It is with enormous sadness that I share the news of the sudden and unexpected death last Thursday, of our Head Boy, 17-year old James Ashcroft.
James is the son of our Assistant Headteacher, and close colleague, Mark Ashcroft. This tragic news has hit the school community very hard and we are giving all the support necessary to students and staff at this very sad time.
Our love, thoughts and prayers go to Mr & Mrs Ashcroft and their daughter Sophie. As a mark of respect, our flag on the centre roundabout, has been lowered to half-mast.
Head Girl, Emily Scott has shown tremendous strength and leadership this week. She has prepared a statement in memory of James :
I was deeply saddened to hear the news of our Head Boy James’ death last Thursday. James was an outstanding example of a student who embodied our three key behaviours of being Respectful, Positive and Hardworking in order to be a true role model for all his fellow students at the school. James was very approachable to every individual within the school and was motivated to excel in his studies. We as a school, are very lucky to have been rewarded through his hard work and to have such an outstanding student as part of our school community.
When I was first elected as head girl James made me feel very comfortable in my new role and we instantly worked well together. He always showed full interest in my ideas and his commitment to fulfilling his role to the best of his ability was very clear to me and all those who worked with him.
I enjoyed partaking in events for the school with James, from school concerts to student council meetings; he brought so much laughter and positivity to all our challenges, making being head girl easier and even more enjoyable.I feel very privileged to have stood and worked alongside James, I believe that his attitude and personality has been inspirational both to me and I’m sure to all who knew him.
Through my fortunate time with James he became not only my teammate but a close friend whom I knew I could rely on.I hope I can do him proud as I continue in my role, it will be a great honour to continue with the aspirations we shared as head girl and head boy.
