As the new Headteacher at Haberdashers’ Adams, I am humbled by the opportunity and responsibility that the school’ governors and The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers’ have entrusted in me to serve the people of this community and help our pupils receive a first-class education.
While this role will mean a new focus for me, I am a familiar face to many, having started my teaching career at Adams in 2007. I have been incredibly fortunate to have been able to further my career at this wonderful school over the past 18 years, having been appointed as Head of Business Studies and Economics in 2009, Head of Darwin House in 2013 and joining the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) as Deputy Head (Pupil Welfare) in 2016. At Haberdashers’ Adams I have truly found a home, and it is my intention that every one of our pupils will find a home here too.
During the transition period, I have focused on establishing a clear core purpose for the school, an agreed collective of core values and my vision for the future of the school.
A core purpose is a guiding principle that aligns our vision, values and ethos, and captures exactly why it is that we do what we do. Our core purpose is defined as:
“Inspiring academic excellence, nurturing personal growth and developing kind, principled individuals equipped to embrace the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century through a first-class, holistic education.”
This purpose encapsulates exactly what I believe this school is all about; as a grammar school we are here first and foremost as a beacon of academic excellence and aspiration where there is a real focus on the quality of work inside the classroom, and a clear pathway for any interest for our students beyond compulsory education. However, Haberdashers’ Adams is not solely an exam factory; we exist also to develop the whole person through a thriving extra-curricular programme, our wonderful and inspiring house system, our student leadership programmes and through the way in which we expect our students to treat one another.
The way that they treat one another is defined by our core values, a set of virtues that an Adams’ pupil epitomises at every opportunity, be it in the classroom, on the playground, outside of school, on the sports field, in the music room and in all of their interactions. Our core values that define an Adams’ student are: Respect, Integrity, Responsibility, Service and Resilience.
I firmly believe that if our staff, students and parents/carers work together in utilising these values to achieve our core purpose, then we can together continue to create the school that will not just provide the outcomes required for later life, but can also provide the environment and experiences that will stay with our students forever.
In summary, I wish to lead a school that I would be proud to attend myself, would be happy to send my children to, and is not simply about educating the mind, but also the body and soul. Thank you so much for trusting in me to lead this wonderful school.
Mr Daniel Biggins, Headteacher
