By Joseph E, Year 6
Edge Grove has welcomed Mr Edward Balfour as our new Head and he will be dedicating the next few years to us and our staff. Mr Balfour has a lot of experience with schools in view of the fact that he has been working in education for over 30 years.
Why did Mr Balfour join Edge Grove?
Mr Balfour claims that Edge Grove “has a wonderful warm community and an enviable reputation for academic, co-curricular and pastoral excellence as a leading UK prep school.”
Mr Richard Stanley who was the Interim Head of Edge Grove did not want to leave and has now moved to Deputy Head (pastoral) at our School due to our amazing curriculum.
Why will Mr Balfour be a good Head for the community of Edge Grove?
Mr Balfour has more than 25 years of experience of teaching and he has been a Head at Northbourne School and Beechwood Park which are some of the top schools in the UK. This gives him a strong start to bring joy to the Edge Grove community.
By Sophie G, Year 6
On Thursday 5th January, the whole school at Edge Grove gathered to meet the new Head, Mr Balfour, in a whole school assembly.
He talked to us about the importance of meeting together to share values for the whole school community and celebrate successes. He also emphasised the importance of all singing together as a community and he walked around the hall to hear each year group sing.
Mr Balfour spoke about the many similarities we share, and the differences that we can celebrate in assemblies together at school, which help us understand each other better and work together towards Edge Grove goals.
To illustrate the New Year, Mr Balfour read us the famous poem, Journey Of The Magi by T.S Eliot. It tells of the three kings’ difficult journey to find baby Jesus, their arrival and at the end of their journey, their feelings that their lives had been changed. He also spoke about the two headed Roman god Janus, who is known as the god of new beginnings, and who the month of January is named after.
What a great way to start the year, to get to know our new head teacher, to wish each other a Happy New Year and to look forward to 2023 in a positive way together!
By Deeksha, Miriam and Roma
When we heard the voice of Mr Balfour, our hearts were racing at the starting line, our foreheads sweating, legs shivering and then 3…2…1… go! We all sprinted trying to keep up with the rest of our houses. Some people dashed ahead of everyone else and then ended up coming in lower positions. We made our way towards the very back but then with all the strength we had in us, we used it to fly all the way to the front of the group. When we turned around, we saw a parade of colours.
We kept pushing even though everything hurt. Teachers, parents, students cheering us on from every angle gave us the power and determination to sprint to the end. We made it and we all felt so proud of ourselves. We looked around and saw a strange looking big white bunny (AKA Mr Bissix) who was hopping around the course chasing the people at the end to not give up! This had to be a truly wonderful, yet tiring, experience!
Blake H, Year 5
Cross country running has been popular across the world since the 20th century. The history of Cross Country running originated as early as 1837 in England, when schools competed against each other in the sport. The first Cross Country championship was held in 1867 and from there, it was introduced to the Olympic Games in 1912. In keeping with this great tradition, at Edge Grove the Year 3 - Year 8 pupils engage in a friendly Cross Country run every year.
On January 6th 2023, I participated in the Cross Country Race at Edge Grove and as soon as I tied my laces on my running shoes, I knew this was not going to be easy. My friends and I made an alliance that we should run as a pack and agreed to stick together during the two laps around the field. We felt that this would support each other to maintain momentum, keep up the pace and encourage each other.
As I walked down to the field to cheer the younger children on, I felt slightly nervous. I stood on the sidelines cheering the younger year groups on, but at the same time, I was thinking about my upcoming race. About 10 mins later I saw the last two children running down the field to complete the race; then one of the teachers called us to run. I felt chills all over my body, but I strolled over to the running field talking with my friends, to calm my nerves.
We were all lined up and in position to run. We thought the starter said ‘Run’, myself and three other people made a move to take off, and then the starter finally said GO!
We all dashed forward with fervour and excitement. I ran along with my friends as we built up our pace, keeping momentum and encouraging and motivating each other along the way.
I counted as I passed fourteen people in my race to get ahead of the pack. Ahead of me there were five more to go. I speeded up, one, two and now I was in 3rd place. I felt more comfortable at my chance of being in the lead. I looked back to see a lot of people behind me. One of my friends was all the way at the back, the other was in the middle of the racers.
As I sprinted forward, fatigue began to set in - too much Christmas turkey and chocolates I thought! I felt tired, but I strived forward pushing myself. I was out of breath, I had to slow down, I slowed to a jog, which then caused a lot of students to race past me. My friend caught up with me and we jogged together for a moment before he sprinted off and left me behind. It seemed as though there was another 1.5 laps to go. I wanted to get to the finish line. I built up my pace and pushed forward. I finally completed the 1st lap and I was really tired.
I pushed myself to achieve the second lap. I saw my friend in front of me and thought I need to pass him so I can finish. I saw Ben R all the way in front half way on his second lap. There was no way I could catch up with him now. I couldn’t get past my friend but I continued pushing forward. One, two, three. four…..I continued to pass a lot of people, exhausted but I had to strive to finish the race. I couldn’t give up now - I had to give my best.
People were cheering me on from the side lines to keep running. It motivated me, so I tried to run and then I entered this state that I call the flash state. I burst forward with bold energy, speeding up my sprint as I went past a number of students, but I can only hold this momentum for a limited period of time. I was really tired and slowed to a jog. I could see the finish line ahead and almost at the end I slowed down. I could feel others behind me and I pushed once again, sprinting to the finish line. I finally got there. It took a lot of energy, but I made it. I did not finish first; I came 42nd, but I was really happy and pleased that I had the resilience to finish the race. I came 42nd and I was really, really, really tired. That's my experience of the Edge Grove cross country race.
In preparation for my next cross country race which I am looking forward to, I think that I will begin to start practising my runs in outdoor fields and similar terrain, managing and controlling my breathing, managing my pace and balance and making sure that I am mentally and physically ready for the challenge of Cross Country racing.
