Headteacher’s blog 25 September 2020
“I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils.”
― William Wordsworth
We ended the summer term, as we would have done under ‘normal’ circumstances, with a celebration. Each faculty celebrated winners, which happens each term, under three categories: the student who had made the best progress, the student who was consistently brilliant all term and the student who had become better in terms of progress or conduct within that faculty. Best, brilliant, better – three types of achievement to celebrate in all three faculty areas.
These weren’t normal circumstances though; the summer term of 2020 was one in which education was conducted remotely for all but the children of keyworkers and our most vulnerable learners. It seemed absolutely fitting therefore, that the third ever recipient of the Bohunt Horsham Headteacher’s Award was Hayden.
Since joining us in September 2019 Hayden’s progress has been outstanding. Some students find a classroom environment, the process of listening to an expert whilst 29 of your peers surround you demonstrating their own varying degrees of focus, easy. Some find all of that distraction and the weight of all the expectations that you find in a classroom a real challenge. Hayden is one of those who has to work extra hard in lessons to be able to focus on what’s important and what he needs to do. Not only did he show exceptional determination throughout terms one and two but, when the world closed and our world with it, Hayden chose not to give up.
Throughout, as a school, we celebrated our engagement in remote learning. While nationally the number of students learning outside school dropped and dropped, every week ours remained steadfast at over 90%. What’s more, of those 10% who at any one time weren’t online and engaged in lessons from home, the vast majority were doing something equally important and often something that their families knew was vital to get them through the tough times we were all facing. Some were off on nature walks within family bubbles, some were participating in virtual get-togethers with loved ones, some were lost in a world of fiction in their favourite book, film or game.
Hayden though, never missed a lesson.
Not just that, he never missed a virtual assembly or a virtual school trip. His progress soared and he thrived. My amazing team of dedicated teachers was a factor in that success, of course; they planned and delivered lessons, supportive Zoom calls and provided vital feedback that Hayden needed to keep his love of learning alive. Hayden’s parents too played an enormous role in keeping Hayden focused and motivated, keeping him on track and supporting him every step of the way. The real hero though, is Hayden. Hayden chose to make something incredible out of something awful and, when our gates opened again in September 2020, he was one of the first to bounce (literally) into school with a smile on his face and a determination to succeed that we can all learn from.
Hayden, I can’t imagine anyone will ever deserve this prize more than you, I can’t wait to see what you do next.
