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APPLY NOWWord from the Head – 6 February 2026
Dear Parents,
It’s February at last, and half term is in sight! The days are just starting to lighten and in our assembly on Tuesday Ms Flint, Deputy Head (Academic), explored what it means to be transitioning from the long, dark winter into the first signs of spring. She made the point that in school, February is more than just a seasonal shift: it is a time of significant decision-making. Students in Years 8, 9, 11 and 13 are currently standing on their own thresholds, making choices about GCSEs, A levels and life beyond our gates. Indeed, Year 11 and 13 are about to embark on two weeks of mock exams.
With these choices and new experiences often comes a natural sense of apprehension. In her assembly, Ms Flint explored the idea that uncertainty is not a problem to be solved, but a natural, human state of growth. She shared three perspectives on this, offering different ways to help our pupils navigate these periods of change.
Drawing on her love of literature, Ms Flint used the work of author Katherine May for her first example. According to May, nature teaches us that ‘wintering’ is not merely waiting; it is a period of profound transformation. Ms Flint asked us to consider the hazel dormouse, one of the few mammals in the UK that truly hibernates.
The dormouse doesn’t follow a rigid calendar: its hibernation is a response to the environment. It doubles its weight to give itself a store of nutrition and insulation, and constructs a delicate nest of moss and leaves, specifically designed to stay damp so it doesn’t dry out during its long sleep. By lowering its body temperature and slowing its metabolism, the dormouse survives the harshest conditions by conserving energy and trusting that spring will eventually provide what it needs.
Ms Flint made the point that sometimes, when life feels uncertain, the best thing to do is slow down, conserve energy and trust that growth is still happening beneath the surface.
Next, Ms Flint looked at the work of poet Mary Oliver, who describes the ‘storm’ of making a big life change. In her poem The Journey, she describes the moment a person finally decides to follow their own path, even when surrounding voices are shouting bad advice or demanding they stay the same. Oliver suggests that taking a new step can feel like leaving home at two o’clock in the morning in a storm. It is intimidating and lonely at first. However, little by little, as you leave those external voices behind, you begin to recognise a new voice – your own.
This example is one that I found particularly powerful. Authenticity often requires the courage to follow what feels right for you, even if it means not following the crowd or fulfilling someone else’s specific plan. Ms Flint used William Ellery Channing’s lovely line, ‘Each of us is intended to have a character all our own, to be what no other can exactly be and do what no other can exactly do’ to highlight this.
Finally, she turned to the 13th century Persian poet Rumi, who offers a softer perspective on finding one’s way. In his poem, Rumi encourages us to ‘unfold our own myth’ and simply start walking. He acknowledges that at first, ‘your legs will get heavy and tired’. But he also promises a moment where the wings we have grown will finally lift us up. This offered the students real reassurance that finding their voice and their direction takes time.
Above all, Ms Flint was keen to stress that uncertainty isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign that we are noticing the first stirrings of new growth. As parents, watching your child wrestling with uncertainty can be very stressful – the temptation to step in and resolve their problems is overwhelming. However you are the steady anchors during these ‘wild nights’ of decision-making that Mary Oliver describes, and offering them a place to be heard and hugged, rather than helped, will be enormously enabling for them.
My encouragement to you is to remind your children that they don’t need to have everything worked out today. Whether they are currently hibernating like the dormouse, weathering a storm like Oliver, or waiting for the dawn like Rumi, they are exactly where they need to be. Uncertainty is not a personal failure – it is the very beginning of finding their own way.
Unfortunately I need to end this week’s Word from the Head by reminding you once again to please not park on the double yellow lines around school, and to be aware of cyclists and pedestrians, at drop off and pick up time. After a member of staff cycling to school had a near miss with a parent in an SUV on Cholmeley Park this week, I would ask you to be mindful of the parking restrictions around school. Please consider whether your child can make their way to school independently or, if driving needs to form part of your travel plans, whether you could park further away and they could walk the last section to school. We are most grateful for your support.
With warmest wishes,
Lindsey Hughes
Headmistress
