HTB

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