curtains, and lighting. At the end of term our creative team, led by Miss Nicoll, created our first large scale school production. Over 50 pupils and staff contributed to The Grinch pantomime which was a lot of fun for all who saw it. What a great way to end the term.

I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday period, and look forward to seeing everyone back in school on January 4th (Year 11) or January 5th (Years 7-10).

Dr Stevens