Welcome Back to School Assembly January 2026

Everyone was in high spirits as we entered the hall for our first assembly of 2026. Mr Wilson spoke to the pupils about how people often make New Year’s resolutions promises to themselves about what they hope to achieve.

He shared his own resolutions, which included eating less chocolate, drinking more water, cutting down on pasties and spending less time watching funny cat clips. Pupils gave a thumbs up or down to show whether they thought these were worthwhile and achievable, and they were keen to share their opinions.

Mr Wilson then explained that the idea of making resolutions dates back to the Babylonians, who made promises to please their god Marduk, such as returning others’ belongings, being honest and treating people fairly.

He went on to explain that 2,000 years later the Romans also made resolutions. Their New Year originally began in March but was changed by Julius Caesar in honour of the god Janus, who had two faces, one looking back to the past and one looking forward to the future. Roman resolutions focused on behaving better, keeping promises, being loyal and being good citizens.

Mr Wilson explained that modern resolutions tend to focus on personal goals, while ancient resolutions were more about how people treated others and benefited their communities.

He encouraged us to reflect on our own resolutions and consider whether they focus only on ourselves or also on how we treat those around us. It was a thoughtful and engaging assembly to begin the new term.