Tuesday 15 October 2024

I must start this blog by recognising and acknowledging the amazing camaraderie and support seen right across the school during last week’s Ofsted inspection.  I was in my office on Monday morning when the phone call came in, and straight away the school rose to the occasion and stepped up to show the inspectors the many reasons why being associated with this school is very special.  The feedback from the inspectors was incredibly humbling to hear, and the views from staff, students and parents were extremely positive.  Thank you everyone for what ended up being a very positive experience.

Well done to the 1^st and 2^nd XV rugby squads who beat Cranbrook School at the weekend.  It was a fine display of rugby, and it was made even better with a few Old Maidstonians making the journey back to MGS to watch their fellow Maidstonians.  Thank you to the staff who continue to support the players.

This week is the beginning of a two-week period where we open our doors to the wider community and invite them in to see what we do. Thursday is the first of two Year 5 & 6 Open Mornings that we are holding before we break up for the October half term.  Prospective Maidstonians and their parents will be coming round the school and getting a taste of what life is like at MGS.  Thank you in advance to the prefects and year 7 students who will be acting as guides.

Also, this week we are going to be enjoying an evening of performance at the MGS Autumn Showcase.  Many of our budding musicians and actors will take to the stage and offer the audience a variety of performances that I am sure they will enjoy.  Do come along on Wednesday at 6.30pm.  Thank you to Mrs Brooks, Mr Bourne and Mrs Edwards for supporting the students over the last few weeks whilst they rehearsed.

Tuesday 8 October 2024

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Owen of Year 13 and Barton House who, over the last few days, has been competing in the 2024 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in South Africa.  I am delighted to say that he achieved second place in the 93kg Junior category securing a silver medal.  Owen has been weightlifting for a few years now, and to be selected to compete for England in the Championships was an achievement in itself, but to win a silver medal illustrates not only his ability but his commitment to the sport.  Well done Owen - we are very proud of you.

At the weekend we saw the first home game for the senior rugby players as the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd XVs took on Sir Joseph Williamson Mathematical School.  Results were mixed, but it was good to have a large crowd watching, and the bacon and sausage sandwiches supplied by the Parents’ Association went down well.

On Friday last week our newest Maidstonians from years 7 and 12 joined together to learn the history and words of the school song, Gaudeamus.  Led by the Prefect Team, the students gave a fine rendition of our school song that has been part of MGS since 1908.

Throughout this week we will be launching to the school community how MGS is acknowledging Black History Month.  Miss Johnson, the deputy head, will be leading four house assemblies on the theme of Reclaiming Narrative.  In addition to this our library staff have created a huge display of books that might be interesting for our students to read: books that have been written by Black authors as well as books that feature stories associated with Black history.

Tuesday 1 October 2024

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Toby of Year 12 and Tonbridge House who has successfully passed his audition for the National Youth Orchestra (NYO). This is a huge achievement as it is where the top young players in the country play at events such as the BBC Proms.  Well done Toby.

Congratulations to the 1^st XV rugby squad who won their National Cup match last week against The Duke of York School 19 – 13.  The squad has had a good start to the year, and so let us hope the players continue this good start and have more success as the season progresses.  Also, well done to the U16 XI football squad who played in the first round of the National Cup last night beating Tunbridge Wells Grammar School 4 - 2.  It was a well-fought game and played in good spirits and was supported by a number of staff and students who stayed to enjoy the game.  Good job.

Thank you to the many parents and friends of the school who came in last Friday to enjoy the Macmillan Coffee Morning with us.  Over 50 people from the wider school community joined the many Maidstonians, staff and students who took part in our first charity day of the year.  Lots of cake was eaten, and, with the non-uniform contributions, we raised just over £2000 for the charity.  Thank you to all the staff and prefects who helped organise the day.

This week will be the fourth training session for the students wishing to go on next year’s Harvard Model United Nations Conference.  Each week about 25 year 12 students remain in school until about 5pm undergoing essential training to help them prepare for the conference.  They debate an array of global issues such as healthcare across the world to the causes of the recent UK riots.  Thank you to the School Captain as well as Mr Andrews and Mrs Van Mol for supporting.

On Thursday this week we welcome to the school parents and carers of Year 7 to attend the Year 7 Welcome Evening.  After five weeks, our newest Maidstonians have settled in well and got used to the MGS way of doing things, and so this event is for the parents and carers of Year 7 to understand what those four weeks have looked like, and what things they can look forward to.

Tuesday 24 September 2024

Firstly, well done to the rugby squads who had a successful day on Saturday at the second Saturday rugby fixture of the year against Eltham College. It was a beautiful day weather wise, and many parents came out to watch their children as well as enjoy a bit of September sun. Thank you once again to the staff who support the players week in week out.

Today is the first full governing body meeting of the school year where they discuss the priorities for the coming year and ensure that they go on being critical friends of the school. Both the support and challenge they give throughout the year is very much appreciated, and so I say a huge thank you to them for their work, their time and their contribution. 

