Leadership Likes: Mr David King

“A change is as good as a break.”

At the start of the week, I did my best to convince pupils that change shouldn’t be cause for concern.  My argument was, that appreciating the role of the individual within the bigger picture helps to mitigate anxiety by aligning your feelings with those of the team of people also making changes to achieve the goal. Whether or not the pupils were compelled to agree, I don’t think I’ll ever know.

But ‘change’ versus ‘break’ is more complicated.

Certainly, we would advocate taking sensible breaks during a long term. It is important to have other pursuits to follow, interests to develop, skills to acquire; add to this how interesting life can be and, indeed, how interesting an individual one may become. The Co-Curricular booklet this term offered just over 100 options  – these will make for some seriously interesting pupils! (With a nod to the staff running the clubs.) Pupils who continue such exploits in and out of school have ready-made ‘breaks’ waiting for them.

Taking the broader view, we are now a few weeks back from a very long break and the change to which we have returned is not insignificant. Being young and inherently resilient, the pupils have coped very well. Being hard working and committed, colleagues have coped too. Both have had to adapt.

Whether or not further ‘change’ is on the way for schools in the medium term, time will tell. But I’m comforted by the knowledge that pupils and staff have adapted, twice now, and buoyancy and spirits remain. It is a mark of the strength of our Croydon High community that saw such positive messages to one another created just as we broke for the Summer term. These are now scattered around the school as reminders of the encouragement offered to one another. (A video reminder here of their socially distanced installation.)

It is, of course, this aspect of community that will never change and will always survive breaks, be they weekends, half terms, holidays or time spent since leaving Croydon High School. The school spirit will continue to develop by tackling the issues raised within wider society and changing educational and geopolitical backdrops, but at its heart will remain empathy and inspiration. These neither change, nor break.

Mr David King

Deputy Head (Pastoral)