Headteachers Blog #1

In the spirit of improved communication, I will write a headteacher's blog every week this year to help you all get an insight into school life at LSA. I'd like to thank staff, students and parents for their support during my first week at school. It has been excellent. Being a headteacher is not for the faint hearted and you have to have the hide of a rhinoceros, nerves of steel and not let anything distract you from the job of school improvement.

Being a headteacher is a balancing act, you are continually weighing the needs of the individual up against the needs of the school community. When your school community consists of 1800 staff and students this is indeed a perilous balancing act. Every decision I make is informed by experience and common sense and you will have to believe me when I say that there was widespread misuse of school toilets, leading to internal truancy and regular vandalism. My job is to create safety, security and to ensure that young people arrive at their lessons on time and stay for their duration. We of course understand that there are individuals for whom concessions should be made, we will make these concessions. 

As for uniform, young people will often say that uniform doesn't affect their education, this is an understandable sentiment but doesn't really express what uniform is for. Excellent uniform ensures that the unfair divisions of income, upbringing and social class that plague British society remain hidden. There is uniformity. It is also an expression of school pride, excellent schools have excellent uniform standards, it is as simple as that. If parents need any support with uniform, contact us and we will help. Rest assured that everything that I aim to do will be for the long-term benefit of this school. I am a public servant and therefore I am always bound to do what is right, please trust me.

I am proud to be LSA and grateful to be part of this community.

Have a great weekend.