From the first green shoots of that idea, the whole Breathe Programme quickly took root, developing into a programme of personal and environmental wellbeing initiatives that have not only made a genuine and positive impact, but guided the school and its ethos ever since.

In 2019 our Breathe Conference was opened with a keynote speech by Professor Sir David King. A whole day off-timetable, the entire senior school came together with partner schools from the Borough to build awareness, understanding and appreciation of the issues affecting us all, and to identify proactive solutions to tackle them.

In 2020, a year unlike any we have known, Breathe week is aptly entitled “Hope for the Future”. Who would have foreseen that this year, our eco-reps would be leading the charge to design funky but sustainable face masks? And how many of us would have thought that cycling to school would suddenly be as important to preserving the health of our loved ones, as to our own health and that of the environment? How times have changed!

The eco-reps in every year group are serious in their responsibilities. Since the September return to school, they have been eagerly encouraging their classmates onto their bicycles and are equally keen to make sure the school lives up to its environmental pledges. Rosie, one of our Year 10 eco-reps explained, “We would like the school to have a renewable energy tariff and cut down on red meat to curb methane production.” At the same time, they are fundraising through the World Land Trust, to buy an area of rainforest.