This week of A-level results always holds an element of trepidation – as much for us teachers as for our students, writes guest columnist, Royal Latin School headteacher David Hudson.
We know how hard students have worked and you can imagine our joy, not to mention relief, therefore to see so many happy faces on results day.
It is so frustrating to hear their achievements downplayed in the national media. Those of us lucky enough to work in schools have the privilege of seeing just how many hours are ploughed into achieving outstanding results – a reflection of just as much dedication as any previous generation.
At a time when there is so much negativity in the news, we should celebrate the success and huge potential of our young people.
Talking of celebration, though I am a relative newcomer to Twitter (@RLS_Headteacher), I was delighted to see a recent tweet extolling the virtues of education in Buckingham.
Having now been in post for almost five years, I appreciate the wide range of excellent educational provision in our town – at primary, secondary and university levels – and I feel privileged to work with such outstanding colleagues in all sectors.
The Latin and all of our local schools receive excellent support from the town council and we are lucky to have such high profile and active support from John Bercow MP.
For a relatively small town, this commitment to high-quality education is incredibly impressive and something we should all be proud of.
My return from holiday brought me back to school to see amazing progress on The Discovery Centre – the structure is now up and the roof soon to be in place. We hope it will be finished after Christmas with a view to students using it from around Easter.
And it is not just our students who will benefit. I am keen that The Latin should play an active part at the heart of our local community and The Discovery Centre will be a resource that is available for pupils and adults of all ages.