This weekend saw another great triumph for our gymnasts. Many will know that, under the legendary expertise of Mrs Henderson, they have competed at national level as North of England Champions and now have the opportunity to try again later in the year. Well done to Sophie and Ava, Jonty, Daniel, Molly, Harry and James. I hope their excellence and achievement will be a source of inspiration to many others.
There is a very good German word which many of you will know – schadenfreude – which refers to the pleasure derived at another’s misfortune. There is no equivalent word in English because, obviously, no-one in this country would ever be guilty of such a thing. We are, after all, practically perfect in every way.
I don’t know if the Germans have a word for “having ever so slightly mixed feelings about one’s own success and another’s failure”. If they do – and I’d be fairly confident – then I am experiencing it quite vividly. The regional gymnastics competition yesterday was held at RGS Newcastle, my old school, and nowadays they seem to have the very best facilities imaginable. IGS: Durham beat them on their own patch yesterday. We are delighted to have the use of the University gymnasium and to have a largish space within school in which to practise. But our facilities are limited and compared to other large schools are … very limited.
I repeat: we beat them.
Should I be pleased and proud that our school did that? Absolutely. Should I be slightly disappointed that my old school couldn’t quite manage it? In the circumstances, not really. The Victorian era was a great one for RGS Newcastle and I enjoyed being part of it. But we move on – and we really do need a word to capture that sentiment I described. Schadenfreude mit gemischte Gefühle? No idea, but I’ll settle for it. Just saying it seems to help …
What was really important about yesterday – along with all the medals – was the way in which it encapsulates what our school is “about”. We aim to be as good as we can be whilst remaining affordable and accessible to as many as possible. We believe success comes through commitment, high expectations, people and enthusiasm. Money is rarely the solution to any problem. We are able to run a successful school for a fraction (around 24%)* of the fees of typical private schools and significantly less than the level paid by the government for a state school education. We think we can continue to do that – because we have great people who love what they’re doing and are ambitious for your children.
Mrs Henderson and her gymnasts are simply a microcosm of that.
*Yes, I know that’s a percentage, not a fraction. Please try not to be pedantic.
