Tuesday 29 October 2019

Welcome to my first blog of Term 2.  I hope you all had an enjoyable half term and a well-deserved break.  

 

Firstly, I would like to thank the staff, the year 7 guides, the prefects and all the other student helpers who supported the school at the Year 6 Open Evening just before the half term break.  It was an extremely positive evening with many families and visitors attending.  Thank you all.

 

We return to school with a quiet week.  Tonight after work the staff have a meeting to reflect on the year so far and to look forward to what is to come.  Friday is the Post 16 Open Morning where we welcome year 11 students from other schools to see what we do before they decide whether they would like to make an application to join our sixth form.  And on Saturday we welcome the wider school community into the school to attend the annual MGS Parents’ Association Firework Display.  This event always proves to be popular one.  Advance tickets are available from the Bursary or they can be purchased on the gate.  Gates open at 5pm with the display starting at 7pm.  Do come along.

 

Finally, congratulations to Zachary Martin of Corpus Christi House CR2 who recently attend two international roller skating competitions as part of Team GB.  He competed internationally for the first time in September at the Cup of Europe in Roana Italy where he placed 7^th; and has just come back from the Hettange International in France where he placed 2^nd.  This follows Zac winning the Youth Men’s British Championship back in May this year.  Well done Zac.

Tuesday 15 October 2019

I cannot believe this is my last blog entry of Term 1 - where have the last seven weeks gone?!

 

Firstly, I wish to congratulate all of the rugby squads for their performances at the weekend.  This weekend’s fixtures were against Sir Joseph Williamson Mathematical School with all squads winning their respective matches.  Close games were the U15s and 2nd XV who narrowly won 22 - 21 and 10 - 7 respectively.  Well done to all the boys involved and many thanks to the members of staff who accompanied them.

 

Continuing the rugby theme, congratulations to the 1st XV squad who beat St Dunstan’s 64 - 5 last Wednesday in the National Bowl competition.  One more game and we progress from the regional level of the competition to the national one.  

 

This week is another busy one for the school and me.  Yesterday after school I attended the first Old Maidstonian Society committee meeting of the academic year and the Parents’ Association AGM.  Both the Old Maidstonian Society and the Parents’ Association do incredible work supporting the school raising money and providing opportunities for their members to socialise.  Events coming up in November are the annual PA Firework Display and the OM London Get-Together.  We look forward to welcoming many respective members.

 

Today I am going into London to attend the Grammar School Heads’ Association October Seminar and the annual House of Commons Reception.  These events provide excellent opportunities for networking as well as providing important training for grammar school heads.  Before going into London we held our second Year 6 Open Morning - inviting families into school to see if we are a choice for their sons for next September.

 

And on Thursday is our Year 6 Open Evening which is probably the most important event of the school year.  Every member of staff along with many hundreds of our students will be supporting their school during the evening putting on numerous subject exhibitions and displays advertising what we do here.  It always proves to be a busy occasion, but an incredibly rewarding one.

 

 

Tuesday 8 October 2019

HM Blog - Tuesday 8^th October 2019

 

Firstly, I would like to thank College House for arranging the first charity day of the academic year last Friday.  We saw many students and staff enjoying the College House Fete at break and lunch which was put on to raise money for the Maidstone charity Mind.  Early figures indicate a total of £2300 being raised.  Well done everyone.

 

Congratulations to the U12 rugby squads who beat Beths Grammar School at home at the weekend and to the U14 squad who won away.  What also added to a winning Saturday for MGS was the World Cup result of England beating Argentina 39 - 10.  With so many parents accompanying their boys we decided to show the World Cup match in the pavilion clubhouse.  Wins all round, a cuppa, and a bite to eat were all warmly received and all added to a good start to the weekend.

 

This week is a very busy one, with yesterday being the quietest.  Tomorrow we welcome parents of year 7 boys into the school to attend the Year 7 Welcome Evening.  It is an opportunity to explain in more detail what parents can expect over the coming months and years as they begin their relationship with us.  

