Polam Hall School
Awards Night Speech 2009
Mr Mayor, Madam Mayoress, Mrs Penney, Governors, Parents and Friends, Staff and Students
Almost seven years ago when I attended the Girls’ Schools Association training course for new Headteachers, I had been in post for just a few weeks. A short time indeed, but just long enough to realise what a privileged, yet very daunting, position Headship can be. During the 3 days of that course I benefited from the wisdom and expertise of many more experienced colleagues and I certainly learned a great deal. But one speaker at that valuable conference stood out; she didn’t merely inform; she inspired! That person was our special guest this evening, Mrs Penelope Penney.
What proved so inspirational was Mrs Penney’s enthusiasm, her passion for her role as Head, her perspicacity and humanity and, perhaps above all, her very evident sense of fun. We all need role models on our lifelong journey of learning and Mrs Penney is one of mine. She was a Headmistress for 25 years, serving 3 schools and ended her distinguished headmajesterial career at Haberdasher Aske’s School for Girls in 2005. Mrs Penney is a former National President of the GSA and currently works as the Secondary School Advisor to the London Diocesan Board of Schools. Amongst the many honours she has earned is that of Freeman of the City of London and, enviably, this accolade from a former Haberdasher’s student published on the internet ‘She was cool, the most amazing Head ever – and she was actually nice’. Having had the pleasure of hearing Mrs Penney speak on several occasions since 2003, I was delighted when she accepted my invitation to present our awards this evening. Mrs Penney, thank you and welcome.
In October 2009, a proposed take-over of the Cadbury’s firm generated considerable media interest. Coverage included information about the origins of the company which was founded, like Polam Hall School, by a Quaker family in the mid-nineteenth century. George Cadbury and his brother Richard were responsible for creating a village for the workers at their chocolate factory. They called it Bournville and it was built on the edge of south Birmingham. Together with a number of my Polam Hall colleagues, I was struck by one phrase that featured in the news items about Cadbury’s history. George Cadbury when Bournville was being planned, said: ‘I want my workers to live in a place where roses will grow’. (Hence the name of the famous chocolates!). The Cadbury brothers, like the founders of our school, were tremendously forward-thinking. It is very interesting to note how many of the concerns we all share about life in the twenty-first century existed in the brothers’ minds over 130 years ago. Their priorities have come very much to the fore once again in 2009. They recognised the importance of healthy lifestyles, of beauty and harmony in the surroundings and of decent, honest values, in creating a strong united workforce. This led me to reflect on our school values and our motto – Concordia Crescimus - and on the ideas of growth and harmony – our themes for this evening.
We too are fortunate to work in a place where roses grow ………. Indeed a new one is planted each June by the President of our Old Scholars’ Association. Our beautiful grounds are enjoyed by all who live or work here; have been enriched in 2009 by the addition of a timeline – now proving an excellent teaching aid in a variety of disciplines. Since its beginning in 1847, the school has certainly grown, with new buildings and new facilities responding to changing times. This past year, as always, has seen improvements and developments in several areas. Elm Grove has undergone substantial work to facilitate our new Foundation Stage programme. I recommend a visit if you have not yet had a chance to see the newly created rooms and the ever-developing outdoor classroom. South View, our Junior Boarding House has a new kitchen – definitely the heart and hub of the house as is true in many families. Refurbishment and redecoration in Mounsey, and improved parking near Plantation were also summer projects. Last, but not least, the re-surfaced netball courts are proving a great success – home matches are now definite contests of netballing skill rather than seeing who can avoid slipping for longest! I am pleased to report our netball teams are still winning!
The Cadbury brothers insisted that every garden in the Bournville estate was planted with fruit trees so that every member of staff had an apple a day. We don’t yet grow our own fruit at Polam Hall – although I note that one year group at last week’s School Council meeting has requested a vegetable patch. Their wish will be granted! We do, however, continue to benefit from Mr Bell’s excellent catering and from the varied, healthy diet we daily enjoy. You will, of course, all have the opportunity to sample our catering later this evening!
Schools are essentially all about growth, and nothing is more rewarding than to see students reach the end of their school journey having grown into young adults ready to take on the world. The 35 Upper Sixth leavers in 2009 were a very special group. In their support for each other and their generous contributions to school life they embodied the spirit of Concordia Crescimus. This summer they celebrated outstanding A level success. Your programme shows the diversity of their career choices and university destinations. The average points score per candidate was the school’s best for 10 years, and placed Polam Hall as the highest achieving school at this level in County Durham. More importantly, these results allowed our leavers to move on to the courses and institutions of their choice. We wish them all well and are very proud of their achievements.
