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Hawking

Hawking

As a student in Hawking House, displaying key qualities such as perseverance, thoughtfulness, kindness and resilience is key. Students in Hawking House will be encouraged to support their peers, give every opportunity their utmost effort and demonstrate resilience when the going gets tough. These key values are important to the community spirit of Hawking House and will build strong bonds of friendship for all members of our community.

Stephen Hawking is one of the most recognisable scientists’ of our age but courage and persistence were key to his success due to his disability. Hawking proved that if you are persistent and resilient, you can achieve anything when you work hard for it.

Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease that  affects the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord. This gradually paralysed him over the decades. This made Hawking wheelchair-bound and meant the loss of his speech. This was overcome by the use of a computer which developed the words from the movement in his cheeks.

Hawking’s research career began with disappointment. Arriving at the University of Cambridge in 1962 to begin his PhD, he was told that his chosen supervisor, already had a full complement of students. Hawking didn’t make the cut.

However, after years of resilience and persistence, fighting his disease and set backs, Hawking was recognised as one of the most successful scientists of all time. He developed theories on the origin of the universe and the world that we know. He undertook gravitational research into black holes and the “big bang” while also studying radiation developed by black holes. During this research, Hawking produced books to describe his research including “A Brief History of Time” and “George’s Secret Key to the Universe,” a children’s book to help develop understanding of theoretical physics

"As Head of Hawking House, I would like to encourage all students to have the confidence to achieve their BEST and to have the confidence to speak to someone if they are struggling whether this be with a teacher, parent, peer or professional. The recent pandemic has made me realise how important it is to look after myself and the people around me. Mental health is important to a student’s confidence and having the resilience in day-to-day life and House competitions will give the students an opportunity to achieve in all their other goals.

"It is easy to push problems aside but once they start building up it can be hard to cope. Speaking about mental health and understanding what people might be thinking, is vital and is often the release people are looking for. I’m a big believer that there is always someone who can help in stressful and difficult times – people just need the confidence to ask.

"I would like Hawking House to encourage and support each other in all aspects of school life."

 

Mr Curling | Head of House

 

Goodwin Gateways

Confidence is often a key that can open a number of doors in a person’s lifetime but it’s also hard to come by. I have missed a number of opportunities in my life due to a lack of confidence and have often regretted not making those hard decisions. This can be something as silly as not signing up for the year 7 football team. Therefore, I would like Hawking students to learn from their past experiences, by applying past knowledge to new situations. If students have not had the confidence to take part before, I want them to think of our Goodwin gateway and learn from their past experiences of feeling left out when they haven’t given it a go.

Our second Goodwin gateway as a House team will be persisting. I think that perseverance is important for a student’s well-being and character. If everyone gave up after the first mistake, no one would ever achieve anything. Each time our students stay resilient, this can increase their confidence and in turn improve their mental health. I encourage all students to persevere in difficult times and seek advice if they are struggling. Always remember that there is a great House team to support and encourage all students in every challenge and every activity they take part in as a team or as an individual.

Hawking House Charity

Mind is a charity that focuses on the mental health of millions of people around the UK. Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing mental health problems. It raises awareness and promotes understanding of mental health issues that are affecting hundreds of thousands.

Their efforts have been so successful that now all political manifestos include strategies to improve mental health in the UK. The work they have completed over the last 70 years has seen a massive improvement in the facilities and support provided for mental health.