The return from the Easter break always brings with it renewed focus. The knowledge that exams are within sight for Years 11, 12 and 13 ensure that the focus goes up another few gears, and that emphasis can be felt right across the school. The summer term is a long term, with 13 and a half weeks this year. We will look forward to our Sports Day, Awards Evenings, Congratulations Trips, extra-curricular visits both locally and internationally and the school show. However, that all falls in the final half term. Before then we will be ensuring that the standards remain high, the wonderful opportunities that our students are offered continue and that each individual continues on their journey to become the very best version of themselves that they can be.

On March 17^th, Year 8 students from across Crawley secondary schools visited the Hawth Theatre for a Safer Schools event on the dangers of county lines drug dealing and knife crime. Students listened to the life experience of Patrick, from the St Giles Trust, a former gang member who warned the Year 8 students of the dangers of county lines and also how to recognise how they can be targeted and groomed by gang members. In preparation for the event, Year 8 students received pre-event lessons as part of the PSHE curriculum on the topic of county lines and knife crime. County lines is a term to describe the transportation of drugs from one area, commonly big cities, to another area of the country where criminal gangs are setting up a drug dealing operation. County Lines drug dealing involves the use of children in the transportation and dealing of drugs. According to the NSPCC, the average age of the children who become involved as drug runners is between 15 and 16, however children as young as 12 have also been groomed into these gangs. Areas where County Lines drug dealing is taking place also suffers from an increased level of violence including knife crime.