Headteacher Message

Hello all,

I hope you are well. I did not write the newsletter last week as I was away at a locality Headteachers' conference. It was excellent. Firstly, I was able to have some valuable time to reflect and, secondly, there were some inspiring speakers who reminded me why we do what we do and how lucky we are to do it. One speaker stayed with me. His name was Lemm Sissay. He spoke eloquently about how important his schooling was to him, but it was his opening statement that stayed with me.  He said “There is nothing more important than to love and be loved.” Mine and our lives are very busy and this was a reminder to me to go home and appreciate my family and friends.

I would like to say a big thank you to our English coordinator, Kathryn Hayward,  who organised our week long book day! The focus has really been on books. On Monday, the author, Jamie Hammond, came to school to talk about his book ‘Grumpfort.’ Our book group had already reviewed the book, and I am pleased to say that these reviews are part of the display at Kew Bookshop. There were many other events during the week, all with the aim of fostering a lifelong love of reading. I know, from my own experience, that this is not a given. Like all initiatives, we will continue to work on this throughout the year and not just for a day or a week.

As I write, the chess club are eating fruit skewers and fighting epic battles on the boards behind me. I am not actually sure why they are in my office, but it does allow this newsletter to come full circle. We are lucky to work with your wonderful children. Have a great weekend.

Joe Porter