Thank you to all members of our school community

Whilst I do not want to dwell too much upon the unprecedented challenges of recent months, I do want to share my admiration for the courage and resilience that all members of our school community have demonstrated during this time. Our response to COVID-19 was to lead rather than to follow; we have not just simply ‘survived’ as a school.

The collective memory of this school community will, I hope, look back on 2020 with a sense of pride and recognition that it was a juncture in our history when the spirit of our school reigned and transcended adversity.  We go forward in the knowledge there are always positives forged in difficult circumstances and we are emerging from the challenges stronger as a school. An incidental benefit of the Covid-19 pandemic was the initiative to make learning visible to parents within their own homes through the use of Google Classroom, and it is our aim to build on this success with aspects of the teaching and learning having greater visibility. 

Our pupils adapted to virtual learning with incredible speed. They were supported by their teachers who have ‘gone the extra mile’ to maximise individual pupil progress. On my part, I have enjoyed witnessing the success of our parent hangout meets and delivering the weekly virtual assembly. One of the themes of an assembly was, ‘Lessons from Geese’ which highlighted that sharing a common direction and securing the welfare of the ‘flock’ enables a community to achieve their objectives more efficiently. Our direction of travel evolved from the invaluable feedback from parents, pupil and staff surveys and reviews, and the informed insights from the Parent Representatives, Class Representatives, and the pupils’ Development Group initiatives. As a consequence, the development of the Pupil Voice programme, implementation of greater rigour in the curriculum and our focus on providing support for parents and pupils with the transition to future senior schools has flourished.

It is a privilege to lead this community and as we come to the end of this academic year, I would like to thank the whole school community for their support and encouragement.

I wish the children a wonderful summer break, and for those who are leaving us, a smooth transition to their future school. I am optimistic about the future and I look forward to welcoming everyone back to school on Wednesday, 3 September.

Dr Edmonds

Head