The current COVID-19 pandemic has cased unprecedented change and upheaval for so many. As a school, we were expecting the announcement of school closures, in line with other country’s responses, what caught us all totally by surprise was the cancellation of the Summer exam series. The announcement on 18 March 2020 was unthinkable. So many questions about results, progression and what it all means… and we had no answers.
To us in Sixth Form that are so focused on supporting students, encouraging and nurturing talents, and celebrating accomplishments of all types we felt that the students were robbed of an end of term, denied the rite of passage that marked the end of their compulsory education. The cohort of 2020 have been through so much in their individual educational journeys; not least the first cohort to sit the fully reformed linear/numerical GCSEs. The team of Miss O’Neill and Fiona wanted to mark the occasion of the students’ last day in school in a very KEVI way.
In less than 24 hours, the Sixth Form along with the incredible Senior Students put together a touching and fitting tribute where the whole year group were present, supported and cheered on by staff as well. The super organised and efficient team pulled of an emotional montage charting their progress from Nursery (!) to the present and also managed to distribute Leavers’ Hoodies which they had already organised!
We don’t know what the future holds for the 2020 cohort, but working with them has been a pleasure. We are, at this moment in time, committed to honouring our Leavers Dinner formal celebration, but we await further guidance regarding this.
Below is a beautiful and touching tribute from Rosie, our Deputy Head Girl:
All Saints, Abbyfields, Goosehill, Pegswood,
We all started here and it was understood,
That we would journey through school and make it to the end,
Standing hand in hand, standing friend by friend.
By the end of today, a million tears will be shed,
And the thoughts of tomorrow will hang in our head,
So even though we don’t have each other’s friendly faces,
As the world changes quickly, paces and paces,
We have us.
Each other, and we will see each other soon,
Hopefully in the pub and not X1 or X2.
From charity football matches where head boy scored a goal,
For the people who parked their cars and had them reversed out by Noel.
I’m glad to say that of Cafe Six we have made the most,
Although we’ll no longer hear Alison or Lauren calling out our ‘toast’.
Our lanyards can stay off forever, and we’ll wear out coats inside,
Because in isolation, we’ve got somewhere to hide,
from Miss O’Neill, Ms Johnston and the rest of the motley crue,
Who boss around us lot, born 2001 and 2002,
We obviously appreciate you all, and your work doesn’t go unseen,
So I’m sorry we’re buggers for uniform, we are really really keen,
To make stompers part of Sixth Form wear, who knows why we try,
Because we’ll never be able to escape your scanning eagle eyes.
To the teachers, thank you very much for UCAS applications,
Who knew Boris would scrap exams and shock the entire nation,
But this is what we’re left with, two hundred and twenty crying teens,
Who knows if they’re mourning school or sad about quarantine?
What they’re really mourning is what we will love and lose,
What makes it even harder is we didn’t get to choose,
How we say goodbye to the 5 years we have known,
Where lessons, time and laughter have very quickly flown,
So here’s to all of us, on this sad and scary day,
We know we’ll miss each other very very much,
So hug each other as much as you can, and please please stay in touch.
