Earlier this week I was fortunate to attend a presentation by Jim Lawless, a former lawyer who now works as a motivational speaker. Leaving aside the obvious question – motivating to do what? it proved to be a stimulating hour where he talked us through his successful attempts to break the UK freediving record and become a professional jockey. He uses a model based on the acronym DARE: Decisions, Actions, Results, Evaluate. I would like to put a challenge to our pupils based on this while we are in a period of glorious weather and impending exams. 

I was very conscious of the good weather as I watched the presentation in a darkened room so my first challenge to the pupils is to get outside. Decide to spend time in the sunshine, take action to get off the sofa and feel the results in your improved wellbeing. On the other hand, for those pupils in Year 11 and Year13 whose formal, written exams are now starting in earnest, this needs to be balanced with the decision to stick with the revision programme and take the appropriate actions to be prepared for the examinations. The results of those decisions and actions will be seen in August.

There is room in these sunny days for both. It is a real pleasure to see every inch of the Playground being used for cricket at the moment, both for the competitive matches on the square and the ad hoc games that take place through the lunchbreak beyond the boundary. 

Best of luck to all in Year 11 and Year 13, to all our boys' and girls' teams playing cricket against Ampleforth this weekend and the crews rowing in the Durham City Regatta.