The beautiful words which title this week’s ‘Abbey Connected’, taken from John Rutter’s Give me Wings, rang out across the Richards Hall last week as the Senior Choir lifted our hearts with a song of joyful hope and optimism. Indeed, the entire Spring Overtures concert was magnificent, seeing a number of talented students from our Junior School join both with the Senior Concert Band and Senior Orchestra to delight us with wonderful music. Along with the String Orchestra, who completed the programme, each of the large ensembles treated us to performances infused with love – quite simply, without the love of the students for their music-making and the dedication of the staff who encourage and rehearse them, the musical life of the school would be nothing at all.

And that idea permeates further. Last week, we were privileged to see manifestations of love in many different spaces around the school. Sporting commitment was on display across netball courts and football pitches for, if nothing else, the love of the game. Research tells us that the number of girls wanting to participate in PE and Sport drops dramatically through school life but here at The Abbey we more than buck that trend: one of last week’s particular triumphs was the County Cup victory enjoyed by our U18 footballers. The smiles on their faces and the sense of togetherness depicted in the celebratory social media post exemplifies their camaraderie and support for each other as they take part in something they love.

Similarly, the Upper VI Drama performance, reprised on Friday for yet another captivated audience, brought to life the ways in which a love of the creative arts can provide students with a presence and confidence they may not otherwise experience. Without doubt, those three exceptional actors emanated love: for the script, for their roles, for each other. We laughed. We cringed. We applauded with such energy that, in the moment, the love in the room was tangible. What magic! 

Rutter’s song impels us, ‘Give me dreams and I’ll make them come true.’ Alongside last week’s musical, sporting and dramatic endeavours, we witnessed more dreams coming to life in the Upper VI IB Art Exhibition. The fantastic work on display is a thought-provoking journey into human impact, both physical and technological, and gestures towards a better world, something which Rutter also embraces as his music soars to its conclusion: ‘Hold me high on your shoulders […] and I’ll build a new world with you.’ Whether in or out of lessons, whether academically, in a co-curricular forum or through friendships and working relationships established while at The Abbey, our students continue to benefit from and demonstrate love, becoming the versions of themselves they choose to be. Looking back across the generations of Abbey students before them and acting as role models for the students of the future, they stand on each other’s shoulders and experience the wonder of watching new worlds unfold in front of their eyes as they prepare to spread their wings and fly.

Dawn Bellamy, Deputy Head