Headteacher Message

Hello all,

I hope you are all well.  I have just returned from an afternoon stroll around the school.  It is such a relief to get off my chair and away from my screen.  I would like to report my findings to you.  Firstly, I walked into the main hall.  Year 2 were there having a great time in their dance lesson.  I then went upstairs and did a double take outside of Year 4 as I could see Mr Shankar and Mr Gilbert in full Roman robes having a heated debate regarding government in Ancient Rome and whether anyone should truly hold absolute power! Next, I popped into Year 3 where I was greeted by the pupils showcasing their scat songs . Be -bop a lo -la! After that, I walked down the corridor to Year 6 to see the most outstanding presentation of written work in the form of a recount of Shackleton's journey across the Antarctic.  I finally returned to my desk to be greeted by three Year 1 pupils who had brought some of their incredible construction for me to admire.  That was all in the space of about 10 minutes on a dull Friday afternoon. Well it may be dark, grey and dull outside but it certainly is not for your children inside the school building.  I sound like a broken record but once again I am in awe of all the staff at the school and I feel very lucky to be the Headteacher of this school.

We will always strive to get even better but I am going to make sure that sometimes I give myself the opportunity to reflect on what we already have here at Darell. On this note please can you continue to be ambassadors for the school.  Every positive thing you say about the school has a ripple effect and the message is getting louder.  In this competitive marketplace we really want Darell to be the school of choice in the locality.  You will see  in the remainder of the newsletter that we are holding a Reception open morning next Saturday (27th) from 10am.  Please encourage your neighbours, acquaintances and basically anyone you see with young children to attend this event. Thank you in advance for your support with this.  If you would like to pick up some flyers to distribute please pop into the office to collect.   

It has been a relief not to have to talk about coronavirus for a while but as I have previously said it has not gone away.  This week we had two confirmed cases at the school.  Our policy is to inform the parents and carers of the children in the class of the child who is ill.  We did this and all parents followed the government guidance which was  to send their children into school unless they were showing symptoms of coronavirus.  

I am not keen to finish on a coronavirus note so I will share some feedback with you.  A Headteacher that I know in Kingston took time out of her day to send the simple message. “Loving all your tweets.”  in reference to our Twitter content. The Twitter feed is a reflection of the fantastic and vibrant learning that takes place in the school. Please take time out of your day to have a look and celebrate this wonderful school.  Have a lovely weekend.  

Joe Porter        

Communications Sent Home 

• KS1 Nativity Costume
• KS1and KS2 Ticket Collection
• Reception Hearing Screen
• Festive Lunch Menu and Google Form 
• SRP Breakfast Invitation 
• Medical letter - Year 3
• Covid Information - Nursery, Walker and Reception

Community News