Annual Prize Giving and Speech Day
St Lawrence College held its Annual Speech Day and Prize Giving on Saturday May 28th 2011. Prizes were presented by Laura Sandys, Conservative Member of Parliament for Thanet. The Mayors of the Thanet towns attended.
In the opening words of his address to the Governing Body, Mayors of the Thanet towns, parents, teachers and students Rev Mark Aitken addressed one of his main themes, that of self-confidence in the difficult economic climate in which we find ourselves at present. He cited the imminent closure of Pfizer as the main pressure on our local economy, saying: "I am aware that the economy internationally, nationally, but especially locally, is under real pressure. I am aware that a good number of schools are making staff redundant. Many famous schools are not full for September. Much of our guest speakers life will have been dominated by the forthcoming closure of Pfizer". Rev. Aitken then reported that he detected a real confidence about the College, at the end of a highly successful academic year, on many fronts: two school teams remained unbeaten at the end of the season (the U15's Boy's Rugby and the U12's Girl's Netball), the new Sports Centre had had a massive impact on the quality of Badminton and Basketball and the resurgence of Squash. The cricket season had started in fantastic fashion, he told the audience, with one century from student Tim Collins.
Rev. Aitken praised the developments of Drama and Music in College this year, with increased professionalism with sound and lighting, which had added greatly to the years performances.
"But Sport, Music and Drama also have A levels associated with them", he said, "and, of course, academic work is at the heart of what we do. Results at A level last year saw a 95% pass rate, an improvement on the 93% pass rate for June 2009. 19 out of 24 subjects had 100% pass rates, with 15 of the new A* grades spread evenly over the departments". He said that he was hopeful for an even higher rate in June 2011, given the current Year 13 results at AS last year. "It is worth saying that we have students going to many of the top universities in the country to read demanding subjects", he told the guests. He mentioned that at GCSE the pass rate was up 6% to 87%, with 80% of our students gaining 5 or more A to C grades a particularly good result as we have a number of students for whom English is not a first language.
Finally, he went on to deal with the future of the College, returning to his central theme of confidence. "Many schools are so nervous at present that they have gone into retreat, cut projects and are not doing any development", he said. "But the Governors of this College feel so confident about the future that they have given their approval to two major projects for the next academic year!". Although details were still to be finalised, building work will now commence on an attractive three-storey girls boarding house, to replace the existing facility. Next to it, a new Music and Drama faculty would be built and planning permission had recently been granted for a new theatre and performance space. "It is hoped that these two projects will be carried out simultaneously", he said, "and should start in July 2011. Careful financial management of the Colleges finances is one of the main reasons why we can face the future with such security and confidence".
In her reply, Laura Sandys said that she saw St Lawrence College as a very special place for Thanet and the town of Ramsgate, "a beacon of excellence in this part of the country", she said. She paid tribute to the College teaching staff and parents all of whom played a central role in the success of the College.
She mentioned that her first job was as a despatch rider largely because her educational life was disrupted by her fathers massive stroke and subsequent illness, when she was only 17. She and her mother cared for him until his death five years later. The highlight of her life was being elected, she told her audience, although it had been a year of extreme challenges in large part due to the closure of Pfizer.
The main theme of her speech was developing resilience a quality that would increasingly be needed by all students leaving the College for the wider world in the coming weeks. "Education is not just about rewards and results, but about developing you as a person", she said. "You will need to be confident enough to take the ups and downs that we all face in this life". She urged students to fight for justice and to take their concerns to Parliament. "Only by getting involved can we build a country that is fit for the next generation", she exhorted her audience.
