Statement from Headteacher - Bill Marshall - 20.08.2020

The arrangements for collecting results may be unfamiliar but the pride and delight on student faces today has been unmistakable as they opened their envelope and saw their GCSE results for the first time!

I appreciate the last couple of weeks must have been incredibly difficult for our Year 11 students with all the chaos and uncertainty over the national awarding systems. Smiles, tears and relief have all been evident today! The pandemic may have robbed our incredible students of their Leavers’ Ball and many of the rights of passage we all usually take for granted, but Humphry Davy students can be confident that their grades are secure and now nobody, nor any virus, can take them away.

There are many, many fantastic achievements to celebrate and I am proud of the students. We will never forget the hard work, dedication and determination demonstrated over the past five years at Humphry Davy and the resilience of the students has been just remarkable! Along the journey we have been so fortunate to have shared in so many wonderful experiences and the strength of feeling amongst the staff and affection for the cohort is reflected in the staff video recorded during the ‘lockdown period’ last term and can be accessed here.

Students have been leaving messages of their own as they head out to share their results with family and friends waiting beyond the school gates. Perhaps this one sums up the feelings expressed by so many:

“Thank you so much for everything over the past 5 years. All your continued help and support is so appreciated! I have loved my time at HDS and will be so sad to leave. :)”

We wish everyone the very best of luck for a happy, healthy, safe and prosperous future! It has been an honour and a privilege to be Headteacher for such a talented, creative, considerate and compassionate group of young people.

College, sixth form, apprenticeships and the world of work all await our students to grace their stage and I have no doubt they will have fabulous tales of success to share with us in future years.

I look forward to seeing all our Leavers at our KS4 Presentation Evening that we are planning for the end of the autumn term and let’s have that celebration!

Mr Marshall

Headteacher