It has been wonderful to welcome everyone back this week as we begin a brand new school year in Primary. The classrooms and corridors are once again filled with laughter, energy, and curiosity. A very warm welcome too to our new children and families. I know you will quickly feel at home here at Derby High.

On Thursday afternoon, I led my first Primary assembly to start the year off. I spoke to the children about the choices we all make, and how these shape the kind of person we become. To help us explore this, I shared three very different images with them. The first was Jake Humphrey, who presents the High Performance podcast. This is something I often listen to myself, as I find it fascinating to hear how people from all walks of life achieve at the highest level. They talk about the habits and promises they set for themselves, what Jake calls their “non-negotiables.” The second was Ryan Yates, captain of Nottingham Forest. He is not the most famous footballer, and when he was younger many doubted he would make it. But through sheer determination, hard work and resilience, he has become a true leader. To me, he is an inspiring example of how attitude and consistency can make all the difference. The third was a picture of two paths, signifying Robert Frost’s famous poem, The Road Not Taken. In the poem, the writer describes standing at a fork in the road, having to choose between the easy, well-trodden path and the harder, less-travelled one. He chooses the harder road, and this choice “made all the difference.”

To read more of this week’s Primary High Notes,  please click here.