"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives."

Having read the Game of Thrones books, and watched the series unfold - including the bitterly disappointing final season - this was one of my favourite lines. Advice given by Ned Stark to his youngest daughter Arya in the very first episode of the drama, the quote was brought particularly to mind during a Heads’ Forum across the Bellevue group on Thursday.

Metaphorically speaking, the snow has not just fallen this year, it has been a blizzard. The white winds have not just blown, they’ve been gale force. The impact of the Coronavirus was something which no one was fully prepared for. It has, much like the coming of winter in Game of Thrones, changed the face of society immeasurably. As cases continue to grow exponentially, particularly amongst the undergraduate student population, and the government searches for a working strategy amongst the speculation of what will happen with exams this year, at the College we’ve been quietly getting on with things. Student attendance, though obviously not as high as normal, has been absorbed through Google Classroom. Lessons continue, learning progresses, additional measures are being observed and the College remains a cohesive entity. We’re finding new ways to provide our expected levels of output - whether through Virtual Open Evenings, on October 20th, or what will be our first Virtual Parents Evening for all GCSE students on October 15th, with the A Level consultations to follow on the 22nd. Our intake of new students from September has been large, and we’ve changed our approach to meet this new challenge. Laura Bellerby, the new Vice Principal, has been instrumental in ensuring that our provision puts the student wellbeing at the heart of everything we do. 

Many individual schools have not been able to weather the storm. 

A College in the vicinity has closed, leaving students there to panic about their next steps mid A-Level course. We were able to offer places to them and integrate them quickly. They’ve had to hit the ground running to meet our expectations in terms of pace, but they have already made it abundantly clear that they’ve made the right decision in coming to us. I heard from another Headteacher yesterday that they had been able to welcome students much in the same vein - and that the parents of these children pointed out that their gravest concern was that their new school, which they were very impressed with, could soon close too.

It is with a great degree of pride that I can say that Ealing Independent College isn’t under threat - and I can say this because we are part of a ‘pack’ - the Bellevue Education Group. 

Being part of a group can be a complicated existence. Many education groups have a uniform brand which all of the schools belonging to it must follow. In a sense, they are a copied or cloned entity from a set model. I am pleased to say that this is not the way in which the Bellevue Group operates. Ealing Independent College lies distinct - as a separate entity, with its own characteristics, its own ethos and aims - but, under my leadership, it adheres completely to what the Bellevue Education Group stands for: to provide ‘best in class education’; to come together with other staff and schools within the group to share expertise and best practice; and, most importantly, to ensure the best possible education by being collaborative to the core.

As a new head, I can not emphasise strongly enough the importance of the support which I’ve received in such a challenging time. The ability to have gleaned guidance and knowledge from Education Directors within the group, and to have been able to converse with fellow Head Teachers, allowed the College to plot a route through particularly troubled waters with confidence. 

I can look towards an upcoming whole school review, carried out by experienced and learned former ISI inspectors, which I know will identify areas we are performing well in and those we need to address. We could not do this standing alone.

I can ask for advice or assistance from marketing or financial expertise and receive a timely and detailed response. I could not do this as a head of a college going it alone.

I can count on investment in technology and the support to troublesome problems in this area if and when they occur. Again, being on our own would not provide such opportunities.

Above all, I can plan ahead and work towards the vision I have for the College because I feel supported and empowered to do my job without undue interference. I remain incredibly excited about what the College, as a part of the group, can achieve.