Headmaster's Message
Dear Parents
It has been a week like no other. Working from home on a couple of days this week has proved quite challenging, both for me and the rest of the British workforce I expect. We are all finding new ways to get things done and it is amazing how much technology you can train yourself on in a short period of time, when you have no other option. We have probably done two years’ worth of training in the course of two weeks, and there is more to come. Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say.
On that theme, we have been working hard here to assess the home learning that we have put in place this week. All of the positive feedback is enormously appreciated, and all of the constructive criticism is equally useful, if not more so. In essence, my feeling is that the work set by the teachers has been of a very high standard and many of you have expressed this in your communications. My concern is around the marking and feedback that we then provide to lock in the progress. We are looking at solutions to this as we speak and we will use designated training days (virtual training of course) next week to develop these ideas further. We should be in a position quite soon to share how we intend to develop and improve this provision as home learning moves into a new term, which now seems inevitable.
As I have been stuck behind mine laptop for many hours this week, one bright note but has been very lovely emails pinging through with pictures the children have taken of emerging signs of spring in their garden. Many thanks for these. In my assembly this morning I gave my five top tips for how to occupy yourself peacefully during holiday. Please do send in examples of your children’s exploits along the lines I suggested and we will happily share them in the Courier on our return.
In terms of the broader picture, you don’t need me to tell you that we will be living with the effects of coronavirus in our working lives for some time to come. Nobody knows how long that will be but please rest assured that we are planning for every eventuality here. It will come as no surprise that we have sadly had to cancel the Year 3 trip to Whitemoor Lakes in April and other events will suffer. Whenever we do return to school we will look very closely at how we can make up for opportunities missed out on with events and day trips. For example, we will make sure that the Year 6 children have a chance for their traditional final farewells, whatever or whenever that happens. We’ll will be creative in our efforts to make up for lost time but first we must baton down the hatches and get through to the next phase.
We are entirely committed to the continued education of your children and will do everything we can to combine this with proper pastoral care and guidance. Our commitment to your children is, in my mind, a moral one and one which everyone here takes very seriously. I hope and believe that this is apparent in every single thing that the staff here do on a daily basis. I know you will have fears and anxieties of your own. I have the same ones. Please do share these and if I can be of any help at all I will be, as will the rest of the wonderful Crescent staff.
As parents and teachers the well-being of the children is always uppermost in our minds. Enjoy this opportunity to spend time with them over the Easter weeks and if this virus has taught us anything, it is that we should cherish all those things we hold most dear.
With that thought, I send you and your children my heartfelt good wishes and look forward to renewing our partnership next term and into the future.
