It is amazing to think we have only been back at school for a week and that, this time seven days ago, it was nearly 30 degrees! Returning to school to a Pre-Prep full of dinosaurs was a wonderful way to start the final half term of the academic year. Standing in front of the school at Monday’s Huddle and being greeted by ‘roars’ just seemed to set the week up in exactly the right way!
This half term’s Core Value is honesty, and I spoke to the children about how honesty leads to trust, and trust leads to meaningful relationships. There are many different types of honesty, and I wanted to move the children away from thinking that the only time you can be honest is when you are ‘admitting’ to something. We discussed the value of honesty within friendships and the importance of being honest with ourselves too.
I also introduced the children to the ‘honesty elephant’, which you may have seen sitting in the Front Office this week. The purpose of the elephant is to encourage brave and honest conversations. It supports children in talking to an adult when they have made a mistake, helping them to understand that, even when they think they may ‘get into trouble’, talking things through is always the best way to resolve a problem, rather than worrying about it.
The idea is that whatever has happened, they can collect the honesty elephant, take it to any adult, and know that they will be met with a calm conversation in which they will be listened to. It does not mean there won’t be consequences (that’s life!), but it does mean they will hopefully feel safe to admit mistakes, reflect on them, and, most importantly, learn from them, a culture I am really keen to develop further across the school.
Alongside the honesty elephant, I am also running another art competition for my office, so if your child would like to produce a piece of artwork linked to ‘honesty’, please do encourage this over the weekend and ask them to bring it to me at drop-off next week. It will accompany a poem written by one of our Year 7 pupils.
This week we also hosted our first-ever Nursery Open Morning, which was well attended by several very positive families. Thank you to those current parents who came in for a coffee and chatted to our prospective parents. As we all know, joining Pennthorpe is about far more than simply choosing an education for your child, and the opportunity to hear directly from families who truly value what we are all about made a real difference. The feedback from visitors was incredibly positive, so if you would be happy to support in this way at future Open Mornings, simply by sharing your experiences of Pennthorpe and what made you choose us, please do let me know.
This week you will receive information about class teachers, form teachers, subject leads, and teaching assistants for next year. I am incredibly excited about our staff team and model for September. It is a wonderful combination of bringing in new staff with fresh ideas, strengthening specialist teaching provision, and placing staff where they will have the greatest impact on your child’s educational journey.
Next week we will share class lists, so families with children entering year groups with two classes will need to wait a little longer to find out their child’s form teacher. I hope, however, that the information shared today will excite both you and your children for the year ahead.
Within the staff lists and responsibilities, you will notice a few changes and additional appointments. Following successful applications and interviews, Matt Barnett will take on the role of Head of PSHEE, Chris Franklin will become Head of PE, and Lauren Martin will be our new Head of Science.
As an experienced Form Teacher and outstanding teacher of PSHEE, I am delighted that Mr Barnett will be leading this subject across the school next year. Mr Franklin takes on a new role at Pennthorpe; his Sports Science degree makes him the ideal candidate to build on our strong foundations and further develop PE. Lauren Martin has previously led the Science department at Pennthorpe, and I am absolutely delighted that she will be stepping back into this crucial leadership role. Her care, passion, and subject knowledge are outstanding and, as a truly wonderful teacher, I know she will inspire enthusiasm for Science across the school.
Alice Partridge will sadly be leaving us at the end of the academic year. Alice has been with us for three years and has been an integral part of the Sport, PE, and Games departments. She has been a key figure in the growth of girls’ football at Pennthorpe and a wonderfully passionate, energetic Form Teacher. Alice leaves us to pursue her career in sport and football coaching and will soon complete her UEFA B Licence. We wish her every success in the future.
I am also sad to announce that Georgina Beaven will be leaving Pennthorpe at the end of the academic year. Over the past seven years, Georgina’s commitment and support for the school have been nothing short of incredible. Teaching across multiple year groups and subjects, she has always put the needs of the children and Pennthorpe first, and her ability to raise academic attainment in a class of children is remarkable.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Georgina for everything she has given Pennthorpe over the last seven years and wish her the very best for the future.
As you will see from my staffing letter, Charlotte Gallina Breese will be a Year 4 class teacher at the beginning of the Autumn term. As you know, Miss GB will be going on maternity leave from October half term. We have begun recruitment for Charlotte’s maternity cover and hope to have this person in place by September, allowing for an effective crossover and handover period during the Autumn term.
I am pleased to announce that, in September, we will welcome Ross Harrison as our new Head of English, Head of Computing, and a Year 6 Form Teacher. Ross joins us with over 20 years’ experience in education and, on his CV, shared that he ‘lives and teaches by the motto “Noli Cedere” – Don’t give up’ – very Pennthorpe.
Ross is someone I have been in contact with for the past two years about the possibility of joining Pennthorpe; sometimes you meet people and just know you want to work with them. Ross was one of those people. He is a passionate, caring, engaging, and innovative teacher and will bring a wealth of experience and expertise to both the English and Computing departments. Ross will be in school for handover meetings over the next few weeks, including Moving Up Day, so many of you will have the opportunity to meet him before the new academic year.
As you can see, there are exciting times ahead, and I am very much looking forward to September and all that we are building here. Before that, however, we still have five weeks of the Summer Term to enjoy! Next week, I hope many of you will be able to join us for our ‘Come and See What We Do’ event on Wednesday. It is always a wonderful afternoon and a great opportunity to see what your children experience at Pennthorpe every single day.
Finally, a reminder that a staff team will be taking part in Run Wisborough on Sunday, meeting at 8:30am on the village green. As one of the event sponsors, you should be able to find us by looking for the school gazebo and flags, so if you are coming down, please do come and say ‘hello’ and grab a photo before or after the race. A reminder also that we will be running for Josh, and you can find the link to his fundraiser here.
