Rugby High School – the year so far from Mark Grady, Headteacher
So, as we limp towards the end of term, I can take a momentary glance over my shoulder back to Christmas 2020. We ended the Autumn term, thinking we may have to set up “test centres” we planned, over the holiday to do so, and right up until the last minute, despite the very clear rise in infections of Coronavirus, we were being told by the department for education that all schools would be returning. This of course saw an overnight about turn the very day before we were due back, and we were once more in the remote education world. This time, with a few more specific guidelines from the DFE about the quality of the provision we might offer.
To say we were shocked was an understatement, but in true RHS fashion, with the resilience we would expect, we paused, reflected and refocussed on the task in hand. It felt like a different lockdown to the previous one. In many ways less scary as we’d been here before, but definitely harder as we were trying to ensure that our remote provision really supported students and staff. 6 lessons of online learning a day is a real challenge, both for the staff delivering those lessons and the students at the receiving end. Throughout all, we tried to maintain as much “normality” as possible. I wrote to all staff every day throughout, and all students every day as well as the weekly newsletter, to maintain our ethos, keep people informed and keep their spirits up. Obviously, our on site provision for children of key workers continues, and I must give a massive shout out to all our support staff, who made sure the school continued to function as an organisation, whether in the office, working remotely, coming in to the kitchens or for cleaning – everyone made sure RHS continued to work!
Then, of course there were the Teacher-Assessed-Grades, which dropped on to staff, as the Education Secretary confirmed in January that all exams were cancelled. We then waited as guidance was issued over the coming weeks and months, and teachers achieved the Herculean task of ensuring that students had grades submitted on their behalf that were fair and consistent. Hours of work, and huge amounts of assessment for students made the time between March and the end of May a challenging time for our year 11 and 13 students, but what we did manage to achieve was a leaving celebration for both year groups - a picnic for year 11 and a lovely Y13 event, safely distanced, where they wore their very best prom outfits, and were awarded with “The Golden Gradys” awards for a range of academic and social endeavours! It was so lovely to do something “almost normal” and staff, students and our community were happy to be able to celebrate the endeavours of years 11 and 13, the challenges they have risen to, and the resilience they have shown. 
As we have approached the end of term, we have managed to restart a few things – reward breakfasts with the senior team, celebration assemblies (albeit outside) and most wonderful of all, a Sports Day on July 9th, where, although students had to compete across the day with only their year group spectating, not the whole school, we still managed to celebrate the sporting and athletic prowess of our students, with myself, Mrs Grimes and Mrs Dermott-Bond and Miss French competing on behalf of 8G who were having to self-isolate as a whole bubble. Other staff joined us in the Sixth Form relay, where we came a resounding third. It turns out 17-year old legs are faster and fitter than staff legs…who knew?
It was such a lovely thing to celebrate as we make it into the final week, and although we are still having to contact trace and isolate staff and students, we are hopeful that September will bring a little more freedom. Either way, given the year we’ve had, we now know we can confront and overcome pretty much anything – so bring it on I say, if perhaps no one minds us having a small break first…
I hope everyone stays well and safe through the Summer!
Mark Grady
