Dear Parents,

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you back to the summer term after what was, I trust, an enjoyable and refreshing Easter holiday. I am sure that the boys are all eagerly awaiting all that lies ahead. Here at school the weeks passed quite quietly, with minor ‘house keeping’ jobs being the main focus and I thank the maintenance team for their continued efforts to keep ahead of 400 boys’ worth of daily wear and tear.

I do hope that not too many of you have been disrupted by the plane cancellations of late. At the time of writing Mr Lawrence is stuck in Athens and Mme Lena in Cyprus; I am hoping that they will return soon. If Mme Lena is not back by tomorrow then I will lead the 5s French trip and Mr Cassell will join the team in my stead. Ms Edmunds was caught in Spain but managed to jump aboard a mini bus which arrived back yesterday.

Trying to look at the positive side of this I expect many of you have experienced the enforced period of quiet over London for the last week. It is only at times like this when one realises just how much noise comes from overhead during the day, but in particular in the early hours of the morning and late at night. In this sense it has been a period of pleasant peace and hearing the birds in the morning so clearly has been most enjoyable.

The summer term brings with it the usual array of activities, trips, visits and, inevitably, academic challenges in the form of exams. The UVI, after their mocks next week, will be sitting their real CE papers in the week immediately after half-term, with the French and Maths orals in mid-May. Due to the nature of the dates in the latter half the whole school will also sit their end of year exams during the week of 7th June, immediately after half-term.

Your son should have returned home today with the School Calendar. This copy is for your benefit as he also has one here. Do please have a good look through the dates and events to help you plan your diary. For all year groups, with the exception of the LVI boys, there is a residential trip. You will already have received some notification about this but do please check that all paperwork and documentation is in order, especially for those going to Normandy. School Menus can be found, as usual, on the Web Site.

The timetable for the term remains almost identical to that of the spring. Notable exceptions being the Tennis/Gym/Swimming rotation. For the first half of the term 4A, RA and 5A will have swimming followed by gym, gym and tennis respectively in the second half. 4α and Rα will both have gym followed by swimming. 5α will have swimming followed by tennis and 5α will have swimming followed by tennis. For those boys who have tennis/gym in the morning please do feel free to send them in their whites; it seems an unnecessary waste of time for them to change on arrival at 8.30am! As usual non participants will be sent to the pool this term where they can read quietly with the accompanying member of staff.

The lost property situation, though generally continuing to improve, did manage to slip a little towards the end of the term. There remains a large amount of unclaimed kit in the designated receptacles in the cloakrooms; please do check it. In general the boys have been noticeably more organised and responsible but do please continue to encourage them to look after their kit. Please can I ask that you also reinforce what I say to them; that they should be responsible by helping others to look after kit and they should be helpful by handing back items of kit which may have been left on the floor of the changing room.

I would also remind you that all kit must be named on the outside; it does make redirecting it much easier and also helps the boys enormously when they are changing. Thank you.

The library proposal which we trialled last term appears to be working well so please do encourage your boys to make use of it. If there is a book which is not currently stocked by the library then we will purchase it upon request. This is a most effective way of ensuring stocks are kept up to date as well as encouraging the boys to read widely.

As the 11+ pre selection screenings begin to wind down for this year I am delighted to announce that to date we have had the most success ever in relation to candidates sitting the increasingly more competitive exams for KCS, Eton, St Paul’s, Tonbridge and Westminster before their 13+ CE in June 2012, with 80% of boys who sat securing at least one offer from those schools above. My congratulations go to all of the boys and my thanks to the staff team who continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the pupils are so well prepared.

Without wishing to tempt fate, as this is the summer term the boys will be out on the fields enjoying themselves as often as possible. Please could I ask that they are sent in with appropriate sun creams/blocks and their sun hats? The boys will spend at least 40 minutes every day outside and far longer during games afternoons, squad days or if involved in cricket matches. It is important therefore that they have the necessary protection; thank you. If your son has lost his hat he can purchase another from the top office. All boys in the 4s will, as usual, be provided with a hat at the beginning of term.

I have no doubt that this will be an enjoyable and busy term for all. Should you have any questions about any aspects of it, or the above, please do not hesitate to contact me.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

Mr S Hepher
Headmaster

Dear Parents,

After eighteen years of outstanding service here and within the Eaton House Group of Schools, it is with sadness that I write to inform you that Mr Sebastian Hepher will be leaving us at the end of July 2010. Mr Hepher has been offered the Headship at Eaton Square Schools and he has decided to accept.

We have all benefited enormously from Mr Hepher’s excellent leadership and dedication to Eaton House the Manor. He has played a major role in building the School up to its current position of being one of the top boys’ Prep Schools in London, recommended to Pre Prep parents by the major Public Schools around the country. He has been a leading voice on the School’s behalf through various associations of London Heads, IAPS and also internationally amongst those of the IBSC, while never losing sight of the most important aspect of the job, his pupils. The recent reference in the ISI report to the colour of the boys’ blood being red and green would certainly apply to that of their Headmaster.

I know that I speak on behalf of all parents, past and current, of all old and existing staff, when I express our gratitude for all that he has done for Eaton House The Manor. He deserves, and takes with him, our sincere thanks and best wishes for the future.

Mr Hepher and the Board have worked closely together in the appointment of a leading London Prep School Head to become the new Headmaster of Eaton House The Manor.  The new Headmaster has extensive experience of both the London Day and Boarding Schools systems, together with great success at CE and Scholarship at 13+. This will guarantee that the excellent standards of Eaton House The Manor are continued in all ways for the years to come. As his current school is still completing their announcement process, we have, for the time being, agreed to withhold his name. As soon as this process is complete we will inform parents.

There will be many opportunities over the coming months to say a fond farewell to Mr Hepher and also to meet his successor, details of which will follow. From this point on both Headmasters will be meeting on a regular basis to provide for the smoothest of possible handovers.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs. Hilary Harper
Principal