Each year we see a fresh set of year 7s flood through our gates, new blazers, new expectations and a whole new school to get to know. As part of the transition period, we find it a brilliant time to introduce some of the key values that we hold as a school – looking after ourselves; our bodies and our minds. This day gives them a fantastic opportunity to embrace these areas of our ethos as well as getting to know their tutor groups a little better through a day of activities.

Nicola Minichiello was back to speak to students about her rise to Olympic success. A three-time Olympic bobsleigh medallist and former world champion, Nicola gave the students lots of food for thought. They explored ideas around resilience and determination as well as changing your mind set to see failure as another step closer to success. Students had the opportunity to ask questions and even get a few autographs at the end from someone who, I’m sure they’ll all agree, is truly inspirational.

Students also had the opportunity to learn a new dance as a tutor group, led by some of our fantastic year 10 dancers and Miss Rodgers which saw them develop their moves and take part in a dance-off against another tutor group. During the day, all tutor groups took part in a range of team building activities designed by Mr Scullion and the year 10 Sports Leaders to develop their communication skills as well as getting to know the other members of the group better. They had a go at silently ordering themselves according to a range of factors – a real challenge for some of them and my personal favourite, they human knot which saw them tangled and working together to free themselves.

We also had the team back from Blenda Venda with their smoothie bikes where students had a go at using their peddle-power to create delicious smoothies that were high in a range of vitamins and minerals – something which they went on to learn about in their nutrition session with Miss Nahal and Mrs Thompson. During their work on nutrition, students reflected on what constitutes a healthy diet and reflected on their own eating habits and identified areas where they could work on these to incorporate some more of those essential food groups that are needed.

A highlight for many students was our session on Drumba – a fast-paced, session that mixes together Zumba and drumming for an unforgettable experience. Students danced and drummed along to a range of songs with different routines to remember for each. Each time I walked into the room I was taken aback by the energy as well as the heat that was being generated.

As a school, we strongly believe in looking after our bodies alongside our minds and mental health. We hope that year 7 took a lot away from the day – both practical tips and memories.