Headmaster's Weekly Blog

Senior & Sixth (11-18)

Where Next?

Calendar

Planet v Plastics: Earth Day 2024

Dear all

Monday 22nd April was Earth Day. First celebrated 54 years ago (on 22nd April 1970), Earth Day aimed to raise awareness of environmental conservation. It was attended by 20 million people across the United States of America, and credited with building support for new laws such as the Clean Air and the Endangered Species Acts in the early 1970s. Twenty years later, one of the original organisers organised a global Earth Day, in which over 200 million people participated in around 140 countries, and since then it has grown into the Earth Day Network, which works all year round to promote a healthy, sustainable environment for everyone. Earth Day is now one of the largest public, secular events in the world, with around 1 billion participants each year.

The theme of Earth Day 2024 is Planet v Plastics, intending to highlight the damage done by plastics to our environment. The official Earth Day website mentions the following statistics:

Plastic production now has grown to more than 380 million tons per year
More plastic has been produced in the last ten years than in the entire 20th century
More than 500 billion plastic bags—one million bags per minute—were produced worldwide last year
100 billion plastic drink containers were sold last year in the US - that’s more than 300 bottles per inhabitant
95% of all plastics in the US won’t be recycled at all
Making a plastic water bottle takes 6 times as much water as the bottle actually contains
The ‘fast fashion’ industry produces over 100 billion garments each year - people now buy 60% more clothing than 15 years ago, but each item is kept for only half as long
Around 85% of garments end up in landfills or incinerators, with only 1% being recycled
Nearly 70% of clothing is made from crude oil, resulting in the release of dangerous microfibers when washed and continued contribution to long-term pollution in landfills

The Earth Day website continues: ‘The word environment means what surrounds you. In the case of plastics we have become the product itself – it flows through our bloodstream, adheres to our internal organs, and carries with it heavy metals known to cause cancer and disease. Now this once-thought amazing and useful product has become something else, and our health and that of all other living creatures hangs in the balance. The Planet vs. Plastics campaign is a call to arms, a demand that we act now to end the scourge of plastics and safeguard the health of every living being upon our planet.’ (Kathleen Rogers, President of EarthDay.org)

Despite the focus on reducing the use of plastics over the past decade or so, the problem of plastic pollution and its impact on our health seems to have got worse, not better. Earth Day 2024 will see the launch of their ‘60x40’ campaign to reduce plastic use by at least 60% by the year 2040. Those of you in the Upper Sixth will be around 34 years old by 2040, whilst those in Year 7 will be in your mid-late 20s. Some of you will have your own children by then, and will no doubt be thinking about the kind of world they will grow up in.

At Brentwood we are playing our part.

At Holroyd Howe, we are committed to reducing the use of plastic by changing our approach to disposable and finding other ways to work. Examples include:

Plastic bottles of water removed from sports packed lunches (a reduction of some 10,000 bottles)
All plastic cutlery replaced with wooden (100% recyclable)
All reusable plastic dessert pots replaced with alternatives made with corn starch (100% recyclable)
Use of cling film reduced by 50% (by using reusable containers and lids whenever possible) reduced the length of cling film used by 16.7km last year

We are conscious that there is more work to do to reduce our plastic use, and we will continue to find ways to do so.

Have a great weekend

Best wishes

Michael Bond

Junior Chamber Concert

You are warmly invited to our Junior Chamber Concert which takes place in the Memorial Hall on Thursday 9th May at 7pm. We look forward to an intimate evening of music making featuring student performances by the School’s younger musicians.

Please click on the following link for tickets.

Chamber Concert 9/5/24

We hope you will be able to join us.

Religious Services

Sunday Chapel Service to celebrate Pentecost

You are most warmly invited to join us for a very special Sunday Service in Chapel on Sunday 19th May at 10am as we celebrate Pentecost which marks the birth of the Church. I am delighted that we will have our Junior Choir (Years 3 and 4) with us who will help to lead our worship and singing. The Service will be suitable for all ages and open to all within the wider community of Brentwood School and beyond. Parking will be available on the school site and can be accessed by entering the School through the gates at Middleton Hall Lane. Parking will be in Library Square which is a short walk to Chapel. Refreshments (and cake!) will be served after the service so please do let me know if you are able to join us so that we can cater accordingly. I look forward to welcoming you to this service.

With every blessing

Revd. Adrian McConnaughie, [email protected]

Chapel Services 2023-24

Throughout the year, there are regular Sunday Chapel Services which are open to all within the wider community of Brentwood School. Most of the services begin at 10am and are suitable for people of all ages.

