ACADEMIC REVIEW OF THE YEAR
When I was asked to write this academic review , it was mentioned that , as the Sennockian is the school ’ s ‘ publication of record ’, people would perhaps be looking at this article in 50 or 100 years to find out what the consequences of 18 months of global pandemic were on the academic life of the school . So my immediate thought was to look back 75 years to see what the Sennockian magazines of the 1940s had to say about how the school coped during a world war .
It was interesting stuff . In those days the Sennockian came out three times a year , and exam results from December and the summer were published throughout the war . Numbers of students achieving School Certificates and Higher School Certificates , distinctions and credits don ’ t seem to fluctuate wildly , and the impression is that of the academic life of the school continuing on its path despite the tumultuous world events in the background . The rest of the annual review does change – there are reports of the students ’ efforts on the home front , staff changes as teachers resigned to join up , lists of honours , POWs , the wounded and the missing , and , sadly , obituaries .
The tone of the editorials is set in a wartime context , one for example lamenting the decline of Classical Studies because students ( wrongly ) don ’ t feel its relevance in wartime (‘ Socrates has no immediate relevance to tanks ’), and worrying that ancient Greek might end up being taught only ‘ in an odd school here and there ’. The writer of that article would be delighted to see the Classics department at Sevenoaks still flourishing 68 years later . Most strikingly the appearance of the Sennockian changes in design and print between 1939 and 1945 because of paper shortages .
Historians looking back at 2020-21 might find similar trends . The academic path of the school has continued in the same vein it always has – seeking to develop students who are thoughtful , open-minded , reflective and resilient . It is that resilience which has perhaps been tested the most in recent months . Although we were very lucky in terms of school closure compared to other schools in the UK and around the world , two periods of full lockdown plus other restrictions have reminded us how crucial face-to-face interaction is to learning . Just as in the 1940s , the records will show continued excellent examination results , but there are untold stories behind these results – students succeeding despite having less in-person teaching , students who had periods of self-isolation and illness , and the additional demand on staff who had to teach both online and in class , and quickly develop fair assessment methods when normal exam sessions were cancelled by the government . All against a background of international and personal challenge , loss and trauma .
For the record , examination grades in 2021 were awarded in different ways – the IBO used a combination of teacher predictions and externally marked coursework , while the Year 11 results were ‘ Teacher Assessed Grades ’, where teachers used evidence from a range of internally run assessments to calculate results . The figures for this year were excellent – an IB Diploma average of 41.3 points , and 94 per cent of Year 11 results at 9 , 8 or 7 ( A */ A ) – in line with our impressive results over the last decade , though perhaps not hugely comparable to historical data at a detailed level as the grades were awarded by different methods . But it is without doubt true that these results are a great testament to the candidates who achieved them ; they have had to cope with such disruption and be so adaptable .
I hope that we will be able to look back on this period positively . Necessity has forced a huge gain of skills by both students and teachers , and there will be changes made in the last year that become permanent practice . But most of all a period of crisis has shone a light on the kindness and generosity of our students , inside the classroom and out , to each other and to the world around them .
Chris Taylor
20 ACADEMIC REVIEW