I ended my email to parents in February wishing the Under 15s luck in the Quarter final of the NatWest Vase. We now know that their hard work did pay off and since then they have followed this with success in the Semi-Final held at Allianz Park, the home of Saracens. They face Dr Challoner's in the final at Twickenham this Wednesday. This remarkable achievement is testament to the talents of individuals but also importantly the training and discipline that has become routine for all members of the team.

Playing rugby at Sir Thomas Rich's has taught countless pupils to learn from their losses as well as their successes.It is through the teamwork, dedication to the cause, respect and sense of fair play that generations of boys have cometo understand more of themselves and of others and in so doing develop enormous pride in belonging to this prestigious Bluecoat school. I cannot praise enough the dedication and enthusiasm of the staff both within the PE Department and beyond to make this possible. Neither do I forget the work behind the scenes, especially members of the Parents' Association who provide refreshments for visiting teams.

Indeed, I am enormously grateful to the Parents' Association for all that they do. Volunteers have recently given up their evenings to help with uniform fitting for our new Year 7 and Year 12 pupils, who we look forward to welcoming in September. Without the PA support, it would be impossible to run these events.

However, I am just as proud of the other activities on offer within the classroom, on the games field and beyond the school gates. All these contribute to our success. It is vital that each pupil is given every conceivable chance to find activities at which they excel. I hope that parents and friends of the School have seen some of these achievements on our website, on Twitter @strsglos or on Facebook. However, so much goes on that we don't communicate.I sometimes get frustrated with this, but then I ask myself the question: "Is it not better to spend time and effort providing a wealth of opportunities for pupils rather than concentrating on ensuring that everything is reported." I hope you know my answer.

So a rather short and extremely busy term will come to an end in a week and a half or so. For our exam candidates it is, of course, a crucial period for effective revision; I do not need to remind them of the importance of consistent and effective hard work over the weeks ahead. I wish them well and wish you all a very happy Easter.

                           Matthew Morgan,


                                                                        Headmaster