At the same time we should also recognise that together with academic and sporting success, we also pride ourselves at Corpus Christi in being a happy and welcoming school, providing an all round and enjoyable education for all our pupils. As well as our achievements, that we continue to be a school that pupils, staff and governors enjoy being a part of.
People often ask me what does being a governor involve and essentially it means attending lots of meetings and wading through volumes of paperwork and reports, mostly I'm bound to say from Mr Edwards and his colleagues. However, we do have the occasional treats and last April for the second year Mr Woods and myself were invited to the annual "Most Improved Schools Club Dinner " in London; a very smart function where we are handsomely wined and dined. The invitations are extended to specialist schools who achieve above average improvement. Our record breaking achievements should ensure a third invitation, so thank you very much everyone, I shall enjoy my dinner. And keep up the good work we'd like a fourth invitation!
Following their success in the area qualifying tournament I also had the privilege of joining the school for the second year at the national Panathlon finals at Crystal Palace. Again we performed magnificently against the best young sports people in the country and all the competitors were a credit to the school and deservedly for the second year won the fair play trophy.

Another of my duties as Chair of Governors is to ensure that all school trips are carefully planned and all the necessary guidelines and rules are applied and adhered to. It was good to see that everything was planned and carried out meticulously and a great two days was had by all.

It was particularly exciting at Crystal Palace, as the Panathlon finals coincided with the announcement of the successful London Olympics bid. Many of the officials and coaches at Crystal Palace see the London Olympics as a great opportunity for young people in this country and significantly, consider that many of the young people competing in the Panathlon finals will be representing Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics in London. It made me realise that Corpus Christi students can mix it and compete with the very best young sportsmen and women in the country.

Our exam results also included some outstanding individual results, proving that our pupils can also mix it academically at the very highest level.

In conclusion, therefore, I wish all our students every success in their future studies and careers and encourage them to aim high, not to underestimate their achievements and to recognise that they can mix it with the very best."

Martin Dowling, Chair of Governors