The Headmaster’s Address

On the occasion of the virtual senior prize-giving, Wednesday 8 July 2020.

Thank you for joining us for our Virtual Prizegiving, an event which, like many others, has been adapted as a result of the restrictions placed upon us at this unprecedented time. In spite of those restrictions, I am delighted to be standing before you even if it is only on a screen. When I told my wife that my Prizegiving address was to be via video she thought that was a very good idea because, unlike my usual address in Holy Trinity Church, my audience have the opportunity this year to switch off if I became boring or long-winded. I hope to be neither.

It has been an extraordinary year at the RGS. In a speech such as this, I would normally use that adjective to express the wonderful events and achievements of the School. This year has been extraordinary, but for all the wrong reasons and I am not sure it is the appropriate term to use for what we have all, collectively, been through over these past four months. Looking back over the 2019-20 school year is like reviewing two completely different worlds. In September 2019 things were normal, and the words Corona, pandemic, R-number and furlough were not a part of our lexicon; of late, they are all we have heard about. We have finished the school year in a very different world, the world of lockdown. Extraordinary things have been forced upon us recently, but extraordinary things have happened at the RGS in response. So maybe that adjective is even more appropriate at this time than usual. You will, perhaps, be the judges of that at the end of this address.

When I reviewed the events of the first two terms in preparation for this address it was with a huge sense of nostalgia for the things we used to be able to do. The usual events by which we mark our progress through the school year were still occurring during the first two terms. Our Commemoration Service, the Carol Service, concerts, plays such as The Tempest and Nicholas Nickleby, sports fixtures, trips abroad. We took them for granted – I don’t think that we will in the future. One of the good things about lockdown is that it has reminded us all of the importance of joining together for community events. Having led numerous online assemblies recently, I will never again forget how important it is for the School to meet together as a body. We may be cramped, we may be hot, some of us may be sitting on the floor, but that time for the School to join together is priceless.

There have been so many highlights of the first two terms that it is almost invidious to single out a few, but I would like to select some which deserve special mention.

The shooting team’s success during the summer was remarkable. The RGS team won the much-coveted Ashburton Shield and their score combined with that of the Old Guildfordian veterans’ team was sufficient to also win the Lucas Trophy. At the first assembly in September I was presented with the largest trophy I have ever received, in the form of the Ashburton Shield, and the most expensive, in the form of the £35,000 sterling silver Lucas trophy. Unsurprisingly, it had to be returned to Bisley straight after the assembly.

The HMC Conference of public school Heads from around the country was held in London in October. I wouldn’t normally regale you with stories from what is

When I reviewed the events of the first two terms in preparation for this address it was with a huge sense of nostalgia for the things we used to be able to do.

usually an uneventful few days, but this year’s Conference was made memorable by the participation of the joint RGS/GHS chamber choir. Their performance, under the direction of Sam Orchard, at the Annual Service held in the Old Royal Naval Chapel, Greenwich was exquisite. I cannot remember ever feeling so proud and emotional at an RGS occasion.

Another emotional moment for me was the unveiling of a plaque to those Old Guildfordians who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First World War. In September, a service of dedication was held in St George’s Memorial Church, Ypres, with the names and ages of those who died on the Ypres Salient being read out. It was a very moving experience.

As for the Lent Term, it was wonderful to see Theo Collins’s speed skating success at the Winter Youth Olympics in Lausanne, winning a Silver medal and speaking so eloquently to the BBC in an interview there. The Musician of the Year competition was an extraordinary demonstration of musicianship of the highest order won by saxophonist Angus Miller. Any one of the six finalists could have won, including Second Former, Killian Hess. I am delighted that two of the finalists, Ruben Berstecher and Stan Lawrence, agreed to perform for us in our ceremony this evening and I thank them for taking the time to record such inspiring performances. One further highlight of the Lent Term was the performance of From Alice to Arizu staged by RGS boys and Japanese students from Rikkyo School. To experience the confidence of our boys as they performed the Alice in Wonderland story in Japanese was remarkable. The General Election in December was an opportunity for the boys to stage their own mock election. The RGS result, a victory for the LibDems with the Greens in second place, didn’t quite mirror the national result. Whatever their political persuasions, I should imagine that every public school Head across the length and breadth of the country was breathing a sigh of relief when Boris Johnson was re-elected Prime Minister with such a healthy majority. There is no doubt that a victory for the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn would have created an existential threat to every public school in this country. The focus group, Labour Against Public Schools, was gaining traction amongst some in the Labour Party and had the support of its leadership. The aim of this group, whether driven by political doctrine or simply by envy, was to abolish all public schools, or to create the conditions which made it impossible for them to continue to exist.

I have used many public occasions to speak about my passion for partnership and support for our local community and our local state schools and I believe we are doing a fantastic job in engaging in this way for the benefit of so many. I am proud of the fact that RGS staff provided such support for Kings College Guildford that they were able to move from a disastrous Ofsted grading of ‘Special Measures’ to one of ‘Good’ within the space of a year. I am proud of the fact that our String Scheme provides musical tuition to so many primary school children, I am proud of the fact that our out-reach programmes change the lives of young people in the Guildford area. None of this would have been considered if Labour Against Public

Schools was setting the educational agenda. I wrote in a message to all staff on the morning after the General Election that the election result meant that threats from hostile political factions had now diminished but that we could still expect challenges ahead and we needed to be prepared for an uncertain future. I did not realise at the time how true that message was, and how soon those challenges were going to assail us.

