Headteacher blog 28/6/24

It seems like summer has been and gone in a flash this week!

I did a tour with some prospective parents yesterday afternoon and it was not typical. Half of Y6 were out on high school transition (and the rest were cooking, farming or hosting a visiting school – see below), a Reception class were on a trip to Harlow Carr, two year groups were doing PE outside and most of the other classes were doing Poetry Slam practices or Science Superstar auditions. There was also another school’s Reception class on the fields having their school trip as a visit to our farm and grounds! It was hard to find an ‘ordinary’ lesson anywhere! The tour was nevertheless successful: three new children joining the school in September.

Wednesday was spent on an intense round of teacher recruitment for September. Having previously lamented a very low response to a couple of recruitments for full-time teachers earlier in the term, this time we had more applicants and they were of a very good quality. The difference? This role was part-time, just two days. Almost all the applicants had young children and many teachers conclude that full time work isn’t conducive to a positive family life. Two teachers sharing a class used to be unusual; now almost half our classes have more than one teacher. That can bring challenges in terms of consistency and communication, but it also allows some ‘playing to strengths’; the value brought to school by two part-time teachers can exceed one full-time equivalent.

Next week, we will be getting ready for our huge Camp-Over event on Saturday 6th July. I don’t think anyone will be getting a tan during the event, but we have sold lots of tickets and there is a huge range of activities to enjoy. I hope to see you there.