 

On Wednesday we officially open the new War Memorial Library.  Author and Old Maidstonian Dan Abnett is the guest of honour, who will not only be opening the Library, but will also be running a workshop for a group of students.  Former students and staff, donors, and relatives of some of the fallen Old Maidstonians, along with current students, staff and governors, will all present.

 

On Thursday we not only will be welcoming Mark Fenton, CEO of the Grammar School Heads’ Association, to spend a day in school seeing what we do, we will also be enjoying some music and variety at the Performing Arts Autumn Showcase.  Do come along to the latter - performances start at 6.30pm.

 

And on Friday we open our doors to the wider community for the first Year 6 Open Morning.  That time of the year has come around when we look forward to next September and welcome families who are considering MGS as the school for their sons.  Year 7 guides will be providing tours, supported by senior prefects and staff who will be on hand to answer any questions.

Tuesday 1 October 2019

Firstly, I wish to apologise for having to postpone the whole school photograph last Wednesday due to the weather.  The whole school photograph is not just a photograph; it is an event in itself.  Seeing the whole school together is always a pleasure, but we will have to wait a little while longer.

 

However, last Wednesday was a good day for the school because the 1st XV rugby squad as well as the 1st and 2nd XI football squads all came back from away matches with wins.  The 1st XV rugby squad beat Oakwood Park Grammar School 40 - 0, and the 1st and 2nd XI football squads beat Dane Court Grammar School and Queen Elizabeth Grammar School 5 - 3 and 10 - 2 respectively.  Well done to all the players and thank you to the members of staff who accompanies them.

 

And I must thank everyone who came along to last Friday’s MacMillan coffee morning.  Once again the event was very well attended bringing together all members of the school community, and in the process raised £430.

 

This week we see a number of different events.  Tomorrow we welcome parents of Year 10 into school to attend the Year 10 Information Evening - an evening for parents to understand what can be expected for the coming year; on Thursday the Old Maidstonian Society annual quiz is taking place; and on Friday we see the first house charity day of the academic year led by College House.  Students and staff are planning a variety of events during the day to raise money and awareness for Maidstone Mind - a charity supporting people of Maidstone with mental health and wellbeing issues.  

 

Finally, congratulations to Beatrice Fury of Corpus Christi House who represented Kent Schools at the English Schools Race Walking Championships at Exeter at the weekend and came away as Senior Girls 5km Champion.  Well done to Beatrice.

 

Tuesday 24 September 2019

At the weekend all of the rugby squads were away at Cranbrook.  With our pitches being too hard following the long dry and warm spell we had to call off all home matches, but fortunately Cranbrook was able to accommodate them.  We returned to school with two wins and two losses. 

 

Also at the weekend, the CCF entered two teams into the Cadet Skill at Arms Meet.  Cadets competed against CCF and ACF teams from all over the South East of England, in five different shooting matches.  The highlight of the competition for MGS was the Falling Plate Competition.  Congratulations to the tri-service team comprising of George Plumb RN, Simon Gurung Army, Alfred Hodges RAF and Logan Runham RAF, who won silver in the Falling Plate. 

 

Congratulations to the 1^st XI football squad who beat Dover Boys’ Grammar School 4 – 0 last week, and well done to Oliver Thackray of Tonbridge House who became the European Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Champion on Saturday in Birmingham winning gold. He also won bronze in the No Gi European Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Championships the following day.

 

Last night we welcomed parents of year 9 students into school to attend the Year 9 Information Evening.  The evening provided an opportunity for parents to hear what can be expected now their sons have begun their GCSE studies.  Thank you to everyone who attended.

 

Tonight after school is the second training session for teaching staff looking at developing strategies for differentiation in the classroom.  Over the course of the year these training sessions will be addressing a number of areas of teaching and learning we wish to see develop.  Feedback so far from teaching staff has been positive.

 

Tomorrow our Higher Education Fair takes place.  Over 50 colleges and universities will be in school providing literature and information about their institutions.  It is a very popular event which is aimed at students in years 10 to 13.  Do come along.  The event is between 5pm and 7.30pm.

 

And on Friday is the annual MacMillan Coffee Morning.  This is a national event which we have been acknowledging for years.  At morning break there will be cakes and refreshments available for the entire school community to buy.  Last year we raised over £600, so let us hope we can beat that this year.

