Grades aren’t the only measure of success

So, as we head into this latest new year, I am hoping that, despite the challenging environment in which we all live and work, and what some are forecasting to be difficult times ahead, we can stride forward retaining a sense of optimism. I know that the stamina and resilience we all need for this work will equip us well for the year ahead, despite the critical reviews of others or the unrealistic measures of success we are judged by.

In last week’s blog, Florence Kroll from the London region so eloquently spoke of the ritual of school results day. I trust we can join with our young people, whatever their exam results, in celebrating their range of achievements and talents and help them grow with a confidence so that they will understand what the true mark of success is. Many students are deciding on their next steps after their GCSE and A level results and many of us will still remember our own nervous anticipation on results day as to whether we will have secured what can be felt to be a defining endorsement, or not, of how successful we are. And, how the exam results received would give a strong indicator of how successful we will be in life. Although, as grow older, we know it’s other events, achievements and situations that are often more impactful and make the biggest difference to who we are and our understanding of what it is to be successful.