Mr Hudson's final Headmaster's Reflections as he retires for Easter Term 2025
HEADMASTER’S REFLECTIONS
31 st March, 2025
Dear Parents,
It ’ s very poignant to be penning my final edition of ‘Reflections’ after 65 terms’ worth of them in various formats over the years …I couldn’t resist the final photo of me at the The Hudson Gate for the final time as Headmaster with ‘COMING HOME TO SCHOOL!’ a sentiment shared by us all at the Junior School! I hope that you’ve all been able to watch the Instagram clips of Friday’s events, starting with the live-streamed Mass with the Upper Years and culminating with the Guard of Honour leading down to the Whole School gathering on the Lazy Lawn for a rousing rendition of ‘Rise & Shine’ , followed by the extraordinarily moving performance of ‘It’s bec ause of you!' - specially commissioned by Alice Denis’s father – Mike – and learnt by all the children and staff! I can’t really find the words to say how touched and moved I was by it all... I’ ve also been so touched by your moving messages, cards and gifts – and the children’s loving farewell events during the past fortnight which have included a ‘Bedtime Story’ with Nursery ; being a Pirate with Reception Year ; bring Noah’s Ark back to life with Year 1 ; a Tea Party & Games with Year 2 ; a special afternoon of sketches & stories with Year 3 ; sharing Poetry by Heart with Year 4 ; all of Year 5 joining me on my ‘ Well-Being Walk ’ down Convent Lane; and a Georgian’s Journey through the JS with Year 6 ! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Although it hasn’t been possible to say farewell in person to all the Junior School parents due to sheer logistics, I hope that you will all enjoy listening to my ‘Desert Island Discs’ podcast that was recorded with Denis Nowlan , our Chair of Governors. It should give you a flavour of where I got my inspiration for teaching in my younger years before the Junior School came into my life!
Meanwhile, three weeks ago, I was in Belgium for a ‘flying visit’ with my successor, Mr Dan Jameson , to say farewell to the Headteachers of all our sister Josephite schools in Belgium: 7 in total in 36 hours! We always meet close to the Feast Day of St Joseph (19 March), and it was very moving to say a prayer at the tomb of our Founder – Constant van Crombrugghe – in thanksgiving for all the blessings of my and my family’s association with him. I thought that you might be amused to see a photo of me all those years ago on my first visit with my wife & two sons in 2004, and recently with Mr Jameson in 2025!
Happily, I was back in England for the celebration of the Feast of St Joseph last week, and was very touched that my brother – Bishop Nicholas Hudson of the Westminster RC Diocese – came to celebrate it: a fitting squaring of the family circle as he is only 16 months older than me and has, therefore, known me since dot! It was also lovely that we could be joined by some Governors and by Julie Oldroyd , the Director of the Education Service for the Diocese of Arundel & Brighton to witness the blessing of the two ceramic tiles that are my gift to the School and are placed to the left of the Chapel Foyer Doors. What I didn’t know until it happened was that my brother would be presenting me at the Mass with the ‘Benemerenti’ Award from Pope Francis for my services to Catholic education over the past 22 years! I feel deeply honoured and humbled by it – and delighted that my wife, Helen, could also be there for the special occasion.
As the end of term approached, it was wonderful to celebrate Neurodiversity Week – arranged by our SENDCo, Ms Rachel Young : it was very heartening to see so many parents attending the Breakfast meeting in order to have some personal interaction with some of my colleagues.
Meanwhile, it’s been very busy for the Music Department , with all the various Inter-House Music Finals and this week’s Choral Concert taking place, allied to which they provided beautiful accompaniment to last week’s Year 3 Drama Production of ‘ Eddie the Pengu in Saves the Day!’ As I always like to say in my vote of thanks, one discovers new things about the children every time they are given a stage – whether it be Music or Drama and in these final weeks of the Easter Term – Dance , of course! The various Dance Showcases for all the Key Stages during the past few weeks have
rightly made all watching feel incredibly proud of the children – and very grateful to all their various teachers in all these performing arts! I also discovered a new spring in my own step which I hadn’t been aware of as I mastered the ’Cha Cha Cha’ ! ’Strictly’ here I come!!!
