This week I had the great pleasure to be at a conference which include a keynote speech by Sir Jason Kenny.  Jason is probably not quite a household name but he was a member of the GB cycling team for many years and is the most decorated British Olympian of all time, with seven Gold medals, ahead of more well-known athletes such as Sir Chris Hoy and Sir Stephen Redgrave.

His speech provided an insight into the way in which the cycling team worked and the concept of ‘marginal gains’.  These have become well known and there are numerous anecdotes of the things that the cyclists used to do in order to gain very small advantages over their opponents, such as learning how to wash their hands properly (so that they were less prone to colds and sniffles, which impaired their training) or taking their own pillow away with them on training and competition trips (so that they could get better sleep) or even shaving the hairs on the backs of their hands (to aid the aerodynamics).  Even Jason admitted that the gains from the last one were probably more in their own mind than the real world.

But there were two further take aways for me.  Before the team got to discuss the marginal gains, they had already focused on what they called the ‘critical success factors’ which, in cycling, include training, proper nutrition and having the best equipment (i.e. the fastest bike).  Without these, it doesn’t matter what else you do, you are not going to compete, let alone win.

I reflected on this in discussion with my colleague, Mr Chapman, as we drove back after the event.  In school, there are multiple success factors that are critical: student attendance, excellent behaviour, an interesting and well-constructed curriculum and, most of all, high quality teaching and learning.  Anything else might be important and helpful (marginal gains) but these fundamentals are our focus every day and, listening to Jason Kenny, it helped to clarify this even more for us.

My other take away was how relaxed he was.  Practically horizontal.  In a sport where the competition is so intense and where a tenth of a second can be the difference between a Gold medal or mediocrity, his insight into the team was that they were utterly relaxed about their success or otherwise.  The process for them was everything and they focused on controlling the controllable, and disregarding all of the rest.

The circle of control and influence is something I speak about to my colleagues regularly but hearing someone else talk about the same principle in a different context also helped me to shed some of the things that have been weighing me down.  These are things which occupy my thinking, cause me to worry but I have no control and little influence about them.  I should just forget them, focusing instead on the things I can control and influence.

There are lots of parallels between sport and education (although there are even more differences) and I always find it interesting to listen to athletes talk about their work, what motivates them and how they deal with success and failure.

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Thank you to the over 200 families that attended our Year 11 Mock Results Evening last night.  This represented 85% of the year group and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.  There were some tough conversations and a few tears but, importantly, a determination to move forward together to keep improving student performance.  I wish to also thank all of the staff (teachers, facilities team and admin staff) who made the event happen and ensured it was such a success.

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There are now three weeks left of the Autumn term, the longest of the year.  Whilst Christmas is approaching, in secondary schools, we ensure that students stay focused on their day to day learning as much as possible.  There will be observation of the season over the next three weeks, through our Christmas Concert at Hessle All Saints Church (16th December), the Christmas Dinner in the canteen (18th) and the Tutor Christmas Party (afternoon of 20th – last day of term).

The number of students with 100% attendance to school this year is significantly higher than the same time last year and we are challenging all students to hit those streaks of attendance so please do not permit your child any unnecessary days off school over the next three weeks.  Learning will be taking place as normal every day so attendance to school is vital for success.

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Our Christmas tree goes up this weekend and my daughter, having finished her Christmas Present List in September, has now put together our Christmas Movie list.  We return to Home Alone every year, as well as The Christmas Chronicles, but since we seem to have acquired subscriptions to Disney and Apple this year, I am hoping for some greater variety in our movies in the next few weeks. 

Whatever you are doing this weekend, stay warm and safe and thank you for your support. 

Mr Groak

Headteacher