I would like to start this week’s blog by congratulating our senior football and rugby squads on their excellent performances in the first round of their respective national competitions.
Our rugby team produced an outstanding performance against
King’s School Canterbury, securing a well-earned 27–14 victory. At the same time, our footballers also
provided plenty of drama, eventually securing victory on penalties after an
entertaining 2–2 draw. A huge well done to everyone involved - players and
coaches alike. These results are a wonderful reflection of the commitment, hard
work and ambition of our senior sports teams. We now look forward to the next
round and, as ever, we go again!
This week at school is dominated by one major event: our 11+
Open Evening.
On Thursday evening, more than 1,000 prospective pupils and
their parents and carers will walk through the corridors of MGS, exploring our
classrooms, meeting our staff and pupils, and beginning to consider whether
they might one day become a Maidstonian themselves.
This is always one of my favourite events of the school
year. There is something particularly special about opening our doors and
giving prospective families the opportunity to experience MGS for themselves.
An Open Evening is about far more than impressive facilities or displays of
pupils' work; it is about capturing the character of our school and
demonstrating what makes this community such a special place to be.
For many of the Year 5 and Year 6 pupils visiting us, this
will be their first real glimpse of secondary school life and an important
moment in their journey towards making one of the biggest educational decisions
they have faced so far. Our role is therefore not simply to show them what we
do, but to give them a genuine sense of what it feels like to be part of MGS.
Thursday's event is not, however, our only opportunity to
welcome prospective families this week. Our Open Morning on Tuesday provides
another important opportunity to showcase the school, but with a rather
different perspective. Taking place during the normal school day, visitors will
be able to see MGS as it really is: pupils learning, teachers teaching,
corridors bustling and the everyday life of the school unfolding around them.
These events are very much a whole-school effort. From the
pupils who act as guides and ambassadors, to the teachers and support staff who
prepare classrooms, activities and presentations, there are an enormous number
of people working behind the scenes to make these occasions successful. I would
therefore like to offer a huge thank you to everyone involved. I know how much
time, energy and enthusiasm goes into preparing for these events, and I am
incredibly grateful for the way in which the whole MGS community comes together
to show prospective families what we are about.
Finally,
I want to take the opportunity to thank Oliver in Year 11, who led the
organisation of last Friday evening's World Scout Jamboree Quiz Night.
Only
two weeks ago, it looked as though we might have to cancel the event due to
interest. However, once again, the wider MGS community demonstrated exactly
what makes this school such a wonderful place. Through the support and
generosity of staff, families and friends, the event was able to go ahead - and
what an evening it turned out to be. Twenty teams battled it out in a
fun-packed evening of general knowledge, with plenty of friendly rivalry,
laughter and, of course, some highly competitive moments along the way. It was
fantastic to see so many members of our community coming together to support
such a worthwhile cause.