I was delighted to call in to Cardinal Allen Catholic High School on Friday. The pastoral support the school provides for their pupils is really impressive. The bee hives and forest space allow pupils to spend time learning outdoors which is great for their wellbeing. The outdoor projects are led by Mr Harding who not only is happy to sport the wearing of a rather fetching bee outfit, but also helps to provide wrap around support our young people need coming out of Covid lockdowns and online learning. I had a lovely chat with the young people and was particularly impressed by their sense of community and social justice.

I’d also like to congratulate the youngsters who have triumphed in an international online literacy competition called ‘Word Mania.’ In particular a big shout out to the school’s Year Eight team who proved to be the best in their age group among the British schools taking part. Well done everyone!