Now that we have come to the end of what has certainly been an extraordinary year, all of our young people are to be congratulated for everything they have achieved. From speaking with pupils around the school and from reading the reflections that many have written in their reports over the year, I recognise that each has had to face their own individual challenges and the experience of no two families is the same.
However, I have been so impressed by the way our students have coped with change and adapted to the unexpected, from the youngest arriving new to the school in Year 3 to those who now leave for university and the wider world beyond the RGS. We now look forward to the publication of Teacher Assessed Grades in the Autumn, that will help Year 13 to move on to that next step. Much has been written about the process and the anticipated outcomes with many commentators expecting significant grade inflation. There are a number of reasons for this, including the additional focus that pupils had placed on ongoing assessments following the experience of last year, the lack of distraction from co-curricular activities and (particularly relevant for the RGS cohort) the change from a norm-referenced system to a criterion based one. The former is used in a normal year where a distribution of results is imposed on exam marks which can serve to limit the number of pupils at the top end of the distribution curve. However, behind each result there will be a young person who has worked hard to deliver evidence to support the grade that they have received and teachers who have conscientiously fulfilled a role normally undertaken by examiners. It is also worth noting that the requirement to base recommendations on evidence should lead to fewer surprises than the Centre Assessed Grades process of 2020 where schools were asked to submit recommendations on what pupils might have achieved if they had sat the exams in June when we had little in the way of assessment post lockdown in March. I expect there will be mixed emotions about the recent announcement by the Education Secretary, Gavin Williamson, about the lifting of many Covid measures in schools. Some will continue to be anxious about the continuing risk of Covid in the face of rising cases, while others will be wanting to regain the freedoms we took for granted before the pandemic. However, I have no doubt that both pupils and staff will be looking forward to the end of being asked self-isolate as a close contact and the constraints of operating bubbles being a thing of the past. A particular benefit from my perspective will be that older pupils will once again able to set a leadership example to younger pupils and those in more junior years will be able to learn from the experience of those above them. After having to operate at arm’s length for so long, I am also much looking forward to the prospect of being able to welcome parents back on site properly for the full programme of activities and events that we are planning for the new academic year. The Department for Education has already published some guidance regarding how the lifting of Covid restrictions should be managed in schools and I anticipate that there will be further detail in advance of the new term starting in September about the measures needed to mitigate the continuing risk of Covid. Indeed, while the return of major events like the Euros, Wimbledon and music festivals signal the return to some semblance of normality, it is difficult to make any firm prediction about what will happen over the next few weeks. We will, though, be able to learn from the experience both of those schools whose terms continued after 19 July as well the Scottish schools that typically start their new academic year before we do. In the meantime, I encourage young people to make the most of any opportunity to take part in outdoors activities, to gain work experience and to engage in meaningful volunteering activity where they can. I also hope that everyone is able to enjoy a good rest over the summer break with their families.