Headteacher's Reflection on our year 2023-2024

Another year has passed and over the last week I have taken the time to sit, look back and reflect on all that has been experienced and achieved. This time of reflection highlights to me how incredibly proud and privileged I am to be the headteacher at these schools. To work with the amazing children, incredible staff, supportive families and active communities is a joy.

I believe that our schools vision ‘Together, let us Love, Encourage, Achieve and Flourish’ can be seen in all aspects of school life from the curriculum provided, enrichment opportunities offered and caring family and community engagement. The meaning behind these words has especially shone through in the last week during our house enrichment days where we have been together and seen the children from across the schools work together, actively encouraging each other, showing kindness and consideration for each other and achieving the challenges set – be this an artistic masterpiece, a sporting accomplishment or managing to find their way to Ramscombe using their leadership and map skills. Together we have shown that we really can flourish!

As I wrote about in our newsletter last week - we fundamentally believe in providing an educational journey where children can experience a broad and well rounded curriculum with opportunities to explore the world around them, with rich experiences through the arts, music, humanities and sciences. When reflecting on the year that has passed I started making a list of all of the opportunities and experiences we have embedded within our curriculum – exploring the world around us through LOTC days, forest school, trips to Cheddar Gorge, Minehead beach, finding the source and mouth of the River Tone, residential trips to Paignton and Kilve, planting a forest, visits to local farms, Stogumber station,  evacuating children on West Somerset railway…..visits from real life explorers who have travel by sea or to space, visit from a range of different animals and finding out about the past from museum workshops…experiencing art and music including tie-dying our own house t-shirts, visiting the Brewhouse to watch ‘A Christmas Carol’, visits to East Quay, Somerset Museum, world book day dance workshops and performing arts day at Queens college. Performing and show-casing our talents in the Stogumber nativity, Crowcombe court concert, performing arts café and ‘The amazing adventures of SuperStan’. And not to forget our sporting achievements where we have represented the schools in cross country, netball, gymnastics and sportshall athletics.

Throughout all of these opportunities the children have shown our school Christian values of Generosity, Optimism, Determination, Curiosity and Courage.

Our children have shown generosity particularly through the work of our school council and collective worship ambassadors in raising funds and awareness for charities and events including World Mental Health Day, Children’s Mental Health week,  Children in Need, Red Nose Day, and raising aware of anti-bullying through odd socks day and celebrating Anti-Bullying week.

Our children have shown optimism and curiosity when provided with opportunities to explore the beautiful world around them through LOTC days where we have focussed on developing our map skills, and also considering our own spirituality through mindfulness and taking time to look inwards, look outwards and look up at the awe and wonder of our world.

Our children have shown determination and courage when faced with a challenge and developing resilience and a willingness to try again and to understand that making mistakes is a key part of the learning process.

But all of this does not just happen.

Thanks must be given to the tremendous efforts of the PTA to raise funds to support the school. Highlights of the year have to be the Spring fete and of course Sheep racing – not forgetting the arrival of the new minibus!!! In particular I would like to thank Paul Kenny as the chair of the PTA. Not only does Paul co-ordinate and lead the PTA but he is always on hand to help out with other things happening in school and we are very grateful for all that he does.

Thanks must also go to the parent helpers and community volunteers that support us with trips, reading and class based activities – without their support many of the experiences we are able to offer would not be possible.

Thanks must also go to our governors who dedicate their own time voluntarily to support and challenge us to provide the very best educational provision for your children and our communities.

I of course I must also thank the amazing staff team I have around me. Their dedication to go above and beyond to provide the best for your children and our schools is truly commendable.

So now we have reached the end of the academic year.  An amazing year. And although the staff are all looking forward to a well earned break, they also look forward to the return in September! We do need to take a small pause to wish Miss Martin all the best as she begins a new chapter in her life when her baby arrives – remember we are only a short drive away so please do visit regularly and we look forward to your return later next year!

But for now I hope this moment of reflection that I have shared with you all brings a smile to your face as we continue in this end of year celebration.

Headteacher’s Reflection on our year 2023-2023

I am not quite sure where the year has gone! It seems like only a few weeks ago I was introducing myself as the new headteacher. But what a year it has been. Only this week, taking time to sit back and reflect, have I realised quite how much has happened and the wonderful learning experiences we have all been involved in.

