Tuesday 27 June 2017

There are now only four weeks to go until the end of the year, but nothing is slowing down.  This week is a very busy one. Yesterday and Thursday we welcome a gentleman to the school who is currently undergoing his NPQH: the qualification required for headship. He will be spending 9 days in school over the next few months, and the two days this week involve him shadowing me, attending SLT meetings and working on a project that provides him with a contrast to his current school.  Yesterday I also met with the Head of a local primary school to chat about how we can both learn from each other’s experiences and give us a different perspective to our schools.  It was very helpful. This week public examinations finish after six busy weeks for a number of students.  With the examinations finishing, students in Years 11 and 13 are invited back into school to return their textbooks.  For Year 11 that day is Thursday and for Year 13 it is tomorrow.  To coincide with Year 13 book collection we also invite Year 13 to stay in school for a little longer and attend their Leavers' Tea: an opportunity to catch up once more over some strawberries and cream and a glass of punch.  Year 11's book collection takes place on Thursday morning as the rest of that day and Friday we run our Pre Sixth Form Induction Days.  Over these two days, students wishing to take up a place in the Sixth Form here spend time in school learning about the subjects they have chosen and hearing from key staff about life after GCSEs.  On Friday this week, I am out of school attending two meetings: the Kent Schools’ Funding Forum and the Kent and Medway Grammar Schools' Association.  Both meetings are incredibly valued as they provide opportunities to meet colleagues from across the county and learn about a number of important matters that affect our schools.  Also on Friday, the Parents’ Association are putting on an ABBA tribute night.  About 100 tickets have been sold already, but there is still time and availability if you fancy a night dancing to some ABBA classics.  The evening includes a BBQ and starts at 7.30pm. Congratulations to Kaan Belton (OM 2015) who qualified to row in this week’s Henley Royal Regatta, the most prestigious rowing event in the World.  He is rowing for Maidstone Invicta Rowing Club, in a coxless 4, and has a pretty good chance for progressing past the first round in the competition.  Well done and good luck Kaan. And finally, Teddy Ostler of Year 7 coxed a J14 crew on Saturday for the South East at Peterborough Junior Regatta, and after a long hard gruelling day with wins under his belts progressed to the final and won gold.  Well done Teddy.