Distinguished guests, parents, staff and students.

In his dispatch to the Admiralty from Cape Trafalgar on October 22, 1805, Admiral Collingwood wrote: I have not only to lament in common with the British Navy, and the British Nation, in the fall of the Commander in Chief, the loss of a Hero, whose name will be immortal, and his memory ever dear to his country; but my heart is rent with the most poignant grief for the death of a friend his Lordship received a musket ball in his left breast, about the middle of the action, and sent an officer to me immediately with his last farewell; and soon after expired. I do not glorify war but nor do I denigrate one of the most significant victories in recent British history. Several thoughts spring to mind when we reflect on the life of Admiral Nelson, Norfolks best-known son. Victory, our proud name, Courage, Commitment, Traditional Values, Service. And one more remember Admiral Nelson, a man who changed the course of history, was Britains best-known disabled person. Victory, or put another way, success. I pledge to all our students that they will be successful , that they will achieve the best they possibly can. I believe everyone counts, every single one of our students can achieve the government benchmark of 5 A*-C GCSEs, including English and Maths. We have a relentless focus on achievement. I have appointed an Assistant Principal in charge of raising achievement. We monitor progress data daily. Our staff put on extra tuition after school with pizza nights and at weekends. We bring in outside experts, we offer counselling, one-to-ones, our friends at Price Waterhouse Coopers came in to mentor and teach maths. Two of my hard-working SLT drove the school bus to round up sleepy-heads on exam day. Whatever it takes. Why do we go the extra mile as Admiral Nelson did in his preparations for the Battle of Trafalgar? Not for glory or self-satisfaction. It is our clear duty as teachers to do our very best for our students, to give them the best possible start in life. I will not have Victory students thrown on the qualifications scrapheap, joining the NEETs, perhaps Britains biggest social tragedy. Last year, we had the famous Victory Five students who had the ability to achieve, but not the will. After metaphorically twisting every arm, throwing in every last resource, including my own PA, 3 out of the 5 achieved 5 A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths. Three less children on the scrapheap, which Im sure they will appreciate later in life. Courage. Courage is the new Year 7 coming to the Academy on his or her first day. Courage is the Year 13 following their goal of university in London or Paris, where one of last years crop is now studying. Courage is our fine head boy and head girl standing here today and addressing you confidently. Courage is also the way the entire Academy community took a huge leap of faith a year ago and embraced the new culture and ethos. Parents were courageous enough to commit to us and support us. Staff were courageous enough to shrug off the practices of the past and step up to the best innovative teaching and a new curriculum. Our students were courageous enough to embrace the new high

standards of learning and behaviour. Very quickly, our students, who felt other schools had looked down on them in the past, were proud Victory ambassadors. Courage to stand up and be counted. Victory where everyone matters. Last years Year 11 had been through Special Measures twice and the dramatic change of becoming an Academy. Despite all this, they grasped the opportunity in both hands and improved 5 A*-C GCSEs including English and Maths by a staggering 27%, almost certainly the best improvement in the UK. Thats courage. On capturing an American privateer in a gale-force wind and high seas in 1777, the Captain said, 'Have I no officer who can board the Prize?' The then Lieutenant Nelson volunteered, saying, 'It is my turn now; and if I come back; it is yours.' Thats courage in a young man. In later life, he reflected the greater the difficulties, the more he was motivated to overcome them. Committment. Often against difficult odds, Admiral Nelson stood resolute in battle after battle. Committed to his King, to Victory and to his men everyone mattered. Dedicated, set on his path, 100% on the mark. The will of one man changed the face of Europe. Im going out on a limb; I expect not 100% but 120% effort at Victory. Our Governors, several of whom are here today, lead by example, putting in an extraordinary amount of time and effort on our behalf. I am pleased to say our teachers are the same. I cannot see how you can become a teacher without putting in 120% effort. It is more than a job. I hesitate to use the word calling, but put it this way: as teachers, we have the life of a child in our hands. Go one way, they face mediocrity; go the Victory way and the child heads for success. It is as simple as that. Our teachers at Victory are committed, resolute and on the mark. The extra hours they put in with one-to-ones, getting the border-line student the next grade up or with extra-curricular activity are extraordinary. Our hard-working support team are the same, going the extra mile. The Horatios crew, for example, with the support of teachers, have just received the prestigious Bronze Award from the Food For Life Partnership. But theres more, it is not just a question of extra effort ourselves. It is the teachers and the parents who inspire, encourage and cajole our students to put in the extra effort, who create the climate where all our students want to put in the extra effort to succeed. We show our students the stars, to look to horizons beyond the end of their street. As I mentioned, one of last years crop of Year 13s is studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, others at universities all over England. One of my girls from a non-English-speaking background at my previous Academy is studying at Oxford. Are our students committed? Yes, they are. Our exam results are clear evidence. Last years GCSE and A-Level results were outstanding; this years will be even better. See the border-line student volunteering for extra tuition or doing extra homework. See the pride in our Year 11s as they progress through the year. They are even choosing their own Year 11 song to motivate them during the year. My ambition is for students to run to school, looking forward to their interesting, innovative lessons. Traditional Values

