Each morning when our pupils arrive in Brewer Street ready for the school day, they pass alongside one of the best-preserved sections of Oxford’s medieval city walls which also happens to be the southern boundary of Pembroke College. Founded in 1624 by King James I on the site of Broadgates Hall, Pembroke was named after the then Chancellor of the University, the Earl of Pembroke. Broadgates itself was built on land owned by St Frideswide’s Priory, the institution which later became Christ Church, giving Pembroke and CCCS an ancient link which should be unsurprising given that they are our nearest neighbours.

A funny thing happens in a place like Oxford. The past, it seems, stands still. The buildings of its skyline were built so long ago that they never seem to have been built at all, but rather form a mountain range of unlit gothic caves, crocketed spire peaks and ranks of roosting gargoyles, beneath which sprawls a subterranean warren of quads and colleges – inhabited of course, by undergrads, indistinguishable from the average denizen of the Misty Mountains.

At Christ Church Cathedral School we believe that it is really important for all our pupils to be able to be happy, make progress and feel valued, whatever their strengths and difficulties. Of course, as a gently selective school, we do not have children with very significant Special Educational Needs. However, we have plenty who need a little more support than others do, and we are proud that we can give them the attention they need – probably more than in other schools which have a wider range of needs.

Raising his lunchtime eyes above the clatter and chatter of the dining table a boy may survey the serried names of old boys picked out in gold on the wooden boards around the walls of the dining hall: award-winners all. Some went with feathers in caps to Eton and Harrow, some to Radley and Winchester, some to St Edward’s, Abingdon and MCS. In a quarter of a century, muses the boy, my son may be sitting here proudly pointing out to his fellow lunchers his father’s name.

Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) is one of the most important parts of the Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum. It is, in fact, the only part of the curriculum where the government has given clear guidelines for all schools, including independent schools, to follow. As you know, we have recently had a consultation on our new RSHE Policy, which has now been finalised and which you can read on the policies page of our website. Your child’s teacher will be teaching the main part of RSHE this half term.

Since the introduction of our first table tennis table, the sport has taken off at CCCS in a remarkable way. We now have four tables in constant use before school, during break times and lunchtimes, and after school. Many boys have even joined clubs outside school and invested in high-quality equipment to develop their skills further.