You are doing an amazing job of carrying on and rising to the challenge in such difficult circumstance. But let’s use this week – Sixth Form Taster Week – to look ahead. You have so many wonderful and exciting opportunities ahead of you......Use this week to help you feel enthused about the future.
In the future when we look back on 2020 and 2021, I’m sure we’ll all feel a range of mixed emotions – the uncertainty; the desire for normality whilst knowing we must make changes to keep each other safe; the not quite knowing when it’s all going to end.
Another emotion I know I’m feeling and will continue to feel is pride. Everyone has been affected by this pandemic in so many ways. As a school community, students, teachers, school staff and parents have shown tremendous adaptability, creativity and resilience as we’ve taken the whole Queen’s school educational experience online for all but those very few who are still physically attending our Lower School.
But personal experiences aside, as a group in our school no one has been more affect by this tumultuous period than our Year 11s (and Year 13s). A huge source of my pride comes from my daily engagements with our wonderful Year 11 students. Students who worked hard and overcame huge disruption to their first year of GCSE study in Year 10. Students who tackled the first term of Year 11 with resolve and character under the specter of what had happened to the cohort before them – will we sit exams, won’t we sit exams, will the schools stay open? And now more than ever, as we’ve returned to remote learning and the need to navigate our way through yet more assessment uncertainty, they carry on, working hard and following their teachers’ advice as we support them to gain the GCSE grades they deserve.
When is it all going to end? I can’t answer that question but I can say with absolute certainty that end it will, and when it does all of our students have a shining future ahead of them. End it will and they will move forward in their education into Sixth Form. End it will and they will leave us, heading off to exciting new towns and cities to study fascinating courses at wonderful universities. End it will and our students will go on to lead the world into our future in the important roles in science, healthcare, the arts, business and so much more that they are destined for.
That is why we were absolutely determined that this week (25th January 2021) we would continue in our plan to give Year 11 a Sixth Form Taster Experience – even if it has to be a virtual one. Year 11, I know that things are challenging right now. You are doing an amazing job of carrying on and rising to the challenge in such difficult circumstance. But let’s use this week – Sixth Form Taster Week – to look ahead. You have so many wonderful and exciting opportunities ahead of you. That has not changed. Your next step into Sixth Form is an important one. Use this week to engage with your teachers and our Sixth Form Team to help you make those all important choices. Use this week to help you feel enthused about the future. Yes, this has been a time of huge educational and social disruption but when it’s all over we will look back and reflect not only on the emotions we felt but also the things we learned. And, believe me, the adaptability, determination and fortitude you are developing right now are characteristics that will serve you well for many, many years to come.
Mrs McKeirnan