Dear Parents & Carers
At this time of year in secondary schools we have the pleasure of showing ourselves off to prospective parents with children in Year 6. Thank you to all the parents and children who have visited us this term so far, either on our school tours or at last month’s Open Evening.
Every day the school leadership team walk the school corridors and visit classrooms but we tend to be heading somewhere specific where we may be able to add support or solve a problem. However, when accompanying a school tour, we wander along at a more leisurely pace, pop into classrooms at random, and witness children enjoying a rich variety of learning styles.
Mixed in with the traditional desk-based learning we see students engaged in debate as they try to solve a problem or argue their point of view. The Languages Department is always quite noisy; a mix of Spanish, German and French coming from the rooms. Upstairs we have our Art Department, truly world class, with students of all ages completely immersed in their work. A short walk away is Science where students are conducting experiments with all manner of materials and, if we are lucky, dissecting animal body parts.
From there we visit Drama where the students are rehearsing their pieces, either an established play or something they have written themselves. Then on to the adjoining Music Department where we hear different styles of music being produced or see the students composing and recording their own work. Through the Design & Technology block, students are designing in the IT Suite or making their products using traditional tools that we all recognise from our own school life, or sending their work to the laser cutter or 3D printer.
We head on upstairs to ICT where we see lessons on keeping safe online, particularly on social media. Then, if I’m lucky, I hit the jackpot in Food Tech: homemade rolls with homemade burgers, fresh from the oven and ready to taste. No more than 3,000-4,000 calories each. I’m going to miss these school tours now that they are over.
With best wishes
Andy Perry – Head Teacher
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