Dancing in front of Wembley Stadium as part of the spectacular Brent London Borough of Culture opening ceremony, 2020 augured well for our diverse community.

I was excited to be looking ahead to a kaleidoscopic year of cultural events.

As events moved online, 2020 became the year of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

The heroes of 2020 include delivery drivers, transport workers, carers, NHS workers, researchers, cleaners, supermarket staff, teachers and support staff.

Thank you to all the staff at Queens Park Community School who have kept our community going in school and online.

After George Floyd’s murder, our school community came together to question whether we do everything we can to combat racism.

Our diversity is our strength and we are learning from each other how to be kinder, with a moral imperative to stand up for everyone.

Our students learn to be community-minded. On top of their school work in the summer national lockdown, they taught younger siblings; collected for food banks; competed in an online sports day; and produced artwork and music performances to lift our spirits and brighten our screens.

I am grateful to the Brent Centre for Young People and the Permira Foundation for donations to buy 100 laptops for our students.

Thank you to our amazing PTFA who raised funds to support young people’s mental health, outdoor learning and physical fitness.

All our staff and students want to thank the incredible group of local parents who raised £500,000 for our student Kiran to travel to Singapore for life-saving cancer treatment.

Exams 2020 were an experience that no one wants to repeat. We celebrated great success, including Ruby and Macsen heading to Oxford and Cambridge. However, sadly a few students were left feeling it was unfair that they did not get the chance to prove themselves in summer exams.

Like most secondary schools we continue to be affected by Covid cases and the need for students to isolate.

My wish for 2021 is that the vaccine is taken up by our whole community so that our children can return to full school life and enjoy music and drama performances; sporting fixtures; school trips and residentials, for example to CERN in Geneva or our partner school in South Africa; and the all-important opportunity to take GCSE and A Level examinations without the fear that they may have to isolate.

  • Judith Enright is headteacher of Queens Park Community School.