Warden's Blog

The Warden’s Summer Blog

(Volume 1, August 2024)

I have found that the August Bank Holiday is a natural inflection point in the summer. One is inclined to think ahead to the duties that need tending to; be it maintaining your garden, buying the things that your children need for their return to school (how do they grow out of shoes so quickly?!) and, in my case at least, the preparation of a mental roadmap for the re-opening of the school, the induction of new staff, the setting out of expectations for the year, and the welcoming of a new cohort into the Wilson’s family.

We've come to the end of what was, by any yardstick, a busy, productive and hugely successful year for our school. Once again, we rose to all challenges. We can be very proud of our achievements in Wilson’s in 2023/24, echoed not only by Admiral Mark Mellett at our Awards Night in May, by Lt. Cmdr. Stella Isaac (WHS Class of 1997) via video link, but by An Taoiseach, Simon Harris TD, himself as he congratulated the Class of 2024. No small praise indeed.

Our school saw its best Leaving Certificate results in several years, a 10% increase in enrolments, and investment in the pipeline from government to improve the fabric of our building. And there is more to come. We are working very closely with the Department to deliver on a long-needed extension to our school and, separately, to deliver on much-needed fabric improvements in our current school building (Preston) and are hopeful of delivering good news to the Board first, and then the school community, in late September.

Our students…

Our school is emphatically about the students. They are the reason why any of us are here. They are at the heart of all we do. Not just today, but every day. In our interactions, I hope you have obtained a compelling sense of the vibrant learning culture we are building at Wilson’s. We are indeed on a journey, and I have been very explicit about the need for change.

As educators, it is our responsibility to present experiences that stimulate and challenge; that nurture the growth mindset that enables each child to flourish. That culture, and the academic rigour that flows from it, is of paramount importance to us. When the learning environment, and thirst for ambition is right, the right outcomes follow. We aspire to nurture young men and women of commitment, who understand that the more you put in, the more you get out.

In the late Peter Ustinov’s school report, it said that “He shows great originality, which must be curbed at all costs.”

Not at Wilson’s.

We rather like originality. We tell our students to ‘Be yourself’. ‘Be different’. ‘Be unafraid’. We tell them to be agile and open-minded in their thinking, ask pertinent questions and seek constructive change. We ask them to stand up for what they believe and to follow the path that is right for them. “To thine own self be true,” as Polonius famously advised his son in Hamlet.

In Wilson’s, we seek to empower our young people to be responsible citizens, and to imbue them with a genuine desire to contribute to society and care for others. Fundraising for charity, volunteering in the community, participating in clubs and societies, all bring into sharper focus the need to celebrate difference and to respect one another for who we are. Diversity and inclusion are not buzz words here, they mean something real.

The outstanding sporting successes we’ve enjoyed this year are rightly to be celebrated. But I am proud whether we win or we don’t, for we always compete in the right spirit. When other teams fall apart or their sportsmanship slips, when other coaches fail to lead by example, I know that Wilsonians will always be disciplined, courteous and respectful, setting an example for others to follow.

We tell our students that life will surprise, delight, confuse and disappoint us. But I am confident that we equip Wilsonians with the skills they need to face uncertainty, adapt to new situations, and embrace opportunity. Wilsonians are united by a common purpose. We are humble and kind. We respect difference. We choose courage over comfort. We aspire, strive, and set our bar high; we persevere; for us, integrity matters, which is why we choose to do the right thing even when no one is watching.

School Improvement Plan

We now have a School Improvement Plan for Teaching and Learning in place for September. This is a blueprint for how we see the school moving forward. We will be ambitious in our attainment targets, work more collaboratively together and engage in more professional learning opportunities. Our targets are as follows:

1. In 2023, 63% of Leaving Certificate students achieved 400+ points. The target percentage of students achieving over 400 points by 2026 is 70%.
2. The percentage of students in Junior Cycle achieving Higher Merits and Distinctions will increase by 1% each year from 2024-2026.
3. The school’s participation in the Forbairt programme will lead to normalisation of peer observation amongst the teaching staff as an accepted part of school pedagogical culture.
4. Whole school opportunities to critically reflect on learning and practice, utilising a variety of professional learning opportunities, will be facilitated, and supported as a normal part of school culture.

