RAMSEY Ramsey Grammar School Scoill Ghrammeydys Rhumsaa IM8 2RG

Telephone: 01624 811100 Acting Headteacher Fax: 01624 811101 Ard-ynseyder Tammyltagh E Mail: G M Corrin BA NPQH [email protected]

7th May 2021

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope you are all well at the end of this short week and I trust that you had a fantastic bank holiday weekend enjoying Saturday and Sunday, even if Monday was a bit of a washout. It’s been great to have another week without Covid interruption but I would like to reassure you that, in line with our risk assessment, we continue with our vigilance and controls in order to keep all of us safe.

Even though the week has been short it has as usual been busy! A group of Sixth Form students hosted our friends from Northern Live at Home and, led by Mr Quinn, they enjoyed an art session making Christmas cards! Although it may have seemed strange in May, the festive music and even the weather was somehow appropriate as the hail fell outside creating quite a wintery scene! We also hosted the first of our key transition events with Year 6 students from our partner primary schools. It was lovely to welcome youngsters from and Sulby to chat to some of our Year 7 students before enjoying a tour of the school. We very much look forward to welcoming pupils from Bunscoill Rhumsaa, Dhoon, , and over the next couple of weeks with further exciting activities planned for later in the term.

I was delighted to learn yesterday that Aaron Riley, as part of a team of outstanding Manx teenagers, calling themselves CyberAces, stormed the CyberCenturion VII coding finals, missing out on topping the board by just three points. The team was competing in a UK-wide CyberSecurity competition which pits the best young coding minds against each other. The team had been training together and competing from the Island in three separate qualifying rounds held in November, December, and March and have been teaching themselves valuable IT, CyberSecurity and teamwork skills throughout the contest. Massive congratulations to Aaron and the rest of the team.

Our Year 11 and Year 13 students continue to apply themselves magnificently to the necessary in-class assessments which are currently ongoing. I cannot express enough how well they are doing in these difficult circumstances to produce primary evidence that will support the determination of grades in summer. We will be sending a specific and separate letter to parents of youngsters in Year 11 and Year 13 imminently to outline key reminders and arrangements for the flexible assessment weeks commencing 17th May and 24th May.

We will also shortly be confirming details of the rearranged Parent Governor elections which we had to postpone in March. Thank you to the candidates Rebecca Bovenizer and Zoe Chestnut for their patience.

I am pleased that we will welcome our new Headteacher, Ms Sarah Findlater, to the Island next week. I hope that you all received and enjoyed her letter of introduction a couple of weeks ago and I know that she is very much looking forward to leading our fantastic school. I was writing a little comment for the Year 11 Year book this week and I pointed out to them that they were now, and always would be, a part of the RGS family. Whether they appreciate that yet I’m not sure but for many of us our links, affinity and history with the school is enduring. I have no doubt that Sarah too will feel the very unique warmth of RGS as we welcome her to her new role.

As Ms Findlater takes up her post, it means that I will return to my position of Deputy Headteacher. Despite the difficulties we have faced over the past five months and a frustration that we haven’t been able to progress ideas as much as we may have normally liked, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Acting Headteacher. The support that I have felt from yourselves, the students, all of our staff and the DESC has been remarkable and something that I will always appreciate. In January I made reference to the need for trust, togetherness and kindness. Without doubt those values have been clearly evident. You have trusted us to provide the very best remote learning and also to ensure that the removal of external exams would not negatively impact student outcomes. We have been together in implementing measures to keep our school, families and community safe in the face of the threat from Covid and you have been kind in your feedback when things have perhaps not been quite as we may want and kind also in your recognition of the efforts of our outstanding staff at RGS.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the whole staff team here at Ramsey Grammar School. A school is really just a building but the people, their values and their character make it what it is. I look forward to our next chapter under the headship of Ms Findlater and you can be assured that your children are in safe, expert and caring hands.

Thank you sincerely for all of your support personally and for our school.

Graeme Corrin Acting Headteacher