There’s a lot spoken and written about change nowadays.  As if it were A New Thing, which of course it isn’t, it’s been around for ever.  People change, families change, jobs change; some changes are welcome, others not so much.

As a regular visitor to The Abbey, in different capacities and over a remarkable number of years, I notice both very regular, and sometimes surprising, change alongside enormous continuity.  I have known almost all the Headteachers, from Miss MacDonald who interviewed me as a ten year old, to Miss Hardcastle who was my first Head and my daughter’s, to Miss Sheldon who was also Head when my daughter was at the school, to Mrs Stanley whom I met frequently as an Old Girl, then to Mrs Dent who led the school when I first became a Governor, and finally to Mr le Fleming, whom I helped appoint three and a half years ago.  And I look forward to appointing our next Head in due course.  

Each one of these distinguished school leaders has left a strong mark on The Abbey; some of them have been great builders of labs, classrooms, specialist spaces; others have been great innovators of changes to the curriculum and to the way we manage daily, termly and yearly life.  There will be a proper moment to appreciate fully the mark Mr le Fleming will leave, but not now.  Now is the moment to value so much that has not changed over the sixty five years of my association with the school. 

We have always had a strong sense of what the Abbey is.  An environment in which everyone is held in respect, but one where all ideas and opinions are up for challenge; an environment in which everyone is listened to with care, but one where no one world view is prioritised; an environment in which effort and achievement are equally recognised, no matter what the field.

Some of the detail has certainly changed as the world in which we live has developed.  In those earlier days every school day began with an Assembly – a hymn, a Bible reading, and prayer – now we look more widely for sources that make us reflect on how we live our lives.  Developing a functioning moral compass has always mattered.  Our students work through issues and approaches, while they are at school, that will be central to the way they approach challenge throughout their life. 

And we have always looked for a sense of purpose and a real joy in all that we do here.  We have got better at that over the years.  We understand that being a girl and growing into a young adult is tough.  We support our students to discover themselves as well as  Shakespeare or Linear B or Systems Thinking.  Right now, just as there are big changes in the world, there are some big changes here at The Abbey.  Happily we know how to recognise and respond to opportunities for change; we know how to thrive while we do so.   So that is what we will do.

Liz Harrison, Chair of Governors