Headmaster's

Message

Balance

It has been an exciting week. The highlight was the induction of 2022 School leaders. I have also shared news of a range appointments to key roles within our School, including that Mrs Rachael Newton will be the next Head of Junior School. These staff and student appointments together offer a great deal of hope and potential for the future of our School.

In my effort to provide a forward-focused and positive narrative, I recently made a statement about the proportion of longer-standing staff who will be here in 2022.

Unfortunately, my careless use of words meant that what I communicated was not strictly correct and for that I apologise. What I meant to write was, of the current teachers that will still be here in 2022, 80% of them were here when I arrived. 

We all value the School’s history, traditions and historical excellence and especially those who have sustained it over many years. I am grateful that, whilst we are passing through a time of renewal of teaching staff, there are still a large majority of teachers who have been at Grammar for a considerable length of time. As custodians of the past, these teachers will carry relationships and culture into our future, until those who are newer have found their feet and begun to make their own unique contribution to our culture and tradition.

This blend of teachers; newer, medium-term and longstanding; is what is required in a healthy School. Getting this balance right is something that the Board and the Executive has been discussing for some time. These discussions are the reasons we have instituted a process of discovery I recently described to families. We trust that the data and feedback we receive will prove very useful in helping governors and leaders answer these questions and respond in whatever manner is necessary. 

Per Ardua Ad Altiora

Mr Ian Maynard

Headmaster