One of my students is a runner-up in NATRE’s Spirited Arts 2023! Very proud! natre.org.uk/about-natre/pr…

We're so pleased for Year 10 student, Emily who was recently selected as a runner-up in the NATRE Spirited Arts 2023 competition from over 4,000 entries! 👏🤩 Take a look at her work 👇 kesacademy.org.uk/16/news/post/2…

Key Stage 3 Philosophy book clubs led by Mrs Watson 📚  Our philosophers started exploring Nigel Warburton’s ‘A Little History of Philosophy’.  Some great questions and discussions followed our reading. 👏👍

Lovely evening walk!

It's important to take a moment every now and then to sit outside, feel the sun on your face, and listen to the birds in the trees.

Somehow, over the last couple of weeks, I have managed to mark 10 sets of Key Stage 3 assessments! Over 250 exam papers in total! 😯 Just Year 12 mocks to mark now - around 40 essays!

Whilst completing some work today, I came across this wonderful drawing. It was completed by a KS3 pupil last term for the NATRE #Spiritedarts competition. The events of recent weeks make it even more meaningful. ‘No to racism, yes to respect!’

Our Julia Donaldson library! 📚❤️ ‘Stick Man’ and ‘Room on the Broom’ are on a bookshelf upstairs!

Walks in the woods! 🌳🦌🐿️

The reason your intrusive thoughts feel so awful? Because they’re the exact opposite of what you truly value. OCD isn’t exposing your “real” self—it’s attacking the things you care about most.

OCD when I finally ignore a thought: “Congrats on ignoring that one! Here’s 700 more to think about instead.”

If your thoughts feel disturbing, it’s because they’re the opposite of what you truly believe. OCD isn’t revealing your real self—it’s twisting your values into fears.

You’re not scared because your thoughts are real. You’re scared because they go against your core values. That fear is proof of your goodness, not a reflection of who you are.

“Everyone’s a little OCD.” No. Everyone has passing worries. OCD is when those worries spiral, consume your time, hijack your day, and make you question who you are. Not the same.

Yesterday, I had my last lesson with Y13. A lovely group. Fingers crossed for results! Now, 3 hours of gained time! Of course, it will be filled with marking Y12 mocks (as it stands, I have marked 44 out of 88 essays! 😯) and about 200 KS3 exams before I go on mat leave! 📚✅

Everyone gets weird thoughts. Not everyone gets stuck in them, paralyzed by fear, and trapped in endless rituals. That’s the difference between passing thoughts and OCD.

Such a thoughtful card and gift from a Year 13 student!

I’ve marked over 80 Year 12 essays (within about a week!) 📝✅ Feeling so proud! 🎉 I wasn’t sure I’d manage it whilst parenting a 3 year old and being heavily pregnant! Just KS3 assessments to mark before maternity leave!

Yesterday was my last day at work before maternity leave! Such thoughtful gifts from two Year 12 students and lovely words from another student. ❤️

the hardest part about ocd is how invisible it can be. no one sees the hours you spend fighting your own brain.