Well we have got to the end of a very busy term…I can’t believe the pace with which we have rattled through the weeks; so much learning, so much fun!
Our Open Evenings were very well attended last week and feedback from teachers and parents was that they were hugely valuable. The evenings also rendered the best Governor Parent Survey results ever in terms of positive responses. We have worked hard on the areas that were raised as a concern last year, notably that some parents, albeit a very small minority, felt that the school didn’t respond well to concerns raised about bullying. I am delighted to report that in this year’s survey only one parent out of 145 responses raised this as a concern. Hand in hand with this is the response to the statement ‘My child feels safe at this school’. 100% of parents agree with this and those strongly agreeing has risen by 5% from last year. The percentage of parents strongly agreeing with the statement “I receive valuable information from the school about my child’s progress has risen by a significant 10%, which again is very pleasing as this is an area we have tried to address over the last year. As in the past, homework is the area that is flagged up this year. The comments relating to this however show a 50/50 split between those parents who think there is too much and those who think there is too little. Mmmmm, food for thought there on how we can best address that one…but we will!
Our Key Stage One pupils have been truly inspired by their Space theme this term. You will have no doubt seen some of the amazing home learning projects that have been bought into school. I have been trying to Tweet photographs but have been struggling with technical issues lately. It will happen: I won’t be beaten!
Alongside this there has been a wealth of brilliant writing pouring out of Key Stage 2. The children really are showing superb skills as authors and are responding well to the exciting and creative stimuli their teachers are providing.
As you will be aware, we are saying farewell to two members of main school staff today; Mrs Ratheram who has worked with us for almost 19 years (the majority in the school office), and Miss Keogh who, whilst being with us for only a few years, has made a significant impact on teaching and learning. I am sure you will join me in thanking them and wishing both good luck for the future. We also say farewell to Mrs Morris, our Nursery cleaner. A huge thanks to her too and again a good luck wish for the future.
We are advertising for a School Secretary and if this is something you are interested in you will find the application form on Kent-teach.com
You may remember receiving a text message regarding some fundraising for the school that one of our parents, Mrs Parker, is engaged in. She is on a mammoth cycle and hopes to raise money for playground equipment. If you wish to donate then you can do so here https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/sarah-parker?utm_id=2