Having taken up post in September , I was anticipating challenges and preparing to navigate them as I settled into my new role as the eleventh Headmistress of Wycombe Abbey. The Autumn term was a whirlwind of activity from the very first weekend. Bonfire night was rained off due to torrential downpours, but was rescheduled.
With the cancellation of GCSE and A Level examinations, teachers pulled together an impressive programme of enrichment and extension, giving the girls the opportunity to delve into new subjects or hear from staff about their areas of passion and expertise.
We held a virtual Open Day for more than 1, prospective parents and pupils and bid farewell to the Clarence leavers via Zoom at the end of term. At this time of national crisis, we offered our boarding Houses to key workers, donated lab coats and goggles and made visors for the NHS in our Design and Technology workshops.
Resident staff came together, with the rest of the country, on Thursday evenings to show appreciation for those working on the front line. The first proving to be much more straightforward than the latter. All this happened alongside the usual timetable of lessons and preps, projects and tests until the reality of the pandemic hit and the country went into lockdown in March Our pupils scattered across the globe as they returned home and our beautiful School estate became eerily quiet without the girls and staff.
However, we adapted. Microsoft Teams became our new way of communicating as we moved the School online, sourcing laptops for all staff and teaching a full timetable across all year groups. It has been an extraordinary year and one that has, in some ways, changed the way we work irrevocably. Despite being physically apart, the girls have continued to show their passion for a wide range of important issues including sustainability, diversity and adolescent mental health.
