HT Blog – Tuesday 15 July 2025

 

HT Blog – Tuesday 15 July 2025

As we approach the final days of the 2024–25 academic year, it’s hard to believe how quickly the time has flown. This has been another challenging yet remarkable year in the life of MGS, and with the summer holidays now in sight, a well-earned rest awaits us all before we begin afresh in September.

But before we officially wrap up the year, we still have one more important and eventful week ahead.

Our final week is a little different from the usual. With lessons set aside, we enter Enrichment Week—a time for students to step outside their normal timetables and take part in a range of exciting, diverse activities designed to broaden their horizons and spark new interests. Alongside this, we’ll also enjoy our festival-style Sports Day, our traditional Founders’ Day Service and Lower School Speech Day, and the Biennial Inspection of the CCF led by Brigadier Lamb. It may be the last week of term, but it certainly won't be a quiet one!

As is customary at this time of year, we also take a moment to say goodbye and thank you to some much-valued members of staff who are moving on: Mr Sharp (Design & Technology) has made a strong impression in his single year with us. He now moves into an exciting new role at the Rochester Bridge Trust, continuing his journey in education beyond the classroom. Mr Knight, who returned to support the English Department this year, now resumes his well-earned retirement. His guidance and experience have been much appreciated. Mrs Handley, from our Finance Team, departs after an extraordinary 19 years of service. Her meticulous approach to school budgeting has kept us on track—and we are deeply grateful. Mrs Van Mol, also retiring after 19 years at MGS (and an incredible 49 years in education), has been a steadfast presence in our school community. Her legacy will be long remembered.

Mr Young, our Head of Computing and E-Learning Manager, retires after 27 years at MGS. Thanks to his vision and dedication, our Computing Department has become one of the best in the county—and arguably the country. His impact on generations of students is immeasurable. We thank each of them for their dedication and service. They leave behind not only a professional legacy but also warm memories, and we wish them all the very best for the future.

Before I sign off, I’d like to share a final piece of good news from the student community: Michael in Year 11 recently took part in the Rugby Americas North U19 Championship, where he not only scored two tries, but also earned a mention for Maidstone Grammar School from the commentators! A fantastic achievement—well done, Michael.

To everyone in the MGS community—students, staff, families, and friends—thank you for another incredible year. I wish you all a relaxing, refreshing, and well-deserved summer break.

See you in September.

HT Blog Tuesday 8 July 2025

 

HT Blog -Tuesday 8 July 2025

Hello there, Mr Hanratty here. Yesterday marked the start of Extended Learning Week for Year 7 to 9. ELW is a unique feature of our curriculum and a week many students and staff look forward to, with many arguing it is the best week of the year. This is because during ELW we suspend the normal timetable and provide learning and enrichment experiences that students wouldn’t normally experience through the formal curriculum, including residentials and trips.

Some of our popular activities include Basketball Camp, Chess, Debating, DT Soap Box (a high-energy, Grand Prix-style race where teams will put their soapboxes they’ve been building all week to the test), Golf Academy at Tudor Park Golf Club in Bearsted, Harry Potter Workshop at (of course) Harry Potter Studios, MGS Bake Off, Rowing, Special Effects Makeup, Water sports on St Andrews Lakes (very popular), and Wrestler Bootcamp where students meet real professional wrestlers, create their own wrestler persona, and take part in appropriate exercises that would one day make them ring-ready!

Many of the activities on offer run for 2 and a half days until tomorrow lunchtime, and then we have a reset for those students who have signed up for two 2.5-day activities. There are also 5-day activities such as golf, and of course trips - these include visits to France, Spain, and our CCF contingents travelling to different corners of the UK. We will update our social media over this week with many photos from the various trips and activities and will also publish a rundown of the week in our end of term newsletter.

And while speaking about end of term, next week is the final week of the academic year - and a busy one to end on. On Monday we will celebrate Founders’ Day with our annual service at All Saints Church in Maidstone. The school will walk to the church for the service in the morning and walk back in the afternoon to join our Lower School Speech Day, where subject prizes and top scholar awards will be awarded. The list of prize winners will be published in next week’s end of term newsletter.