It is a plank of my leadership in this school that we are, and believe ourselves to be, a more ambitious, agile and efficient organisation. We must have a clear, and clearly espoused, sense of who we are, what we do, and why we are different. We are proud of our unique selling point, and unafraid to say so. More people are discovering Wilson’s. They are excited by our vision and want to be a part of it.

What is different about Wilson’s?

Over the last year, much emphasis has been placed on looking afresh at our Mission Statement, Characteristic Spirit, Ethos and Values. Indeed, for the first time ever, a special School Development Day took place in August 2023 comprising of our teaching and SNA staff, Board of Management, Board of Directors, Parents’ Council, Student Council and long-standing members of the wider school community. People speak of ‘The Wilson’s Way’. This interrogation and introspection was of vital importance to me as I sought to lead the school community through the last couple of years.

Our Mission Statement guides us to maintain a distinctive Church of Ireland ethos, foster Christian practice and teaching, promote dignity and respect for the individual and be constantly committed to the provision of a caring family atmosphere in which education can flourish. I believe we do all of these things in our daily interactions and ways of being.

What is a Church of Ireland ethos? Our school’s Characteristic Spirit tells us this; that it is an ethos or way of being that promotes, “the education of the whole person regarding their spiritual, physical, intellectual, social, emotional aesthetic and moral development in harmony with the Christian faith as expressed in the Anglican tradition, which seeks to be characterised by inclusivity in approach, conveying certain values, being reflexive, affirming of the student, and caring.”

Our ethos also commands us to be “focused on service to the local community as an out-working of the Gospel imperative to reach out to all people in a spirit of engagement and invitation to “come and see” (John 1:39)”. It also “encourages intellectual diversity of thought and encourages the individual to seek to understand themselves, the world around them and the connection between the world and the Divine.” In a way which “promotes pluralism in thought and living”.

Our Characteristic Spirit feeds directly into our Core Values, which are as follows:

• Faith: Living out the life-changing implications of a belief in the Divine, the person of Jesus Christ and recognises that every person is made in the image and likeness of God; conveying the reassurance and stability of Christian values in the life of the believer.
• Excellence: Striving to ensure that standards of teaching and the delivery of the curriculum is at the highest level of quality. Pursuing high standards in all things.
• Justice: Looking for fairness in our dealings with others, seeking to order our lives and the world around us in a context of equality for all people and to address unjust imbalances of power. To embrace compassion for our fellow human beings and to do all we can to make ourselves, our communities and our society conscious of the necessity for compassion, the cause of right and truth.
• Reflexivity: Open to continually being self-reflective, combatting our own biases, desires and motivations and engaging with pluralism of thought.
• Affirming: Conscious of the importance of affirming to all students and staff that they are valued, supported and loved. That they are unique in themselves, are entitled to live their own lives and not to be judged by any external standards, other than how we all engage with those around them and the world.
• Caring: Focusing on the experience of the young person to ensure that their experience of their time in school is accepting, happy and positive.
• Community: Enjoying the strength from membership of a community and the identity arising from strong tradition.

So, as a school with a Church of Ireland ethos, we are duty-bound to uphold our mission statement, ethos and values. We believe we do this. Practical examples of faith formation and religious instruction have included the weekly Christian Union meetings, Chapel Assembly introduced for all year groups once a term, the Sunday Services for Boarders at 9pm, the YouthForChrist programme in 4^th (Transition) Year, and finally, permitting the many churches and fellowships to have their summer camps here. I honestly believe that God is moving here and He is ensuring that good deeds are done here.

We are also duty bound to uphold other elements of our Mission Statement, Characteristic Spirit and Core Values, which I take directly from the text above:

• promote dignity and respect for the individual
• inclusivity in approach
• to reach out to all people in a spirit of engagement and invitation to “come and see”**
• encourage intellectual diversity of thought
• promote pluralism in thought and living
• Looking for fairness in our dealings with others
• seeking to order our lives and the world around us in a context of equality for all people and to address unjust imbalances of power.
• to embrace compassion for our fellow human beings
• to do all we can to make ourselves, our communities and our society conscious of the necessity for compassion
• affirming to all students and staff that they are valued, supported and loved. That they are unique in themselves, are entitled to live their own lives and not to be judged by any external standards, other than how we all engage with those around them and the world.
• Focusing on the experience of the young person to ensure that their experience of their time in school is accepting, happy and positive.

