Students urged to take the hard route, not the easy one

New Head Ben Pennington spoke about personal values and taking the hard route rather than the easy one when he delivered his first assembly to students this morning.

Mr Pennington, speaking in the Abbey Church at Worth, focused on three key points in a powerful address. He told students to:

• Take responsibility. Only by taking responsibility and learning from our shortcomings/failures can we really accept credit for our successes. They go hand in hand.
• If you are going to do something, be ‘all in'.  He referenced Hernan Cortes (1519), a Spanish explorer, ordering his officers to “Burn the boats”, rather than getting a get out of jail free card.
• Do in private what you would want to be seen doing in public. Have the personal integrity to choose the right/more difficult path when no-one is watching.

These are exciting times for Worth following a 2025-26 academic year packed with achievement, a summer when we were able to celebrate excellent exam results and now a new Head shaping the next chapter in Worth’s story.

Mr Pennington finished by saying: “I urge you not to shy away from pressure, embrace it. We have a long year ahead of us, we have an exciting year ahead of us and I wish you all the best with your endeavours this year. Be kind and choose the hard route, not the easy one.”

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A year packed with achievement

For more on an education at Worth click here.