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Headmaster's Address

Beginning of Term Assembly

Welcome back. I hope you all had a good Christmas and that you return refreshed and looking forward to the term ahead.

The Year 11s aren’t with us this morning because they start their mocks today – we wish them every success with those.

A few words about the Ski Trip.

Miss Williams who led the trip wrote to me on return to say that “overall, the pupils were fantastic. They supported one another throughout the trip, and it was a pleasure to watch them interact with different year groups. They were enthusiastic, well-behaved, and a credit to the school. The staff were equally fantastic, always willing to help and ensuring everything ran smoothly. The snow conditions were excellent, and many pupils who had never skied before were confidently skiing down blue and red runs by the end of the week. It was great to witness their progress and how quickly they took to the slopes. That said, there were a few accidents, but despite these incidents, the overall mood of the trip remained positive, and I am confident that all pupils had an enjoyable time.”

My thanks to Miss Williams for leading the trip, and to all the other staff who accompanied the ski trip this year.

Secondly, a reminder that we welcome some pupils from our sister school, the Aoyama Gakuin School in Tokyo, who are here for the return leg of the Japanese Exchange – they will be with us until the 18th – we are delighted to have them here in Cambridge and we welcome them warmly to The Leys.

Thirdly, Oxbridge news: this will be trickling in in the coming days – good luck to those of you waiting to hear news.

This is a short but action-packed term and the one piece of advice I would offer you is to make a fast start – Year 11s of course are not here to hear this themselves, because they are sitting mocks – for other year groups there are very important weeks ahead including mocks for the Upper Sixth in a few weeks’ time. We had some excellent staff training yesterday entitled ‘Teaching to the Top’ and it reminded us all of the importance of setting very high expectations for all of you, and I would encourage you to hit the ground running  right from the get-go at the start of this term. I have asked for them to be very ambitious for you but really, it is for them to draw the ambition out of you – we do have very high expectations of you as Leysians and we know that each and every one of you can reach those expectations.  There will be plenty of support and encouragement from my colleagues but the drive and desire should emanate not from your teachers but from you.

We are the sherpas, the experienced guides, to help you up your own individual Everests – but it is you who and only you who can climb your own unique mountaintop, so whilst you can expect our support all the way, you need to generate the drive and ambition towards your goals – it’s your life, and all of us want you to be the best that you can be.

To do so requires ambition and drive, as I have said, but also curiosity. We had Curiosity Week last term of course for the Year 9s, but actually this is a quality you should all be cultivating, every week of the year, and throughout and beyond your Leysian careers.

The important thing in life is not to stop questioning… Successful pupils and university students (and people who are successful after their formal education is concluded) often display a good measure of intellectual curiosity. It’s important for at least four reasons.

  1. It makes your mind active instead of passive. Curious people always ask questions and search for answers. Since the mind is like a muscle which becomes stronger through continual exercise, curiosity makes your mind stronger and stronger.
  2. It makes your mind observant of and receptive to new ideas. When the ideas come you will recognise them. Without curiosity, the ideas may pass right in front of you and yet you miss them because your mind is not prepared to recognise them.
  3. It brings excitement into your life. The lives of curious people are far from boring. They are neither dull nor routine. There are always new things that attract the curious person’s attention, there are always new ‘toys’ to play with. Instead of being bored, curious people have adventurous lives.

And fourthly, I believe that curiosity keeps you grounded and humble and therefore makes you a nicer person. People who are curious know how much more there is out there to discover – they may have a keen sense of how much they do not know, and may never know. That breeds humility, openness to the perspectives of others, and lots of other traits that increase one’s prospects for success in life, and perhaps especially when it comes to working as part of a team.  And, surprise, surprise, curious, open-minded people tend to show more kindness and compassion, also.

So: throughout the term ahead, alongside the kindness and respect we expect of all Leysians, be curious: be open to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Some things you think you ‘know’ might turn out to be wrong, and you should be prepared to accept this possibility and change your mind. Don’t take things at face value. Dig deeper. Ask questions: What is that? Why is it made that way? How does it work? What, why, when, who, where, and how are the best friends of curious people.

Don’t be too quick to label something as boring. Whenever you do that, you close one more door of possibilities. Even if you don’t yet have time to explore it, leave that door open to be visited another time. Most importantly, take ownership of your learning. It’s your learning, not ours; see it as something fun, not a burden. I heard a great phrase yesterday in our staff training: “all learners are entitled to do difficult things” – I loved that.  That’s when the magic happens: as the eminent professor, Robert Coe, once said: “learning happens when people have to think hard”. Embrace the opportunities to think hard, to do difficult things, because that is when the magic happens. You’ll be ready to do that if you approach school with a mindset of curiosity, and with a determination to seize those opportunities for that invaluable hard thinking. I have an unshakeable belief in your capacity to improve if you have the right mindset and if you work hard. Set your goals, be passionate about what matters to you, work hard at it, be curious, and be kind and supportive to those around you. If you do all of that, you’ll be the best you can be.

Have a great term.