24 November 2020

We started the week yesterday welcoming back year 13 students from their two-week self-isolation period.  Their return followed the return of year 12 students last Friday.  It is now good to have the entire sixth form back in school - we have missed them.

This week we share some good news.  We are holding two edited down but socially distanced speech days for years 12 and 13 to recognise the students’ achievements from last year and award prizes and school colours to those students who have gone over and above in their commitment, service and leadership to the School.  We look forward to sharing their successes at the afternoon events.

Congratulations to the Senior Debating Team who qualified in the final of the Debating Matters competition. Thank you to Liam Turner and Ellie Breeze of Year 13 who led the team, and for Mr Ferguson for making it all happen.  It is so pleasing to be sharing such good news considering the difficulties schools are having at the moment running their extra-curricular programmes. 

Tuesday 16 November 2020

Firstly, I would like to thank those members of staff and students who helped organise the Children In Need charity day.  Collectively we raised nearly £1000, and enjoyed taking part in the virtual Children In Need duck race.  Over 300 members of the MGS community took part in the race, but sadly my duck, James Pond, came sixth.  Oh well!

Year 10 are now the eldest students in the school.  Currently, years 11, 12 and 13 are at home self-isolating so it is down to Year 10 to be the ambassadors of the school.  Teaching for years 11, 12 and 13 continues online, but nothing can replace the experience the students receive when in the classroom.  We look forward to them returning over the coming days.

The all-weather pitch is progressing extremely well and hopefully will be ready for use in December.  Being on duty each day in the Year 7 zone I have witnessed with my own eyes the gradual construction of the pitch, from the first hole being dug to now a completely flat tarmacked surface.  Over the coming days the shock pad, rubber crumb and then artificial grass layers get put down which will turn it from being a giant carpark to a 3G pitch.  We are all looking forward to it being completed.

Tuesday 10 November 2020

This week is a busy and significant week at MGS. 

Tomorrow is Armistice Day and so we will be pausing at 11am to acknowledge the two-minute silence and remember the fallen Maidstonians who lost their lives whilst serving in the armed services.  Around the school there are memorial boards that honour the Old Maidstonains that died in The Boar War, the First and Second World Wars as well as those who died since 1945.  The Remembrance Service will be somewhat different due to the circumstances we are in, but it is still important that we pause for two minutes and reflect for a moment on those Old Maidstonians who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Later in the week, on Friday, we are holding our second charity day of the year in conjunction with the annual BBC Children in Need appeal.  The theme for the day is ‘Come as Yourself’, and isn’t just about dressing to impress. It’s about showing it’s okay to let the world see the real you, so BBC Children in Need can help more young people feel better about themselves, and this is particularly poignant during a national lockdown and being restricted in who we are and what we can do.  Thank you in advance to everyone for supporting.

Also on Friday the MGS Parents’ Association is holding a virtual gin event where people who have signed up will experience a tour of a local gin factory as well as tasting a couple of different samples.  The Parents’ Association has been restricted in what it can do, so I am really pleased that the committee members, led by Mrs Hudson, have been creative, trying different ideas, to bring the wider MGS community together.  Enjoy the evening.

Tuesday 3 November 2020

Welcome back and I hope you all have had an enjoyable but restful October break.

This week sees the beginning of the autumn GCSE examination period.  Due to the National Lockdown year 12 students sadly missed the opportunity to sit their GCSEs, so a number of them have chosen to sit some of their examinations over the next three weeks.  We wish them all well.  Results will be released in January.

Today we welcome to MGS a representative from The Good Schools Guide.  The Good Schools Guide is a well-recognised guide that helps parents choose the best education for their children.  Today will provide an opportunity for us to showcase what we do and how we have developed as a school since they last visited four years ago.  Thank you in advance to the students and members of staff who will be supporting me during the day.

Friday will see the first set of assessment data published to students and parents following the first term of work.  The students have returned to normal school in good spirits and this data will help us understand how they have progressed since lockdown.