New Year Resolution

The ‘rentrée’ has started really well with  pupils, teachers and especially parents looking happy to be under way.  We have successfully recruited well qualified new teachers who are delighted to be part of the ES Culham community.  Over 80 new pupils have joined our ranks. Of the pupils who left the school, the vast majority did so because their parents had to move out of the area and often to other parts of the world. Only a vey small fraction of our leavers left for local schools. Apart from the reduction in pupils numbers because the  nursery  classes have now closed, the school population is healthily stable.

 

Joan Boyle is recuperating well from an operation at the beginning of September and after 27 years at ES Culham has announced her retirement at the end of the Autumn Term. We wish her well but look forward to having her back before then. Ms Maeve McCarthy is helping the school management team by carrying out some of Miss Boyles duties as Deputy Head 

 

The continued confidence in the school is, I believe, directly related to the high quality of multilingual and European education facilitated so uniquely at ES Culham by a team of dedicated, talented and caring teachers supported by experienced counsellors and admin colleagues.  Our European ethos has never been stronger and the cultural vibrancy for a relatively small school across 12 year groups continues to be breathtaking.

 

Our S7 students continue to excel in the 13 subject European Baccalaureate examined in at least two European languages. The majority of our Bacheliers succeeded in gaining access to the university of their choice; several opting for universities beyond the shores of the UK including a ‘Classe Préparatoire’ in France. Only 8 pupils in the whole school had to repeat the year.  ES Culham is bucking trends elsewhere in the European School’s system by achieving excellent average scores in Maths across the year groups. 

 

It is expected that an announcement on the Europa School UK’s bid to become a Free School from September 2010 will be announced soon.  The successful emergence of Europa School UK will give hope to pupils in P1-S1 that they will be able to complete their European School’s education on the ES Culham site.  A positive decision would be a marvellous way to celebrate the UK’s Presidency of the European Schools in 2011/12.