#bepartofthepride

Boris Johnson’s announcement on Sunday that primary schools would return but that there would only be limited opening in senior schools, was not a surprise but it was still disappointing. We desperately want to return but obviously will only do so when it is safe. We are discussing the implications of the announcement for our pupils, especially those in the 4th Year and Lower Sixth, and I will write to parents of pupils in these year groups next week. 

Last week, I promised that during this period, we would hear from pupils how they are spending the lockdown. The account below is from one of our Lower Sixth pupils, Theo. It demonstrates how, by reaching out and working hard, you can gain much in return.

“People have decided to spend the COVID-19 lockdown doing many different activities to keep them going. I have chosen to spend my time, while not doing schoolwork, in a temporary job in a local nursing home. Given the setting, it is vital to follow the Government’s rules, especially to self-isolate if you have any symptoms. This has resulted in over 70% of the permanent staff needing to stay at home for at least 2 weeks at various times and therefore the home has often been very understaffed. The remaining staff have a task even harder than usual, with PPE and social distancing regulations coming into effect, even while care is being provided. So, after sending out a plea over social media, the home recruited some new temporary workers for care work and to help in the kitchen.

I was one of the first of the new workers and they were so desperate for employees, that I ended up working an 8-hour shift on the day of my interview! The home is around 5 miles from my house, and the cycle there and back has certainly kept me fit without sport at school. Over the Easter holidays, I was working 6 or 8-hour shifts most days, but now that lessons have recommenced, I am working most evenings 6pm – 10pm and long days over weekends. The work there is difficult, with only 4 or 5 carers on duty trying to look after more than 20 residents, each with their own pills, creams, dietary requirements. Many are not being able to get dressed or even eat without 1 to 1 assistance. The home has not been left unaffected by the virus either, with 8 empty rooms in a once full home, which is very upsetting for both carers and residents. Out of the 11 residents who were in self-isolation in their rooms due to confirmed COVID-19, only 3 made a full recovery.

Working at the care home has been a beneficial experience for me, while being stuck in lockdown. I get to leave the house and socialise with people other than my immediate family, which is definitely refreshing! Also, to know that you are helping the community in a time of global need is an amazing feeling, with many of the residents expressing heartfelt gratitude to us coming to their aid. Overall, being a temporary worker in a care home is an incredible experience, which I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who can.”

I wish you and your families a very good weekend.

Emma Allroggen / Unsung Heroes of Science

Emma, who is in the L6, has had her fascinating video on Flossie Wong-Staal shortlisted for the Hertford College ‘Unsung Heroes of Science’ competition. Her short video is excellent so please watch it, however, there is also an audience prize for the most watched video so you will be helping her at the same time as learning something! 

Some of this week’s news from social media

On Thursday, Mr Spencer was the star guest on the Breakfast on BBC CWR radio show. During the breakfast show he set three physics puzzles and returned in the evening to give the answers. You can listen to a recording of the show – Mr Spencer was on air just before 9am.

Pupils have completing lots of challenges and activities, include House competitions in stair climbing, origami and designing Easter eggs. Next week’s challenges include the House tallest tower challenge competition. 

Today, the School Captains have taken over our Instagram account. I am a little worried, as I am not entirely sure what they are planning but this might be a regular Friday occurrence.

Our virtual choir, made up of pupils and staff, has started – it’s great fun! 

I will start with a positive sports result; yesterday the 1st XI girls’ hockey team won their national competition game against KEHS Birmingham 12-1!

The result of the Mick Hibbert Shield last Friday was bitterly disappointing, and you could tell how much it meant to the players at the final whistle. Once the players had changed, they came and joined parents and other supporters in the clubhouse and I was impressed by the reaction of many of them, especially the captain, Will, who displayed the very attitude that I described in my previous bulletin. We were proud of them during the game and I was just as proud seeing their reaction afterwards. I am very conscious that I have spoken about rugby quite a lot recently, so I will leave it at that.

After the game, two former pupils accosted me. They were part of a very successful year group and they had gone on to achieve highly in the City. They wanted to know how we could claim to have had the best ever results this summer because they felt their year group’s results were better. I pointed out that A* grades did not exist in their time, let alone 8s and 9s. Their argument was about the position of the School in the national league tables and we chatted about how these are flawed, and direct comparisons over time are difficult. We had a good discussion about statistics and agreed that their year group did well, as did our current Lower Sixth (and Upper Sixth) in their GCSEs. 

I often teach statistics to the Sixth Form and sometimes pupils start the course with a heavy heart. “Not more bar charts and histograms, sir!” they say. I sympathise with their plight when they need to draw yet another graph, but statistics is much more than that and very important. The ability to understand what data tells us and what it does not tell us, is a vital skill and one that is becoming more important as technology allows us to collect more and more information. The forthcoming election campaign has already shown how often politicians fail to understand what data does and does not say. We as teachers have to train young people to be discerning and this includes how we can be manipulated, not just by the rhetoric of speeches or written passages, which they study in their English lessons, but also by algorithms and automated scripts.

Frederick Mosteller, who died in 2006, was one of the most eminent statisticians of the 20th century. He said, “While it is easy to lie with statistics, it is even easier to lie without them.” The 10-13 score line last Friday only tells part of the story!

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching some of the boys’ rugby this term, especially the U15 and U18s. Both squads have shown the commitment, teamwork and leadership needed to be successful. They listen and learn from their coaches and have played some excellent rugby. I think, however, it is the way they play and behave that has impressed me the most. There have been some brilliant results but also some disappointments and they have met defeat with grace, congratulated their opposition and taken the opportunity to learn. It reminds me of the Kipling poem, If, which includes the lines, “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, And treat those two impostors just the same.”

Vince Lombardi, the legendary American football coach, said, “Show me a good loser and I’ll show you a loser.” While there was much that Lombardi got right, in this case, I think, he was wrong. We will be disappointed in defeat, but should meet it with grace, not excuses or rancour. New Zealand’s response to being beaten by England in the World Cup shows why they have a 79.2% winning record since they first played in 1903. One part of resilience is to have the maturity to face up to defeat, to reflect on what happened, learn from it and to rebound. Steve Hansen, the New Zealand head coach, said after the game, “You put a lot of time and effort to win the thing but if you don’t achieve what you wanted to do, you have to stand up and be counted. It does not stop you from hurting, but you have to accept what is chucked at you. There is no shame in being beaten. That adversity will feed a lot more All Black teams in the future.” I suspect he is right! England will need to react in the same way following their defeat in the final.

The U18s have won many more games than they have lost and on Wednesday went through to the last 16 of the National Vase competition. An impressive achievement and next week there is a chance to see them in action. I hope many of you will come and support them in the annual Mick Hibbert Shield on next Friday at Coventry RFC’s Butts Park Arena. Kick-off is at 7pm. It should be a great game and the team would appreciate your support.

I apologise to all those who do not like rugby and I promise to write about something else next week.

(Bulletin No 14 - 8th November 2019)