Old Wheatleyans F ORMER P UPIL N EWS
Super photograph taken very early in the morning on the way into school by 6th form student Kirat Johal,
Welcome to the Summer edition of the Old Wheatleyans newsletter recurrent theme amongst our former pupils who visit the school after a long ‘separation’ is: “Wow, it’s so different, yet reassuringly the same!” They wonder at new facilities and fresh activities, but appreciate the warmth of a community still determined to make a Bablake education and its values accessible to as many bright children as possible. I am sure that this stems in part from our situation in Coventry. A
Whilst our pupils benefit from extraordinary opportunities in a privileged setting, we are committed to enriching the life of our local community. Our parents often make very significant sacrifices in order to afford a place for their child. We assist a good number through bursary support, and would dearly like to help more. We are far more diverse socially and culturally than the majority of independent schools, and I believe this is a key factor in moulding a friendly and inclusive environment, where young people grow in self-confidence without pretention. They remain ‘grounded’ in their attitudes and values, whilst also having the encouragement to take off and fly! It’s great to see cranes (of the metallic variety) in the city again – for redevelopment and building are sure grounds for optimism. We are home to two super universities, with Warwick being voted the Sunday Times top university of the year and Coventry placed 15th nationally in The Guardian rankings – unheard of for a ‘new’ university. The arrival of Wasps at the Ricoh has been a huge boon to our city’s sporting scene, and the expansion of JLR can only be good news for our region. Not only do we benefit from links with all of these local key players, but we are also engaged in numerous partnerships with primary schools, secondary schools (via the Swan Teaching School Alliance) and our city’s unique cathedral – as an International Cross of Nails School. (See www.schoolstogether.org ) In each of the last three years pupils, staff and parents have raised almost £25,000 for charity and many of our pupils are involved in community service. We have recently become a Coventry and Warwickshire Champion, eager to play our part as a corporate citizen and advocate for our region. We are committed to the values of peace and reconciliation, as underpinned by our school aim to “promote an awareness of the world beyond school, a generosity of spirit, and a sense of service to the wider community”. Why is all of this so important? Because we depend in life on each other, and we hope that our young people will together build a better world and a better future. There is so much to celebrate in this community – a community to which you still belong as a former pupil. And a community at the heart of our great city – of which we are very proud to be a part!
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