Message from the Head of Primary

There have been parent information sessions, parent workshops, stay and play in Early Years, a visit from our partners in Juilliard, reflections on the birth of The Prophet Muhammad PBUH and a swimming gala for students in Primary and that’s before we get to look at what the students have been learning this week. 

It is a privilege to see the community in action again. The swimming gala was a really good example of different families and schools united in support of one common thing – their child. Seeing the children enjoying competing together was a real joy. I was particularly impressed with students who didn’t give up – who despite their goggles falling off on their entry dive, kept to the task in hand and did not worry about what they could or couldn’t see. Seeing others being determined to close down a gap in their relay team even though it may have seemed impossible to cover more than half a length’s difference. Others staying calm and focused on the heat of the competition in order to smoothly and quickly traverse the pool. There was a strong team spirit in the pool. A feeling of fun, excitement, willingness to commit and of celebration and appreciation of the efforts of all the students. It reminded me of the importance of getting involved, staying in the moment, and giving all you have got. This wasn’t just the competitors but included the spectators, facilitators, and organisers. Everyone there made a difference because they committed to the moment. So, thank you to all who attended, helped encourage, or enabled your child to be there and to practice leading up to the event. It was great to see us come through to be joint winners by the end of the event. Congratulations one and all!

I also have had the pleasure of getting around to some classes this week and talking to students about their learning. Students have really impressed me with their enjoyment and engagement as well as the way in which they are being guided and challenged to improve. They could show me what they were learning, what they needed to focus on and how to practice to achieve it. Most were very knowledgeable and have clearly been using learning inside and outside of the classroom to add value.

The homework in Year 5 caught my eye this week – seeing students coming in carrying a wonderful array of orreries demonstrating their knowledge of how the solar system works. On visiting them in class it was clear they were loving learning, knowing that they could be creative with their models because they understood the relative positions, sizes, and movements of the bodies in our solar system. Students in Islamic studies have been reflecting on the birth of The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They have expressed their feelings of deep appreciation in various ways, such as through drawings and projects which have been displayed centrally in the school. But two of my favourite parts of this week include observing some Year 6 students partner up with Year 2 and share a love of reading and watching children in Early Years share their learning of pattern through art and song. The love of learning and of working together in these two examples was fantastic. A real pleasure to see. 

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