I write this following a glorious day on the river supervising the Rowing activity during the Extended Learning Week.  So many of the boys in Years 7 to 10 now look forward to this annual week of activities, and I hope that you son is thoroughly enjoying himself whatever he is doing.  This year there are so many different activities which are adding to the development of better links and relationships amongst boys between different year groups.  Friendship is the over pinning quality that we want to focus on during this year’s week.  Please do log on to the school website each day and follow our twitter feed to find out more about what you sons are getting up to.  Year 12 students this week are enjoying their week of work experience; finding things out about themselves and of the places of interest they have chosen to go.  I look forward to hearing from them their experiences.  

Thursday and Friday last week was Sixth Form Induction; where our current Year 11s, joined by a large group of external students, experienced what it is like being an MGS Sixth Form student.  A number of activities took place ranging from a ‘getting to know you’ session to taster lessons in each of their A-Level choices.  The School was busy again, which was good to see, and it is hoped that this new cohort adds to the already improved Sixth Form ethos. 

Thursday was a busy day: we held a coffee morning for parents who wanted to find out more on how we are supporting their child with any additional education or medical needs.  It proved to be a great success and thank you to the parents who came in, and to the members of staff who led on the presentations.  In addition to this we also had an ‘Investors in Careers’ assessor in school assessing how we provide high quality careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to the student body.  Not only did we gain re-approval of our work but the assessor could make virtually no comment on how we could improve on what we do such is the quality of the programme.  Many, many thanks to Mrs Acaster, Mr Smith and the students for spending time with the assessor and to Mrs Acaster for creating an excellent programme of events that include a number of work related focus days, enterprise education and the BBC School Report.  CEIAG is very much appreciated by the student body, and it remains one of the great strengths of MGS.

 

Finally, last week we received the draft review of MGS that will be appearing in the next edition of The Good Schools Guide.  MGS has never appeared in the Guide, but with our on-going developments and improvements over the last few years we were invited this year to appear.  The article is such a pleasure to read and makes one feel even more proud of the School.  The next edition of the Guide will be published later in the year so do look out for it.

 

Headmaster

Despite this time of year being slightly quieter without Years 11 and 13, the weeks are still packed full of events.  Last week I attended a very informative Grammar School Heads’ Association conference where we discussed a number of matters such as funding, curriculum and accountability changes and the impact grammar schools are having on social mobility.  The conference closed with Boris Johnson, MP speaking about ‘Grammar Schools in the 21^st Century’.  Putting our political persuasion and opinion of him to one side, we were all completely absorbed by his presence and by the way in which he delivered his speech.  He was witty, intelligent, well-informed, and articulated incredibly well the similarities between the impact grammar schools have in society to the importance and impact of cities around the world; it was a pleasure to hear him speak. 

Returning to school following the conference on Thursday last week MGS held its annual Art Exhibition and Summer Concert.  The exhibition was once again a delight to walk around and the quality of art work from the Year 11, 12 and 13 students was very high indeed.  Congratulations to all the prize winners, and everyone who had their work displayed should feel very proud.  Well done all.  Alongside the Art Exhibition was the Summer Concert which was able to be held in the Quad due to the glorious weather.  The selection of music this year was varied ranging from the Theme to Downton Abbey to Beethoven’s Adagio in F Major.  It was such a pleasant way to spend an early evening in the sunshine. 

At the weekend the Parents’ Association held its annual Family Fun and Sports Day to raise money for the association and to bring the community of the School together.  The weather held off for most of the time, which made for an enjoyable day; many people enjoyed the opportunity of winning chocolate on the tombola, sipping at a glass of Pimm’s and scrambling across the inflatable assault course.  Thank you to everyone who came along and to the many of you who donated money, cakes, chocolates and other items for the tombola and stalls.  These events are so important for the MGS Community and I thank the Parents’ Association for working hard to organise it.

This week is another busy one: last night I attended a meeting of the MGS Development Fund Trustees discussing how the Fund is progressing and what things we can continue to work on to see it develop.  Tonight is the last Full Governors’ Meeting of the academic year where, as you can appreciate, we share what has happened during the year and look forward to the next.  Remember, anyone is welcome to attend a governors’ meeting as an observer, and if you would like to do so then please make contact with The Clerk to the Governing Body, Mrs Friend.  Her email address is school@mgs-kent.org.uk.  On Wednesday the leaving Year 13 students return to school for their Leavers’ Tea followed in the evening with their Sixth Form Ball which this year is taking place at Mountains, Hildenborough.  These events are always a pleasure to go to as it is an opportunity to really say goodbye to the leaving students and also see them in their best gear.  And finally this week the new cohort of Sixth Form students for the next academic year attend school for two days at the Sixth Form Induction Conference. 

