Headmaster's Message
Dear Parents and Friends of the School
It has been a tough old week here at school, a week like no other. We have recognised the passing of one of our own with Barnaby's funeral on Wednesday, and this was undoubtedly a difficult but really important day for us all, but most importantly for the Williams family.
I asked the Year 5 children how they were feeling as they came into school on Thursday morning, and a number of them surprised me by saying, ‘I feel better, I'm glad that we've done it.’ There was a bittersweet sense of satisfaction that we had given Barnaby a really fitting, memorable occasion to celebrate his young life.
Not everyone is in the same place of course and we have continued to offer support to those children and others around the school who been affected. We have put on extra duties for staff to provide a sympathetic ear at lunchtimes, and we have all been on standby to provide the care and sympathy that the children need.
What gave me great pride on Wednesday was to see the whole of the Crescent School community pulling together, not only to give Barnaby the send-off he deserved, but also to take care of those children remaining in school and make sure that their day and their week was a happy one. Many teachers and staff came in to take classes when they don't normally do so, often for no extra charge. Mr Hester’s assembly went down especially well, I have heard. If your children were there, they might be able to teach you a little of the Zulu language! This team spirit was one I know that Barnaby would have loved to see.
In the midst of this we have had a normal school week going on, with lots of parents’ consultation meetings earlier in the week and more to come between now and the end of term. We used the new booking system that we used for our meetings in October, which has hopefully made signing up easier for you, but we will give everyone a chance to provide fuller feedback when we are through with this term’s cycle.
Today has also been a big day for the Year 6 football team who have travelled up to St George’s Park in Derbyshire to take part in the ISA national finals. As we go to press, I don't have news on their progress, but boys, we are thrilled that you for having reached this stage of the tournament and I know that you will represent the school with great pride and enthusiasm on the day.
I hope you all have a restful weekend and find some time to recuperate ready for final two weeks of the term.
