The end of term saw QEGS bid farewell to Mr. Jim Palin, our Deputy Headmaster for nearly 12 incredible years.

Throughout his time with us, Mr. Palin has been a steadfast leader of our pastoral and safeguarding teams, forming deep connections with both staff and students. It's these relationships with our pupils that he will be most fondly remembered for—whether on school trips (behind the grill on fishing trips), at concerts, Cathedral visits, sports tours, or simply sharing a conversation in his office. 

His presence and dedication will truly be missed. We wish Mr. Palin all the best in his future endeavours and thank him for everything he has done during his time. You read his farewell to pupils which was published in our E-bulletin below:

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And so I find myself writing the piece in the newsletter that I never thought I would write, though I suppose common sense tells me it was always coming, one day! Today will be my last day as Deputy Headmaster at QEGS, and I awoke this morning with a bizarre mix of feelings, ranging from excitement to a profound sense of fear of not being able to keep my emotions in check. In some ways, it feels a bit like a "first day", with the associated nerves, and as I write this now, I still have the final assembly to face and the staff to address at the end of the day.

I found myself reflecting on all of the boys that I have admitted to the school over the years, as part of the entrance exam process, and some of the things I typically say to them. Many of those boys, and indeed parents, will know that I often talk about the huge importance of becoming a part of somewhere that has "history", and I often took the time to show the boys how the stone in the main corridors outside reception has been worn away by millions of footsteps over the years, and how, when my name was added to the honours boards there, I invited my own parents in to come and see it.

 My role for the majority of my time at the school, leading the pastoral and safeguarding teams, has never been about "me" - I am simply a cog in a much bigger operation, and for a very small slice of the hundreds of years that the school has operated. I never, ever saw myself in a role like this, and have regularly had to pinch myself as I drove on to this fantastic site, to remind myself it was real. Becoming Deputy Headmaster at QEGS sits as one of the three proudest moments in my life, the others being marrying my wife Cathy and becoming a father to my daughter Lauren.

I have so many fond memories of this school, and it has become, and will remain, a huge part of my life. There have been so many laughs, in and out of school, and it remains the case that the boys here continue to make me laugh, every day, often at times when other staff would prefer that I didn't! I will never forget the Christmas Day that a huge tractor pulled up outside my house, with a number of old boys inside who had called in for "a beer", the countless hours behind the griddle on the fishing trips, various tours with various rugby teams, trips to Twickenham and a range of other national and regional sports finals, concerts and Cathedral visits. But most of all, I will remember the time I have spent outside, during QED sessions and clubs, sharing my own hobbies and interests with countless boys over the years. I was lucky to grow up in a family that wanted me to "do things" and taught me to love the countryside, and it was that time that my parents and grandparents spent with me that has shaped my life today. I hope, in my own very small way, that I too will have inspired the odd boy to take up a new hobby or interest as I firmly believe that for young men today, having a hobby or interest that you love to do, and perhaps that you do with others, is one of the single greatest safety nets for adolescence that there is.

I think it was Harold Wilson who said "he who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution that rejects change is the cemetery". I am now approaching a time of change in my life, and at the same time, QEGS also faces change. It is easy to worry about these changes, and to focus on the fear or anxiety, but history, in fact well over 400 years of it, would suggest that the school, despite many challenges over the years, will continue to go from strength to strength, and rather than worry, I think parents and boys can be excited about what the future holds. For me, perhaps unsurprisingly, I am hoping that a greater proportion of my time will be outside, and I look forward to returning to the many hobbies that time has not really allowed me to make the most of.

As I always have done, I wanted to take this last opportunity to wish all of you the very best for the holiday period, and I hope that for many of you, as it does for me, it provides the time to catch up with family that you may not see as often as you would like. I also hope that, amidst the commercial madness of the festive break, there is a little time for you, individually, to take a step back and do something that you enjoy. I also wanted to say a huge thank you, to all of the parents and boys, for the kindness, support and warmth that you have shown me over my time here. This was always, is now and always will be a very special place, where the relationships and bonds formed will remain with you for life as I know that they will for me. 

"Tight lines" 

 Mr Jim Palin - Deputy Head