Headmaster's Message

Headmaster's Message

Dear Parents

It has been a wonderfully sunny start to the new term and it has been great to see all of the children returning refreshed and ready to learn. I have managed to get into a number of lessons during the week and I have been enormously impressed with the calm, purposeful working atmosphere around the school.

I have been particularly impressed with two examples of the writing skills that the children have developed over the year. Firstly, in both Reception classes I had a chance to see some beautiful free written stories on the theme of well-known fairy tales. It never ceases to amaze me the progress that four and five-year-old children can make with their written English in the first two terms and, despite the significant period of learning from home, these children have an enormous amount to be proud of.  I was also invited down to the classes to see them perform their stories which was great fun.

The second class I looked at closely this week was Year 6. They were looking back at their English criterion writing, which is an opportunity for them to demonstrate the full range of their skills in a written assessment. With the guidance of their teacher and assistant, they worked carefully through everything they had written, checking for areas for improvement and putting into practice the mantra of self-regulation. Children can be hard on themselves at times, as can teachers in fact, but parachuting in from above it was clear to me that all the children, without exception, had achieved a level of independent writing that will absolutely prepare them for Key Stage 3 and beyond. Spellings, punctuation, handwriting, paragraphs, not to mention fronted adverbials, similes and metaphors, as well as writing for impact and addressing an audience. It was all in there. These two snapshots gave me a great insight into the journey of the children through the school and the many achievements that are so inspiring to see.

The central theme for all of us this term will be hard work and progress in the classroom. With sustained focus and concentration over the next 10 or so weeks in school, we can all earn the right to enjoy our summer holidays when they come around in July. Of course, as you can see in the calendar, we have other extracurricular events planned, including sporting fixtures and musical events, and all in all we have a great deal to look forward to over the coming months.

With best wishes for the term ahead.

Joe Thackway
Headmaster