Mrs Cheryl Wood said farewell to her role as Head of Fourth Form this morning and reflected on her time in this incredibly rewarding role.

"What makes you lot special? This is the last assembly that I’ll have with you as Head of 4th Form and so I thought I would share some of the things about you that I love, have made me laugh a lot, and while there are times, I have felt deeply sad with and for you … we’ll leave that side of it for today.

Seven years is a long time and over this time I would have got to know about 800 4th formers. Now that is a lot of names. Names are important, I think, and every summer and start of Michaelmas term I have had, at various points, tutor group by tutor group the names of you all on my recipe book stand in the kitchen. Cooking, learning names and testing myself – seemed like a recipe for success. At the same time, I challenged myself to name one special fact about each of you. And yet, there would have been times when I would have gone blank and let myself down but nonetheless, I believe that names matter and is the first step in getting to know you well.

Now talking about 4th form as a whole feels risky. You may not realise it but you change so much in your L4 year, metamorphosing into altogether more confident young people. You may not be surprised to learn that one of the best parts of this job is watching how the 4th Formers one has ‘angsted’ over are set free, liked winged seed loosed from the parent stem, half-fledged things set free into 5th form to fly on to develop your selfhoods and become the individuals you have shown the promise to become at the time you were selected for Norwich School. 

Starting in 4th form is exciting, isn’t it – all the opportunities seem to stretch out ahead of you. Yet, the poet Billy Collins in his poem entitled ‘On Turning Ten’ talked about how awful it was to turn ten. He said This is the beginning of sadness, I say to myself, as I walk through the universe in my sneakers. It is time to say good-bye to my imaginary friends, time to turn the first big number.  I bet however that I should be able to find 800 current or ex-4th Formers who would say that turning 11, 12 or 13 had been the most exciting time in their lives and so here is a challenge for someone to write a poem about the excitement of starting at Norwich School in L4 to refute Collins’ idea that fun and excitement ends at 10.

Let’s think about some of the characteristics in the acronym Fourth Form: 

F       Fearful, eager to get things right and def a sense of going forth on a new journey

O        Overflowing with enthusiasm

U        uniforms so smart, clean and crisp – well for the first week anyway

R        reticent yet quietly confident

T        Timorous or over-confident

H        Hopeful

F        Feisty, shy, friendly,

O        organised or oh dear its very opposite

R        restless for knowledge, to get that answer, to be first, to be noticed

M       magic, sheer magic

Did you recognise yourself in any of that? 

More seriously and not just a list of adjectives this time. Let me share, if I may, the seven things I love most about you as 4th Formers:

• You are charming, polite and a pleasure to spend time with.

• You care and are kind about your peers. You go out of your way to support them in difficult times, to share their triumphant moments, and you show such generosity of spirit. What can I say but that you are actually very nice human beings. 

Some of the best conversations I have had with 4th Formers have been around the difficult times – and every year there are a number of these occasions. Hopefully you come to realise that these moments are just a part of growing up. When you get it wrong, you are not defined by that and there are opportunities to put matters right. In these moments you have often come along as a group, to tell us what you think is wrong (Funny that, I usually haven’t had to tell you, you tell me). To ask what you can do to help others who are getting it wrong too, and seeking support as you work to help your friendship group.

Again, what can I say – such moments of self-awareness, such maturity, such thoughtfulness, and in so many moments glimpses of what make you all extra special.

• You are awfully serious about so many things. Your top subjects, your sport, your clubs and the causes you support. Such passion is typical of Norwich School and it is these things that set you aside. Caring passionately about something is a wonderful, affirming quality and many of you have this in abundance.

• Your enthusiasm is boundless, life-affirming, and it is what makes being a teacher at Norwich School such a privilege. 

• You are multi-dimensional – interested in so much with such a diverse range of interests and talents

• You have made me laugh more times than you might ever imagine. Not at you – I hope – but with you. I am not sure I can elaborate without getting myself into trouble. Let’s leave it at that.

• Lastly, there are your playground antics. I don’t think I need to add anymore, do I?

Seven is an important number and is the biblical number of completeness. It seems therefore to be an appropriate time to be standing back from a job I have cared deeply about. Why I have loved it so much is down to you the extraordinary pupils whose wellbeing and development I have been charged with and which has felt like a blessing. This coupled with working alongside the amazing pastoral team who work tirelessly to support you. You owe a debt of gratitude to your Heads of House and your tutors that you might only appreciate in later life. I have loved working with them all and say a big thank you to this professional team.

As you reflect may I share a few thoughts from the poet Rudyard Kipling’s poem ‘If’

"If you can keep your head when all about you   

   Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

   But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

   Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

   And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it," 

I mentioned at the start of this assembly the imminent departure of the U4s to the 5th Form.  I have also talked about journeys in other assemblies and so you might be wondering what the next part of my Norwich School Journey looks like. 

Looking forward with anticipation is important, I firmly believe that is what keeps us motivated and happy - and so I am looking forward to a timetable that is jammed full of the things that I love. First and foremost, it is a full English timetable. I cannot wait to be back full-time in the English department. It means that I’ll get to be a tutor again – best thing ever! It also means a day a week working in the Norwich School Archive. Did you know we had one? I hope to set up an Archive club and some of you might like to join me to record current news items for posterity. 

I leave with you a thoughtful poem entitled Farewell from the poet Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali poet I encountered in my first year at University. 

I have got my leave. Bid me farewell, my brothers!
I bow to you all and take my departure.

Here I give back the keys of my door
---and I give up all claims to my house.
I only ask for last kind words from you.

We were neighbours for long,
but I received more than I could give.
Now the day has dawned
and the lamp that lit my dark corner is out.
A summons has come and I am ready for my journey.

Thank you for listening..."