Rector’s Reflection

Rector’s Reflection: Finding Bridges to the Future

When I see the highly talented and successful FPs featured in this edition of Schola Clara I ask myself what careers advice were they given by their Guidance teachers when they were at school? Did Mark Beaumont’s teacher say he should become a professional adventurer and break extraordinary world records? Was Joanna Vanderham advised she should go into the precarious world of the theatre? I suspect not! So what was it that enabled them to make that journey? What they were able to develop was the resilience, independence and aspiration to forge their own futures.

When I reflect on the theme of this year’s edition of Schola Clara, I am reminded that for many pupils we build the bridges they need to move forward to the next stage and show them where they are. For others we just provide the materials and they then choose the location and style of their own bridges! For us to prepare our pupils for the 21st century and beyond we focus on the perfect triangle of support and challenge which focusses on our pupils at the heart: the golden triangle of the academic, the co-curricular and the pastoral. In terms of our pupils’ academic attainments, our 2016 SQA results ensured that we remained in the very top echelon of Scottish schools. I wonder if any other schools in Scotland can match the fact that in 2016 HSD pupils secured the top or equal top grade in the whole of Scotland in 6 different subjects at SQA: Advanced Higher Modern Studies, Higher Maths, Higher Biology, Higher Chemistry, N5 Maths, Spanish (x2) and Geography? A remarkable testament to the talents of the pupils and the supportive dedication and professionalism of the staff. And then to cap this in 2017 HSD pupils secured the top marks the whole country in Advanced Higher Maths, Physics and Chemistry. You will see from these pages that Elle Wyatt was also recognised as the top performing pupil overall in all Scottish schools. And this year pupils also achieved as joint top marks in National 5 Maths, French and Italian. This success is closely linked to the involvement of our pupils and staff in challenges that go beyond the constraints of the SQA curricula. To select a few examples featured here in Schola Clara, in technology, one of our pupils secured a prestigious Arkwright Scholarship, another won a prestigious national award for an outstanding contribution to cancer research, and a small group won the top award from the Institute of Physics with their research entitled Pictures of Gravity. Each year on average around 93% of our leavers move on to Higher Education. This year every single F6 pupil who applied to UCAS received an offer. Medicine is fiendishly difficult to get into but, despite the cuts and increased competition for places, this year all 15 of our applicants for medicine received offers! Quite remarkable - and this has not happened before in my nine years at HSD. To cap it all we received three offers of places at Oxbridge, and a pioneering place on the ground-breaking apprenticeship in product design offered by Sir James Dyson.

This year we have revitalised the Pipes and Drums and our musicians won various Rotary competitions as well as the prestigious Leng Gold Medal for singing. This year two of our debaters were selected to represent Team Scotland (a team of 5) at the World Schools’ Debating Championships in Bali in August. Congratulations also go to the many sportsmen and women who achieved district or international selection, including a number who excel in individual sports. Before I finish perhaps I might return to one of our outstanding FPs, namely Mark Beaumont. He has just completed one of the most remarkable feats of endurance by any human being, in cycling round the world in 79 days to smash the world record, and averaging 240 miles per day. Quite incredible. Where did he discover the resilience, courage and spirit of adventure to make this possible? We are immensely proud of his achievement. None of this is possible without the support of the back-up teams. My sincere thanks go to the Board of Directors and the other constituencies of the High School community, in particular our parents and staff. Above all though, my thanks to all the pupils of the High School. Led by the Head Boy and Head Girl it is they who make our jobs worthwhile and who never cease to surprise, inspire and amuse!

Dr John D Halliday Rector