At GCSE too we had much to celebrate and our awards ceremony tonight will highlight the many individual successes. We hear a great deal these days about grade inflation and how ‘exams are getting easier’. Too often we fail to recognise how hard our young people work and how versatile they are expected to be. Today’s students enter a very competitive world, and the spheres of higher education and employment demand much more than academic success. At Polam Hall we are committed to preparing our students for the demands of modern life. They need self-confidence, skills as well as knowledge, and a willingness to take risks. I was thrilled when one of our pupil-led assemblies this week included the words of Edward de Bono, ‘It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all’. That is the spirit that lies behind the innovative, creative approach in the Junior School, and which informs the continuous curriculum development in the Senior School.
Amidst the paradoxically constant change which is now the norm in education – new specifications every few years being just one example – there are some timeless values and we must hold fast to these. Sir Richard Livingstone, Vice Chancellor of Oxford University, wrote these words in 1941 ‘We betray young people if we take a utilitarian approach to education; useful subjects are indispensable, but the prior task of education is to give a sense of values, and to bestow the power of distinguishing what is first rate from what is not’. The report from which these words are taken concludes: ‘If a school sends out children with a desire for knowledge and some idea of how to acquire and then use it, it would have done its work. Too many leave school with the appetite killed and the mind loaded with undigested lumps of information. If a school is unable to teach its pupils to work things out for themselves, it will be unable to teach them anything else of value’. Timeless and, I believe, true!
So how do we ensure that here at Polam Hall we have ‘done our work’? The answer is - by encouraging independent learning, by giving students of all ages ongoing opportunities to work together and also to take the lead. 2009 has seen our students involved, as always, in a myriad activities which ensure their personal growth and see them working in harmony. The House competitions – House plays, music and public speaking are always prime examples. Last year’s fine production of ‘Twelfth Night’ and the brilliant Sixth Form Review delighted their audiences and united us all in laughter. In 2010 the main school production moves to the end of the summer term, reflecting the proliferation of public examinations throughout the school year. A deferred delight then, but I have no doubt that ‘Grease’ will be a ‘sell out’! Many of you enjoy the glorious harmonies of our music-makers at the major events such as the St Cuthbert’s service or the spring term concert. Hidden gems within the calendar include the beautiful Croft Church Advent service, the composers concert in the summer term featuring the work of the GCSE and A level musicians and the lovely Coffee Concerts. Preparations are now underway for a very special musical event which will be held on February 5th next term. Polam Hall School is one of 10 independent schools in the Durham area who will perform in a concert in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust at Durham Cathedral. Tickets will be limited so do respond early when you receive your invitations.
Our students develop their organisational and collaborative skills most impressively when they work for the benefit of others. The stylish Fashion Show at the start of this month in aid of Helen House Hospice was orchestrated entirely by the Sixth Form. Our pupils continue to give unstintingly of their time and talents – maintaining our now well-established link with Age Concern and sharing their computer skills with the elderly in our region. Darlington must surely, by now, have more competent silver surfers than any other town in England! Our Interact Club is thriving and our Peer Mentors do an excellent job.
Most notable this year though was that very hot summer’s day in June when the whole school community came together in a pupil-led initiative. Our sponsored walk, and picnic, for Help 4 Heroes raised a magnificent £4200 – the highest amount by any school in the UK for this very worthy cause.
The magic of successful teamwork is evident in so many areas of school life. On the valuable Eurolinks day, at the Bannatyne’s Business Competition and in the Observer Mace Competition we saw pupils working together and learning invaluable life skills. On the games pitches our teams continue to excel. We punch well above our weight (to use a sporting metaphor) in the field of sport. Over 90% of our students take part in extra-curricular sport: a claim I suspect not many schools can match! We regularly carry off the trophies in town and regional tournaments competing, or course, against much larger schools. At an individual level too we have some notable achievers. Charlotte Hindmoor of Upper Five is the highest-ranked female golfer of her age in England, Laurence Whiteley (Upper Sixth) and Lydia Beeken (Middle Five) are on course for Olympic selection in there sport - swimming, and we have another very strong potential Olympian in Laura Robinson, also Middle Five. Her equestrian skills were rewarded with the title Junior Showjumper of the Year at the recent Horse of the Year Show.
