Mrs Cook’s Blog

“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”

Wise words. A prize for the first person who emails and tells me who said this. (I will do anything to encourage people to read Leadership Likes!)

At Croydon High, I think we are pretty good at celebrating. Prize Giving, which took place last night, is perhaps one of the more formal celebratory occasions in the school calendar and of course a certain degree of gravitas is appropriate here I  feel. We are, after all, marking the achievements of our most senior pupils all of whom are moving on to new and exciting phases in their lives, be that at University, in the workplace or in the Sixth Form. Landmark moments.

But despite the relative solemnity and the impeccable order and organisation of the event overseen perfectly by Mr King, Prize Giving at Croydon High is also a joyous event. It is our last chance to wish the outgoing Upper Sixth ‘bon voyage’, to recognise the elevation of Lower to Upper Sixth and to officially welcome Year 11 to their sixth form journey. And these are all events that should be celebrated.

Behind every set of A level and GCSE results there is a story and this is what we celebrate at Prize Giving. Every single girl has been working towards an individual goal with their ambitions as unique as the girls themselves. It is a real hallmark of our school that we are able to first encourage, and then facilitate, such an enormous diversity  of interest.

Last night’s Prize Giving was a lovely occasion shared by proud parents and teachers, happy girls and an inspirational address from one of our alumnae, Sarah Nelson Smith. You will read more about Sarah in Mr King’s report on the evening in this week’s News Links, but suffice to say her words of wisdom resonated all the more strongly because they represented so much of what is (and has always been) at the core of Croydon High; resilience, kindness, good humour and the importance of the school friendships which continue to and enhance life long after the Sixth Form. Definitely something to celebrate.

Over the summer, I had the pleasure (and it was a pleasure) of refreshing our website and our school prospectuses in readiness for the coming academic year. As you might expect, our school marketing and admissions material reflects what has become our school mantra, Every girl, every day.

Every girl, every day is all about that moment of inspiration- the lightbulb moment – that can come at any time and can sometimes be life-changing. For a teacher, seeing the look on a pupil’s face when they grasp an idea that has been elusive is I imagine, just one of the things that makes the profession so rewarding. Our teachers consistently challenge themselves and their students to take on new ideas and extend their learning inside and outside the classroom. Whether it is the youngest forming their first letters, Year 9 mastering trigonometry or Sixth Formers finalising their University applications, every breakthrough is something to celebrate.

It was these ‘everyday achievements’ that inspired us to showcase what we call Today I moments on our school website. These snapshots of life at Croydon High aim to capture the way our pupils are encouraged to take the myriad opportunities available to them and use them to colour their learning and their life experiences. Our weekly News Links, put together so beautifully by Mrs Batchelor, our assemblies and notice boards around the school also reinforce the message that be they lofty or little, achieving our goals is something that we as a school community will always seek to celebrate.

If you would like to read about just some of our Today I moments, please take a look at our website here https://www.croydonhigh.gdst.net/about-us/what-makes-croydon-high-school-special/

Mrs Fran Cook

Director of External Relations