A very busy year is drawing to an end and it has certainly been a very memorable one, personally for the Teesdale family, and I hope for the whole school community. The variety of 50th Anniversary celebrations this year started with every child planting an anniversary tree, which have all flourished with the summer rain!

A lovely morning of singing and coffee was spent celebrating with the past staff, spanning the full 50 years. There was a Golden Stampede with a record turnout and many past pupils taking part. We then had an exciting week of parties with the children, parents and past parents and pupils, and I seem to remember quite a bit of rain too! 

While there has been little time for further celebrations this term, the legacy of the summer continues. The various events have given us numerous opportunities to hear from former pupils and their parents. These pupils all remain a huge source of pride, not only for their successes while at Copthill, but also the exciting careers and achievements they have had since. Of particular satisfaction have been the comments from many Old Copthillians about the genuine influence that a Copthill education seems to have had on their future successes - even more so than their secondary years. 

This academic year as I celebrate a personal milestone of 25 years here, I am meeting more and more past pupils again, either as parents themselves, in a professional capacity, or through other links with the school. We have used this anniversary year to start a more formal ‘Old Copthillian Association’ to develop these links for the future. The most important legacy they can all offer is a source of inspiration to our current pupils about the exciting opportunities awaiting them all in the future. We hope to promote these stories over the coming months.

After a year celebrating the school’s past 50 years, we can now look forward to 2020 and the exciting opportunities here for the present and future generations of Copthillians! Our best wishes from all the Directors.  

Mr Jonathon Teesdale

PRINCIPAL