2020 Annual Review

Families of course experienced their own challenges and disappointments, weddings and significant birthday celebrations postponed, holidays scrapped. Everyone’s personal situation was, well, personal. Everyone had so many factors at play—an entire society was in flux, simultaneously and within every family. And we saw things most sharply through our own very particular lens—whether that was in a company letting people go, family livelihoods lost, overnight. Caring for elderly parents with loved ones overseas, far away. Or close, but not able to be touched. The sheer magnitude of the experience this year— if not personally, then through the experiences of others—was on a scale we’ve never seen. For it was, of course, ‘unprecedented’. Our School has always faced challenge—two World Wars, the Spanish Flu—by drawing upon our deeply held values to guide us. This year we … • focused on business continuity in the immediate circumstances, while viewing every decision through the prism of long-term strategic decision making—not to compromise, to jeopardise that long-term vision • sought to deliver the full experience of a BGGS education, to the extent that was possible, and in novel and innovative ways • prepared for ‘worst case’ scenarios, but ensuring our actions were responsive, never reactive, knowing it was so important to hold our nerve at times, chart our own course • as the Prime Minister said, he was receiving economic advice from doctors and medical advice from economists • we listened to the advice of experts and And our achievements … And yet, despite the enormity of what we faced, there have been some remarkable achievements. We: continued to deliver on strategic priorities, not to pause or defer them and delivered a new Science Learning Centre—ahead of time and under budget— a project led by women, followed ardently by the girls, and symbolically towered over by Harriet the Crane. We won that elusive Head of the River—for the first time. Our Gala Concert was a virtual triumph, truly an Ode to Joy . It will be a precious record of our year, and showed what astonishing things can be achieved in the most challenging of circumstances. authorities, applied them to our particular circumstances and the expectations of our families. How to approach it How to approach it, was the question.

At the start of the year we were ranked the #1 School in Queensland for our performance in the final year of the OP system. We had committed to ‘ending well’ and we did. And of course, the most important work of this year, we delivered remote education—with just one day of learning lost, while implementing an entirely new ATAR system. New courses, new syllabus’, different assessment, and all within—and without compromising—our particular vision of a broad, liberal education. The meaning of it all, our purpose So our purpose has served us well. When all seemed uncertain and as events unfurled in unpredictable ways, it gave us focus—continuing to provide an excellent education in the 145th year of Brisbane Girls Grammar School, come what may. Too much talk of ‘silver linings’ can be a little wearying but we always understood that good things too would come of this. ‘Never waste a good crisis’, as we constantly heard. • Innovation—how we utilise alternative modes for creative performances, virtual assemblies, will be part of our ‘new normal’ • Flexible work for staff, opportunities for remote learning—ongoing, the convenience provided by technology, not least of which includes, well, not having to find a Spring Hill park for every parent evening • Hybrid ways of working have allowed us to start to break down the industrial model of a school, so that we might emerge into something more contemporary • The nature of our relationships changed, for the better in many ways. With a focus on real relationships rather than Facebook friends— and there was not much to post about anyway—thankfully many of those tedious ‘influencers’ slipped away from our screens. Many reported closer sibling relationships, happy, slower time together as a family. No work travel. One mother told me, ‘I got my daughters back. No FOMO!’ There was an informality, authenticity, even intimacy in our typically corporate, professional relationships. Through Zoom lessons, virtual assemblies, webinars, Teams meetings and Parent-Teacher interviews, we met the whole family—and often their pets!

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Brisbane Girls Grammar School Annual Review 2020