Lower 6 Business Enterprise pupils are in the early stages of our biggest challenge; the annual Business Plan competition. The first step is to research and feed back on the purpose of business plans. To what extent are these plans important for the success of start-ups? Jess Roper and Sophia Betts invited entrepreneur Karl Sandall to school to interview him for a podcast they have recorded. Karl is a long term collaborator with the Business and Economics department. He was the Group Chief Executive of the TaxAssist Direct Group – a highly successful and well-respected UK and international franchisor trading as TaxAssist Accountants.

All of Lower Four, joined by visiting pupils from four local schools, enjoyed an inspiring day of storytelling as three award-winning authors visited to talk about their books, their journeys into writing, and the process of bringing a story to the page. Mitch Johnson kicked things off with a look at his novels Strike and Kick; two books that look like they're simply about football, but that actually dig much deeper, exploring the origins of the clothes we wear and shining a light on exploitative working conditions around the world. Pupils threw themselves into a lively challenge, racing to assemble a pair of football boots (studs and laces included), before learning about the realities faced by workers in sweatshops. It was a thought-provoking way to bring the book's themes to life. Next, Joseph Elliott talked about his career as a television actor and how he became a writer. He shared insights into the writing process, from the multiple redrafts and edits through to the all-important decision of choosing a book cover. He read an exciting extract from The Good Hawk, the first book in his Shadow Skye trilogy, and ran an interactive session that had pupils fully engaged throughout. Rounding off the day, Jennifer Killick spoke about her love of scary stories and how she found her niche blending horror with comedy. Pupils tested their instincts in a game guessing which unusual animal facts were real and which she'd invented, and again there were lots of interactive aspects to her talk, including a home-made life-size giant tapeworm soft toy and a horror-themed twist on rock/paper/scissors. There was a real buzz about books all day, with independent bookseller BookBugs and Dragon Tales on hand so pupils could buy copies and get them signed by the authors. It was a busy, fun and inspiring day for all who took part! 

Rosie B, Lower 6, reports on her experience of watching the 2026 Outdoor Play, War of the Worlds , below... War of The Worlds was a thrilling and inventive piece blending together an original script by its director Mr Bromley with the Jeff Wayne audio production and the use of puppetry to create visually striking and adventurous outdoor play which took place in the quad at the weekend. When Aliens land in the suburbs of Victorian London, a journalist (Will C) has to traverse the landscape in search of safety from the Aliens and his wife Carrie (Beth S), meeting different people along the way - War of the Worlds is an exploration of the various different responses people have to crises. The cast of eccentric characters included The Priest (Tom H) who is driven insane trying to dispel the “demons” which have landed, his wife Beth (Ella B) who tries to pretend that this is fine, a Rich Woman (Sophie M): “I pay my taxes, this will all be over soon enough”, Carrie’s father (Hal N) who wants to stay at home and stay by the grave of his wife and The Artilleryman (Charlie B), a utopianist hoping to start a brand new society… ‘where’ you ask? “Underground!” A definite shoutout is required for the two Paperboys from Lower 5, Joseph H and Archie W who managed to hold their own incredibly in a cast of Sixth Formers, playing the role on alternate days brilliantly. Additionally, the backstage crew and Martian puppeteers Naomi W, Daisy S, Jude D and Pearl L were integral to the running of the play, working professionally and tirelessly to stun the audience with aliens made by Mr Bromley and Miss Wright. I played Professor Ogilvy, the astronomer holding claim to fame as the first death of the play (Page 9!), spending quite a lot of time offstage meant I got a chance to watch this incredible cast perform multiple times- they should all be proud of their amazing performances!