The details of all our services for this academic year can be found in our Service Booklet which is attached. If you are planning to attend, I would appreciate a short email so that I can cater accordingly for those who come. I look forward to welcoming you to our Services.

Revd. Adrian McConnaughie

[email protected]

Muslim Prayer Space

Brentwood is an inclusive school with a Christian Foundation where students and staff of all faiths and none are nurtured. As part of our commitment to this aim, we have recently established a Muslim prayer space throughout the week for our students to pray and a space each Friday for prayers which are led by one of our members of staff. This has proved to be beneficial for a number of our students to date.

If you would like your son or daughter to have access to this space for prayer at lunchtime then please contact me directly by email and I will pass their details to the staff members who will oversee the day-to-day supervision of these spaces. If you have any queries about this prayer space then do not hesitate to be in touch.

With every blessing and good wish

Revd. Adrian McConnaughie

[email protected]

Ultimate Activity Camps Summer Saver

Ultimate Activity Camps are back this May & summer, offering a wide range of engaging activities designed to inspire. They are thrilled to partner Brentwood School again, using our excellent facilities for these high-quality camps that ensure a memorable summer of adventure.

Their Ofsted registered holiday camps welcome children aged 4-14 to explore over 40 exciting sports, games, and creative activities weekly. Delivered by enthusiastic staff, these camps foster new skills, friendships, and fun for every participant.

Dates:

May – Athletics Academy: 28th & 29th May 2024
Summer – Monday 15th July- Friday 23th August 2024 (Survival & Tech: Monday 29th July - Friday 16th August 2024)
Book by the day or week
Drop off 8:30 - 9:30
Collect 16:30 - 17:15
Move dates for FREE up until 14 days before

Summer Saver Available now!

£53 per day | Saving £4 off the standard rate of £57
£235 per week | Saving £25 off the standard rate of £260
Offer available until Tuesday 4th June 2024

Refer A Friend – Get a Free Camp Day!

Invite a friend to join your child at camp and earn a free day for every booking at Ultimate Activity Camps or Ultimate Survival. It is that easy! Learn more and claim your free day here.

Booking Information:

Book your dates at Ultimate Activity for any duration, from a single day to a full week. You can change your dates without charge up to 14 days before the camp starts, depending on availability. They accept all childcare vouchers for added convenience.

Afternoon Pick-Up

Congestion remains heavy in the roads around the School, particularly around the afternoon pick-up time. The situation is not helped by too many parents arriving early before the end of school. The result is that traffic unable to access the car park back-ups in Middleton Hall Lane and this blocks the movement of other through traffic. This has an impact on the zebra crossing and we have had some recent worrying near misses on the crossing involving vehicles not able to see the crossing clearly. Rather than arriving early and blocking the flow of traffic please consider dropping-off and picking-up your child at locations away from the school site or picking up your child after 4pm when the traffic will be considerably reduced.

Match Day Programme

School Shop Opening Times

Our School Shop opening times have changed. Please see below.

Monday - 9:00am - 4:30pm

Tuesday - 9:00am - 5:00pm

Wednesday - 8:15am - 4:30pm

Thursday - 9:00am - 5:00pm

Friday - 9:00am - 4:30pm

Saturday - 9:00am - 12:00pm

For any inquiries for the School Shop, please email Miss Mill here, or call 01277 243206. Alternatively, you can shop for uniform on our online shop.

Learning Community Parent Events

Elevate Education: Ask Me Anything (Live Q&A)

Elevate Education is holding a series of webinars to help students become more effective learners and Brentwood School parents have exclusive access.

Find out more about time management, effective preparation and gain practical strategies to help your child get - and stay - motivated while studying.

Event: Ask Me Anything (Live Q&A) – 30/4, 6pm-7pm

Please reserve your place here or contact Elevate directly: Call 01865 987 732, Email [email protected] or go to uk.elevateeducation.com

Walk With Us - Self-Defence

Brentwood Community Safety Partnership and Essex Police are offering free self-defence classes to combat violence against women and girls.

These sessions will be 60 minutes long and will cover many different aspects, from situational awareness, escapes, de-escalation, pre-emptive and defensive strikes and use of reasonable force.

Any level of fitness or self-defence experience is welcome.

Sessions are free to attend and will be held fortnightly from 8.45-9.45pm at St Martin's Secondary School, Brentwood, CM13 2HG.

Find out more and book for free here.