 

Tuesday 17 September 2019

Firstly, I would like thank everyone who was involved with the organisation in last Friday’s speech day, and congratulate again all senior prize winners.  It was a wonderful occasion which added to the already positive start we have had to the new academic year.  It was a good day for the school.

 

Congratulations to all rugby squads at the weekend for bringing home a clean sheet of wins for the School beating Gravesend Grammar School at U18, U15, U14 and U13 levels.  Well done boys, an excellent start to the season; long may it continue.  Next week is Cranbrook School.

 

Also, we are delighted to be able to share the further good news that we last week secured planning permission for our all-weather pitch project.  We can now very soon begin construction of the pitch which is very much needed as the school continues to expand.

 

This week all form tutors are arranging meetings to see parents of year 13 students to discuss what they can expect from us over the coming year, and understand how the UCAS process is going to work.  At these meetings the UCAS predicted grades and elements of the UCAS reference will be shared with the students so they can understand where they currently are and what they can do to improve.

 

Also starting from this week we have a number of library launch events that have been planned to mark the opening of the new library.  The official opening will not take place until early October, but these events have been arranged to illustrate the benefits of the new library with it now being the academic hub of the school.  The first of these events takes place on Thursday – a spoken word poetry workshop aimed at years 12 and 13.

 

On Thursday parents of year 12 students are invited into school to attend the Year 12 Information Evening.  The students have just embarked on their A Level studies and so it is important they understand what is to come over the next two years.  The evening starts at 7pm.

Tuesday 10 September 2019

Firstly, I would like to congratulate Mrs Coveney who successfully completed the Great North Run at the weekend.  It was her first attempt, completing it in a time of 2 hours and 25 minutes.  Well done and congratulations.

 

Following last week’s staggered return to school, this week is the first full week of the year.  On Monday, Year 7 enjoyed the presentation ‘Bach To The Future’ from Kent Music, the organisation that promotes and encourages young people to learn an instrument.  It was a success last year, so we invited them back this year, and once again the response from the boys was again extremely positive.

 

Today the teaching staff begin a yearlong programme of continuous professional development that will support our aims of improved academic excellence.  Our hard work over the last two years has identified key aspects of the school we wish to see develop, and so this vital training will address those areas and provide new ideas for teachers to use in their classrooms.

 

On Wednesday we see the first senior rugby match of the year, playing Sutton Valence School in the National Cup.  A win will mean we play either Skinners’ School or our local rivals Oakwood Park Grammar School in the next round.  Good luck boys.

 

On Friday we will be enjoying our annual Beginning of Year Service and Upper School Speech Day, as well as Year 7 taking part in some team building activities.  This year’s guest of honour at Speech Day is Mr Paul Smith, former deputy head, who retired in 2017 and who gave 24 years’ service to the school.  We look forward to welcoming him back.

 

And at the weekend all of our rugby squads take part in their first game of the season, playing against Gravesend Grammar School. The U14 and U13 squads are at home with the U15 and 1^st and 2^nd XV squads being away.  Good luck to everyone.

 

Tuesday 3 September 2019

Welcome to the start of a new academic year, and welcome to the first blog.  For new readers the Headmaster’s Blog is published weekly, and gives readers a small insight into the workings of the school along with hearing about success stories.  

 

Before the year started we have already been busy analysing the summer examination results, and we are delighted to announce two sets of very pleasing and improving results at both GCSE and A-Level.  At A-Level 60% of all exam entries were graded A*- B, up 5% from last year and up 16% from 2017.  85% of all grades were graded A* - C, the highest we have ever had.  40 students achieved two A grades or better with 18 students achieving at least three A grades or better.  At GCSE 44% of all subject entries were graded 7 to 9, up 7% from the previous year.  99% of students gained five 9 to 4 grades, over 50% of students achieved five or more 7 to 9 grades, and over one-third of students achieved eight or more 7 to 9 grades. 

