News from Mr Grady
Hello everyone,
I do hope you had a restful Easter Break, and a good chance to catch up with family and friends, and to those of you who were celebrating Eid-Ul-Ftir over the bank holiday weekend, I hope it was a wonderful weekend too, allowing you time with loved ones and chance for connection to family and friends.
My apologies for not having written to you since March 10th. After two years, I’m afraid the coronavirus finally caught up with me, but, as ever RHS continued moving onwards and forwards, and it is a pleasure to be back in school, sorry only to have missed several lovely events at the end of last term; Year 11 and 13 Award evenings from last year’s GCSEs and A-Levels, and very depressingly the Teacher Karaoke at the end of term. (although this is probably a positive for anyone who would have had to put up with my warblings…)
The Summer term is already well underway, with preparations for our current Year 11 and 13 to celebrate their years here, and focus themselves on the coming exam period.
The summer term is also a chance for us to start taking stock of where the school is at, and what we might want to start planning for next year. Education is always, it seems looking for the “next thing.” “What’s next?” “What are we going to do next?” are questions that are built into our curriculum, and as students and teachers into our very being, we’re always, it seems looking forward, sometimes not always having the chance to enjoy the present, but focussing on the next piece of work, the next job to be done.
Of course, there is something very positive about that, but rather than “what’s next?” being our driving force, I would hope that we can also consider, more importantly, “Where are we going?, What do we need?, and how are we going to get there?”
The last two years have changed our landscape quite considerably, and the world has presented us with new challenges that were unexpected, and that have left us reflecting on some of our old practices and whether they continue to be fit for the purpose of offering the very best curriculum and challenge for the RHS community.
In the coming weeks, we shall be talking to our whole community, in person, via questionnaires and in groups about “what’s next?” for RHS – but, more importantly, given the experiences of the last couple of years, where are we going now? does anything need to change? how can we continue to improve and continue to maintain the absolute core purpose of RHS? Fundamentally: What do we need to ensure that all our students understand what it is to show compassion and empathy and to take responsibility as brave, independent global citizens, how can we continue to educate our students at the very best level of academic success, and ensure that they move on from Rugby High School knowing how to be Resilient, Healthy and Successful?
With all best wishes, stay well and safe!
Mr Grady