Principal's Blog:

A Welcome from the Hillsides

This wouldn´t be everyone´s cup of tea, but I thoroughly enjoyed spending the latter part of the holiday 1200 feet up a mountain in the Welsh borders in an old estate lodge with extensive views across both Powys and Shropshire. Or not — much of the time we were battered by storms, shrouded in fog and lashed with that very special Welsh brand of driving rain. In Monday night´s gales we were almost prepared for the house to take off like Dorothy´s in the ‘Wizard of Oz,´ wondering whether we would ever see Welshpool again...But armed with the correct walking gear and the light of our mobile phones (which weren´t much use for anything else but handy when the fog came down) we not only survived but braved the elements, trekking up and down the historic Long Mountain making the most of the limited daylight, and praising the Victorians who build our lodge so securely that come Tuesday we were still in Kansas after all.

The autumn term is probably the most gruelling of the three, being invariably the longest and ending with the somewhat exhausting build up to Christmas (I don´t know how my primary colleagues cope with that year in year out — thank goodness the ‘coolness´ of teenagers precludes too much seasonal excitement when the tree goes up.) I think the staff were probably the more excited — but then the students didn't get to see Mr. Blount (6´6") dressed as an elf at the annual ‘Secret Santa´ session...all of which seems a distant memory as we embark upon our first full week.
This year sees most of our Year 11s sitting at least one GCSE exam (English Language and Chemistry this month) and all of them knuckling down to their final 13 weeks of statutory education. We hope to have a decision from the DFE on our proposed sixth form opening any day now (see website for updates) and senior colleagues will then be talking to each Year 11 student about the opportunities our new in-house post 16 programmes can offer.

Further down to the school we have also launched the Olympic year with due fanfare, starting with the visit of silver medallist Alison Mowbray, an international rower, who spent Thursday inspiring, motivating and at times coaching our Year 7s in the requirements of top level competitive sport. Alison´s former teacher training showed through as she really knew how to talk to young people and several of them commented with awe afterwards how she had indeed inspired them to believe more in themselves. As Ella, a year 7 pupil remarked, ‘Alison has given me more confidence in the things I want to do´.

Some of our staff also gained some Olympic inspiration over at Twickenham Academy on Wednesday, when they were treated to an address and coaching session (NB not in athletics!) by former Olympic gold medallist David Hemery, who is leading a national initiative called ‘Be the best you can be´ on the back of the 2012 Games. This powerful programme is all about motivating young people to believe in themselves — as Ella, above, quickly understood — so that they can pursue whatever their goals and dreams are with confidence. All our Year 7 students will be taking part in this programme during the coming months.

As well as the sixth form, we are expecting a visit from OFSTED during the next two terms. It is well over three years since HCC had a full inspection (probably a good sign, as they come quicker when they´re worried about a school) and of course Hampton Academy will be inspected as a ‘new´ school in acknowledgement of our changed status from September 2010. I will be gaining an insight into the new statutory framework later this week when I take part in a two day audit of our sister academy in Ipswich, led by a senior OFSTED inspector, following two training sessions; this should be very helpful in preparing our own academy for what is to come.

The start of a new year despite its gloomy positioning in the calendar is always a time of hope, and notwithstanding the economic gloom, I feel optimistic about the year ahead. The murderers of Stephen Lawrence in 1993 are at last being brought to justice (I was impressed to hear members of Mr. Tomson´s year 7 base group discussing this in their tutor period on Friday); the Diamond Jubilee and extended summer half term will provide a welcome diversion from routine (and good focus for history lessons!); the Olympic Games should be an exciting and memorable experience for London and Londoners, culturally as well as in terms of sport. And closer to home, our new buildings are continuing to rise in preparation for the opening of our two lower colleges in September 2012, continuing the transformation of the learning experience for our year 7-9 students. I can´t wait!

A very happy new year to you all.

Sue Demont