Congratulations to Raffy, Form IV (and her ponies Glow and Gizmo) who won five out of six of the Pony FEI Big Tour classes last month, including both the Grand Prix.

Then riding Polly, Raffy jumped five out of six double clears placing 3^rd, 7^th and 12^th in the 1.35cm 2 star class competing against professional adults, and stepping up to jump their first 2 star 1.40cm with a super clear. Well done!

What a spectacular few days of competitive Lacrosse! With 200 teams from 41 schools around the country taking part, the atmosphere was electric! All our Heathfield teams were out in force, starting with our 1^st team who demonstrated incredible skill, determination and resilience, competing against much larger schools. This is what school sport is all about – building character, sharing a passion and love for sport and creating lifelong memories with team-mates. In addition, our U14 team played exceptionally well, finishing in the final 16 in the Championship Division. The future is looking bright for Heathfield Lacrosse! 

Our students achieved 100% Distinction in all their LAMDA examinations in Acting, Musical Theatre and Speaking in Public. In addition, the top grades are awarded UCAS points with our students gaining 130 UCAS points.

We are incredibly proud of our students’ results, they are a true testament to their hard work, growing confidence and love of performance, alongside the excellent guidance provided by our excellent LAMDA teaching team.

Our Lower Sixth Politics students attended the PolEcon Conference set in the impressive Methodist Central Hall, just off Parliament Square under the gaze of Big Ben. They heard politicians from all major political parties as well as pollsters and journalists including Alastair Campbell. Particular speaker favourites were Zack Polanski, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and Wes Streeting. Whilst debates raged on by-election results, the environment, the Middle East and the cost of living crisis, the underlying message was one of hope and involvement. With this in mind it was great to see our students debating all the way home on the train which speakers views they were most aligned with. It is only with this engagement that future challenges will be overcome!

The U14 and U15 teams represented the school at the South West Regional Lacrosse Tournament where both teams achieved tremendous success. The U15A team had a challenging start to the morning and found themselves in the Plate competition. However, they turned things around with some very solid performances in the afternoon and were ultimately crowned Plate Champions. The players were thrilled with their achievement. Our U14A team were outstanding throughout the day and certainly caught the attention of many spectators. They progressed to the top Championship division in the afternoon and narrowly lost to the two teams who went on to contest the final.

Congratulations to Naomi, LVI, whose entry in the ISA STEM Competition 2026 in the category Design a system to capture rainwater to irrigate and regreen deserts has earnt her a place in the finals. Her design is inspired by the Namib Desert Beetle which is found in the Namib desert along the southeastern coast of Africa. It features hydrophilic regions (in green) and hydrophobic channels (in blue), which allow water to be collected and transported efficiently. Naomi used the Desmos 3D Graphing Calculator to create the model of her rainwater collection system, using mathematical equations to plot each shape. With entries from over 750 other schools, the result is a real testament to her creativity, dedication and hard work.

Heathfield hosted its legendary Fashion Show welcoming 250 guests over both nights. The event proved an outstanding success with a large number of our students taking part as designers and models, whilst others provided backstage and technical support. NEXUS was one of the largest and most ambitious shows we have ever presented as a school community.

The runway featured close to 100 garments, all designed, created and modelled by our talented students. The theme NEXUS was chosen to represent the relationship between the past and the present in fashion, exploring the connection between tradition and innovation. This was powerfully demonstrated through the integration of AI-generated projections within the show.

We were delighted to welcome Charlotte Stockdale, Heathfield Alumna and fashion stylist to Karl Lagerfeld, who commented that the garments and overall production surpassed what she typically sees in professional shows! We look forward to welcoming Charlotte back to Heathfield soon to work with our students.

It was a real privilege to welcome Alanna Fraser to work with our Form IV and Lower Sixth students on what it truly means to lead with purpose in a rapidly changing world. Across a series of engaging and thoughtfully structured workshops, students were challenged to explore their personal values and reflect on how these values shape their leadership style, strengths and decision-making. A key focus was helping them understand themselves as leaders first, before considering titles or roles.

The sessions also looked ahead, asking students to consider how leadership skills can be future proofed in the age of AI. Students reflected on which human skills matter most, how values-led leadership remains essential, and how adaptability, judgement and empathy will continue to define effective leadership in years to come. Working collaboratively, leadership teams thought about shared agreements rooted in their collective values, setting clear expectations for how they will work together and support one another. They also began to roadmap their goals, vision and priorities for their leadership journey, creating a strong foundation for the year ahead.

The workshops were reflective, practical and inspiring, leaving students with greater clarity, confidence and a shared sense of purpose. A valuable and timely experience for our young leaders as they start on their leadership journey for 2026.

Following a thought-provoking address from Alanna Fraser on how to future-proof leadership skills in an ever-evolving world, students embarked on an afternoon that balanced reflection, competition and celebration.

One of the highlights was the much-anticipated whole-school game of Crate Smuggling, now firmly established as a Heathfield tradition. The Upper Sixth took on the role of lifeguards, strategically positioned to intercept rival teams and seize their crates. Meanwhile, the rest of the school, divided into five teams per House, navigated the campus with stealth and teamwork, transporting their crate to 12 designated checkpoints. At each stop, teams were challenged with questions exploring the rich history of the school, combining agility with knowledge.

After a closely contested competition, de Valois emerged victorious, with the winning team completing all 12 checkpoints in an impressive 22 minutes, an achievement that demonstrated both strategic coordination and House spirit.

The community then gathered in Chapel for a Founder’s Day service led by Reverend Elspeth. This provided a meaningful opportunity to reflect on the origins of the school and the enduring vision of Eleanor Beatrice Wyatt, whose ambition and foresight continue to shape Heathfield today.

The day concluded with the eagerly awaited staff entertainment. With a runway already in place for the school fashion show, it seemed only fitting for staff to stage their own light-hearted mockumentary fashion event. The performance featured guest appearances from JPower and a mysterious masked singer – dramatically revealed to be Mrs J Liepa, stepping in for former band member Mr J Doyle, who departed in July 2025 but made a tongue-in-cheek cameo via a recorded press conference. In summary, the day successfully combined intellectual challenge, tradition and humour. Students not only enjoyed a memorable celebration of community life but also took time to consider how they might adapt and strengthen their skills to thrive in the future.

Form II’s Rocket Racing won the Future Stars award at the Stem Racing Southwest regional finals in January. During the Michaelmas term they designed, tested and adapted their F1 car, whilst developing a Brand identify and gaining sponsorship. They raced their car against 30 other teams and finished 2nd fastest overall, a fantastic achievement, congratulations! Well done also goes to our other two competing teams, AZAP Racing and Atlantic F1. AZAP Racing finished in the top 10 for speed.

Blue team were the winners.