It is hard to believe that over six months have passed since beginning this role at King Edward VI Foundation. They say that time flies when you are having fun and, amidst the challenges of another lockdown and all the unprecedented actions we are having to take, I can say that it has been a very enjoyable half a year getting to know you all.
It has also been a very busy and productive period and I am very happy to share with you in full the Foundation Strategy which I have referred to previously and which represents a good deal of work from a great many people as we set out our plans for the coming five years.
In this edition of Foundation News, you will see an item about ConnectED, our first remote learning conference.
I was delighted to be asked by its organisers to contribute to its keynote and took the opportunity to place our response to the pandemic in its historical and international perspective, the former showing that the impact on education of COVID-19 in the UK has arguably been greater than that of the Second World War and Spanish Flu, and the latter showing the responses that we have seen all over the world and the learning that educators from different countries will take from the experience.
Many thanks are due to the organisers and to the contributors from each of our schools for this innovative and enjoyable event.
In the summer term, I was pleased to take on the chairing of the Student Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee alongside two co-chairs, Annie Gouldsworthy from King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Girls and Matt Bartlett from King Edward’s School. We had an excellent first meeting with the committee members and have begun planning our activities for the coming year. It is impressive to see how much the students have achieved over the last year and we are excited to be working with them to take the work forward. It was also fascinating to have a closer look at the work of one particular school in the domain of ED&I, when I had the pleasure of attending the King Edward’s School Diversity Forum and seeing the in-depth discussion between staff and students there.
The end of an academic year often sees changes and I know that each school will be saying farewell to some colleagues who have played a key role in their communities. I would like to take the opportunity to thank Laura Ganderton, the Foundation’s Company Secretary, for her service and dedication as she moves on. Congratulations are also due to Amy Whittall, Headteacher of Handsworth School, who will be seconded part-time as Interim Director of Educational Development for the coming year to lead on school-to-school support and staff development; I am sure that she will be using these pages to good effect next year to talk about progress made in this area.
It only remains for me to thank you all for your commitment this year to what has by no means been normal business and to wish you a good summer. The work will continue for many colleagues but I hope that everyone will find some time for family, friends and well-deserved relaxation.
Jodh Dhesi
