Ms Boyes' reflections on the week ending 10 January 2025

Friday 10 January 2025

I am delighted to be writing to you as Head of Royal High School Bath, GDST and may I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy New Year. I hope the festive break allowed you to spend time with loved ones and provided some opportunity for rest - though is Christmas ever restful?

I am now five days into my role and each day has genuinely been filled with joy. From spending time with colleagues on our staff development day to watching them interact with our students, I am privileged to see how committed and expert they are and how fortunate our students are to benefit from their talents, in addition to their kindness. Kindness from everyone has shone through in abundance.  

Monday at the Senior School was wonderful; the school was alive once more with students greeting each other and catching up after the holidays and Thursday's Prep School celebration assembly was a great opportunity to applaud and celebrate so many achievements. The beaming smiles I have been greeted with when walking down the corridors have certainly helped me to feel very welcome indeed. If one word sums up my observations thus far, it’s sparky; a learner quality that I absolutely love and can’t wait to see more of. 

This January, I am not the only new starter. We welcome new students to our school and new colleagues, too. I hope everyone feels settled and part of the family soon. Our new staff are: 

• Mrs Mason - Head of Admissions 
• Mrs Coleman - Marketing & Communications Manager 
• Mrs Platten – HR Advisor 
• Mrs Singer-Farrell – 1:1 Specialist TA (Prep) 
• Miss Richards – Sports Graduate & Boarding Assistant 
• Miss Halliwell – Housekeeper 
• Miss McLoughlin – Housekeeper 
• Ms Waters – Nursery assistant 
• Mrs Bobillier – Prep School Administrator 

We also say farewell to Mrs Burchell who has taught Religion and Philosophy and leaves us today to take up a post at a school nearer to her home. She will be missed by her classes and we all wish her the very best for future endeavours. 

On Monday, during assembly at the Senior School, I asked the question:

‘What makes you happy?’ I suggested a number of options (they liked the thought of something tangibly wonderful like a warm chocolate brownie with whipped cream and salted caramel sauce) but really I hoped that they would think beyond the simplicity of this question so I introduced the concept of ‘flourishing’ as a point for consideration.  

Eudamonia (defined as 'flourishing in one’s life') was a term conjured up by Aristotle yet is still relevant today. The idea came from a podcast featuring an author, Corey Keyes, an eminent sociologist and psychologist who writes about mental health and methods for attaining positive social relationship in his book Languishing: How to Feel Alive Again in a World That Wears Us Down. He suggests that in order to flourish we all need to feel a sense of belonging and to be regularly stretched and challenged. In total there are 14 signs to look for and if we are devoid of 7 of these, then we may be at risk of languishing instead; having that feeling that something is missing and when we may feel that we have been on auto-pilot for some time and feeling ‘sub-optimal’. Many of us may have felt like this so, at the start of a new year when resolutions may be made, I shared 5 important activities that each of us at Royal High can engage in, to thrive and flourish. 

Keyes refers to these as vitamins:  

• learn something new that you enjoy and provides stretch and challenge;
• help others in order to feel a sense of a belonging; 
• socialise; 
• play; 
• participate in a spiritual, religious or group activity  

I already know how involved members of the school community are in many of the above aspects: students and staff are passionate about their learning – everyone here is a learner – and the school prides itself in its nurturing ethos, supporting each other but also supporting the wider community through charitable events. This and friendships, trust, kindness, feeling part of something great all helps to create a sense of belonging which, in turn, helps us all to flourish. You will note that digital devices and social media channels do not feature in any of the recommended vitamins!  

There is a bigger picture here, too. In a time of strife in the world - which tend to be unconscious markers for worry – ongoing conflict and wars, social unrest, misinformation and how one can distinguish between truth and lies, climate change and uncertainty - we all need to think about what can be beneficial to our outlook.   

So, as we start the new term and the new year, we all have a great deal to look forward to. Royal High offers so many opportunities for everyone and I look forward to watching all members of our community flourish.   

Finally, I look forward to meeting parents and members of our wider community over the course of the next term and having the opportunity to celebrate our students efforts and achievements with you. 

Ms Heidi-Jayne Boyes
Head