On Friday, a number of students studying German from years 10 to 13 enjoy a day at the Goethe-Institute London, looking at German culture, how the language is taught and seeing an array of different learning materials. Also on Friday it will be our first charity day of the year. Each year on the last Friday of September we join the entire nation and host a coffee and cake morning to raise money and awareness for Macmillan Cancer Support. It is always a popular event with many from the school and wider school community coming together to enjoy a piece of cake. Thank you to the staff and students who will be helping put on the event.

A reminder that for the next three months work from the teachers of the MGS Art Department will be on display in Maidstone Museum in a special exhibition celebrating their skills and interests. Do go along. 

Tuesday 17 September 2024

Firstly, I would like to thank the staff who supported the students at the weekend at either the first Saturday rugby fixture of the year against Gravesend Grammar School or the Year 10 Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Assessed Expedition.  The weather was kind to everyone involved, and the results for the rugby were in our favour, winning five out of the seven matches.

As I mention results, I must also acknowledge the first senior football match of the year that took place last Wednesday against Oakwood Park Grammar School.  It was certainly a good day for MGS as the 1^st XI beat Oakwood Park Grammar School 4 – 1.  Well done Maidstonians.

Continuing the theme of sport, thank you to the senior players and staff who have made it possible for two inter-house competitions to take place so far this year.  In the first week of term we saw benchball, and last week we saw netball.  The winners of the benchball competition were Corpus Christi House, with Tonbridge taking the honours in netball. The bar is now set very high for the upcoming touch rugby inter-house tournaments.

This week is a slightly quieter week following a busy start to the year.  There are a number of rugby and football fixtures across different age groups against a variety of Kent schools, and on Wednesday we are hosting our annual Higher Education Fair for years 10 to 13, where over 50 university and higher education institutions will be present in school promoting their organisation and providing essential advice to some of our more senior students on the next steps.  Parents of those year groups do come along – it starts at 4.30pm.

Tuesday 10 September 2024

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who was involved with Friday’s Upper School Speech Day and Year 7 Team Building Day.  The weather was sadly not on our side, but despite wet conditions Year 7 still had a good time getting to know their fellow Maidstonians, and the guests and prize-winners at the speech day still valued the opportunity to celebrate.  It was a good day for MGS.

With last week starting in a phased way, this week is the first full week of school for everyone.  On Wednesday we welcome year 12 students and their parents to the Year 12 Information Evening: an event for Year 12 to understand more about what is to come as they embark on two years of A-level study.  On Friday we wish a number of our students well as they leave for the weekend to complete their Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Assessed Expedition.  And on Saturday we look forward to the first Saturday rugby fixture against Gravesend Grammar School.  Good luck to all the walkers and players, and thank you to the staff who will be accompanying them. 

Finally, huge congratulations must go to Carys of Year 13 and Corpus Christi House who, over the summer, competed in the Junior Track Cycling World Championships in China.  She competed in three events: the Team Pursuit, the Individual Pursuit and the Madison.  Her team placed 1st in the Team Pursuit - achieving a world record time of 4 mins and 20 seconds for 4km; she won a gold medal and achieved a PB in the Individual Pursuit; and also won another gold medal in the Madison with her partner.  Well done Carys – clearly someone to look out for in the future.

Tuesday 3 September 2024

 Welcome back to a new academic year; I hope you have all had a wonderful summer break and an opportunity to rest and relax.  This week, as we start the new year, we welcome many new Maidstonians who are joining the MGS community.  The 216 young year 7 students, the 50+ year 12 students and the 17 new members of staff all began their MGS journey today, and I hope that their time at MGS is a good one.  Tomorrow I will be welcoming them all, as well as the rest of the school, at the first whole-school assembly in the Quad.  Having over 1500 Maidstonians sat in front of me reminds me how we are all connected, and it is those connections that make MGS a special place.  I hope everyone has a good start to the year. 

Contrast this to the end of the week where we will be welcoming back some of the outgoing students who left in the summer to receive prizes at the Upper School Speech Day.  At the start of every academic year we award prizes to a number of senior students from the previous years’ 11, 12 and 13 as well as reflect on the year that has passed.  This year’s guest of honour is Old Maidstonian Dan Abnet who attended MGS back in the 1980s and who went on to write for Marvel and DC Comics.  Let us hope the weather is good so as we can host the event in the Quad – something we have not been able to do since 2019.  Also on Friday the new year 7 students will be enjoying a morning of team building activities to encourage them get to know more of their fellow Maidstonians as they transition from their smaller primary schools to the much bigger school of MGS.  I am sure they will make new friends in the process.

Finally, I would like to draw your attention to an upcoming art exhibition featuring the work of MGS art teachers.  From Saturday 21 September for three months, work by Mr Ashenfelter, Mr Hanratty, Mr Jones and Mr Martin will be on display at the Maidstone Museum.  Please go to www.museum.maidstone.gov.uk for more details.  Admission is free.