Dreams can come true... 

I am very excited at the moment and have found myself becoming enthusiastically restless. This is because we are finally starting to put together and package our new College values and ethos. We have been looking for a word which can sum up what we are about, what we are striving for, what we care about, what we are excited about. We also wanted something that could be broken down into respective areas of focus, where we can hook our tutor times, assemblies, PSHE, clubs, lessons and House events on to. After substantial discussion amongst the staff, I can announce that DREAMS are what St. Francis’ College are all about. 

Dreams are fantastic things. We have them regularly. Some of our dreams are big, others are small. Others are based on reality, some based on far-flung fiction. Many dreams are forgotten, but a treasured few are remembered. In some people, dreams become ambitions – a guiding light towards an end goal. In others, dreams are nothing more than a moment of fleeting reflection. Some of our dreams are crazy, some scary. Some dreams we share with the world, others we keep personally to ourselves. Dreams mean a multitude of different things to us as individuals, but they are – in essence – a unifying force. They are, at heart, a reflection of our desires and our ambitions.  

However, we also know that dreams cannot be achieved by magic alone. They require hard work, discipline, relentlessness and planning. That is why, within our broader concept of dreams, we are also taking each letter to be a value of achieving our desired dreams. Determination, resilience, empowerment, appreciation, motivation and security are all component factors of what can make our dreams become reality.  

No one more this week has summed this up than Alisha, Year 9, who took part in the national final of the Future Chef Tournament 2023 last week. Alisha has long worked hard, dedicated significant amounts of time and energy, overcome her dislike of fish and found the security of a mentor with professional chefs and our very own Miss Major to power through the regional finals into the national final. Alisha, being empowered and motivated, followed the expert advice and coaching to go on and win the national final presentation round. This is an astonishing achievement, a dream come true, made so through all the values and qualities that we want to espouse. The whole College community has been tremendously proud of Alisha and we wait to see how this dream evolves. Alisha is testament to the fact that it is what we do as individuals, not a reliance on magic, that enables us to celebrate huge successes. 

Over the course of my life, I have had many dreams – to varying degrees of fulfilment. As I approach the two-year mark of my joining St. Francis’ College as Deputy Head, I now have a very clear dream. I can see in my dreams the exceptionally bright future that this College has and the enormous success that it will enjoy. Whilst I have certainty in its realisation, I also know that I will be drawing upon the values of our DREAMS ethos myself in getting us there.