HEADTEACHER'S NEWS Apologies for not sending you
a newsletter for some time, but as ever we have been very busy and some
things get put off and off and off.... I hope this newsletter makes up
for it. The quality of the candidates
for the post of deputy head was high and we were impressed that so many
good teachers wanted to come and join us.
This rather unusual year continues to progress well. There will be
much change at John Hellins in the coming months, not least the
departure of
Mr Tebbutt in July and my retirement in December. However,
the school is ideally placed
to continue growing in stature and I am
confident that the new team of staff will keep up the good work,
maintain high standards and ensure that
the school is as happier a
place as ever.
We were pleased to welcome Mrs Annika
Davies to our staff after the
Easter break. She has settled well into Class 1 and we think she
has
already become a great asset to the school. She is bursting with ideas
and has already established a lovely relationship with the children
(and some of you I hope). Annika’s particular strength, apart from
teaching in the early years,
is in developing ICT across the whole
school.
As you will recall from my last newsletter, we have been able to offer
Miss Hannah Church in Class 2 a permanent contract. Hannah has also
proved to be a very good appointment and both
and she and Annika are
forming an excellent working partnership in that area of the school.
One of Hannah’s real strengths is her enthusiasm and skill in PE and
games.
I am pleased to announce that we successfully appointed a new Deputy
Head Teacher last week. Mrs Jodie Matthews will succeed David Tebbutt
in September. That will be an extremely hard act to follow, but Jodie
comes to us with much experience and a burning desire to make the
school an even better place. She was an assistant head teacher at a
large school in Northampton,
but chose to move to our school because
she saw
so much that was to her liking - you can’t ask for more than
that! Jodie’s curriculum strengths are many but her great passion is
for literacy and before a short spell of maternity leave she was a lead
literacy teacher for the local authority.
She will be teaching Class 4.
Supporting this new (or relatively new) group of staff will of course
be our established teachers, learning assistants, lunchtime supervisors
and our excellent school bursar. They are
highly valued and provide the continuity that enables us to maintain all the things that are good about the school. Mrs Katie Stanton and
Mrs Sarah Messer will share the teaching in Class 3 and for the rest of
next term. I will take on a floating role, providing cover for staff
and ensuring the transition period that occurs with change is managed
successfully. All our existing support staff will be retained in the
areas that they worked in this year, giving your children the extra
attention and high level of care that is their right. I cannot praise
these good people enough.
At this point in my introduction I can hear many of you saying “but
what about a new head teacher?” Sadly I have to say that the governors
have still not been able to find a suitable candidate to succeed me in
January. They have had some interesting and promising candidates but at
the time of writing this letter to you, they have decided to defer the
selection process until we return in September. Quite rightly, they
want to be absolutely sure that they get the right person for the job.
It matters to many people, not least your children. Please be assured
that we will keep you fully informed of any developments as they occur.
On a final note about staff appointments, I must commend to you our
very excellent school council. At the recent interviews for both head
teacher (unsuccessful) and deputy head teacher (successful), a panel of
12 children, representing all ages, took an active part in the
selection process. They listened to the candidates tell stories, they
observed their teaching and they grilled them with questions that were
often very searching. This fine band of young people were invaluable in
helping us select (or not select) the best candidates. Their degree of
maturity and insight was above and beyond anything we could have
expected. Give young people good guidance and the chance to shine and
they repay you many times over. We are immensely proud of them and
grateful to all the staff that have helped develop their skills.