Alumni News | Heritage

2021 Exam Results

A message from Headmaster Jason Fletcher: ‘Congratulations to our Year 11 pupils on their outstanding IGCSE results received today. We are very proud of all of them for what they have achieved throughout their exam courses, especially given the severe disruption of the past two years. They have worked very hard and have demonstrated impressive resilience throughout. Our teachers, too, deserve praise for maintaining highly effective teaching amidst the exceptional circumstances of the pandemic. The strong results our pupils received today are thoroughly deserved and we wish them all the best as they get started on their A Level courses next month.’

A summary of our 2021 results can be found at www.heritageschool.org.uk/information-for-parents/exam-results.

First Heritage Alumni Reunion Held on Zoom

28 Heritage alumni and teachers gathered on Zoom last Thursday for a first-ever alumni reunion. Mr and Mrs Fletcher kicked off the evening with an update on the life of the school, including a photo of Mr Fletcher’s tiling work from the senior assembly that week — a reminder to the attendees of some of his popular assemblies from their own days at school.

Talks from alumni followed, beginning with former pupil Alice Taylor who gave an update about her plans for post-university training in Canada in the field of Psychology. Alumnae Maisie Fletcher and Katie Budd then shared fascinating stories about their gap year experience.

Mr and Mrs Fletcher next updated attendees about a gap year programme recently established for Heritage alumni. Each year, one of our post-sixth form alumni will have an opportunity to spend an academic year providing teaching assistant support for various classrooms throughout the school. It was announced that alumna Leah Monmont will be taking on the gap year position for the 2021-22 academic year.

Finally, the evening ended with time for former classmates and teachers to catch up with one another in smaller breakout groups.

It was special and inspiring to see each of our former pupils who were able to join the reunion. It is our hope that all of our alumni will remain personally connected to the school throughout their lifetime, so you can look forward to more of these events in years to come.

Former Pupil’s Impressive Win

Congratulations to Heritage alumna Laura Burton, winner of this year’s National Schools’ Regatta Championship Girls’ Single Sculls⁠⁠, competing for Cambridge 99 Rowing Club. Take a look from the 4:20 mark in this video for the exciting moments when Laura (in the black boat) takes the lead!

Reuniting with Former Head Boys and Girls

In April, several of our former Head Boys and Head Girls met with Mr and Mrs Fletcher to talk about plans to reconnect with our alumni from the classes of 2016-2020.

The group included former pupils who, after leaving Heritage in Year 11, have attended various sixth forms and universities around the country and the world. During the meeting, they provided an update about their latest studies and other endeavours, and also offered helpful feedback about the best ways to reach their classmates. As we prepare to launch an alumni programme later this month, we can look forward to hearing more from this group and our larger population of former students as well.

Stay tuned for more about our alumni programme in the coming weeks!

Two former pupils return

Two of our former pupils have returned to Heritage before heading off to university.

Joanna left in 2018 to attend Comberton Sixth Form. She is currently working to help the school with its COVID-19 safety measures.

‘Since leaving Heritage, I have completed sixth form, where I studied a BTEC in Applied Science. I am grateful for the opportunity to help at Heritage where I spent so many years, and to be filling my time usefully for this first part of my gap year. After my gap year, I plan to study biomedical sciences where I have a confirmed place at university. The thing I miss most about Heritage is the unique community atmosphere, where everyone knows everyone and is treated as an individual. I also think Heritage gave me a better work ethic and taught me the importance of working hard (you reap what you sow) which was especially useful when I went to sixth form and had to be very self-motivated.’

Kane Blake left in 2018 to attend Hills Road Sixth Form College. He is currently back volunteering with our PE programme.

‘After leaving Heritage, I studied A level PE, Psychology and Drama at Hills Road Sixth Form, which was a great experience. It was a pretty different environment to Heritage, especially size-wise, but Heritage prepared me well for it. It’s great to be back at Heritage helping out with PE. I’m interested in the field of coaching/teaching, and I love being able to help people learn. But more importantly, I’m once again experiencing the sense of community that really is unique to Heritage. My current plan for the near future, after my gap year, is to apply for university to study Sport. The thing I’ve missed most about Heritage is the attitude to life and the importance of community that is so prevalent. This is definitely something I took for granted whilst here, but it is something that’s so important to remember. Although a small school can have its downsides, the emphasis on building one another up is so important and working together to reach success as a community. And I now appreciate the way that lessons aren’t just used to teach the subject, but also the vital skills needed for future life. I didn’t realise the importance of this until I left. And who doesn’t love Mr Fletcher showing us how to tile a wall in assembly!’