Headmaster's Message
As for the children, they are such a wonderful bunch; friendly, welcoming, polite and happy. I know it takes time to build trust and respect when working with young people and I hope I have begun to do that during the year but I also know I know that it is a job that’s never done. Of course, as staff we will come back next year committed anew to providing for them a great school that is both nurturing and challenging, pastorally and academically.
Well done to all those parents who came to the Welcome Evening on Tuesday, despite the unfortunate clash with the England match. I got back to see the penalty shoot out, which I found incredibly stressful, and had to watch from the garden through the back window. Somehow, this made it more bearable. I hope that the information we provided on the evening will be useful as you familiarise yourself with the routines for your child’s next class, as well as getting an overview of our plans for the year head.
The headline developments over the summer are our refurbishment of the changing rooms that will make them a more welcoming and private area for girls and boys to get ready for their sports, as well as a complete refit of the science lab. Alongside a major upgrade of the fire alarm system, we are looking at a large spend here over the summer as part of our planned re-development and regeneration of the teaching spaces in the school. I know your children will enjoy the benefits of these improvements next year, and in years to come.
I have a busy summer planned, starting with a solo bike ride around Normandy which starts next week. I do love the chance to clear my head and leave my troubles behind me and hopefully this will get me off to a good start whilst my family are still in school. We also have a family holiday planned in the hills of Umbria in Italy that promises to be spectacular. I will of course be in school on and off throughout the summer as well. I have been making a list in the back of my diary for holiday ‘must dos’ and it’s starting to overflow onto a third page…
Whatever you are doing I hope you manage to get away for some quality time with your families and your wonderful children. We look forward to welcoming them all back safe, sound, and raring to go for a new school year on Monday 3 September.
With all of my best wishes
Joe Thackway
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