Feel the fear and do it anyway if it’s right, or don’t if it’s wrong! To me this embodies the personal courage and self-leadership that will shape our life experience. I am surrounded by courageous youngsters every day, all of whom are different and embody courage in a different way.

The Year 8 football team have been courageous time and again this season as they won match after match. The pressure mounted the further they journeyed towards the finals but they continued to be resilient. Positive and determined, they triumphed in not one but two county tournaments.

Dr Khan and I have met with a group of students recently demonstrating a different kind of courage, the desire for cultural change. Our LGBTQ students are keen to ensure that all sexualities within our school are valued and supported. Taking inspiration from The Rainbow Club at DGS, these students, supported by Miss Coombes and Dr Khan, will be launching a Community Club soon. It takes courage to share your experiences, both positive and negative, with staff and other students. Speaking to these young people and listening to their views, ideas and opinions on how to offer more support to the gay community within St Birinus was incredibly humbling; it was one of the highlights of my year.

Finally, we have the quiet courage; students who get up and come into school every day who are, perhaps, struggling with ill health or have recently suffered a bereavement. Choosing not to do what friends want to do because it might wrong, or reporting something to a member of staff, takes courage. However, in the words of Martin Luther King “The time is always right to do what is right”. That is courage.

Mrs Tottman 
Assistant Headteacher 
St Birinus School