HT
Blog – Tuesday 25 February 2025
Welcome back to
school and to the start of Term 4. We
are now into the second half of the academic year, and in just a couple of
months students in years 11 and 13 will be embarking on their respective GCSE
and A-level examinations. This is the
term when those same students take their studies up a notch and start to
prepare for the final push. The library
this time of year certainly gets much quieter and starts to be more heavily
occupied!
Before I continue
looking ahead to this week, I wish to thank the entire school community for the
generous support that they have shown Mr Saunders and his partner since we
heard the very sad news of the death of their baby son Alfie. The coming together on the last day of Term 3
for the impromptu non-uniform day was certainly appreciated by them both and
illustrated how we all feel about each other.
The incredible sum of £2500 was raised which will now be sent to The
Lullaby Trust: a charity dedicated to keeping babies safe and grieving families
supported.
A huge thank you
to the staff who supported a number of Maidstonians over the half term
break. Mr Hanratty accompanied a small
number of sixth form students who took part in the reginal heat of the Cambridge
Union Debating Competition here at MGS; Mr Wrein, Mrs Ridgeway and Mr Mole for
accompanying another group of sixth form students to Austria; and Mr Smith, Mr
Hughes and Mr Cooper for accompanying the Senior Football Squad to Spain on
their football camp.
Now looking to
this week, I start this term with two days searching for the next school captain
and school vice-captain. Just before the
half term break the pool of 31 applicants from Year 12 was whittled down to
eight, and now those shortlisted applicants go through a rigorous two-day
interview process to see who will achieve the two roles. I have always enjoyed this time of year as I
get to spend two days in the company of a group of Maidstonians that wish to
lead and serve the school in the highest way possible. The successful two candidates will be
announced later this week. Good luck to
them all.
And finally best wishes and good luck to our 1st X1 squad who compete in the semi-final of the Kent Cup against Borden Grammar School tomorrow. This is a home match with kick-off at 2.30pm, the entire school community is behind Mr Hughes and the team.