The last 12 months have seen dramatic change at Wallington County Grammar School, the school I have attended since Year 7.
It all began last March with the implementation of the Biometric registration and Cashless Catering systems. The Biometric registration gave the students more ‘control and responsibility’ over their school lives and punctuality which is an effective skill for the future in the workplace and at university, according to new Headmaster Jonathan Wilden. They removed the former concept of going to form time to register, you had to register yourself first, using the biometric finger points across the school; whilst the canteen also stopped accepting money and required you to put money on your ‘finger’ to pay for food. These measures, although initially complete anathema to the students were soon embraced by staff and students and were only the start of the several measures that were set to follow.
Soon after these measures were introduced, long serving teacher and Headmaster at the school for just over three years, Peter Smart, announced his retirement from the school and that he would be stepping down at the end of the year. He was replaced by his deputy, Jonathan Wilden as previously mentioned. His appointment has led to further changes within the school set-up, many of which I think are for the better of the school. He introduced a series of gates around the school towards the end of last year, which have led to criticism by parents that they are ‘overkill’ and the students are being ‘imprisoned’ within the school. However as Mr Wilden explained to me they are there for the ‘students’ protection’ and not to imprison us in the school as many parents have said.
Last summer saw phenomenal results for the students at GCSE in my year, with five students achieving 12A*’s and a further 6 attaining 11A*’s in their results which were outstanding for the school. This was followed by the largest Lower Sixth intake ever in the school’s illustrious 87 year-history, with over 180 students now in my year group. Although criticised by some, it has meant for better social interaction and a better learning environment with lots of intelligent people all working together. Even despite the vastly increasing size of the school, the school is now more organised than before and the school is running efficiently as a whole.
This ever increasing school has been emphasised in recent years with the number of candidates for the entrance exam for entrance in to Year 7 growing exponentially every year with over 1,500 people applying for just 120 places in the school. This demand for places inevitably creates higher levels of competition for places. The new headmaster met this demand with a revamp of the entrance exam formula in his first term at the school. Instead of the examination taking place in early September it was replaced with an initial ‘Selective Eligibility’ test which whittled down the number of candidates to approximately 800 students, making the process on exam day, now seen in late September/early October run a lot more smoothly.
The other main change has been the overhaul of the school council. The School Council, often seen as an ineffective institution that is necessary in most schools without achieving anything, has been a focal point of the school. However over recent years its’ voice and participation has waned significantly to the point where no one really cared anymore. This year has seen that all change with Mr Wilden leading extensive reform of the school council within everyday life. Instead of the old format of two representatives from each year in the school, there is now one representative in each form in each year, with a few leaders within each year group. This means that ideas can be filtered out by each year group, instead of taking up valuable time in the main meetings. Moreover it gives each year in the school more say and they are making major strides toward change, including proposed reform of the uniform system in the school; most definitely making waves!
More changes are set to shape the school in the coming months. Mr Wilden has applied for a grant as part of the ‘Capital Project’ which will provide the school with £800,000 towards the cost of putting new windows all around the school with the aim of conserving energy and making the school more green. The other new scheme being implemented is the ‘Alumni Scheme’ also led by Mr Wilden. This will see old boys of the school sign up to a scheme where they can be contacted, providing a network of support for people hoping to follow the same career path as an old boy, such as BBC Sports Editor David Bond. As you can see, the school has seen a lot of change over the last year and a lot more is still to come, all of which I think have improved the school. This school is definitely the place to be right now!