27 September 2016

Last night we welcomed Year 9 parents who attended the Year 9 Information Evening.  Year 9 is an important year as the boys embark on their GCSE studies.  Year 9 will be the first year group in which the boys receive the new numerical levels 9 - 1 in all of their subjects (apart from History).  Assessments throughout the year will now use these new numerical levels as opposed to the normal grades A - C in order to understand them fully by the time the boys reach Year 11.  Thank you to parents for coming along.
Congratulations to the 1st and 2nd XV rugby squads who beat Simon Langton Grammar School last Wednesday in their first game of the season.  Spirits were up and so the boys went home that afternoon with a greater level of confidence for the year to come.  Sadly their fixtures against Cranbrook School at the weekend ended with two losses, but the boys should feel pleased with their quality of play and use the results to drive them on in this week's training.  Despite the excellent start for the 1st XI football squad, the team could not match their rugby peers losing 5 - 0 away against Simon Langton.  More work to be done.
It is this time of year when all of the Honours Boards are taken away to be updated.  15 student names will be engraved on the School Hall boards, those students who gain straight As in their A-Levels, in addition to the names that will be engraved on the Sport and CCF boards.  The final two boards to be engraved are the School Captain and School Vice-Captain boards, and I expect Tom and Josh are looking forward to seeing their names up whilst they are still here, as sadly all the other names are names of students who left in the summer.
Major Highway, the new Contingent Commander of the CCF, attends the Lord Lieutenant's Award Ceremony tonight in Canterbury to accept an award on behalf of Lt. Col Smith, who retired from the School and the CCF in July.  Sadly Lt. Col Smith is unable to receive the award himself, marking 20 years of service to the MGS CCF, but we are incredibly proud that he is being acknowledged in this way.  Congratulations Lt. Col Smith and thank you Major Highway for attending.
This Friday is MacMillan Coffee Morning, and MGS will be joining the rest of the nation in supporting the charity over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.  This year we are expanding the event and inviting parents, Governors and Old Maidstonians to attend.  If you are free on Friday morning between 10.30 and 11.30 and fancy a cuppa then please do visit us.  You are more than welcome.
 

27 September 2016

Last night we welcomed Year 9 parents who attended the Year 9 Information Evening.  Year 9 is an important year as the boys embark on their GCSE studies.  Year 9 will be the first year group in which the boys receive the new numerical levels 9 - 1 in all of their subjects (apart from History).  Assessments throughout the year will now use these new numerical levels as opposed to the normal grades A - C in order to understand them fully by the time the boys reach Year 11.  Thank you to parents for coming along. Congratulations to the 1st and 2nd XV rugby squads who beat Simon Langton Grammar School last Wednesday in their first game of the season.  Spirits were up and so the boys went home that afternoon with a greater level of confidence for the year to come.  Sadly their fixtures against Cranbrook School at the weekend ended with two losses, but the boys should feel pleased with their quality of play and use the results to drive them on in this week's training.  Despite the excellent start for the 1st XI football squad, the team could not match their rugby peers losing 5 - 0 away against Simon Langton.  More work to be done. It is this time of year when all of the Honours Boards are taken away to be updated.  15 student names will be engraved on the School Hall boards, those students who gain straight As in their A-Levels, in addition to the names that will be engraved on the Sport and CCF boards.  The final two boards to be engraved are the School Captain and School Vice-Captain boards, and I expect Tom and Josh are looking forward to seeing their names up whilst they are still here, as sadly all the other names are names of students who left in the summer.  Major Highway, the new Contingent Commander of the CCF, attends the Lord Lieutenant's Award Ceremony tonight in Canterbury to accept an award on behalf of Lt. Col Smith, who retired from the School and the CCF in July.  Sadly Lt. Col Smith is unable to receive the award himself, marking 20 years of service to the MGS CCF, but we are incredibly proud that he is being acknowledged in this way.  Congratulations Lt. Col Smith and thank you Major Highway for attending.  This Friday is MacMillan Coffee Morning, and MGS will be joining the rest of the nation in supporting the charity over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.  This year we are expanding the event and inviting parents, Governors and Old Maidstonians to attend.  If you are free on Friday morning between 10.30 and 11.30 and fancy a cuppa then please do visit us.  You are more than welcome.

