Headteacher blog 26/3/21

Children have been completing some assessments this week, helping us to analyse where there may need to be some intervention and the extent to which children are reaching age-related expectations academically. We will have to help some children fill some gaps, but we also want to restore a rich, broad curriculum and focus on ‘quality first teaching’: the best teacher-led classroom experience that is crucial to good progress. Too much ‘bitty’ intervention can be counter-productive and can narrow the curriculum.

We have had glimpses of spring-like weather this week and I have been pleased to see children able to make more use of the grounds. We have had lots of seed and potato planting on the farm, and I enjoyed leading sessions for Year 1 for hands-on learning about the chickens. Our youngest hens had never really felt the warmth of the sun on their backs and they lay awkwardly, trying to soak up this strange feeling. The older birds quickly established a dust bath and I am sure that the juveniles will join them soon. In the infant pond, frogs are now producing lots of spawn, and the Year 1s have been enjoying a new rope swing and bog balance beam that have been set up for them to play on in the trees.

Site staff have been busy working in what we used to call the ‘cafe courtyard’ and we hope to have an exciting new play space available after the Easter holidays.