From the Head of School

 All Together Now I am sure, like me, your use of Amazon has skyrocketed in the last year. There is so much that is new about online retail, it is easy to overlook one of the more curious aspects - 58% of their gross revenue comes from third party sales. It is like walking into Marks and Spencers and finding floor space given to Debenhams and Top Shop. It’s an idea called “coopetition.” Amazon, rather than work against rival providers, are allowing them to use their platform to sell their goods. Customers benefit from greater choice, Amazon get a commission, and the sellers get a market. It’s a win for all. There are four independent schools in Aberdeen, and families are free to choose between them. A choice for one is a loss for another: in that sense we are rivals. However, in a broader sense, we face common challenges and have common purposes. None of us could educate everyone in Aberdeen who wants an independent education, and we all offer something slightly different. Over the last year especially, I have been in regular contact with the other Aberdeen Independent Schools Heads. We have thus been able to present common concerns to government, to create other avenues of liaison with the NHS and to discuss the meaning and implementation of all the new regulations required during the pandemic. One common purpose not only unites us, but makes all other differences irrelevant: the care of children. This pandemic has had a terrible toll on many people’s physical health; it is also taking a toll on the mental health of an even larger group; certainly on our young people. It is something all schools are aware of. The Aberdeen Independent Schools have therefore come together to create a series of free wellness webinars. ISA is hosting the first of these at 7.30pm on Thursday 18 February. Please sign up here and pass on to friends and family to sign up as well. This isn’t an issue restricted to one community, and we would like as many families as possible to benefit, so please pass on the link - there is no cost, and there are no audience limits. It is the pandemic’s pleasant irony that as we have been asked to keep apart, we have also learnt to pull together. If businesses can do this for profits, schools and communities can certainly do it for mental health.