27 September 2016

Last night we welcomed Year 9 parents who attended the Year 9 Information Evening.  Year 9 is an important year as the boys embark on their GCSE studies.  Year 9 will be the first year group in which the boys receive the new numerical levels 9 - 1 in all of their subjects (apart from History).  Assessments throughout the year will now use these new numerical levels as opposed to the normal grades A - C in order to understand them fully by the time the boys reach Year 11.  Thank you to parents for coming along. Congratulations to the 1st and 2nd XV rugby squads who beat Simon Langton Grammar School last Wednesday in their first game of the season.  Spirits were up and so the boys went home that afternoon with a greater level of confidence for the year to come.  Sadly their fixtures against Cranbrook School at the weekend ended with two losses, but the boys should feel pleased with their quality of play and use the results to drive them on in this week's training.  Despite the excellent start for the 1st XI football squad, the team could not match their rugby peers losing 5 - 0 away against Simon Langton.  More work to be done. It is this time of year when all of the Honours Boards are taken away to be updated.  15 student names will be engraved on the School Hall boards, those students who gain straight As in their A-Levels, in addition to the names that will be engraved on the Sport and CCF boards.  The final two boards to be engraved are the School Captain and School Vice-Captain boards, and I expect Tom and Josh are looking forward to seeing their names up whilst they are still here, as sadly all the other names are names of students who left in the summer.
Major Highway, the new Contingent Commander of the CCF, attends the Lord Lieutenant's Award Ceremony tonight in Canterbury to accept an award on behalf of Lt. Col Smith, who retired from the School and the CCF in July.  Sadly Lt. Col Smith is unable to receive the award himself, marking 20 years of service to the MGS CCF, but we are incredibly proud that he is being acknowledged in this way.  Congratulations Lt. Col Smith and thank you Major Highway for attending.
This Friday is MacMillan Coffee Morning, and MGS will be joining the rest of the nation in supporting the charity over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.  This year we are expanding the event and inviting parents, Governors and Old Maidstonians to attend.  If you are free on Friday morning between 10.30 and 11.30 and fancy a cuppa then please do visit us.  You are more than welcome.

27 September 2016

Last night we welcomed Year 9 parents who attended the Year 9 Information Evening.  Year 9 is an important year as the boys embark on their GCSE studies.  Year 9 will be the first year group in which the boys receive the new numerical levels 9 - 1 in all of their subjects (apart from History).  Assessments throughout the year will now use these new numerical levels as opposed to the normal grades A - C in order to understand them fully by the time the boys reach Year 11.  Thank you to parents for coming along.
Congratulations to the 1st and 2nd XV rugby squads who beat Simon Langton Grammar School last Wednesday in their first game of the season.  Spirits were up and so the boys went home that afternoon with a greater level of confidence for the year to come.  Sadly their fixtures against Cranbrook School at the weekend ended with two losses, but the boys should feel pleased with their quality of play and use the results to drive them on in this week's training.  Despite the excellent start for the 1st XI football squad, the team could not match their rugby peers losing 5 - 0 away against Simon Langton.  More work to be done.
It is this time of year when all of the Honours Boards are taken away to be updated.  15 student names will be engraved on the School Hall boards, those students who gain straight As in their A-Levels, in addition to the names that will be engraved on the Sport and CCF boards.  The final two boards to be engraved are the School Captain and School Vice-Captain boards, and I expect Tom and Josh are looking forward to seeing their names up whilst they are still here, as sadly all the other names are names of students who left in the summer.
Major Highway, the new Contingent Commander of the CCF, attends the Lord Lieutenant's Award Ceremony tonight in Canterbury to accept an award on behalf of Lt. Col Smith, who retired from the School and the CCF in July.  Sadly Lt. Col Smith is unable to receive the award himself, marking 20 years of service to the MGS CCF, but we are incredibly proud that he is being acknowledged in this way.  Congratulations Lt. Col Smith and thank you Major Highway for attending.
This Friday is MacMillan Coffee Morning, and MGS will be joining the rest of the nation in supporting the charity over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.  This year we are expanding the event and inviting parents, Governors and Old Maidstonians to attend.  If you are free on Friday morning between 10.30 and 11.30 and fancy a cuppa then please do visit us.  You are more than welcome.