On Wednesday we will hold our Sports Day (weather permitting, of course), and you can feel the excitement building amongst the students for this day - they say boys tend to have a competitive streak - well, you really see it when it comes to Sports Day. Like previous years, parents and carers are invited to come along for the day or part of it.

On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, we will be suspending the normal timetable for enrichment activities - similar to this week’s Extended Learning Week - but the focus is more academic in nature, with students given the opportunity to explore academic subjects they wouldn’t normally get exposed to. For example, Year 7 will take part in Film and Media workshops, and Year 10 will take part in Politics and Philosophy lessons.

While on the subject of Year 10, this year group, along with Year 12, are involved in work experience this week while everyone else takes part in ELW. Thank you to our Careers Team for supporting them in finding positions and thank you also to the many employers who have supported our work experience programme.

Finally, looking back at last week, Thursday was really a day of two bookends - with Year 6 Induction Day held during the school day and Year 13 Prom in the evening and night.

On Thursday we were pleased to welcome our soon-to-be Maidstonians from Year 6 to their Year 7 Induction Day with us. They took part in a carousel of activities and team building opportunities and joined the whole school for one of our assemblies in the Quad. We hope they enjoy their final weeks at primary school, have a great summer, and we look forward to welcoming them in September as our 477^th cohort.

And following the Induction Day, that night Year 13 celebrated the end of their MGS journey at their Prom at Leeds Castle. It was great to hear them speak so positively about their time at the school and their recent exam experience. Speeches, prize giving, and quizzes took place between a fantastic three course meal, with plenty of laughter, singing, and some questionable dance moves (including from staff!). A big thank you to the Prom Committee for organising and running such a successful event, and to Leeds Castle for hosting us. We look forward to seeing Year 13 again on A Level Results Day on the 14 August and hope they all have a wonderful summer in the meantime.

As we quickly now approach the end of term, I’m sure the Head will share his closing message with all you Constant Readers, but as I will not have the opportunity, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you all an enjoyable summer with sunshine and laughs wherever you may be. I may write to you all again in the future through this blog, so until then, take care.

HT Blog – Tuesday 1 July 2025

 

HT Blog – Tuesday 1 July 2025

Firstly, I would like to recognise Old Maidstonian Professor Peter Brennan, Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, who has been awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours. This prestigious recognition reflects his outstanding contribution to the field of surgery and his commitment to improving patient safety. Our heartfelt congratulations go to Peter on this well-deserved honour.

This week, our Year 9 students are taking part in the Business Enterprise Challenge – a two-and-a-half-day event where the entire year group collaborates with external facilitators to tackle a range of business scenarios. The programme culminates in a presentation afternoon, during which students pitch their ideas to a panel of expert judges and MGS staff. It promises to be a valuable and inspiring experience for all involved.

Continuing the theme of business and the world of work, on Thursday our Year 8 students will be out of school for their Workplace Shadowing Day. This initiative gives them the opportunity to experience a day in the professional world—many alongside their parents, while others venture further afield. Whatever the setting, we hope the day offers a meaningful insight into life beyond MGS.

Also on Thursday, we are delighted to welcome the newest members of our community for the Year 6 Induction Day. These future Maidstonians will spend the day getting to know their new school and each other, as they prepare for the exciting step into secondary education in September. And while the school may be filled with the energy of our youngest pupils during the day, we will be celebrating at the other end of the journey in the evening, as over 150 students and many staff members come together at Leeds Castle for the MGS Leavers’ Prom. It will be a wonderful evening of reflection, celebration, and farewell—with, no doubt, a few tired faces the following morning!

For next week’s HT Blog, I will be handing over the reins to Mr. Hanratty. It is Extended Learning Week, with Years 7 to 9 participating in a range of exciting activities, while Years 10 and 12 engage in valuable work experience. I will be out of school for the entire week, as I will be involved in one of the activities myself.