It is always a privilege to spend time listening to children, (well almost always!) . This week I have had a veritable feast of listening. Year 5 form captains came to have lunch with me and tell me how much they loved learning and how stimulating they found their lessons. Their wisdom and ability to articulate, reflect and offer opinion and their insight, combined with their discernment and manners made me proud. We were also able to pinpoint a couple of follow up actions for me for the very small number of children in their group who don’t always display such qualities. ! I am on the case.
I have also found my one to one interviews with scholarship candidates really quite exciting. Their ability to talk with eloquence and political awareness about bigger issues impresses me and I have noticed a shift in the quality of pupils’ responses from the year I first interviewed children for these awards.
I enjoyed enormously listening to the students who played at the Performers’ Breakfast on Thursday. It was a most moving occasion and I think it was a mixture of pride and amazement at the quality, the confidence, the standards achieved as well as a great sense that the relationships between teachers and performers are so positive and encouraging.
To round my week off I was delighted to hear Ishwar in Y2 explaining all about Yoga and as current UK U11 Yoga champion, doing a demonstration of incredible positions, holds and balances. Pupils were delighted by watching him and he finished with a performance of acro-yoga (yoga gymnastics) with his father which was extraordinary.
We are very lucky to be able to learn from him and his father. It was lovely to welcome Ishwar’s granny too. Ishwar has his own website www.iyogasolutions.com
featuring photos and videos of him competing and we are delighted that he has been selected to represent the UK in the European Championships in Prague later this year. All that by the age of 7. We look forward to what the future holds.
Security at School
Can we remind all parents that the protocols for entering the school are there to keep children safe. Access to the school is via the front entrance for all parents during the day, except for those attending match tea. Parents are expected to sign in and out and to wear a badge to show they are a visitor. At no time are parents allowed inside the changing rooms for any reason.
Feedback for the Survey.
It’s been brilliant to have such a speedy and high response rate to our trial run ISI Inspection questionnaire. I will be writing about the results and follow up to that in the coming weeks . Obviously, when the real email comes we want you to do exactly that again and we are confident that inspectors will be impressed by the parental support evidenced in the number of respondents and the comments made.
Half term
Our edition next week will be on Thursday. We hope you enjoy a pleasant half term break. Staff are doing a mixture of offsite and on-site training next Friday and children are not expected at school. I have had a few requests for next Friday off , which as you will imagine I was pleased to agree to! We will look forward to seeing children back safe and sound after the holiday.
Jill Aisher