Partners in Excellence

For the past few years Hastings have been part of PiXL (Partners in Excellence). This is a national organisation which brings over 3000 schools together in order to share good practice. At its heart is the belief that all pupils, whatever their background or circumstance, deserve an excellent education and equal access to all of the opportunities that this can provide.

Along the way we have adopted many PiXL strategies, including the Edge Programme, which focuses on developing employability skills. It was my pleasure last year to travel to London with our Edge ambassadors to collect their award at a PiXL main event.

This sense of shared purpose means that as educators we are always searching for ways to make a difference. Looking at challenges and finding solutions with members of the profession from around the country means that we never become complacent. At Hastings, this is integral to our promise, to always improve on our previous best.

Last week we received the sad news that the founder of PiXL , Sir John Rowling, had passed away. Sir John had dedicated his life to education. He attended every PiXL event and inspired all of those in attendance with his words of wisdom and encouragement. He would have been proud of those students and staff who on Friday received our first Ambition awards. Amongst them were pupils who had been recognised for their entries to the Girls CyberFirst competition and students who are requesting work to push themselves beyond their target grades.   We also awarded a member of staff who had successfully organised and led her first school residential and another who was nominated for always finding time for colleagues despite having  a very busy schedule.  We would not be the school that we are today without the contributions of those who are always prepared to go the extra mile.

Whilst we offer our condolences to Sir John’s family and friends, in the true spirit of PiXL, we will continue to strive for excellence in all that we do.

Miss Bradley