The Courier

Dear Parents

We know we cannot avoid the countdown to Christmas any longer when the staging goes up in the school hall, as it has done this week. We are experimenting a little bit this year with the alignment of the hall such that the stage will be positioned in front of the new screen. Hopefully, this will mean everyone in the hall gets a better of view of performances, with the stage coming out into the audience. In the longer term, if this works well, it will also mean we can build a small storage area in the hall for keeping chairs, tables and PE equipment when not in use. Having seen some of the rehearsals already, I know you will all be in for a treat, and one or two surprises, when the big day for the performance arrives.

For our Year 6 pupils, this week has marked the end of their "exam season", no doubt to the great relief of them all. Of course, the destinations journey still has some way to run and they will be hoping to receive offers of places in the coming weeks and months. I have to say that I think our Year 6 children this year deserve immense credit for the sensible and mature way they have gone about dealing with the potential stresses and strains of exams.

Importantly, during the whole process school has been a place of normality and familiarity for them all, where they can feel secure amongst friends.  It is of course a competitive world out there and, as they grow, the process they have been through here will stand them in good stead, I am sure.  Having said that, we must be mindful not to expect too much too soon from our young people as they develop, to encourage and inspire them to aim high and to think big, but to celebrate and cherish them for who they are.  As we look at reviewing the school ethos and aims, it is worth bearing this thought in mind.

Enjoy your weekend everybody.

Joe Thackway