Ruislip High School held their annual Presentation Evening on November 9th. Dr Ruth Hill, Senior Deputy Headteacher opened the evening’s programme by welcoming the audience of parents, carers, guests and students. This was followed by a Review of the past academic year from Headteacher, Mr Gareth Davies.
Mr Davies began by saying that the past school year had been one that was returning to normality following the interruption to students’ learning due to the Covid pandemic. However, he was pleased to inform the audience that, in spite of the problems this created, this year’s Key Stage 4 & 5 academic results were outstanding!! He was proud to announce that five students in the past two years have secured university places at Oxford. He continued by referring to a host of special weeks that took place in the Spring Term. These included topics such as internet safety, languages and environmental sustainability. He also mentioned there had been trips to Berlin, Andorra and WW1 Battlefields. The summer term brought much sporting success and he also praised the support of parents and the hard work of teachers in preparing students for the GCSE and A Level exams. Finally he spoke of the importance of adults and young people speaking together about the world situation, especially the tragic situation that is happening in the Middle East; he summed up by saying that although communities can be very diverse it is important to remember that “there is more that unites us than divides us.”
Ms Jo Cotton, Assistant Headteacher, introduced the winners of the poetry and photo competitions. For the poetry competition students from every year group were invited to write a poem linked to the theme of respect. The winner of the competition was William who read his evocative and thought provoking poem to the audience. The winner of the photo competition who produced a beautiful picture of the school in autumn was Isabelle who was presented with a framed picture of her winning photograph by The Worshipful Mayor of Hillingdon, Cllr Shehryar Ahmad-Wallana and Ms Jo Cotton.
The Bursary Awards was the next presentation of the proceedings. Hillingdon Local Authority has provided a bursary of £10,000 to the school in recognition of the school’s first ten years. £1,000 is given to two Year 13 students to support them with their higher education fees. This year’s recipients were Molly and Emma who were presented with their certificates acknowledging their bursary and a book of their choice by Mr Davies and Chair of Governors, Mr John Garner.
This was followed by a presentation by the Student Leadership Team – Tia, Olivia and Niyah. The three girls spoke very confidently with remarks( based on their own experiences) addressed specifically to the students present which were very stimulating, stating that one can turn a dream into a goal through hard work which would lead to success and encouraging all the young people to grasp every opportunity that comes their way.
The Deputy Headteacher, Ms Cotton then introduced the guest speakers
Barry and Margaret Mizen
Barry and Margaret Mizen who in 2008 sadly lost their son, Jimmy, in an unprovoked attack. Since that time they have worked tirelessly to spread the message of forgiveness, peace and hope across the country which Mrs Mizen stressed in her speech. The couple have previously visited Ruislip High School to address the students. Both parents’ speeches were moving and inspiring. Mr Mizen encouraged everyone to make sure they tell their families that they love them every day as you never know when the last day you see them may come. The Mizens mission is to help all young people to realise their potential and build the types of communities we all want to live in, through Jimmy’s legacy.
Before the Presentation of Subject Prizes by Steve Tuckwell MP the audience was treated to a very professional solo clarinet performance by Ray of “Lotus Talk”.
The hard work of staff was also rewarded with the Staff Awards Presentation by Ms Marie Coltman (Deputy Headteacher). The recipients were: Khaleel Ladhani (Head of Maths), Louise Ware (SENCO) and Alison Duffy (Administrative Support for Senior Staff).
The Ruislip High School Choir then gave a beautiful performance of John Lennon’s “Imagine” with words referring to the hope that one day “the world will be one” and speaking of “the brotherhood of man” that were particularly appropriate considering the tragic events that are currently taking place in our world at the moment.
The final Presentation was that of Bestowed Prizes which were donated by outside agencies and individuals with whom the school has a relationship and some prizes were in the name of past students. These included prizes for Innovation, Citizenship, Services to the School and Community, Coping With Adversity, Student of the Year, The Mizen’s Sparkle Award and other worthy achievements.
At the end of the evening closing remarks were delivered by Ms Jo Cotton (Deputy Headteacher).
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