Page 7 - Old Ratcliffian Magazine 2019

have also participated in coding, computer science and STEM programmes, including
the Engineering Education Scheme, in partnership with Rolls Royce, and our Year 9
students have participated in the Go4SET scheme – not to mention the fact that many
of them are involved in the unique Ratcliffe Spitfi re build. Our Year 12 Design and
Technology students were victorious at the Rotary Technology Tournament, thinking COLLEGE NEWS
‘outside the box’ to create a unique solution to the problem set before them. Wherever
you look, there are opportunities for the boys and girls to use their imaginations and to
be inventive, to solve real-life problems and to stimulate creativity.
We were mesmerised by the students’ levels of skill and originality in the FutureChef
and Christmas food competitions. Media students continued to break with convention,
producing work of such fl air as to transcend the parameters of the examination itself.
The Year 10 Drama devised pieces, written by the students, challenged the audiences’
thinking on diverse subject matters, including climate change, the detrimental effects
of social media on mental health, women’s suffrage, and the plight of refugees.
Public speaking and debate have also fl ourished, through our own Public Speaking
Championship and the Catenian Competition. Throughout this academic year, the
students have continued to imagine, to think independently, to create, and to challenge.
We have also continued to nurture the students’ Strength of Values, educating them to
live their lives based on the Gospel values. Conscious of the pressure on young people
through social media, we work hard to develop self-acceptance, to encourage laughter
and kindness, and to build resilience and perseverance. The students have led the
way, giving generously of their time to support initiatives through the student voice,
such as the School Council, Food Committee, Anti-Bullying Committee, Chaplaincy Team, and E-Safety Committee. They have raised
over £20,000 for various charities throughout the year, including Joseph’s Storehouse and The Carpenter’s Arms, CAFOD, Sightbox,
Children in Need, and Cancer Research UK, to name but a few.
Finally, we have educated the boys and girls to have a strong sense of who they are and their purpose in the world, through Strength of
Purpose. Our aim is to nurture their God-given talents, to enable them to go forth and make a positive difference to the communities
in which they live and work. This year, eighteen Year 13 students and two members of staff trained as Ratcliffe Samaritan Listeners.
Twelve Ratcliffe students travelled to Lourdes in France on a pilgrimage, helping those in need and living out our school motto - Charity
is the Fulfi lment of the Law. Our St Vincent de Paul students have continued to help the younger children, and our Sixth Form Learning
Leaders have helped Year 10 and 11 students to reach their greatest potential.
Our boys and girls enjoy wonderful opportunities to be audacious in their thinking and brave in their opinions. However, age brings self-
consciousness, and it can rob us of our spontaneity. So, how can we hang on to this creative attitude as we get older, particularly in the
face of the digital revolution, which seems to render many of our roles redundant? Our response must be to do the one thing that no
computer can manage, which is to use our imaginations. It is by being creative that we are likely to fi nd contentment and purpose in our
digitised age. The act of making and creating is deeply satisfying and rewarding; we feel invigorated and realise how connected we are
to the world around us when creating something for others.

Visitors to Ratcliffe feel the energy, excitement and positivity in the air, and, more importantly, they recognise that we are a community
bound together by a common vision. We live in a world full of urgent problems: climate change, terrorism and poverty, to name but
three. These are challenges that we can help to overcome by using our minds, by being true to our values, and by having a strength of
purpose. If we believe that things can be better in the future, we will have the power to make them happen. So, go and imagine. Go
and make a difference.
Yours sincerely,
Jon Reddin
Headmaster

The Old Ratcliffi an 2019 7