ONA PRESIDENT’S AND HEAD’S WELCOME PAUL HAGGIE & GEOFFREY STANFORD

WELCOME

BY PAUL HAGGIE (60-67) ONA PRESIDENT AND GEOFFREY STANFORD HEAD

It gives us great pleasure to welcome readers to this latest edition of the ONA Magazine, which celebrates the 20th anniversary of the first girls joining the RGS. Given that we jointly launched our recent ONA Survey, it felt fitting for the President of the ONA and Head to co-author this introduction. If you have not received the survey, it means that we do not hold a valid email address for you so please do visit www.rgs.newcastle.sch.uk/rgs-family/ON to register and receive the link.

Of the Old Novos we contacted, an impressive 480 (12%) responded. The oldest respondent joined the school in 1936, the youngest left in Summer 2021, with strong participation across all decades. We were overwhelmed by the amount of time Old Novos invested in completing the survey. Many included rich narrative about their experiences at school and what each has gone on to achieve in life. Every response has been read with care and will directly inform school and ONA activities in the future. The standout feedback of the survey was the immense satisfaction which the great majority of Old Novos feel about their time at school, and the transformational impact that RGS has played in their subsequent lives. There are stunning anecdotes about the knowledge, skills, confidence and opportunities RGS has afforded so many decades of ONs. It was especially heartening to read about the role that Direct Grants, Assisted Places and Bursaries have played in affecting the trajectory of Old Novos’ lives – and often those of their families.

While the responses are as varied as the wonderfully diverse community of ONs, a common theme threaded through the narrative is the immense influence that teachers and contemporaries can have in a young person’s formative years. You told us in great detail about the incredible interactions with inspiring teachers or peers which made profound and indelible impressions. We read about the enlightenment, enrichment and passion which comes from being amongst the most talented teachers and brightest peers.

Our current Upper Sixth Form is the first RGS year group to comprise marginally more girls than boys, and girls now make up 46% of the overall school.”

This interplay between the sharpest minds and most open of hearts so often created the foundation for rewarding careers, inspired enduring involvement in hobbies and crucially, sparked lifelong friendships.

However, we also read with deep sorrow about times when our school community has not got things right. We specifically asked about ONs’ experiences of discrimination in all its forms; only by asking can we understand, confront and act upon uncomfortable truths. Although the challenging experiences that were shared in the survey came from a minority of respondents, your voices have our attention and we are committed to ensuring that the RGS family of current students, staff and Old Novos is fully inclusive, educated, tolerant and completely representative of the rich diversity of modern Britain.

Back to the subject of this magazine. It is clear that the first girls to join RGS who are featured in this magazine were trailblazers. Joining what had been a boys’ school for almost five centuries could not have been an easy transition. Dr Hazel Jones-Lee, who has been a formidable Guest Editor of this magazine, has shared in these pages the many views of the RGS community at that time, from incredulity that Newcastle’s oldest learning institution should make such a profound change, through to those passionate that RGS and its highly academic education ought to be accessible to anyone. Looking back, we are grateful to the then Chairman of Governors John Fenwick, who had the original vision, and to his successor, Sir Nigel Sherlock who implemented it. Under the leadership of Headmaster JFX Miller, aided by countless staff champions and student ‘buddies’ and not least, the families and first girls themselves, we embarked on the journey to co-education which today is so fundamental to the character and success of the school.

Fast forward to 2021/2022. Our current Upper Sixth Form is the first RGS year group to comprise marginally more girls than boys, and girls now make up 46% of the overall school. We have no target; we simply admit the brightest applicants, regardless of their gender identity. Looking to the future we share a vision that those amongst the current student or ON community who have in the past been considered on the margins— whether due to gender, race, religion, social background or any other reason—are in fact considered mainstream at RGS. It is our determination that uniqueness, in all its glory, should not only be tolerated but embraced and celebrated; it is the diversity of our community, our variety of perspectives, ideas and backgrounds that is our strength. We appreciate every member of our community’s commitment to championing individuality.

In the meantime, we hope that you enjoy this overview of the journey to co-education, the stories of just some of the first girls and those who shepherded their introduction.

With best wishes.