In morning Chapel on 28th June, Father Jonathan and Dr Drape talked about how Dr Drape had learnt to ride a bicycle last summer. It was something that he had never learnt as a child and he thought it was time that he tried.

Mr Lopez kindly agreed to teach him over the summer holidays on the school field. After a couple of weeks, Dr Drape was able to ride on his own but, as a video demonstrated, he was having problems stopping without falling off! Over the next few weeks, he rode most days in school until he was eventually allowed out into the 'real world' and he bought a bicycle of his own.

Dr Drape now cycles to and from school every day, and recently cycled 51km on a trip out! This is quite an achievement, and amazing considering that, less than a year ago, he had never ridden a bicycle.

At the end of Chapel, Dr Drape thanked those staff who had helped him - Mr Lopez, Mr Rose and Mrs Baldwin. Having learnt from his own experience, Dr Drape also encouraged the pupils to remember the following: 

- You're never too old to learn something new
- Don't say you can't do something unless you have tried it first
- Push yourself outside of your comfort zone
- Be prepared to fail regularly​
- If you want to be competent at something, you need to keep practising​.

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