A group of Year 10 students, alongside some pupils from Years 7 and 9, recently attended a Chess Fest held in a lovely green outdoor space in Westminster, filled with tents and activity areas. Despite the cool weather, the atmosphere was fantastic, with children from schools all across London coming together to share their enthusiasm for chess.

Our students represented the school brilliantly throughout the day. They embraced the opportunity to meet new people, interacted confidently with pupils from other schools, and showed excellent sportsmanship in every game they played. It was wonderful to see how engaged and involved they were from start to finish, providing strong competition and approaching each challenge with enthusiasm and determination.

One of the highlights of the day was the opportunity to play individual games against chess masters, an experience that our students thoroughly enjoyed. They also had the chance to play on a life-sized chess board, which quickly became a focal point of excitement and discussion. It was particularly pleasing to see students working together to discuss possible moves, debate strategies, and take turns moving the oversized pieces across the board.

The afternoon featured a series of one-to-one matches in which our pupils performed exceptionally well. We were especially proud of Year 8 student, Radwane who earned a bronze medal after scoring an impressive 12 out of a possible 15 points — an outstanding achievement in such a competitive field.

However, the success of the day was about much more than medals and results. Every student represented the school with maturity, enthusiasm and resilience, and all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was a fantastic day of learning, teamwork and competition, and one that we hope to repeat in the future.