The principal changes and events of the school year 1974 -75 will be fully recorded in the next edition of Phoenix, but it may interest parents and friends to have a brief, preliminary account of the School's work, organisation and development in the early stage (September 1974) of a very considerable long-term expansion.

The new Sixth Form Centre and two mobile classrooms are in use; the building of a new Arts, Crafts, Home Economics centre mentioned in a previous article, is in progress; a second Home Economics area has been temporarily established in what was the Geography Room; a separate needlework room, a second Art Room and a second typewriting room have also been equipped within the main building; plans for a further building programme are under consideration.

Instead of the usual First Forms coming from primary schools, we welcomed 170 Third and Fourth Form pupils from several closing secondary schools.

While the Sixth Forms continue to operate as in the past, all pupils in years 2-5 have been assigned for registration, etc. to a mixed age, mixed ability tutor group within their House. The Group Tutors have the same general responsibility for pupils' work, attendance and welfare as Form Masters have had in the past and they deal with all routine and some other matters. If more serious questions or problems occur, they are referred to the pupils' House Master1 House Mistress, a Deputy Head, or to me. In conjunction with the Careers Department this ensures that adequate advice and assistance is readily available for all pupils.

Teaching groups in the Sixth Form follow the same pattern as in the past; 5th Year and 2nd Year pupils are also taught in the groups to which they belonged last year. In the 3rd and 4th Years, however, sets have been organised for teaching purposes in most subjects and each pupil has an individual timetable. In this way all pupils are able to tackle work at an appropriate level in each subject and movement from one set to another can be easily arranged whenever it seems right.

The number of pupils has increased to about 670 for whom there are now 37 full-time and 7 part-time teachers. In the general running of the School I am assisted by Mr. Hides, Deputy Head, on organisation questions, by Mrs. V. Rance, Deputy Head (formerly Headmistress of Perivale School) on matters of welfare and discipline and by Miss Cracknell, Senior Mistress, on all academic and curriculum matters.