“Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.”
– Oscar Wilde
It almost goes without saying that we live in a world that is always full of surprises. This week we have been a little taken aback by the heat. No huge surprise with weather records being broken on a daily basis. We are ready for snow days, but now it seems we need to be ready for extra hot days. It has been normal, over the last decade, to have one or two days when the thermometer has peaked higher than normal levels, but the consistency with which we have had such blistering heat in June is new. The last ten days have been unprecedented, with records being broken on a near daily basis. I’m pleased that we retrofitted the Junior School with air conditioning some years ago and have invested in the same for a number of the Senior School buildings too. Prize Giving ceremonies next week on both sites will be air-conditioned.
Next year we commence with an ambitious plan of renovation in line with the French Government’s environmental targets, starting with the Braille Building. Windows, cladding and insulation will be replaced, and the result will be a greener and cleaner building. Rather like this week we will need to be flexible in our approach, for the first time we will have Senior School classes taking place on the Junior School site – we have a plan to ensure that this change is implemented smoothly and it will be good for us to work as one school.
Alongside the Braille building development, we are updating our cycle storage capacity. Whilst we continue to go through the usual planning hurdles, we hope to have more capacity for bicycle storage and a large photovoltaic panel. Current estimates suggest that the energy generated form the panel will go a long way to provide the power required to run the Braille building. It is hoped that the new development will also encourage more pupils to get on their bikes. Relieving traffic pressure around the school gates at the start and end of school would be a definite benefit to both the environment and pupil safety.
As is always the case when we have a week that is out of the ordinary, it requires great levels of flexibility from the whole community. So huge thanks to everyone who has ensured we have been able to keep running during this heat wave. Next week is forecast to be a little cooler so we should be able to enjoy all that the final week has to offer.