 

Over the next two days we welcome the students back to school.  Today, years 7, 12 and 13 return with the rest of the school returning tomorrow.  This staggered start will hopefully allow us to focus our attention on welcoming our newest students as well as dealing with the very important administration that always occurs at the start of the year.  Once all the students are here tomorrow we can then get on with the year which always starts with a whole school assembly.  Talking to the entire school community is always a delight, and fingers crossed for good weather as we need to have the assembly outside in the Quad.

 

Tuesday 16 July 2019

Well here it is, the final blog of the academic year.  I am sure many of you are looking forward to the summer holiday and having a well-deserved break.  It has been a busy year, but it is not over yet!

 

Firstly, congratulations to Merrick Scott of Corpus Christi House who won a gold medal in Karate for England in a tournament held in Japan at the weekend, at the same time achieving his black belt grading.  Well done Merrick.  And congratulations to William Watson of Tonbridge House who recently has been attending the Italia Conti School of Performing Arts in Tunbridge Wells.  At the weekend he took part in their bi-annual show at the Assembly Hall and was awarded the Italia Conti Prize for Upper Junior Acting.  Well done William.

 

Last night many members of staff enjoyed the company of Year 13 at the Leavers’ Prom, which was held this year at Leeds Castle.  The weather stayed dry which added to a pleasant evening, and Year 13 looked the part in their dinner jackets and evening dresses.  Thank you Year 13 for being a special year, and thank you to the staff who supervised the event until the early hours of the morning.

 

Today is Sports Day.  This annual event sees the entire school community come together to compete in houses for the Sports Cup.  Last year Corpus Christi House dominated the day, but will the other three houses want to see a different name on the cup this year.  

 

Tomorrow is a new event in the school calendar, but an important one.  We are inviting the many supporters of the school who volunteer their time for free to join us in school for us to say thank you.  Representatives from the Governing Body, the Parents’ Association, the Old Maidstonian Society and the MGS Development Fund will be attending as well as referees who have supported our sporting fixtures, volunteers who support the CCF, and representatives from Maidstone Mind and CAST.

 

Thursday evening is the end of year staff party where we say goodbye to those members of staff who are leaving the MGS Community.  This year we are saying goodbye to 10 of our colleagues, who have collectively given 70 years’ service to the school.  We wish them all well in their new ventures.

 

And Friday is the last day of term and the last day of the academic year.  It will end in the usual way with the final assembly where we look back on the year and give out some more awards to recognise a variety of achievements.

 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

 

Tuesday 9 July 2019

Firstly, I would like to thank the entire staffing body for another excellent Extended Learning Week.  While Year 10 and Year 12 were completing a week of work experience, years 7 to 9 enjoyed a week of fun activities.  The weather stayed fine, which added to the success of the week, and the hard work in preparation for the week paid off.  Thank you.

 

On return to normality yesterday we held a very special event in the school.  Ben Babington-Browne, an Old Maidstonian who left in 2000, died tragically in Afghanistan exactly 10 years ago.  He was the last Old Maidstonian to have lost his life whilst serving in the armed forces, and so it was befitting to commemorate the occasion with a small memorial service.  In attendance was Ben’s family; Mr Turrell, Ben’s Headmaster as well as Governors.  Ben’s name, and all other names of Old Maidstonians who have lost their lives whilst serving since the 2^nd World War, will be remembered on a new memorial board that will hang in the new library. 

 

Also yesterday we welcomed parents of Year 10 into school to attend the Year 10 Parents’ Evening.  Even though we are nearing the end of the academic year it is vital at this stage to prepare the boys for the next 12 months, particularly as they are going to end that time with their GCSE examinations.

 

Today we welcome pupils from our local primary schools into school to enjoy two events: The Kent Music Primary Orchestra and Concert Day and our own Primary Outreach Brazil Event.  And then on Thursday we welcome our newest Maidstonians into school to enjoy the Year 6 Induction Day. Over 200 boys will spend the day with us getting to know each other and learning a bit more about the school they will be spending the next seven years in.  We hope they enjoy the day.

 

And on Friday we celebrate the founding of the School at the Founders’ Day Service and congratulate our youngest students in their achievements at the annual Lower School Speech Day.  The Rt Hon Helen Grant, MP is the Guest of Honour.