Welcome to the final Headteacher’s Update of Autumn Term 1. It has been another busy and rewarding week at Warden Hill, and as always, I am delighted to share some of the highlights with you.
I started the week with our Governing Board meeting on Monday evening. As ever, it was a productive and purposeful couple of hours, with governors providing valuable support and challenge to help drive our school forward. They have followed this up with two monitoring visits this week, one focused on behaviour and another taking place later today looking at inclusion across the school. We are currently looking to recruit a Partnership Governor to join our governing board. Partnership Governors are community-focused volunteers who bring valuable skills, experience and perspectives to support the school’s long-term success. If you know someone within our local community who may be interested in this rewarding role, please encourage them to get in touch with our Clerk to Governors at clerk@wardenhill.gloucs.sch.uk for further information.
We had the pleasure of hosting a RISE Discovery Morning on Thursday. This provided an opportunity for colleagues from schools across the region to visit Warden Hill, see our teachers in action and learn more about our journey in sustaining strong Key Stage 2 outcomes over time. Whilst I was pleased to share our approach and the work that has gone into achieving these outcomes, I was even more proud to showcase our staff and children. The feedback from visitors was overwhelmingly positive, with many commenting on the quality of teaching they observed and the engagement, confidence and enthusiasm of our pupils. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the excellent work that takes place in our classrooms every day and to share some of the practices that make Warden Hill such a special place to learn.
Continuing the theme of professional learning, 6P welcomed a number of visitors to their maths lesson today. Student teachers from GITEP, accompanied by Ed Neale from the GLOW Maths Hub, visited to see mathematics teaching in action through our Mastery approach. Once again, the feedback was incredibly positive. Our visitors were particularly impressed by the children’s confidence, their ability to articulate their thinking and the strength of their mathematical reasoning. They were genuinely blown away by the pupils’ oracy skills and the way they explained, justified and challenged mathematical ideas. It was wonderful to see our children demonstrating these skills so naturally and showcasing the impact of high-quality teaching over time. A huge thank you, as always, to Mrs Prew for facilitating these sessions, sharing her expertise and playing such an important role in supporting the next generation of teachers.
Our Eco Council led a fantastic Halloween costume sale this week, linked to our work around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It was wonderful to see such enthusiasm for reusing and recycling costumes whilst raising awareness of the importance of making sustainable choices. A huge thank you to our Eco Council members for leading this initiative so brilliantly.
Thursday was a particularly busy day for sport. All of our football teams represented the school superbly in their fixtures, and it was a pleasure to welcome both Oakwood and Rowanfield to Warden Hill. Rowanfield also holds a special place in my heart as one of the schools where I previously taught, so it was lovely to welcome them back.
Meanwhile, our girls’ football team travelled to The Burrows to compete in a tournament, finishing an impressive second place out of eight schools, missing out on the top spot by just a single goal difference. Congratulations to all of our players for their determination, teamwork and sportsmanship. Thank you for representing our school so brilliantly.
On Thursday afternoon, I had the privilege of accompanying 5L on a visit to the library, where they met Jo, the librarian. She was absolutely blown away by the quality of their questions. My favourite was: “If you could only read one book again, what would it be?” As you would expect, the children behaved impeccably and it was wonderful to see them relaxing amongst the shelves and becoming absorbed in books. Visits like these remind us of the power of reading and the opportunities it creates.
We rounded off Thursday with our PTA Halloween Disco, which was, quite simply, spooktacular! Thank you to the PTA and all the volunteers who worked so hard behind the scenes to make such a memorable event for our children.
Today marks our very first Enrichment Afternoon of the year. I am looking forward to visiting classrooms and seeing the exciting experiences our children are enjoying beyond the traditional curriculum. Enrichment plays such an important role in broadening horizons, developing new interests and creating memorable learning opportunities. I look forward to sharing some of the highlights with you after half term.
Finally, this week marks the end of an incredible chapter for Elaine Whipman. After approximately 18 years of connection with Warden Hill, first as a parent and then as a valued member of staff, Elaine has decided that the time is right to step away and spend more time with her family.
It has been a real privilege to work alongside Elaine over the years. She has been an exceptionally dedicated, caring and committed member of our school community, always putting the children at the heart of everything she does. Her kindness, warmth and unwavering support for both pupils and colleagues will be greatly missed.
On behalf of everyone at Warden Hill, I would like to thank Elaine for her years of service and the difference she has made to so many children and families. We wish her every happiness and success in the weeks, months and years ahead.
From all of us at Warden Hill, thank you, Elaine!
That just leaves me to wish you all a wonderful half-term break. I hope you enjoy some special family time together and have the opportunity to relax and recharge. I’m heading up to St Andrews for a few days and will be sure to share a few updates from Murphy, who will no doubt be delighted to be back in one of his favourite places in the world, the beach. Although, I suspect Warden Hill Primary School might still hold the top spot! I’ll add some updates on his Instagram: @murphytheschooldog
Thank you, as always, for your continued support throughout another successful half term. Have a fantastic break, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for Autumn Term 2.
Warmest Regards
Georgina Flooks
Headteacher