Admiral Nelson was a traditionalist, his views of service and duty straightforward. Early on in his career, he expounded his code of sea ethics for a naval officer, consisting of three articles: 1. To obey orders. 2. To honour the King. 3. To hate all Frenchmen. Please take the third point in the context of the bitterly-fought Napoleonic Wars. Victory is an inclusive Academy, welcoming students and families of every background into our community. Admiral Nelson was equally precise about uniform. On the morning of Trafalgar, probably a couple of hours back on this day 206 years ago, Hardy, the captain of Victory, suggested Nelson remove the decorations from his coat. He was an obvious target for sharpshooters. The reply was in the negative, they were 'military orders and we do not fear to show them to the enemy'. We believe strongly in traditional values. The Union Jack flies proudly over our site, all our students wear proper uniforms. I say proper, we had the uniforms designed by a Savile Row tailor. I want all our students to look good and feel good in their uniforms and they do. Our uniform code is rigorously enforced as is our behaviour code. Our students stand when an adult enters the room, they are lined up outside classrooms before lessons start; their uniforms and behaviour monitored. Members of my SLT patrol the gates in the morning and evening to make sure nothing inappropriate is worn or done. Is this out of step with so-called modern attitudes and behaviour in the 21st century? Its a resounding No from me. I make absolutely no apology for believing in and embracing traditional values. But wait a minute, our students, themselves, welcome traditional values too. Listen to what one of last years Year 13s told the Evening News not long after we opened. Theres so much that has changed. I nearly had a heart attack when a Year 7 held the door open for me. And when I held the door open for a Year 8, they said Thank you. If youd been here six months ago, this corridor would have been really noisy with lots of shouting from teachers. And the canteen has changed. Its not bell, run, its much more orderly now. Theres a big effort from everyone in terms of attitude. We all want certainty in life, particularly in this ever-changing world. Clear boundaries, clear values. I can assure you theres no ambiguity at Victory. Service. There is no argument about Admiral Nelsons service to his country. He was wounded several times in action, losing an arm and the sight of an eye. At Trafalgar, he lost his life. Thousands lined the streets of London for his funeral in January 1806. The funeral procession consisted of 32 admirals, more than a hundred captains and an escort of 10,000 troops taking the coffin to St Pauls Cathedral. There is a school of thought in education today that we should aim for the wellrounded individual and not go chasing exam results. Thats patent rubbish. Universities and employers, rightly, look for top exam results. Therefore, to help our students, we aim for the best possible exam results.

However, we do have a responsibility to develop our students as human beings, to develop their concern and compassion for their neighbours and their community. Whether it is the student who had a work placement at a local nursing home and went the extra mile helping residents to our Eco committee who joined a big Community Litter Pick in the woods behind us with our friends from South Norfolk Council. It is a delight to watch individual students play their role in the community the Sixth-Formers who work for St Johns Ambulance, another Sixth-Former whose passion is refereeing local football matches. As a transformational Academy, we take our leadership role in the local community very seriously. Wherever we can, we involve the Academy and our students in community activities. Last nights Community Fireworks was a case in point with dozens of students helping in the event which was attended by hundreds of our neighbours. Not just the local community, we raise money for Macmillan Cancer and sell poppies for the Armistice Day appeal. Service, community and charity work is something we want to develop further in the coming years. Victory, Courage, Commitment, Traditional Values, Service. The spirit of Nelson is very much part of this Academy, inspiring our students and encouraging them to do their best. His portrait hangs in our reception along with his poignant last letter to Lady Hamilton. Thanks to the enormous generosity of local businessman James Boddy and talented craftsman David Burton, we have on display in the Academy timber and copper from HMS Victory, a replica of Nelsons writing desk on the Victory and even a replica of his chair in our reception. You can say you have sat on Nelsons chair. We hope to incorporate the historic timber and copper sheeting into our wonderful new build. We love the history and we are very proud of Norfolks famous son. But theres more. I want our students to see Admiral Nelson as a role model, I want them to aspire to his talents and his skills. I dont want to simply say to our students: work hard, aim for the stars, be courageous, serve your community. I want the spirit of Nelson, brought to life through our memorabilia, to inspire our students to achieve the best results. Where are we then at the end of our first year? I promised we would transform education here and we have. Im quietly confident that our 27% improvement in 5 A*-Cs including English and Maths is the best in the country. I promised that we will become the Flagship School of the Eastern Region we are well on our way. By any measure, we are one of the highest-achieving schools in the area and we will be the best. Much more is in the pipeline and we will make public announcements as appropriate. But it all comes back to the students. I am in teaching to transform young lives, to make sure all our students achieve their best. We care for every single student. We want Costessey, Norwich, Norfolk to be a shining beacon for education excellence in Britain. Not just Nelsons County but the Education County.