As an ambitious body, we keep on striving to improve on the sums, adding other factors into our calculations. But what of the parts themselves? Think now about the day-to-day energy and the warmth of our community: from mud and rucksacks to the buzz of inter-school Partnerships work and the click and chatter of projects. It is the impact we make on individual lives both within and beyond the school gates, as well as the final outcome, which is a true reflection of the success at RGS.
As a school, we believe in inspiring young people and equipping them to make a positive contribution to society. We aim to do this by promoting excellence and being committed to raising aspiration and attainment across the North East. That goes far beyond merely helping pupils to get grades. While grades may serve as stepping-stones to opportunities, they should be the consequence of a good education, not its purpose.
If young people are truly going to be able to thrive in their future careers and make a difference in the world, they also need to grow in character, with personal values and a genuine sense of purpose. Major developments in a young person’s character can be inspired at least as much from what goes on outside the classroom as from what happens in lessons.
Amongst the many activities that go on at the RGS, the vehicles of service and charity are embedded in the programme and are excellent ways for students to develop as people, allowing them to learn entrepreneurial skills in a social enterprise context. Some activities are very explicitly linked to service; for example, many of our students regularly set up charity fundraising activities or volunteer in local primary schools. Similarly, a contingent of our cadet force recently assisted the veterans in wheelchairs who were attending the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall in London before joining many thousands of veterans to march past the Cenotaph the following morning. Service opportunities which happen day in, and day out, include senior pupils leading by example and supporting younger pupils as peer mentors, form prefects, subject prefects and assisting with coaching sport. All these voluntary activities make a positive difference to the life of others. However, they are important not only for the impact that students can have but also for the lessons that our young leaders learn from them.
This is an important message to convey, not least through our recent Virtual Information Evening for prospective RGS families and our whole school Open Day. Those exploring whether the school is right for their children need to understand not only the rich variety of all the activities that go on as well as the outcomes which are easy to measure but also – crucially – the value of what we provide too.
They need to appreciate how we aim to instil life lessons from serving others which include teamwork, leadership and working alongside others; learning from the failures as much as the successes; embracing the discomfort of stretching challenges; and the satisfaction that comes from dedication to a worthwhile cause. These invisible yet important lessons will take people far further in life than exam results or the university they attend.
As is always the case at Open Day, our pupils who speak to prospective families about their own experience and host them as they go round the school are by far the best advocates, passing on their pride and enjoyment of being part of the very special RGS community. All of this does not happen by accident. Unseen and often unsung, teachers quietly work at coaching and supporting students to be the best version of themselves. They create opportunities and they help students to reflect and grow as people. The true test of whether we have succeeded as a school is not the excellent exam results or the range of other accolades that our students achieve; it is the positive impact that our young people have when they go out into the world.