Today sees us locking the doors for the last time in over two thirds of the school. This includes classrooms and workshops that were used in 1969 when the school was first opened, so today is a day of nostalgia… as well as a lot of packing crates! 

Thank you for your support, particularly with online learning today for students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 12. It would be impossible to do the final packing of the school buildings with students on site, and we will be contacting families during the day to ensure that students are securely logging on and engaged with their learning.

My only disappointment is that this is a rather damp squib of an ending to what has otherwise been an action-packed and fantastic term. Here are a few highlights of the last week, to celebrate the end of the spring term and the start of our transformation as a school site.

Curriculum enhancement days

The sun shone brightly yesterday for our students, who had a huge range of activities. From careers workshops, trips to Hampton Court Palace and various beaches on the south coast, team building and a cruise down the Thames, our students had a fantastic experience. This was our first Curriculum Enhancement Day of the year, and we will do all of this again in the summer term, with pupils going to different venues for an even wider set of adventures. You can find out more about what each year group did here.

Social action

We have shared the many Easter Eggs that you kindly donated last week. Yesterday we delivered some to the Royal Marsden, building on the connection we have with Fabian's Childhood Cancer Trust. Staff were overjoyed to receive the eggs, and were sharing them with patients within hours of us leaving.

Our next stop was to Sutton Nightwatch, and then on to a local care home, some to St Helier Hospital and the final drop-off will be the women's refuge. Thank you for helping us model what community responsibility can look like, and how our students can play their part.

Mock Bar Trial National Final

On Saturday 22nd March, 15 students from Year 12 and 13 competed in the Bar Mock Trial National Final at the Royal Courts of Justice in Central London. Having already beaten 12 schools in the Reading heat in November, students competed against 23 other schools from around the UK in a competition modelling a full trial. Students played the full set of roles, including barristers, witnesses, ushers, court clerks and members of juries. Due to an excellent performance by the team at both stages, we were able to win the award for 'Highest Score for a New Team', a fantastic achievement and a true testament to the work ethic and dedication of students, who prepared in a multitude of different ways whilst still studying for their A Levels. The fifteen students that took part in the competition were outstanding and represented Greenshaw to the highest standard.

Culture day

Tuesday was another fantastic day when students in our Sixth Form attended school in a rich variety of national dress, including countries from Europe, South America, Africa and Asia. In the evening, performances of dance and music, accompanied by delicious dishes of food, brought the day to a climax in a vibrant celebration of the diversity of our students and staff. An evening to remember, and students are already planning for what we might do next year.

Support while school is closed

At Greenshaw we work closely with a variety of agencies, including the London Borough of Sutton, volunteer groups and the NHS. Please be aware that our website has many signposts to support agencies in the section ‘Care & Support’ as needed.  

Our Help for the Holiday leaflet here also provides lots of useful information, including the HAF programme offering children on benefits-related free school meals access to exciting activities, enriching experiences and nutritious meals - at no cost!

Clubs in the summer term

Just a reminder that clubs will be starting up again on the third week back after the Easter Break, week commencing on the 5th May. Students will be able to sign up for clubs on Frog from Friday 2nd May.

And finally…

The details of the first days back are on the school website here. Only students in Year 11 and 13 should be in school at the normal time on Tuesday 22nd April, with Year 12 arriving at 9:45am. All students in Years 7 to 10 will have online study on that first day, and then join back at school over the following days. All information is on that webpage, but do ring school from Tuesday 22nd April if you are unclear.

I will also – unusually – be sending an update at the end of the Easter holidays to families, when I can walk around the temporary school when it is furnished and nearly ready for occupation. I will include some photographs, but be prepared for lots of packed crates! 

This has been an incredibly busy and rewarding term and I wish all of our students (and staff) a really good break. For our students in Years 11 and 13 there will necessarily be some time studying, preparing for the GCSE and A Level exams next term, but I hope that all students and families enjoy the break.

Mr N House, Headteacher

An update

Mr House has sent a further update to parents/carers about the return to school (dated 17th April 2025). This can be found here.