Tuesday 29 September 2021

Last Friday and Saturday were two more days when we could welcome the wider community into the School. 

On Friday we enjoyed a non-uniform day and bumper cake sale to acknowledge the MacMillan Coffee Morning.  About 50 parents and former staff came into school to enjoy the occasion with us, soon followed by hundreds of hungry children eager to buy a piece of cake.  It was a wonderful event and thank you to Mrs Cook and the prefect team for organising the day.

On Saturday it was the turn of the Old Maidstonian Society.  About 50 former students and their families returned to MGS for a light tea and afternoon of conversation.  The Old Maidstonian Society is an important organisation that promotes the School’s culture of belonging ensuring that former students remain in contact with their school.  Maidstonians have an allegiance to their school when they are here, and this is equally seen amongst Old Maidstonians who have similar stories and tales to tell about their experiences.  A big thank you to the Old Maidstonian Committee for organising the event and to the six prefects who acted as guides and who represented the youth of today.

Sadly, in contrast, Saturday morning, before the Old Maidstonian event, was not a ‘good day at the office’.  The rugby fixture on that day was against Skinners’ School.  In total, including the fixtures on the Friday afternoon, there were 10 matches, and MGS only came away with two wins: U12B and U13A.  As always though, the students did themselves proud and played with great spirit, and I know they will use the experience to improve for the future.  Part of winning is losing!  A huge thank you to all of the staff and parent helpers who made the weekend rugby possible. 

Due to the current fuel shortages we have had to postpone the Year 9 Information Evening, but the Year 10 one is still going ahead on Wednesday.  Just like with years 11 and 12, these evenings are important as they provide an opportunity for parents to hear what they can expect from us and how we will be supporting their sons, particularly after the last 18 months of disruption.  We will be in contact with year 9 parents to reschedule.

Tuesday 21 September 2021

We have now reached the end of the second week of the new school year, and I continue to be impressed with how our Maidstonians have settled into life at MGS.  I think they secretly are pleased to be back.  The relaunch of our vertical house structure and the reintroduction of mixed aged forms have been positively welcomed, and this is down to the many positive virtues our students have.  Well done everyone, and thank you.

Last Wednesday we saw both senior rugby squads bring home wins for the School.  The 2^nd XV beat Simon Langton Boys 24-5 as part of the weekly fixture programme and the 1^st XV beat St Lawrence College 42-12 in the first round of the National Cup.  Well done to the players, and thank you to the many who came along to support creating a lovely atmosphere to be a part of.  Last Thursday was the first day the CCF met after school, and it was the first time the new Year 9 students took part alongside their fellow cadets.  Both these examples of the rugby players and CCF cadets illustrate how verticality works: different aged students seamlessly mixing, so much so that you cannot tell who is in what year. 

This week we welcomed parents of year 11 students to attend the Year 11 Information Evening: an evening to hear from us about the coming year.  Next week students of years 9 and 10, and their parents, will have their respective evenings.  

This week we are also arranging for form tutors to meet with their year 13 parents to discuss the year ahead.  The pandemic has caused a lot of disruption, so we feel it is important that Year 13 hit the ground running to position themselves in the best place when we get round to May next year.

On Friday, we are holding our first charity day to acknowledge MacMillan Coffee Morning.  Students will be allowed to wear non-uniform, and there will be cakes available in the Hall at break.  A letter has already gone out inviting parents to attend.  Do come along.

And finally, congratulations to Oliver Thackray of Tonbridge House who has become the All Stars European Champion for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. The competition was held at the UEL Sports Dock London a couple of weekends ago. He won gold in Gi category and silver in the No Gi.  Oliver also competed last weekend in the Elite Junior European Brazilian Jiu Jitsu competition retaining his Elite Junior European champion title winning gold in Gi & silver in no gi. An amazing achievement as juniors from across the world compete in this event. Well done Oliver.

Tuesday 14 September 2021

Welcome to my first blog of the academic year.  I have now been writing a weekly blog for seven years, and so for our newest Maidstonians and their families, they simply provide a brief insight into life at MGS - sharing news, up-and-coming events and success stories.

 Firstly, I would like to reflect on the start of term and the first few days of the new year.  It is so good having everyone back in school and living life pretty normally.  On Wednesday last week we had a whole school assembly in the Quad.  With the excellent weather it was a perfect opportunity to have the entire school community in one place, and it reminded us what we all belong to.  In fact, last week’s assembly was the largest gathering of Maidstonians in the School’s 472-year history.  It was a glorious sight.

The start of term also signified the return to verticality and mixed aged forms.  Sadly, due to the pandemic and the need for year groups to remain in their bubbles, verticality has had to be put on hold, but we are delighted that we can see it return.  Our vertical house structure is something that we are very proud of and has been a main feature of the school for the last four years.  It promotes a sense of belonging and identity in a very large school community, and what we are seeing on a daily basis is truly remarkable.  In fact, on Thursday, a group of year 11 students invited a group of year 7 students to join them in a game of football, and I witnessed myself a group of year 10 students helping some year 7 students in the Refectory.  These two anecdotal examples illustrate the benefits of the house structure and the beautiful nature of MGS.

Last Friday we enjoyed a wonderful afternoon celebrating the achievements of last year’s Year 11, 12 and 13 at the Upper School Speech Day.  Sadly, the weather did not allow us to hold the event in the Quad, but despite being in the Big Hall it was still an enjoyable occasion.  Congratulations again to all prize winners, and thank you to Dr Vaughan Everett for driving all the way from Pembrokeshire to be our guest of honour.

Also on Friday we hosted our team building event for Year 7.  All morning Year 7 took part in a range of activities and challenges on the field to promote a sense of teamwork and camaraderie.  They had a lot fun and got to know many more of their peers.  

Saturday was another wonderful day for MGS as it marked the beginning of the new rugby season.  School rugby has not been seen for 18 months, so it was great being able to hold a full fixture of matches against Gravesend Grammar School.  Sadly, we only came away with two wins out of six, but the atmosphere was incredible, and the size of the watching crowd was probably the biggest I have ever seen.  Welcome back rugby!

This week we welcome parents of year 12 students to attend the Year 12 Information Evening: an evening to hear from us about the coming year.  Other year groups and their parents will have their respective evenings over the coming weeks.  

This week we are also arranging for form tutors to meet with their year 11 parents to discuss the year ahead.  The pandemic has caused a lot of disruption, so we feel it is important that Year 11 hit the ground running to position themselves in the best place when we get round to May next year.  The same idea will apply to Year 13 the following week.