**Barnes’ Notes on the Bible (John 1:39) tells us that Jesus is ever-ready to admit those who seek him.

I believe that every member of our community upholds these values.

Change

Necessary changes have taken place in our school and will continue to take place into the future. The school is exceptionally thankful to all parents for their loyalty and understanding as these necessary changes are implemented.

A clear vision…

As I continue to engage with parents and members of the wider school community, I wish to be explicit about ‘where I am’ in my thinking about where the school can go and about what is desirable and achievable in Wilson’s in the time ahead. It’s perfectly reasonable to seek to understand what your Principal believes in:

I believe Wilson's should seek to enable:

• the equipping of our school for curricular and programme changes in the time ahead
• the empowering of learners through the development of critical thinking skills and collaboration, thereby fostering a deep understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
• the empowering of learners to engage in dialogue and debate, to consider all viewpoints, embrace differences and participate in decision-making processes.
• the affirmation that both traditional and digital literacy and numeracy transcend all areas of learning, leading to teaching, learning, assessment and reporting which is socially and personally relevant and environmentally and ethically sound.
• the learning of skills, on a lifelong continuum, in preparation for a continually changing employment landscape.
• the enlightenment, challenging and widening of students’ perspectives of the world around them, encouraging reflection and engagement with local and global issues.
• student voice, student participation and student leadership, promoted and facilitated at all levels.
• partnership with parents.
• learners that are enabled to take control of and become active agents in their own education.
• the championing of teacher collaboration as the cornerstone to providing a coherent learning experience
• the fostering of regular internal dialogue and dialogue between the various stakeholders involved in education provision, with the aim of agreeing a shared vision for what education should empower learners to achieve.
• a culture of championing highly qualified teachers and leaders, cognisant that professional, respectful dialogue and deliberation are key traits of reflective practitioners, and that teachers and leaders are themselves lifelong learners.
• teacher development that is nurtured through national and internal CPD, which emphasises deep engagement, risk-taking, focussed theoretical discussion and the construction of knowledge, thereby empowering teachers to build professional networks with one another, develop Communities of Practice and increase teacher autonomy.
• a teaching and learning atmosphere that is respectful and supportive of a blend of different pedagogical approaches.
• a school that adapts to the needs of leaders, teachers and learners based on highly effective national and international practice.
• a school that manages, leads and mediates change to respond to the evolving needs of the school and changes in education.
• a school that utilises the inspection process to affirm good practice and guide where necessary.

Admiral Mark Mellett (Rtd.), PhD, DSM, former Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, who gave the keynote speech at our Awards Night last May outlined his view of leadership, as follows:

1. Seize opportunities but act honourably.
2. Have a quiet ego.
3. Tend to your physical and mental wellbeing.
4. Validate those around you and act as their champion.
5. Face your fears.
6. Know your purpose – be yourself and have a creative and open growth mindset.
7. Be courageous in everything you put your mind to – populism is not leadership.

I would agree with him entirely. It is clear that our school has undergone a period of challenge and change. And as the figurehead of that change, and your perception of it, I’d like you to know that I have been strengthened by your good wishes, by your counsel, by your own children’s success and happiness in our school, and by three biblical references, which in their own way, found a way into my consciousness:

• The fact that ‘be not afraid’ is mentioned 366 times in the bible.
• Nehemiah's success in completing the rebuilding of the walls around Jerusalem despite the distractions thrown his way.
• The importance of a united house, standing upright (see Mark 3:25).

Parents, I thank you for entrusting your children to us. Schooling is perhaps the biggest decision we make as parents. Be assured, I do not take that commitment for granted. I understand that it is a bond which we must continually earn and renew. Your expectations are justifiably high; I trust we are not just meeting them but exceeding them.

I hope you feel that your Diocesan secondary school is doing you proud. Let us interpret Andrew Wilson’s will – 263 years after the opening of the school – in a way where whomever is educated here feels that we are, ‘promoting dignity and respect for the individual and... (that we are)...constantly committed to the provision of a caring family atmosphere in which education can flourish."

As a school community, we are bound to speak through our deeds more than our words – Res Non Verba – and it is our mission to send those who graduate from our school to join the many thousands of other Old Wilsonians around the world with the ideal and power of service given to us in Christ, as expressed in a school with a vibrant and progressive outlook.

Let us face the new school year with confidence and hope. Onwards, together.