The start of a new year is the ideal time to get back to basics and consider what being a Grovian really means – and what makes Woodhouse Grove such a unique and special place for young people to grow and learn. Underpinning all that we do are our Grovian Values, providing a clear vision of what Woodhouse Grove is all about.

Each week, last term, we featured a pupil who had demonstrated their unique take on these values through academic achievement, sporting success or accomplishment in the performing arts. This term, members of staff write about what our Grovian Values mean to them. David Wood, Deputy Headmaster (External Relations), kicks things off wonderfully…

Grovian Values – Kind & Generous

David Wood, Deputy Headmaster (External Relations)

From his poem, Lines written above Tintern Abbey, William Wordsworth writes,

“The best portion of a good man’s life is his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.”

As I begin my thirtieth year as a teacher at Woodhouse Grove I dread to think just how many pupils I have taught over the years, but given the inevitable size of this number, I feel that I am pretty well placed to confirm that the Grovian value that is to be “kind and generous” has been overwhelmingly met by pupils, staff and governors throughout that time. The term “generosity” here is not about giving lavish gifts and presents or fancy holidays – far from it – my week in a static caravan in Anglesey was gratefully received and never beaten as an exotic offering from a grateful parent. No – this value costs absolutely nothing – it is about being generous with your time, being kind and considerate to others, and accepting and celebrating the differences in each individual. This is a hallmark of Woodhouse Grove. This school is a very special place filled with very special people who will go the extra mile to help, support or encourage others.

John Wesley’s advice from his Letters is very apt:

“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”

Nothing and nobody is perfect, and no-one can pretend that all is sweetness and light all the time, BUT the affection that current and former students and staff feel for The Grove, and the fond memories of so many former pupils that are relayed to me when I bump into them, confirms my certainty that the kindness and the generosity, and indeed the humility, of all members of this community has struck a chord, and more importantly, has made a difference. As Pericles states:” What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments but what is woven into the lives of others”