It became clear towards the end of the Lent Term that the Coronavirus outbreak was going to cause significant disruption for everyone in the country and to schools in particular. The penultimate week of the Lent Term was difficult for the RGS because of the very high numbers of pupils and staff who were not able to attend as a result of self-isolation, but we used the time well to train all staff and pupils in the use of Microsoft Teams for lesson delivery. As a school which was in the early stages of its technological journey, the prospect of remote learning was daunting for many, but I am very proud of staff and students alike for the manner in which they engaged. Innovations very rarely happen at speed in any school but our community went from low competency to reasonably proficient within the space of just a few days. And as I now look back on the Trinity Term it is with a sense of huge pride and gratitude for the progress which has been made. To have been able to establish almost a full timetable for the boys during this term, to have been able to set homework where relevant and to have assessed when required, is a remarkable achievement and I cannot thank you all enough for your willingness to adapt so effectively.

All RGS staff work extremely hard in normal circumstances. The creation of a remote curriculum resulted in even greater burdens as every online lesson has to be carefully planned and resourced. I can only express my sincerest thanks to every member of staff who has stepped up to the plate. I could not have asked for any more from you and I know, having received so many emails from parents, that your efforts have been hugely appreciated. This is one of the many I received:

“I want to express my deepest gratitude at how this crisis is being handled by RGS. As a parent I feel informed, supported and reassured. It is also a brilliant lesson for the boys, the RGS is leading by example when it comes to adaptability.”

Helen Keller wrote ‘Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much’. Never has that quotation felt more apt or more poignant as self-isolation and lockdown have inevitably created a sense of separation and disconnection. As a community which thrives on physical and social interaction, this imposed distance for a school such as the RGS is all the more challenging. With this in mind, we coined the phrase #RGSTogether as a way of reminding us that despite our separation, we are still very much united: students, staff, parents, governors and the wider community alike.

It is remarkable that so much has happened during the time of lockdown. At a time when many educational institutions have closed or, at least, significantly reduced their outputs, the RGS seems to have flourished in its creativity. We have created enrichment programmes for both Upper Sixth and Fifth Form, we have designed a new timetable of transition to A level lessons, we have run virtual fixtures, in which we fielded the largest school team ever, of over 200 boys, we have staged virtual concerts, the rendition of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto via Zoom from living rooms was sensational. Other notable events include: the House lockdown competition, the RGS Photography competition, success in Young Enterprise (online, of course), the RGS Bake Off, the Senior Prefects weekly magazine to keep the community connected. The RGS has been a hive of industry over the past four months.

I am pleased to affirm that the School value of Service is a reality rather than just rhetoric, a firm belief that we can work in partnership with others to make a difference. There have been so many wonderful examples this term. Donating our entire stock of lab safety specs to the Royal Surrey Hospital, our Design & Technology department making over 400 free visors for 25 different healthcare

At a time when many educational institutions have closed or, at least, significantly reduced their outputs, the RGS seems to have flourished in its creativity.

organisations, boys making visors and ‘no-touch’ tools for GP surgeries and care homes, Easter cards sent to care homes, elderly Old Guildfordians phoned just to touch base, virtual concerts performed for six care homes, despite food shortages cakes were baked as part of the RGS Bake Off for charity, families throughout Surrey and beyond donned RGS sports kit to run and cycle for charity, and I was very grateful to my senior team as they slept out under the stars over one weekend to raise money for homeless young people. This term alone, despite the lockdown, we have raised the staggering sum of over £18,000 for those less fortunate.

And our partnerships have also thrived. Our staff have been delivering online lessons to those whose remote provision is more limited, and our community have donated over 50 devices such as laptops, tablets and desktops to Kings College in support of their pupils who did not have access to this technology. We engage in such partnerships because it is the right thing to do, it chimes entirely with the School’s value. This is, perhaps, a characteristic of schools such as the RGS that Labour Against Public Schools chooses to ignore. The RGS has done some remarkable things this term. On one level we have never been more distant, but on another level we have never been more unified.

As we come to the end of this highly unusual year, we can celebrate what has been achieved. But alongside that celebration is also a sense of sadness. We have lost two of our most esteemed Old Guildfordians, cricketing legend Bob Willis, and Monty Python’s Terry Jones. And the realities of the dangers associated with the Coronavirus have also been brought home to us with the very sad loss of one of our parents from COVID-19. The shocking death of George Floyd in America has also had a major effect on society and on our community. As a school which is overwhelmingly white, the RGS, perhaps more than other schools, has a duty to address the issues of racism in our society so that our students leave the School knowing the prejudices which exist, having been taught the reasons for inequality in our world, and having the belief that everyone should be held in equal esteem and should have the same opportunities irrespective of colour or creed. I am committed to addressing this and will publish an action plan as to how the RGS will respond once I have spoken to current pupils and Old Guildfordians, and have sought advice from professionals in this field. Good may yet come from the death of George Floyd in that institutions such as the RGS are spurred into action.

I wondered at the start of this address whether I could describe the year as extraordinary. I think I can. We have faced so many challenges of late but we have responded magnificently to those challenges. As we state on the home page of our website, ‘Our gates are closed; our minds open’.

I am incredibly proud of the way in which the School has adapted. I firmly believe that we will be a better school because of the skills we have been forced to learn in providing an exceptional remote education. So many people have done so much to make this happen, the staff, the pupils, the parents and the governors, and I thank you all for your contribution.

I have to admit, I am desperate for some semblance of normality in September. Let us all hope that our doors can be thrown wide open once again – because we have missed each other’s company so very much. But, should circumstances dictate otherwise, I am absolutely confident that this exceptional school has the capacity and the creativity to continue to do extraordinary things – it’s what we do.

Dr Jon Cox Headmaster