SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS
A vision for Queen’s Gate School Muses from the new Head, Amy Wallace the light falls across a room at a certain point in the afternoon or, indeed, locate that sneaky leaking pipe. This year, instead of rolling out my vision for Queen’s Gate, I’m reviewing, revising and refining. I’m shuffling my priorities, bringing some forward, setting some aside for now. And I’m watching and listening – to my colleagues, to our parents, and to our girls. Collegiality is a key part of my own leadership, and in a school our size it’s fundamental to who we are. Any vision for Queen’s Gate has to speak to, and of, that collegiality. One month in, and some ideas have already been brought forward, such as making formal our policy of offering all our Year 6 girls a place in the Senior School, a change that strengthens our sense of being one school, and has brought welcome reassurance to pupils and parents alike. I’m also looking forward in November to launching our new bursarial campaign, part of our dream to widen access to a Queen’s Gate education. Some of my vision is already in sight; some is still to emerge. And as it does, it will be inspired by the optimism, fresh-thinking and light heart that imbues the very special atmosphere hidden behind our elegant stucco walls. Exciting times are ahead. AMY WALLACE, Principal www.queensgate.org.uk
As a new Head, you often get asked about your vision for your school, and not unreasonably so. Devising that vision and driving the school are, of course, the key part of your role. As the new Principal at Queen’s Gate, I do have a vision for the school, a set of ideas and hopes first formed during my interview process, and continually honed and extended since. For me, though, vision has to reflect what’s at the heart of your school, and you only truly get to know what that is once you are there, feet under the desk, roaming the corridors, breathing in the daily life of your school. Speaking to our staff at the start of term, I used the analogy of buying a house. Only once you have lived there for a while do you learn how beautifully 52 | EDUCATION CHOICES MAGAZINE | AU T U M N 2 02 2
