I appreciate I am starting this week’s Abbey Connected on a somewhat disheartening note, but hear me out. It is common to read in the media that we are becoming increasingly disconnected from one another. As lives have moved online, our ability to stay focused is declining and the bonds of social connection are weakening. Communities are becoming more fractured, and we find it harder to engage with people around us and with society more broadly. And yet both community and connection are central to the human experience, giving us a sense of belonging, supporting positive physical and mental health, and affecting our ability to flourish. So what can we, as a school and as, yes, a community, do to strengthen those bonds? 

When I first came to The Abbey, I was struck by the warmth of the welcome I received and the kindness and strength of the community that I joined; a place where it feels like connection really flourishes. This week, I have been reflecting on the ways in which our Abbey community has opened its doors and created connections that go beyond our classrooms and into the wider Reading community, in ways that enrich all those who take part. As Assistant Head with the responsibility for partnerships, my role is wonderfully varied and leads me into connection, and thus deeper community, with people from Reading and further afield. The creation of ARCH, the Abbey Reading Collaborative Hub, has been central to the expansion of our community beyond our school gates. ARCH brings together individuals and organisations across Reading to offer opportunities and innovative learning experiences to young people. The beauty of it is that one ARCH event directly engages with multiple parts of the area, and connects so many schools and families.

I have now been part of the organisation and delivery of events that have opened our school doors to a huge range of students from over 20 local primary and secondary schools, welcoming them alongside representatives from 40 local organisations into a range of events, networking functions, drama productions, musical performances, talks and lectures. There’s so much going on that I find I have to make full use of my diary and set reminders to make sure I keep on top of the many partnership and community events that take place. (Indeed, I sometimes wonder whether, should the need arise, a career in event management would be a good back-up plan for me.) 

Earlier this year, Abbey drama students performed on stage at South Street Theatre with students from Reading School, in a wonderful (and very funny) production of The Playhouse Apprentice. In March, our former Head Girls joined teachers in Reading’s annual Pancake Race down Broad Street, in support of the local charity Launchpad – coming second, in fact, which sets a high bar for Leah and Emily to reach this year! In September, young musicians from primary schools in the area joined our wonderful symphony orchestra for a series of specialist workshops, culminating in a concert for friends and family that brought smiles to the faces of so many. Our Poetry Society has relaunched for the academic year, with Abbey students joining others around the city in their appreciation of and love for poetry in its many different forms. We are just beginning the fourth iteration of our award-winning Social Enterprise Hub, where students from different schools come together to learn and work to create social enterprise projects which will benefit the community around them. 

Just this week we have held one of our signature ARCH careers events, an evening focussed on Finance and Accounting in which professionals from companies like Deloitte, Ernst & Young and the London Stock Exchange gave their time and expertise to the young people in our community in a series of talks and panel discussions. We were delighted to welcome students from over 12 other local schools, as well as many Abbey students making the most of this exciting opportunity. 

 I have been privileged to watch as students from The Abbey make many different connections and it is exciting to watch them in these contexts, as their confidence in their abilities joins with the kindness and warmth that characterises our student body. I am always amazed by the questions they ask our visitors, which are considered and insightful; I am likewise impressed by the careful way they reflect on the experiences they have had, and the ways in which they will take their learning forward. It is my hope that they have formed authentic connections with people outside of their normal spheres which will, ultimately, enrich both the individual and their community. As we have embarked on this work of collaboration and community-building, we have seen our Abbey community grow far beyond our gates, and while the work of opening our doors and creating connections is not simple, it is enormously rewarding for all involved. We hope to see you at an ARCH event very soon – what connections will you make?

Ms Anna Brunskill, Assistant Head