I hope you found the first Headmaster's Blog informative, giving you some idea of what goes on behind the scenes at MGS.
Last week saw the return of Year 12 following their AS Level examinations. They completed two days of activities that covered a number of important aspects from how to go about writing a UCAS Personal Statement, understanding how to manage one's finances and what to do in an emergency situation when required to give basic first aid. Today Year 12 return to normal lessons embarking on their A2 studies; it is good to have them back. Last Friday I went on my second visit to another grammar school to see what they do there and what we could learn from them.

I visited Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, Buckinghamshire and spoke to a number of staff and students about a variety of things: teaching and learning, pastoral structures, staff development, all things 6th Form, and Development Funds. I came away with some good ideas and will be sharing them with the rest of the MGS community soon.

Sharing some good news, George Oram, an Old Maidstonian aged 21, has signed a professional contract for Rotherham Titans in the Rugby IPA Championship. Not only this but he also represented England Counties on their tour of Romania last month where they won both their games. George started the first match at number 8 and came off of the bench for their second win. Congratulations George.

Later in the year in November the Maidstone Riverside Rotary Club is organising a sponsored swim to raise money for Children In Need and other local charities. 24 teams of between four and six swimmers will swim as many lengths as possible in 30 minutes - the event is open to teams of anyone and of any ability. MGS has a very close relationship with the Rotary Club and so wishes to support this event and encourage keen swimmers to take part. If you would like to know more or simply register a team then please visit www.swimrelay.co.uk. Many thanks.

This week I am attending the Grammar School Heads' Association annual conference. It takes place every June and provides a great opportunity for all the Heads of grammar schools to network, share ideas and come away with some new ones. This year Boris Johnson MP is the keynote speaker giving the case for 'Grammar Schools in the 21st Century'. I have never heard him speak but I am sure he will be fascinating to listen to and provide the odd smile as he delivers it in the only way he knows how!
Headmaster

We returned to school following the May Half Term with an Inset Day which was essentially divided into two main sessions.  Firstly, in the morning, I shared with the staff where I see MGS in five years’ time: the 2020 Vision!  This was followed by a large discussion on how we currently see our House structure, but more importantly where we see it developing in the near future.  Both the 2020 Vision and the outcome of the House discussions will be shared with the rest of the MGS Community in the coming weeks and months. 

The second part of the day was to provide more time for subject departments to continue the important work they have been doing for the last year or so preparing their schemes of learning to reflect the curriculum changes at both A-Level and GCSE.  Many changes are afoot and it is vital to ensure what we do at MGS takes into account these changes and continues to stretch and challenge our students to ensure they go on achieving the high standards we expect of them.  On Wednesday I spent a day away from school visiting Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.  It is important as a Headmaster to look outwards and see how other schools do things and see how we can develop what we do.  This will be followed by another visit to another grammar school in Buckinghamshire later in the term.  I am looking at a number of aspects: teaching and learning, curriculum and accountability changes, pastoral structures, how we monitor and support the development of staff, the recruitment of good quality teachers and the issues related to reduced budgets.  These visits not only provide opportunities to experience new ideas and approaches, but also provide time, in what is a busy job, to reflect and consider how we can do things in a different way. 

On Thursday, myself, the two Deputy Heads and my PA spent some time evaluating every aspect of the School by reviewing our School Evaluation Form. (SEF)  Each school has some form of self evaluation process as it is important to be reflective and self-critical.  The aim was to produce one concise document that reflects the workings of the School and helps to identify what things are important to do to go on developing.  This will then contribute to the creation of the School Development Plan (SDP).  Both the SEF and SDP are for internal use only, but many aspects of them will be shared throughout the year in this Blog and our Termly Newsletters. 

I hope you all value the introduction of the Headmaster's Blog and see it as an opportunity to keep you updated with what we do sometimes behind the scenes and share news that sometimes your child forgets to tell you when you get home!

 
Mr Tomkins