When I started in the role as headteacher last September I quickly realised that I hadn’t just joined any old school...I had joined a community, a family and I was warmly welcomed and very quickly realised how lucky I was to be able to lead these amazing schools.

The year didn’t start quite as any of us would have imagined with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II early in September. However, celebrating her life and the dedication and love she had shown throughout her service highlighted the Christian values at the heart of our schools.

As the year got into full swing our school Christian values of Generosity, Optimism, Determination, Curiosity and Courage became embedded in all we do.

Our children have shown generosity particularly through the work of our school council in raising funds and awareness for charities including ‘The Quantock Food Bank’ and ‘Shelter’. As well as Children in Need, Red Nose Day, Mary’s Meals and raising aware of anti-bullying through odd socks day and our pupil led anti-bullying policy and lessons.

Our children have shown optimism and curiosity when provided with opportunities to explore the beautiful world around them through forest school and learning outside the classroom. With many visits to the Quantocks to carry out fieldwork studies and learn about our local environment, as well as Stogumber’s recent visits to Matthew’s copse where they have discover and named ‘The Forest of doom’; ‘The gully of lost bottles’; and ‘The meadow of dreams’. Their curiosity has been ignited further by the many external visit opportunities they have been provided with including visits to sports festivals, East Quay, Dunster Castle, The Roman Baths, Louise’s woods and the London residential.

Our children have shown determination and courage when performing in music and sports events such as the nativity; Crowcombe’s Christmas concert; the performing arts cafe; Wellington School’s Come and Sing, choir and orchestra performances and most recently Robin Hood and the Sherwood Hoodies. They have represented our schools in cross country, football, netball, cricket, sportshall athletics and mounting biking.

But this is not all.... Working alongside governors, staff, collective worship ambassadors and representatives from the local communities this year, we have develop and embedded our new school vision ‘Together, let us Love, Encourage, Achieve and Flourish.’

Although not always easy, we have shared many moments of ‘togetherness’ throughout the year. This has been seen through whole school learning days including Combe Sydenham in October; visiting the Brewhouse theatre to see ‘The Little Princes’ at Christmas; Quantock day in March and house based learning days celebrating Easter, Sports day and most recently our summer fun day.

Although not always actually together, our shared experiences extend to shared opportunities. These include events such as the west end dance school visit for World Book day and our work developing our school trees to represent our school vision with artist James Lake.

This ‘togetherness’ has strengthen our links with the local communities and churches through celebrations of key Christian events such as Harvest, Christmas and Easter; as well as Remembrance day, my commissioning service and the celebration of 150 years of Crowcombe School. We have also now begun our half termly family services, where once again we join together in reflection and have celebrated the coronation of King Woody and considered how God gives us all seconds chances through an intense ‘Wimbledom’ tennis match! We have enjoyed joining together for Celebrate and Praise collective worships, enabled due to the wonderful technology of google-meet!

Our children have shown love and encouragement in all that they do. A few examples are through the work of our young leaders, running activities and games for others; and our collective worship ambassadors planning and leading times of reflection and prayer.

Our children have shown what they can achieve through dedication and hard work. Making links and connections within learning opportunities and show casing their talents, skills and knowledge. I must pause now to quickly congratulate the children in Kingfisher’s who we have recently heard have each individually been awarded with the Explore Arts Award.

But all of this does not just happen. Thanks must be given to the tremendous efforts of the PTA to raise funds to support the school. In particular I would like to thank Paul Kenny as the chair of the PTA. Not only does Paul co-ordinate and lead the PTA but he is always on hand to help out. In the last week alone I have called on him to help with sound systems and microphones for Sports day and the Kingfisher play. Just a quick phone call for help and he is always there – thank you Paul.

I must also thank the amazing staff team I have around me. Their dedication to go above and beyond to provide the best for your children and our schools is commendable. So now we have reached the end of the academic year. An amazing year. And although the staff are all looking forward to a well earned break, they also look forward to the return in September!

There are many exciting time ahead...not least the excitement as Mr Flynn and his wife welcome their first baby later in the Autumn Term and Mrs Carter and her husband welcome their second child early in the spring term.

But for now I hope this moment of reflection that I have shared with you all brings a smile to your face as we continue in this end of year celebration by singing together ‘He’s got the whole world in his hands’