Dear Parents and Carers
As we close the spring term today, it’s worth remembering that this term started with the Secretary of State for Education calling to arms retired teachers in an attempt to keep schools open as the Omicron variant swept through the country. As far as I remember the call didn’t inspire very many to respond – can’t imagine why retired people in their 60s and 70s were reluctant to help prop up our Covid riddled education system. Given that there are several hundred fully qualified teachers working for the DfE and Ofsted, a cheaper and more reliable solution could have been contemplated at the time? As it was Myton, like others has been hit with very high absence rates all term and I would like to thank all my colleagues here for all the cover and support they offered to make sure we never had to contemplate any partial closures, cancelled classes in Years 7-11 or collapsing year groups into halls. Your children have been very patient with this disruption also and I look forward to the next, largely restriction free, term.
As for next term, we head into the first exam season since 2019. We are running Sprint Finish over Easter and I look forward to seeing your Year 11 or 13 child there. As well as structuring an appropriate revision timetable over the coming two months, it is vital all our exam students get rest, get the right amount of sleep and look after themselves as they head into the exams. Brains need calories and water, so good breakfasts and full water bottles are a very simple way for kids to support themselves, as is listening to their teachers as they get their personalised revision lists.
Beyond exams, we have other projects beginning next term. We will find out whether our plans for a new teaching block on the front of the site are realised, to provide much needed and much improved facilities for our kids. We will also embark on other capital projects which over time will improve the site and the provision for all our students and our community. However, the big news is we will begin the full refurbishment of the lower school toilets – the most in demand project based on our students’ feedback. The kids are right, they and in fact all of us very much look forward to walking down the maths corridor without the smell aiming a very precise punch to the gag reflex each time. This will start late in the first half term and be finished by September. It’s a big (and very expensive) job and if you wish to donate towards it, we are raising funds through Friends of Myton School (FOMS) via the FOMS SumUp page. Opportunities to sponsor a toilet seat are rare so don’t delay!
In the meantime, best wishes for Easter, thank you for your continued support and I look forward to seeing all the students again (well rested and with a hearty breakfast in them) in the summer term.
Best wishes
Andy Perry – Head Teacher
