By Geoffrey Stanford, Headmaster of Newcastle Royal Grammar School
As I write this, we will soon be welcoming the next cohort of pupils to join the Royal Grammar School, many beginning their journey in the Junior School, others entering at Year 7 and some joining our Sixth Form.
At all entry points, we are unashamedly an academically selective school and this means that we admit students with a very diverse range of backgrounds and experiences. We have people representing all faiths and none, while our bursary programme allows us to be accessible to people from all walks of life.
People often associate the RGS with consistent academic success but being part of our community is so much more than such a narrow perspective on individual exam results. Indeed, if someone purely wanted to get good grades, they are probably in the wrong school. The real value of an RGS education is the positive momentum created collectively by engaging in a wide range of other activities including sport, music, drama, debating and so much more. This impetus alleviates pressure to perform academically, since our notable exam results are proven to be a by-product of the holistic school experience we offer. In turn, we are better equipping our students to sustainably flourish once they complete their time with us.
Many of our new students (and their parents) will be excited at the prospect of joining the RGS but it is also entirely normal for anyone joining a new community that they will be nervous too. Indeed, our students experience the full range of anxieties and emotions faced by young people growing up, but we have excellent pastoral care in place to support them through whatever difficulties they face. At times, we also have to reinforce clear expectations about values and standards but we are fortunate in having a highly motivated student body which in turn creates a level of energy and enthusiasm in the way students approach activities both in and outside the classroom.
Summertime is a bittersweet period as we also bid farewell to student leavers, however, an RGS education doesn’t end once the individual embarks on their next chapter – far from it. It is always fascinating when I meet former students at alumni events and welcome them back to visit the school. I am constantly impressed by the variety of directions they have taken in their careers, whether it be following traditional routes into professions such as medicine or law, following an entrepreneurial path in businesses, or a whole host of careers that they might not have imagined while at school. Part of the joy of working in a school is the ability to sow seeds and so many former pupils that I speak to attribute their successes to the range of experiences during their time with us at Eskdale Terrace. Sometimes it has been many years or even decades since they left and much of the physical fabric of the building may have changed since they were at the school. Similarly, teachers whom they remember inspiring them may have moved on or retired and, for our older alumni, the RGS becoming coeducational over twenty years ago has been another very positive change in the student body too. It is important all generations of Old Novocastrians benefit from and feel the shared sense of belonging to the RGS community.
It may seem odd for a school that is soon to celebrate its five hundredth anniversary that we are not a place that particularly stands on tradition. We certainly have rhythms and routines that serve a purpose but we also embrace change, having had to engage with so many innovations both in education and in wider society over the years. I have no doubt that we will continue to evolve, not least with the current challenge of harnessing the positive benefits (and addressing the challenges!) of artificial intelligence. In doing so, I look forward to helping this next generation of students develop into young people who are well equipped to lead fulfilling lives and make a positive contribution in society.
www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk