WELCOME

From The Headmaster

Reigatians delight and amaze me 2022 has demonstrated and reinforced the resilience of our community. With the pandemic slowly reaching its end, we did not falter in our continued efforts to raise awareness of the Nightingale Fund and promote RGS We Care by supporting the ever-changing landscape of our socioeconomic climate. With donation appeals for Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis, our united support offered our extended community to benefit from everyday items so many of us take for granted. Yet this edition of The Reigatian, also captures a sense of fun and excitement that returned with the first in-person events that we had all craved so much. We were able to reunite with our Reigatians celebrating reunions, welcome back our university graduates or host a Champagne soirée under the summer sun. We marked occasions such as Founder’s Day and once again saw the return of the Henry Smith Club dinner that had been absent from our calendars for the past few years. It has been super to see a generosity of spirit and commitment to making the world a better place that drives the school community.

There has been a real sense of achievement over this past year and, as I said in my message only a year ago, ‘In the worst of times, we have seen the best of people’. This is true of our staff, students and community who never fail to rise to a challenge and do so with strength of character and conviction. It is this sense of community that we have been able to regain momentum following such a challenging period of history and I want to personally thank every one of you for your engagement in the school.

It brings me joy to welcome new parents into our community as well as alumni and supporters of RGS, all connected by a common set of values that underpin our vision for overall educational quality for each child. As a result of this ongoing commitment, our staff and students have been awarded a School of the Year accolade in a range of areas of school life every year since 2018. That is truly remarkable. This academic year it has been an honour to receive the School of the Year award for our engagement with the community, for the way our students work with those beyond RGS preparing themselves for life after school and helping to make a difference in the community. However, all those awards put together are not as important as the daily experience of each child in our care as they learn more about themselves and learn more about the world. When independent and professional judges hold our provision in such high regard, I hope that all members of the Reigatian community can feel affirmed in our determined efforts to get things right for each child.

I hope you enjoy this 2022 edition of The Reigatian. It captures that RGS is part of the Global Village, encompassing our Reigatians near and far. It also offers an insight into the daily life of our community and how much impact those within it can have. Most of all, it underlines our commitment that there is so much more to a great education. We are lucky to have such amazing adults and children –Reigatians continue to delight and amaze me.

Shaun Fenton OBE Headmaster