Friday Headlines

04 October 2019

At a conference I attended recently, the assembled hall (all Headmasters and Headmistresses) were asked, “Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?”. This might seem an odd question to be directed towards people who have reached a certain point in their careers. However, the gentleman who was delivering the lecture wanted us to think about our statement of intent that draws us forward and where our internal compass is directed. He called this our Super North Star. His question was valid; if we do not know where we are going and why we are going there, then we cannot possibly guide the students in our schools. I have been fortunate to have known mine for some time. However, discovering your Super North Star is not always easy and sometimes our pupils can feel challenged by the question of what they want to do when they ‘grow up’. This is where our experiences at school can be of significant benefit.

The other question that we were asked is whether we give our pupils the opportunity to shine; the view being that if we do, it becomes easier for pupils to understand who they are and what they want out of life. Knowing what we do at EHS, I feel confident that our pupils have lots of opportunity to develop their talents and explore the many paths open to them. Our recent open morning was a fantastic example of this as many prospective parents commented on the confidence that EHS pupils showed and were impressed with the opportunities on offer, as explained by their guides. Several parents registered on the day purely down to the tour and discussion with their guide for the morning. What a fantastic advert for EHS! The recent awards ceremony was also a wonderful afternoon celebrating our young people and their achievements; helping them along the way to discovering or confirming their Super North Star. As you will read today and will have read in previous editions, Friday Headlines is full of examples of the opportunities on offer at EHS and the countless achievements of our pupils. 

Having spoken to many Year 13s and pupils in other year groups, I know that many are well on the way to understanding their Super North Star; they have knowledge of their compass and their map and have the skills and confidence to get there. For those who do not yet know exactly what they want, there is plenty of time to discover, explore and develop talents that lie within us all. As another speaker said, there are two important days in our lives: ‘the day we were born and the day we discovered why’. 

Mrs Macro