This week started with a World Cup Sweepstake Class Draw. As the Sports Hall was out of action, the draw took place outside in the sunshine!
As a big football fan, the World Cup is obviously something I greatly enjoy. In all honesty, this is the first year I haven’t had a Panini sticker book since I was about eight years old, and this was not a decision based on ‘maturity’. It was simply the fact that, with 48 teams in the World Cup this year and so many stickers to collect, the financial commitment (and, obviously, if I started, I would have to complete it!) seemed to outweigh the enjoyment – just…
The draw was a great success. Hearing Honey Pot cheer as ‘Haiti’ were drawn out of the hat as their first team showed just how genuinely exciting the World Cup is! Each class has three or four teams and, if one of their teams wins a match, I pay them a visit to discuss the game and the country in general. Please do get involved by asking your children about their teams and following along at home. It is a great chance to discuss different nations and enjoy a worldwide event.
Today has been a busy day, which started with our Fathers’ Day Breakfast in the Sports Hall, kicking off at 7.15am. Thank you so much to everyone who attended and didn’t object to me walking round with a camera first thing in the morning! It was a wonderful start to the day. I would also like to take this opportunity to sing the praises of our catering team. I could do this every single week, as the food they produce on a daily basis is phenomenal, but this morning was exceptional, even by their very high standards. We are all very lucky!
During today’s Prep Huddle, we also had a special event: the launch of a new Pennthorpe newspaper. This is an initiative created entirely by two Year 5 girls who came to me a few months ago with an idea. Since then, that idea has grown considerably. They put together a written proposal, developed plans for how the newspaper would operate, spoke with the Marketing Department and today presented their vision to the rest of the school. I am incredibly proud of them. Many of you will know that ‘passion’ is one of my favourite things in life, and seeing two girls come up with an idea and then follow it through in this way has been amazing. The plan is for the pupil-led newspaper to launch in September 2026, so if your children would like to be involved, please do encourage them to speak to Milla and Ella.
At Pennthorpe, we are always looking to move forward, and this week I had a proposal put forward for a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) Centre.
With Mrs Martin taking over as Head of Science in September, we have a real opportunity. As Lauren is both a Maths and Science teacher and works so well with Mr Lindfield, the two of them have developed an exciting vision for transforming the top floor of the McConnell Building into a STEM Centre. As with anything, it will start small: new signage, displays and artwork; an audit of and investment in resources; greater use across all year groups; guest speakers; and sponsorship opportunities. However, it will be another clear sign of Pennthorpe’s commitment to innovation, future-ready education and preparing our children for the world ahead.
On the subject of Science, thank you to Hurst for hosting our Year 5 and 6 pupils this week for two Science Experience Sessions. I am sure you have seen the photos on social media. It was wonderful for our pupils to experience Science lessons in the Hurst laboratories with their senior subject specialists, and the children came back buzzing. We look forward to further opportunities to work with Hurst in this way over the coming years.
This week has also been Assessment Week for children in Years 1–8 and it has, if an assessment week ever can be, been a really positive week. Tracking pupil progress on a termly, rather than annual, basis is new this year and allows us to introduce more timely interventions, stretch and challenge opportunities, and more accurately inform our teaching.
I hope your children have not found the process too stressful and have enjoyed the challenge of showing what they can do. The data from these assessments will be analysed over the summer and shared with teachers to inform their planning and preparations for the Autumn Term. Pupil data cards will then be shared with you at the end of the first half term, alongside your child’s first Progress Report of the new academic year.
This week, I spent Tuesday morning at Hurst with Dominic Mott (Head of Hurst) and Richard Sharkey (Pennthorpe Chair of Governors) to discuss the Pennthorpe Strategic Vision. A great deal of work has already been undertaken on this within the Leadership Team, but looking at it at an executive level for the first time was incredibly exciting. Next week, the vision will be presented to the full Pennthorpe Governing Board before being shared with staff. I came away from Tuesday feeling incredibly positive and excited about the next three to five years. September truly does mark the start of a new era for Pennthorpe and, whilst I will of course share the full strategy with you in due course, I can tell you now that this strategy has been upon three core ideas: growth, vision and excellence. I am both proud of, and excited by, the adventure that lies ahead of us.
Tomorrow, we look forward to hosting the first-ever Summer Sixes at Pennthorpe: two six-a-side football tournaments for Under 8 and Under 10 teams from the local area. This is another event that helps us establish the Pennthorpe name within our local community and I am really looking forward to it. We will have lots of Pennthorpe pupils and families attending, representing a range of local clubs. So, if you are in the area and fancy some live sport to supplement the World Cup, please do pop down from 9am and cheer on the boys and girls.
Finally, on Monday, I hope that many of you will be able to join me for our Teams Introduction to Emma Gould, our new Deputy Head Pastoral from September. The call will be an opportunity to hear a little about Emma’s career and experience to date, why she is so excited to be joining the Pennthorpe team, and her vision for pastoral care at Pennthorpe moving forward. Thank you to everyone who has already submitted questions for Emma. A reminder of the meeting details, along with the Teams link, can be found in your year-group communications.
Have a great weekend, I hope to see as many of you as possible at tomorrow’s tournament and Happy Father’s Day to the Pennthorpe dads for Sunday.
