What a start to the Summer Term. The weather has certainly been kind, and it has been a real joy to welcome the children back to Pennthorpe with such energy and enthusiasm. Over the past few days, it has been wonderful to hear about their Easter holidays, see them settle so quickly back into school life, and listen to what they are looking forward to this term.
Staff returned to school on Monday for two days of INSET training ahead of the new term. Across these days, we focused on effective learning environments, data analysis, pastoral provision, curriculum mapping, assessment, lesson planning, and pupil radar discussions. We also found time for a staff BBQ!
At the start of the first day, I spoke to the team about ‘Pennthorpe’s USP’ – what makes us distinctive what makes us different, and what makes us special. We agreed on four defining characteristics:
- Pennthorpe is a place where everybody truly is somebody. Children are seen, known and valued as individuals on their own journey.
- Our community matters. To join Pennthorpe is to become part of something bigger, something genuinely special.
- We protect childhood. Children are allowed the time and space to grow at their own pace, free from the pressures of early adolescence and the presence of mobile phones.
- A truly holistic education – we educate the whole child and care about every element of their education and wellbeing.
These are not abstract ideas; they define who we are. They shape our culture, guide our decisions, and will continue to inform our strategic direction as we look ahead. Over the coming weeks, this will be evident in our focus on pupil recruitment, strengthening our presence in the Rudgwick community, recruiting staff based on both academic excellence and cultural fit, and continuing to raise teaching standards through evidence-informed practice. The school continues to move forwards, and it was a pleasure to start the term by clarifying this direction with staff.
It was also wonderful to welcome Charlotte Knight to Pennthorpe for her first Forest School sessions this week with our Pre‑Prep children. She was an instant hit. After spending time with Reception in the woods, it is easy to see why; her energy, knowledge and compassion were exceptional – she is very Pennthorpe!
Gillian Knight also joined us this week, spending time with Mrs Partridge, learning about our library system. Gillian, a highly experienced primary school teacher, will be coming into school every Friday to support in the library. The library is the physical heart of Pennthorpe, and I am keen to bring it back to the heart of our school figuratively too. I know the children will really benefit from the library being open more frequently and from having someone there to support them when choosing books and exploring literature. Thank you, Gillian, and welcome to Pennthorpe.
We were also pleased to welcome Dominic Mott on Thursday, who spent time in lessons, at play, and watching sport. He commented to me, just how positive the feel was at Pennthorpe; the parents, the staff and the children, and I couldn’t agree more. It was lovely to hear children saying ‘Goodbye, Mr Mott’ as Dominic left too; the growing connection between Hurst and Pennthorpe is great to see.
I opened the week by talking to the children about ‘tolerance’ – one of our most complex Core Values and our focus for this half term. I explained that tolerance means accepting and respecting people who may be different from us, being curious rather than judgemental, and including everyone. However, I also wanted to be clear that it is never about staying silent when something feels unkind, unfair or unsafe. At the end of the Huddle, I set the children a task, which you can read about in your year group communications below. I am genuinely excited to see what they produce, I suspect I would struggle to know where to begin myself.
In terms of staff recruitment, we have shortlisted eight candidates for our Assistant Head (Pastoral) role and have been conducting remote interviews today and these will continue on Monday. Further shortlisting will then take place, with final interviews later in the week. I will, as always, update you as soon as possible with any news.
Finally, thank you to everyone who joined us for a coffee at drop‑off on Wednesday morning. This was our most successful Drop‑Off Coffee Morning to date (I think the sunshine helped!) and we will look to make these a more regular feature of the Summer Term Calendar. Please do come along when you can.
Thank you all for such a positive start to the final term of the year. Have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to seeing you all on Monday.
