Dr Cotton’s Review

Dr Cotton’s Review of the Year

A reflection of 2020-21 from the Head of PGS

Dr. Cotton with the 2021 Oxbridge offer holders

For all the challenges of this extraordinary year, there has been so much to celebrate in the activities of our pupils and staff. The tenacity and creativity of our community, as we have adapted to the changing Government guidance and to the arrangements for public examinations, have been clear in every corner of the school. The achievements of pupils and staff, though often different in format, have been more impressive than ever for the context of this difficult year, and as the year progressed, it was wonderful to be able to return to some of the activities that are at the heart of school life. We are enormously grateful for the tremendous support of pupils, parents, staff, OPs and friends of the school throughout, and we very much look forward to gathering together again in September.

2020 brought the inaugural year of our new Sixth Form Curriculum, with its dual focus on academic extension and personal development programmes to supplement pupils’ core subjects. Our light and friendly new Learning Support Hub, created with the support of a generous donor, has welcomed pupils across the school. Pupils have taken a leading role in our work in areas from diversity and inclusion to sustainability. Sixth Formers and OPs are now able to connect as they venture forth into the world beyond school, via our new online portal PGS Connect, and in September we look forward to launching our new Entrepreneurship Studio. The co-curriculum continued to flourish during remote learning, and in the Summer Term it was wonderful to see trips, concerts, plays and clubs taking place in person once again.

Strengthening our commitment to our communities has been a strand running throughout the year. Our 2020 Sixth Form curriculum sees our Year 12 pupils spending time engaging in projects beyond PGS each week, developing skills to equip them for Life at 25. We were delighted that our annual arts festival, Ports Fest, was able to go ahead in July, with a wonderful weekend of cultural activities culminating in a series of concerts in the Quad, and with our musicians reunited with our associate orchestra, the London Mozart Players. In March, we held our first ever Giving Day in support of the William Smith Fund, and through the generosity of parents, OPs and friends of the school, we were overwhelmed to raise over £250,000 to support talented members of the community who would otherwise be unable to attend the school.

The Portmuthian tells the story of this unique period in the school’s history, and the editorial team have adapted brilliantly to the challenges of chronicling the school’s activities in changing circumstances. We hope you enjoy it.