Welcome

• a Respect for all as equals, ourselves and the world that supports us • a willingness to Participate in a manner that positively supports those around us andour own learning. It might also be worthy of note that such values were not cited by an historic figure of the school, nor do they reflect the Victorian values that so many great public schools adopted at their foundation. They are values that were first articulated just seven years ago because they reflected the evident behaviours of the pupils in the school. If further evidence was required of how these are evident, then you only need look at how the school has navigated the past twelve months. There has undoubtedly been real ambition by staff and pupils to ensure teaching and learning continued. The Virtual School was, of course, so much more than merely remote learning. Instead, it was a whole community continuing to deliver everything that is good about the school, in all its full breadth, depth and richness. A willingness to participate was seen in the numbers who took part in every session, from afternoon Maths to early morning circuits. It has also been a time of great creativity, from learning new digital skills to delivering the fantastic daily well-being videos ; we have all learned to value so much more what we have. I suppose that what can be added to these three values is something from our Learner Profile, which is to be passionate. It is probably through the passion and commitment of so many people that we have reached this point, and which gives us all the confidence that we undoubtedly have the resilience to face the months ahead. So I commend this year’s Chronicle to all its readers. It represents a year like no other, but from which we have emerged affirmed in what we do and confident that we can meet the future together. As a school, if we have learned anything from 2020, it is that we are ready for 2021. I can’t wait to see what next year’s Chronicle reports on......

Mark Turnbull, Headmaster

WE ARE STILL GIGGLESWICK

Giggleswick has weathered the ‘Slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’ this year by being rooted in our shared values of ambition, participation and respect. As ever, it is this sure foundation that has allowed us to be at the cutting edge of modern education and our virtual school to be the envy of many.

Whether you were looking forward to your first summer term in Catteral, or whether you were in Upper Sixth and looking with some trepidation at your final term of exams, it is sometimes easy to forget that we had two terms packed with learning and enjoyment before the Covid-19 crisis struck. And as we look back over the year, and start to adjust to our new way of life, we can all see that as a school we are still here, and that there is much to celebrate in our lives. So, despite these unprecedented times, this year still provides us with the opportunity to recognise the many great achievements of the pupils, say a few fond farewells, and look to the future when we will come back together again. Giggleswick is always about its people. During the lockdown we have been able to run the Virtual School, and no matter how many people have said that what the staff have provided has been quite remarkable, we can all agree that there is no substitute for actual face to face contact. When we created the Giggleswick Learner, it was our way of articulating that truly ambitious learning has to be a balance between the classroom and all the other settings in which our learning takes place. Be it the stage, practice room, the pitch, the court, the studio, the workshop, the parade ground, the hills, the cliff face, or the house common room, all contribute to building those essential skills that help us all go on to lead fulfilling lives. Our Learner Profile identifies eight key characteristics that we, and future employers, believe are important for the future of all children. If there is any doubt about the value of these, one only needs to see how they have been employed by the staff and pupils to deliver the virtual school in recent weeks. As Socrates began with the ‘why’, being Curious is the foundation of all learning. Well exemplified by how Sixth Formers have used the EPQ to explore their own enquiry on topics such as ‘How far the Silk Road promoted the East and West's cultural exchange', or how about the influence of Soviet politics and philosophy on Shostakovich's Symphony No 5? In Art, an incredible 45 pupils have so far entered the national Paul Mellon Centre :'Write on Art' competition 2020, which was won by Jack Harrison last year. This year's topics showed wonderful enquiry ranging from how

to recreate Goya's iconic 'The Third of May 1808', to Lily Verity's exploration of how the Victorian painter Charles Baugniet's 'The Seamstress' depicted the cusp of social change; or what about Chloe Hodge’s examination of biological taxonomy and terms between people, animals, plants and sea creatures? When we consider being Skilled, we can look at the rise of the U14 boys’ hockey team to the national finals in order to illustrate how good coaching and dedicated practice can help us all develop the skills to compete at the highest level. Perhaps we can also reflect upon how we have all become adept and accomplished at using new technologies to learn in the virtual world. I loved watching how Mrs Earnshaw's Year 8s began working out how desktop computers worked. But not everything has to be learned for practical reasons. I congratulate all those musicians who took part in the Young Musician of the Year competition, the remarkably professional Rock Concert, and those who had the real privilege of singing in Westminster Abbey. The support of the S@S group for local organisations continues to ensure that the Giggleswick community is ever Aware of the needs of those beyond our own bubble, and I commend in particular the examples of mental health awareness led by the Student Wellbeing Committee. It is encouraging to see so many pupils volunteering to take part in the peer education project that teaches how to support each other in developing positive mental health. And throughout lockdown, so many of you have volunteered or raised money for those in particular need. From the innovative staging, to the ability of such a large cast to remain on stage for almost the whole production, the Lord of the Flies was a remarkably topical choice at a time of political uncertainty, with strong performances from all the leads. And the immersive staging of Midsummer Night’s Dream with swings dropping from the rafters was clearly an original and Creative experience for all the players. Indeed, the Assuredness of the actors placed amongst the audience, as they were also in the Upper Sixth devised pieces, says so much about the value of theatre arts in the school. It has been particularly reassuring to see and hear the Passion of the student voice this year. The already mentioned work of the Mental Wellbeing Committee has been replicated by others to raise awareness of wider issues in our society. Head Boy Josh Kirkhope-Arkley established the Equality and Inclusion Committee, seeking to educate us all about becoming inclusive of all sections of our society, illustration perhaps of how being dynamic and Pro-active can make anything happen. And well done to the Young Enterprise group, even if they didn't quite reach the national finals this year, whose ‘conscious coasters’ brand tapped into a growing awareness of social enterprise. Resilience is, of course, a much talked about word. It is about being tenacious and positive in times of difficulty. I commend the whole Giggleswick community for the resilience they have shown over the past three months. The awareness of the needs of others, as people have reached out to support one another, the creativity in ensuring that all we do in school can still be provided in the virtual school, the new skills we have had to develop, and the Passionate commitment to learning have proved throughout this time that as pupils, parents and staff: we are still Giggleswick.

EDITOR’S WELCOME

As we enter the twilight of 2020, I am pretty sure that commentators have exhausted the thesaurus of adjectives to describe this year. The extraordinariness of this year is reflected in the 2020 edition of The Chronicle. There are some things which did not happen so cannot be written about, and for that I apologise. However, as the Headmaster said, ‘We are still Giggleswick’ and therefore there is still plenty to report. Our theme this year is ‘Passion’. Our Reflections section contains pieces which demonstrate our students’ responses to subjects and topics for which they have a great passion, from equality, through Virtual School, to the role of the CCF. There are also contributions from staff, and in particular our bursar, who talks about the social imperative of Giggleswick School. Our usual favourites are still here and we have our usual review of the year. Where you may miss some articles is in The Record. In addition, you will notice fewer formal photographs, but I must thank Sophie Hayton, Ben Harris, and everybody else who has contributed this year. This edition of The Chronicle has been a real team effort. Best wishes for the year.