In the next few weeks, all schools will be undertaking the seismic movement of letting go of their year 11 students.
It’s a monumental shift to undertake each year, and the nature of letting go of our shared children, who we have nurtured and cared for for five years, is marked by both solemn ceremony and boisterous meetings and interactions. Our young people this year are beacons of our hopes and ambitions of the future of our society.
Our school is a place lucky to share a diverse and multicultural set of faiths and values which remain our greatest strength. Diversity and equity are encouraged. We educate and support each other when the world our students enter presents change. Our students will engage with challenging ideas and discourse as a result of their time at our school.
This is what education should do. It should equip young people to look at the changing world and respond to it confidently. It’s our job, as a school, to ensure that we are creating the next generation of leaders, whatever skills set they will need. We do that by ensuring our teachers continue to broaden the students’ cultural capital, so when they step into an exam hall, or a job interview, they do so with the unassailable confidence that comes from working hard, preparing well and being in the best position to be successful.
As year 11 approach the end of their journey with us, we look to support them into their next steps – work, further study, apprenticeships which combine both. The world really will open up to our students over the next five years. Even a global pandemic cannot dampen their next steps. We’re extremely proud of how they have managed the challenges of the last few years. What’s more exciting is considering what will happen in the future as a result of their foundation with us.
To all year 11s and 13s preparing for exams, we wish you well. You will change the world in your own way. Good luck in your exams! Every school will be hoping you do well!
Kuljit Rahelu is headteacher at Hornsey School for Girls.
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