This month I had the huge privilege of attending the 20th Maccabiah Games in Israel where 10,000 athletes from 80 countries came together to compete in a myriad of sporting events.

The diversity of the participants was obvious yet the message of determination and fellowship was clear. When  I returned home, buoyed by the Maccabiah slogan: ‘We will reach higher, get better and remain together’, I heard about the incredible feat of five Kisharon School pupils who, under the inspirational guidance of Jes Waldman, completed their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards, and I realised that what the Maccabiah achieves every four years, Kisharon achieves every day.

Today, as we bring the academic year to a close, I salute our frontline staff who are always reaching higher, the incredible people we support who consistently work at getting better, and the strength and resilience of our community’s togetherness which enables all this to happen.