Farewell

A farewell video message:

If you would prefer to read this message, you can do so below:

I would like to start by thanking the many people who have spoken so kindly to me about my upcoming move.  I have to say that it is a time that brings very mixed emotions.  Felsted has been an incredible place to work.  It is a wonderful school, and I have been fortunate to work alongside many outstanding colleagues, while being fortunate to have so many supportive parents, OFs and Governors.  However, the real highlight of this role has always been the young people and all of their many remarkable achievements in so many different fields.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish George Masters the very best for his leadership of Felsted next term, and then for Lara Pechard, who will be an outstanding leader for this community in the years ahead.  I know that you will all make her and her family very welcome here in this special community.

Having spent nearly 11 years as Head, my final Assembly on Tuesday looked back at the world of 2015.  David Cameron had just been elected Prime Minister, and was preparing for the 2016 Brexit referendum, with expectation being that we would remain part of the EU.  Donald Trump had just been removed from the Apprentice, for statements made against immigrants that NBS took offence at, and then announced that he would be running for the Presidency.  

TikTok did not exist and Snapchat was in its infancy.  OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, was founded in 2015, as a not-for profit - current estimates value it at half a trillion dollars.  In September, Russia and Ukraine signed a treaty in Minsk that brought relative calm to the Donbas region, and America and Iran signed a treaty agreeing that Iran would cease all attempts to produce a nuclear weapon.  Some things change, some seem to stay the same!

As John F Kennedy said:
Change is the Law of Life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future.

As you can probably imagine, over the last few months, I have had to reflect a lot on this wonderful school.  It has been such a privilege to work here and to have the opportunity to be involved in some small way in the lives of so many young Felstedians.  Meeting them at the ten year out events has shown me that the focus on all round education really does help to develop the right kind of people to succeed in the modern world, despite the challenges that they might face, and those who get involved with as much as they can will never regret that.

I remember joining here back in August of 2010.  After moving into the Bury, a beautiful old house, the first day that we came across pupils was when some boys were boarding a minibus to head off for a pre-season rugby fixture.  Our red setter, Lola, also new to Felsted, had enjoyed the freedom of her former home, and rarely wore a lead (until we discovered that she regularly went across the road to the Deli).  As the boys were boarding the bus, somehow she managed to grab hold of a pigeon, and ran over to the boys with the bird in her mouth, nearly knocking the then Bursar off her bike in the process.  As a new Deputy Head, I thought that this was one way to make an impression!

A few years later, the Headship came up and I was delighted to be able to apply.  There were a couple of interesting moments in the process.  Just before the interview, my wife and I found a note by the bed from one of our children asking me not to apply.  On the point of pulling out, the next morning, I was told that they were just worried and did want me to be Head.  Then when the news was broken to me, I was actually on the hockey pitch playing staff hockey.  For those who remember him, Ed Fenning, former Maths teacher, had just smashed his nose in a collision with a pupil.  As a result of which, I had my phone in my pocket, as I was trying to forewarn the medical centre of the apparition that was approaching, only then to get a call that was offering me the job (certainly not based on my ability on the hockey pitch).   

There have been some big moments in my time in this role.  In 2016, I remember waking early and the first voice I heard was Nigel Farage celebrating victory in the Brexit referendum - regardless of your politics, a result that was painful to a school with a lot of students from Europe, and a global outlook.

In 2020, even harder, was the announcement in March of the imminent closure of schools for Covid.  I know that many people assumed that schools would have been briefed in advance, but of course that didn’t happen.  We had been anticipating a brief lockdown, but with the announcement effectively ending the year for the Upper 6th of 2020, we had to rush round to put on a ‘leavers dinner’ and leavers chapel service.   While both were managed carefully, in order to minimise risk of Covid transmission, the massed groups of Felsted Upper 6th who found their way to the Chequers as the school closed probably failed the social distancing test, and while Cheltenham Races and Liverpool’s European football match took the blame as spreaders of Covid, I did worry that we might not have helped.

When Boris Johnson won the election in December of 2019, the future of independent schools had not looked as good for years.  By the time the Sunak government collapsed, things had changed dramatically.  From the rain soaked announcement of the impending general election, to the manifesto and on to the first budget, it has been clear that independent schools were going to find it much harder under the current government.  

However, with challenge comes opportunity, and while the dial is being squeezed on the independent sector, we are having to think more creatively about our model, and how we deliver real value to all of our families.  This will inevitably make these schools better, and this is happening at a time when the state sector is being asked to take on more, but being given less funding and fewer resources.  Of course, some schools will close (and have closed) as a result of this, but those like Felsted that seek to provide the best possible education for young people to be ready for the challenges outside will continue to flourish.

I would like to take a moment to say a few thank yous.  To the Governors and Mike Beale, who stepped up to the role of Chair at a tough time, but brings with him a vision for success at Felsted and a desire to support us in making it the best possible version of itself.  I would also like to thank all who work in the operational teams and help to make sure the school is in great shape.  I would like to take a moment to thank the teaching staff as well, and recognise how often all those who work at Felsted willingly go above and beyond to make sure that the pupils’ experience is the very best it can be.  

I cannot really believe that all of this is coming to an end.  But as the much over used saying goes, once a Felstedian, always a Felstedian!  I will miss terribly seeing the current Upper Sixth fulfil their enormous potential this summer, but I will follow at a distance.  

If I can offer one piece of advice it would be the following - 

Look for and take opportunities, work hard and respect those who appear to be less fortunate than yourself.  They are often the best people.  When you leave Felsted, be proud of your school and contribute to making it better, by keeping in touch with the school and your friends, and if there is a reunion, try to be at it!  

Thank you for your support, your kindness and your friendship.  

Garde Ta Foy.