Returning to my Cadbury connection, I discovered that one of the landmarks of the Bournville estate is an ancient cedar tree – another Polam Hall link. The historic buildings in Bournville are carefully preserved – just as we take care of our older, listed buildings. But in the Bournville and the Polam Hall of today there is room for the new too: the Cadbury Trust is in the process of building 167 solar-panelled homes to replace those built in the 1960’s. Sadly, the school is not yet solar-powered – I do though wonder if that is the answer to keeping Plantation warm! We are, nonetheless, increasingly ‘green’ as a school and not just in the uniforms! The efforts of our young Eco-warriors have earned us the Eco Schools Green Flag – now proudly flying in the school grounds. The amount of recycling we undertake grows year on year. I would like to encourage those of you who have not yet done so to sign up for the e-news letter which helps save paper and is a most effective way to keep in touch. More reliable by far than the notoriously inefficient satchel post!
The ‘new’ at Polam Hall this year has included major investment in the ICT facilities. We have a new server, new computers in all areas of school, and a new and much appreciated member of the IT team as we welcomed Mr Colin Schweizer last December. Whiteboards and projectors are more and more widely used to enhance our pupils’ learning and video presentations are now a regular feature in our school assemblies. Two projects of 2009 were the introduction of our new school logo, and then the launch of the new website last spring. I would like to thank all those of you who contributed to the consultation process, and very especially those who now visit the website on a regular basis. Particular thanks are owed to Mrs Jane Craggs who oversees the website and who works tirelessly to encourage us all to contribute to, and use it effectively.
We are very pleased with the feedback about the site from parents and pupils, and hope that you will all become frequent visitors to www.polamhall.com.
We have certainly enjoyed using our minibus and it has allowed an even wider range of trips and visits than ever. Travel is an obvious way to expand horizons and in this academic year our students have been involved in the usual rich variety of excursions at home and abroad. Looking ahead, pupils are already eagerly anticipating the netball tour to Gibraltar, the ski trip planned for spring term and next summer’s adventure sports holiday in France. That the staff are prepared to give their time to these trips is something for which I am very grateful and offer heartfelt thanks.
I come now to my final Cadbury parallel. The history of Bournville records: ‘People come here and stay for ever. They are born here, marry and grow old here. They just do not want to leave this very special place’.
I cannot claim that the Polam Hall staff are born here, but they do marry and often grow old here! In 2009 we have celebrated two births – we congratulate Mrs Gowland who is back with us, and Mrs Meeks who is still on maternity leave. They are now the proud parents of Indigo and Joshua respectively. We also congratulate Mrs Sally Walkinshaw on her recent marriage. The stability of our teaching staff is very much strength of the school but, as always, at the end of the school year, we said farewell to a number of our colleagues. Ms Trudi Brunskill inspired all by her lively love of English and we wish her well in her new teaching post. Mr Vic Kipling retired officially in 2004, but his part-time 5-year extension served our Physics students superbly. Last year’s Physics A level group collectively gained 2291 out of a possible 2400 marks! Quite a note on which to bow out! We also said goodbye to Mr Geff Fogg whose presence in, and contribution to the Art Department is greatly missed. His legacy is visible in the art work on display throughout the school. His commitment to his students was outstanding and his experience was of incalculable value. Many thanks!
However – the earlier parallel with Bournville relates most especially to our two summer retirees whose combined service to Polam Hall spans 67 years. Mrs Kay Lawrence led the Mathematics department from strength to strength. She inspired total confidence in all those she taught, and never failed to bring out the mathematician in each of her students – however well hidden. Significant numbers of mathematics graduates owe their success to Mrs Lawrence. In the words of one of last summer’s leavers ‘she’s just a legend’ Kay, Polam Hall is forever indebted to you.
Mrs Penny Hyslop happily remains with us seeing her GCSE girls through their course and continuing as our Examinations Officer. As a full-time member of the teaching staff, and more recently as Director of Studies and member of the Senior Management Team, Mrs Hyslop retired this summer. She has taught several Polam generations since she joined the staff here in 1969. Her knowledge of ‘all things Polam’ – the vagaries of the timetable, the complexities of exam boards and, above all – of what makes girls tick – is simply unparalleled. I began this report by speaking of a lifelong journey of learning – from Mrs Hyslop I have learned much; and valued all of it! Thank you.
I would like to thank everyone here for your contributions to the Polam Hall community. Governors and parents support the school tirelessly and work in partnership with us. Concordia Crescimus indeed. But above all tonight I wish to offer my thanks to the staff – teaching and non-teaching – for all their, often unsung, work on the school’s behalf. And I want to thank the students who, daily, make me aware of being in a special place. I conclude with one small illustration of that, and share with you one of my highlights of this term. Last week I asked my group of Lower Four (Y7) girls if they could define ‘thinking’. Several moments of silence ensued ……… and then came this response, ‘Thinking is when your brain keeps talking but your mouth stays shut’. Could anyone put it better? We certainly are teaching our young people to think! On that note – for a while at least, my mouth will stay shut. Thank you.