27 September 2016

Last night we welcomed Year 9 parents who attended the Year 9 Information Evening.  Year 9 is an important year as the boys embark on their GCSE studies.  Year 9 will be the first year group in which the boys receive the new numerical levels 9 - 1 in all of their subjects (apart from History).  Assessments throughout the year will now use these new numerical levels as opposed to the normal grades A - C in order to understand them fully by the time the boys reach Year 11.  Thank you to parents for coming along.  Congratulations to the 1st and 2nd XV rugby squads who beat Simon Langton Grammar School last Wednesday in their first game of the season.  Spirits were up and so the boys went home that afternoon with a greater level of confidence for the year to come.  Sadly their fixtures against Cranbrook School at the weekend ended with two losses, but the boys should feel pleased with their quality of play and use the results to drive them on in this week's training.  Despite the excellent start for the 1st XI football squad, the team could not match their rugby peers losing 5 - 0 away against Simon Langton.  More work to be done.
It is this time of year when all of the Honours Boards are taken away to be updated.  15 student names will be engraved on the School Hall boards, those students who gain straight As in their A-Levels, in addition to the names that will be engraved on the Sport and CCF boards.  The final two boards to be engraved are the School Captain and School Vice-Captain boards, and I expect Tom and Josh are looking forward to seeing their names up whilst they are still here, as sadly all the other names are names of students who left in the summer.  Major Highway, the new Contingent Commander of the CCF, attends the Lord Lieutenant's Award Ceremony tonight in Canterbury to accept an award on behalf of Lt. Col Smith, who retired from the School and the CCF in July.  Sadly Lt. Col Smith is unable to receive the award himself, marking 20 years of service to the MGS CCF, but we are incredibly proud that he is being acknowledged in this way.  Congratulations Lt. Col Smith and thank you Major Highway for attending.
This Friday is MacMillan Coffee Morning, and MGS will be joining the rest of the nation in supporting the charity over a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.  This year we are expanding the event and inviting parents, Governors and Old Maidstonians to attend.  If you are free on Friday morning between 10.30 and 11.30 and fancy a cuppa then please do visit us.  You are more than welcome.

20 September 2016

Following the lovely, but very warm, weather during the early part of last week, it was a shame that the weather took a turn for the worse and required us to move Upper School Speech Day into the School Hall rather than enjoying the occasion in the Quad.  We also had to adjust our plans for the Beginning of Year Service and bring elements of All Saints Church to MGS and hold three slightly shorter services in the School Hall.  Despite the inclement weather the day went off very well; the Service and Speech Day were wonderful occasions and I am sure that many of the student body enjoyed an afternoon off school!  Thank you to everyone who was involved in either event, particularly Rev Canon Sewell who performed the morning service and Mr Ben Wharfe who was the guest of honour at Speech Day.

At the weekend the 1st XI Football Squad played Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School and won 2 - 1.  Thank you to Jordan Chambers (OM 2016) for refereeing the day before he goes off to university, and well done boys for another win, following last Wednesday's win beating Rainham Mark School 5 - 4.  Also at the weekend many of the senior rugby squad attended a training session in preparation for their first match of the season tomorrow against Simon Langton, and a number of the CCF cadets, over 80 in fact, spent the day at school enjoying a day’s worth of different activities.

From this week I am spending some time meeting with every Year 12 student to share with them how the School will be evolving over the next couple of years.  We are embarking on an exciting period for the School and it is important that the whole student body understands what is happening and why.  I hope the sessions help and provide greater understanding in what is going to be happening.

Tonight we welcome Year 11 parents who will be attending their son's parents' evening and tomorrow we open our doors to students across Maidstone who wish to attend our University Fair.  Over 50 universities across the entire country will be here providing information and literature about themselves and the numerous courses they offer.  This is the third year MGS is hosting such an event, and if the last two years are anything to go by, the event tomorrow will be extremely busy and informative to all who come.  Bring a large bag to take home all of the many prospectuses.

 And on Thursday this week we invite Year 13 parents into school to meet with their child’s form teacher to discuss the next stages of the UCAS process.  It is this time of year when the students complete their personal statements and we complete their references before the deadline later this term.  We introduced this event a couple of years ago and the comments we receive from everyone involved are overwhelming positive.  I hope the day is helpful.

 

 

Tuesday 13 September 2016

The first week back at school went very well indeed.  Students have returned with a really good positive attitude and knuckled down to work straight away.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this smooth start.

The main focus of this week is preparing for Friday’s Beginning of Year Service and Upper School Speech Day.  On Friday we acknowledge both the beginning of year and the successes of last year’s Year 11 to 13 year groups, particularly wishing the out-going students all good fortune as they move from being a Maidstonian to an Old Maidstonian.

At the weekend the U13, 14 and 15 rugby squads played Wilmington Grammar School in their first game of the season and all sadly lost.  I was particularly impressed with the U14 boys though as they were asked to join in with the U15 game.  Despite the result it was good character building for them!

Also this week Year 11 enjoy a day out fulfilling some geography fieldwork, and Year 12 students and their parents are invited in to attend an Information Evening on Thursday to hear about the coming year.  At this, and other evenings for all other year groups, I will be updating everyone on where we are with regards to the current building projects which are taking place over the next three years.  I look forward to meeting you all over the coming weeks.

