Headteacher Message

Hello all,

I seem to be losing track of time!  Have I already spoken to you about how amazing our Jubilee picnic was? Well if I have, please excuse me.  What a lovely event!  It was so nice to see the whole school community as one.  A very big thank you to all who attended and also those who were able to provide food for the event.  There is always that moment on the Monday before the event that you panic. Will anyone turn up? Will it be any good? Will there be enough food?  We even started to plan making an industrial amount of cheese and cucumber sandwiches on Friday morning to cater for the masses.  Well there was absolutely no need!  Food from all around the world came flooding into the school and was appreciated by all.  My culinary highlight was the battle of the Brazilian cheese balls.  Two sets of parents plied me with the most lovely tasting examples. I was unable to choose between them - although I told them both individually theirs were the best!!  Motivational management and blue sky thinking by me.

I need to update you regarding some staffing changes for next year and also tell you who your class teacher is going to be. I am in a few Headteachers whats app groups and I am pleased to say that we have relatively few staffing changes compared to the majority of others.  The first piece of news is very exciting.  Paul Gilbert has secured a headship in a school in Esher.  Words cannot do justice to the excellence Paul has personified during my time working with him.  When I first arrived at the school he was basically the Acting Headteacher, Senior Business and Office manager.  He stepped into a gap and worked tirelessly to ensure while there was some instability at the top it did not impact on your children. From very early on I encouraged Paul to look for headships.  Not because I wanted him to go but because I could see how much he had to offer as a Headteacher. His new school is very, very lucky to have him.  There has been a lot going on behind the scenes recently, and I am very excited to announce that Emma Claridge has been appointed as Deputy Headteacher.  Again, words do not do justice to the professionalism and excellence of Emma. We are very lucky to have her as our new Deputy.  Effectively we have combined two Assistant Headteacher roles into one Deputy Headteacher role for September 2022.

The staffing structure when I arrived was reflective of a larger school rather than the one form entry school that we currently are.  The economic climate for all schools is tough at the moment and our structure needs to reflect the size of the school.  I really feel that the class teachers we have in place for next year ensure that your child will continue to get the best education possible at Darell School. We also have a fantastic team of support staff who work closely alongside our teaching staff. Support staff are deployed across the school and do invaluable work in providing timely intervention for our children. We are so lucky to have such an effective and flexible team of support staff at Darell.

Please see below a table setting out deployment of teachers for next academic year. We will share further information regarding deployment of support staff in due course.

I will explain the changes.  Mrs Thomas is moving from Nursery to Reception. Mrs Torralba will become our new Nursery teacher.  She was an Early Years Specialist in her native Spain and is a fully qualified teacher. We always aim to grow our own teachers and she will have learnt so much from the time she has spent in Year 1 with Mrs Hayward.  We have an excellent team in place in EYFS and are excited about welcoming new children into the school next year.

As you can see, there are very few changes until we come to Year 6 and the Specialist Resource Provision (SRP). Mr Fitzgerald is moving from our Year 6 to Thomson House.  Thomson House School is very lucky to have him. He is an excellent teacher and will be missed by all. In his place step Mrs James and Miss Winfield.  Mrs James is a Year 6 specialist and her worth can be seen by the fact that she is the lead teacher for teaching and learning across the school.  She knows the school, she knows your children and I know she will get the best out of them.  Miss Winfield is moving from Reception to share responsibility for Year 6 and to provide cover across the school in the mornings. A dream team for Year 6.

Miss Keith is moving to Hampton Infants School and once again we are sad to see her go.  She has provided excellent support for the children in her care and her child centered approach will be missed. We are currently recruiting for a teacher to teach across the SRP. It is a very exciting time in the SRP as integration into the mainstream continues to grow.  Effectively, children in the SRP will have their own teacher in September but benefit from the teaching of all our teachers when they spend time with their mainstream cohort.  Mrs Blunden will work closely with the new member of staff.  We will ensure that we employ a teacher in good time so they and the children can take part in transitional events.  We will be saying a much more emphatic goodbye to those who are leaving nearer the end of term but if you catch them, please do thank them for all that they have done for the school.

Possibly my longest ever newsletter.  Are you still with me? Sit up at the back!  Morgan Evans, a trainee teacher from Roehampton University is joining the Year 1 team until the end of the year.  She has come for a visit today and I can report that she really fits into the team and will be an asset to the school.  

From Monday, we will only be opening the gates on the Niton Road side of the school.  There is some building work commencing, and we actually feel it is safer to have two entrances into the school rather than four.  You will enter and leave from Niton Road.  I will be out there with my high-vis on Monday to direct you. Nursery will be the only cohort entering from their usual Darell Road entrance.

As we speak, we are fixing the intercom on the main school entrance.  This means you will now have to press the buzzer to gain entry to the small forecourt before the school office.  We will put signs up as this will take a bit of getting used to.

I think that is it.  As ever, please contact me if you would like anything clarified or just for a chat.

The weather looks set fair so have a lovely weekend.

Joe Porter       

Communication Sent home

• Kew Gardens Trip Letter - Walker Class, Nursery and Reception
• Thames Explorer Trip Letter - Peake Class

Cooking Corner

Ingredients

• 200g ginger biscuits
• 50g butter, melted

For the filling

• 300g light soft cheese
• 150g Greek yogurt

For the poached apricots:

• 50g caster sugar
• 1 lemon, finely zested, plus 3tbsp juice
• 227g strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 3tbsp seedless strawberry or raspberry jam

• Method

• Put the biscuits in a food bag and crush with a rolling pin until fine (alternatively, whizz in a food processor until fine). Tip the biscuit crumbs into a large bowl and stir in the melted butter until combined.
• Divide the biscuit mixture between 4 x 10cm fluted tart tins with removable bases or 4 x 10cm cups lined with nonstick baking paper. Using the back of a spoon, firmly press the mixture into the base and sides of each container. Set aside to chill while you make the filling.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk the soft cheese, yogurt, sugar, lemon zest and juice until combined and creamy. Divide the filling between the tart tins and smooth the tops. Chill for at least 1 hr.
• In a pan, melt the jam over a low heat until liquid, then set aside to cool a little.
• Remove the cheesecakes from their tins or cups and arrange the strawberry quarters on top. Using a pastry brush, coat the fruit with the cooled jam until glossy and serve.