Likewise, in Sport – whilst celebrating ‘Sport for All’ , we continue to shine right across the sports board, with our U11 A Boys gaining third place and their Bronze Medals in the IAPS Hockey Nationals as well as South East Hockey Champions keeping up a fine tradition in that sport playing some excellent passing hockey and displaying real maturity on and off the pitch. Our U11 & U10 Girls have reached their respective finals in the Surrey FA Cup after recent hard - fought victories in the semis v Cleves School. Further down the School, the Year 2 annual
Football Tournament took place on the 20 th March – welcoming Cardinal Newman School, St Charles & Holy Family – and raising funds for ‘Momentum’ & ‘Project Kimbo’ at Christ the Prince of Peace parish. Our local parish priest, Fr Con Foley , continued his fine reputation for saving penalties as a separate fund raiser! It also marked the final tournament for me (after 22 years), Mr Stephen Holt (Headteacher of St Charles Borromeo School after 20 years this summer) and Mr Chris Richards (my ‘ Grandparent Helper ’ after 15 years with me !) Mrs Becky Waters very thoughtfully made us a special presentation of shirts to mark the occasion! That dynamic sense of community spirit is very much at the heart of what we are about as witnessed with the wonderful support for the recent Parents Association Quiz Night , with an incredibly strong turnout of 17 Tables’ worth! It was also lovely compering the College one a fortnight later – another thirsty occasion which provided the opportunity to say farewell to a good number of former JS parents!
This year the World Book Day theme was "Read your way" . Children were encouraged to create their own 'mystery medals' with clues to their favourite books, which sparked a lot of conversations and excitable guessing around the school on the day. Parents were invited in each morning to read a story in another language, encouraging children to use home languages and share their cultures with one another. It was incredible to see the children chatting in Italian, sharing celebrations in Bulgarian and discussing food in Punjabi.
Thank you to the parents who shared their stories with us. On World Book Day, we continued our tradition of sharing stories with one another by pairing up different year groups to share reading.
Watching Year Five pupils reading picture books with Upper Nursery was a delight and I am sure they learnt a lot about what it is like to be a teacher! Meanwhile, in the library, children were treated to a 'lost property scavenger hunt'. A basket filled with fruits and flowers, a bucket with fish swimming inside (not real fish!), and a pig with a spider; can you guess which book they come from? As part of the theme of "Read your way", Ms Thorburn also shared instructions on how to access Libby, an app allowing you to access free eBooks and audiobooks, using your library card
Meanwhile, on the Gifted & Talented front, the past half of term has witnessed the participation of many of our pupils in various academic competitions, including the Area Heat for General Knowledge , and the Year 6 STEM Competition , truly putting their knowledge and skills to the ultimate test and coming 7 th , with several other groups adopting their plan!
Finally, moving on to staffing, we say farewell for the moment to Mrs Nosheen Khan in the Nursery who is going on Maternity Leave: we wish her all the best for the birth of her baby next month.
As tradition dictates, and for my final time, here are the Housepoint totals for the end of this term:
1 st : Owls (2547) 2 nd : Eagles (2504)
3 rd : Kestrels (2389) 4 th : Hawks (2365)
So, as we prepare for the Easter break it just remains to thank you for all your support – not just during the past term but for many of you over a good number of years, and to wish each one of you and your families a very Happy & Holy Easter . Have a lovely holiday and all the best for the future! I will be staying in Weybridge, so I‘m sure that I will bump into many of you over the coming years, and do stay in touch if you would like to do so - my email address is: Antonyhudson.ajw@gmail.com Take care, and Mr Jameson much looks forward to seeing you all again on Wednesday, 23rd April for the start of the Summer Term.
Best wishes,
Antony J W Hudson Headmaster
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