6 September 2016

Welcome back everyone to a new academic year.  It has been a delightful summer holiday with good weather, an inspirational Olympic Games and many opportunities to spend time with family and friends.  Work has continued at school to get it ready for the new year and I would like to thank all those staff members who have kept MGS ticking on.  The proudest news that I can share is that the outgoing Year 13 cohort achieved the best A-Level results ever in MGS’s history.  Congratulations to them and to Year 12 who matched the AS results from the previous year.  Well done all.  Sadly the GCSE results were not what we entirely expected, and we have had to say goodbye to some fine Maidstonians.  We do however welcome a large number of new students to Year 12 and hope they build an allegiance to the School that many of us have already. 

Over the weekend we welcomed back a number of Old Maidstonians who attended a reunion BBQ to acknowledge Neil Turrell, former Headmaster, and who is now the President of the OM Society.  The weather remained fine which allowed for an enjoyable few hours.  Thank you to the Old Maidstonian Society who organised the event and to all the current members of staff and students who attended.   

The main aim of this first week is essentially to settle back into the swing of things and return to a working mindset and not a holiday one.  Attention will be given to our Year 7 students who begin their MGS journey and to Year 13 who approach the important stages of the UCAS process.  Very soon classroom teachers will be predicting A-Level grades and 6^th Form tutors will be inviting parents of Year 13 in to discuss them.  More details of this to follow.

One piece of good news to share is of Finley Lodge.  He attended the Shukokai Karate World Championships in Berlin at the end of July, and Finley and his two team mates managed to make it all the way to the finals with their team. Kata narrowly missed out on Gold but did return home with the silver medal.  Well done Finley.

 

Tuesday 19 July 2016

Welcome to the last Headmaster’s Blog of the year.  We break up for the summer holiday tomorrow, and I am sure many members of staff and students are looking forward to it.  It has once again been a busy year and I wish to thank every member of staff for their commitment and service they have given to the School.  Much has gone on, and we have three exciting years ahead of us, so the next six weeks are well-deserved. 

Last Thursday we saw Sports Day Part 2.  Due to the change in weather on Tuesday we had to abandon Sports Day just as the relay events were taking place and continue it two days later.  The weather on Thursday was much better and so Thursday afternoon the whole school enjoyed the afternoon on the field watching their fellow peers compete for their Houses.  Congratulations to Endeavour House who won Sports Day, and we will hear on Wednesday whether they have won this year’s House Cup.

Last Friday was an important day for MGS: The Founders’ Day Service and Lower School Speech Day.  The weather was on our side which made for a glorious afternoon in the Quad awarding numerous prizes to students who have made significant achievements this year.  Well done again to all prize winners and many thanks to Ms Alexandra Auger, a former student, who was our Guest of Honour for the event.

This week the staff say their goodbyes to colleagues who are leaving the MGS Community.  Nine members of staff are leaving altogether; some retiring and beginning the next phase of their lives elsewhere, some moving to pastures new.  Please have a read of the Summer Newsletter published this week to see who is leaving, but I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for all their years’ service and wish them well in their futures.

Finally I wish to thank all the students for another wonderful year, have a lovely holiday and well-earned rest, and I’ll see you all back here on Monday 5^th September.

Thank you.

 

Tuesday 12 July 2016

Straight away I must thank the MGS Parents' Association for a wonderful Summer Ball on Saturday evening.  The MGS and MGGS Parent Associations hosted a combined Summer Ball for over 120 parents from both schools to enjoy an evening's entertainment.  The Ball took place in our school hall and included a lovely 3 course meal catered by Independent Catering, a raffle, music from ... and students from both schools, and a table magician who wandered between each table sharing some very impressive close up trickery; all very well managed by Neil Turrell, the Master of Ceremonies.  It was a very enjoyable evening and thanks must go to the parents from both associations that worked hard for many months planning for the event.

This week we begin to see the end of term approaching.  Today, weather permitting is our annual Sports Day: a day when the whole school community comes together to enjoy a day's competition.  The whole school gets involved in some way with many parents coming along to enjoy the day.  Good luck to all competitors and I wonder if Spitfire House will win again?!

Friday is our Founders Day Service and Lower School Speech Day.  During the morning the whole school processes down to All Saints Church to celebrate the founding of the School which is then followed in the afternoon with Speech Day for years 7 to 10.  The afternoon is an opportunity to acknowledge the successes of the younger students of the School and to hear from key staff about the 2015-16 academic year.  We welcome many parents and invited guests and hope for good weather.

Congratulations to Hamish Reilly who has been selected for the South East Region as one of three competitors for his age group to compete at the Triathlon Nationals taking place in Glasgow on the 4^th September. Qualification within Hamish’s category was extremely competitive, coming down to seconds between them all in recent qualification events.  At a recent ‘high performance’ event at Eton Dorney, which involved competitors from 6 Regions from the West Midlands down to South West, Hamish achieved a fantastic 3^rd place overall.  Well done Hamish and good luck at the National Finals in September.