The School was founded in 1666 to provide education to 24 poor boys in Gloucester and to set each pupil securely on his life path on leaving school, equipped with the knowledge and skills to survive and flourish in what could be, back then, a harsh and unforgiving world. Today the number of pupils on roll is over 1000 students, but not a day goes by where I don’t think about the countless pupils who have benefitted from a Sir Thomas Rich’s education over the decades. My father was one such pupil in the 1950s and ‘60s, and indeed I can safely say that his time at Rich’s transformed his life.

Founder’s Week

As a School, we are mindful of the tremendous generosity of our original benefactor, and to show our thanks we in turn invest considerable time and energy every year in raising funds for our partner school in Uganda, PMM Girls’ School, which is located in Jinja. As I write, students are working on plans for Founder’s Week from 27-31 January, which will see staff and pupils from across the School engaging in creative and fun activities such as cake sales, raffles and sports matches to raise money to support 20 or so students at PMM Girls’ School in their education. Keep an eye on the School website from week commencing 27 January for updates on Founder’s Week, and my thanks go to those who have worked so hard to make it happen.

Richian 2020 Campaign

On the subject of thanks, I must highlight once again the amazing work the Parents’ Association does to support the School in our activities and future plans. The PA have just donated an incredible £30,000 to our Richian 2020 Campaign, which aims to raise £170,000 to complete the new Business, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Careers and Outreach Centre and continue with our Sports’ Development Plan. The building itself is almost complete, but we need to kit out the new Centre with state of the art facilities, and we also desperately need to resurface the current tennis courts to create an outdoor multi-purpose sports’ surface. More details about the Campaign are available online at www.strschool.co.uk/about/richian2020, and if you can support the fundraising in any way it would be greatly appreciated; donations can be made directly to https://donatemyschool.com/sirthomasrichsschool. Just as your sons and daughters have benefitted from the generosity of past benefactors, your generosity will directly support the education of both current and future generations.

Parents’ Feedback

I must in addition thank the School Governors who are also trustees for all they do for Sir Thomas Rich’s. The Trustees play a significant part in the life of the School, mostly behind the scenes, and give up a considerable amount of their free time for the School; we benefit greatly from their knowledge, skills, energy and enthusiasm. Our Governors have a wide range of backgrounds and in particular offer a wealth of expertise and many years’ combined experience in finance and accounting, IT, school leadership and the law, all of which we continue to draw upon on a regular basis.

All our Governors, and staff, welcome and actively seek feedback from our students and their parents. At Sir Thomas Rich’s we never rest on our laurels and we constantly strive to achieve the very best results in all areas – from examinations to sports fixtures, to the depth and quality of our pastoral care and extracurricular offer. All parents will have recently received an invitation to participate in a survey, which I would urge you to complete (link available in the email version of this message), so we can build a comprehensive picture of your perceptions and experience of the School. The views of parents and carers are crucial in helping Sir Thomas Rich’s to provide the best possible educational journey for your child, and in helping to shape the future direction of the School.

Head Lice

We have been made aware of a case of head lice in Year 7 which we believe may have been caught through head contact ‘in the scrum’. Rugby and other sport is a common route for spread, as head lice are transmitted through direct, prolonged head-to-head contact. The rate of transmission is low and head lice is not associated with poor hygiene; they are not selective and have no preference between clean and dirty hair. Please check your child for head lice and if affected, treat appropriately. Head lice is not a serious health problem and pupils should remain in school.

Public Health England’s advice for treatment is:

Wet combing method:

• Wash the hair in the normal way, with an ordinary shampoo
• Using lots of conditioner, and while the hair is very wet, comb through the hair from the roots to the ends with a fine-toothed detector comb. Make sure the teeth of the comb slot into the hair at the roots of every stroke
• Clear the comb of lice between each stroke
• Repeat this routine every 3 days for 2 weeks so that any lice emerging from eggs are removed before they mature and spread
• Household contacts of individuals with head lice should also be checked and treated if they are found to have head lice too

Recommended lotions:

                                          Only those with live lice should be treated with a recommended lotion from the chemist/GP.

Matthew Morgan, Headmaster

Richian 2020 is our ambitious fundraising campaign seeking to raise £170,000 to complete the new Business, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Careers and Outreach Centre and continue with our Sports’ Development Plan. We need parents, local partners, alumni and businesses to help us achieve our goal – better facilities at Sir Thomas Rich’s mean an even better environment for our current and future pupils, as well as better opportunities for the local community, and will secure Sir Thomas Rich’s development well into the middle of the 21st Century. To read more, click here.