Headteacher's Blog #26

I have used this blog throughout the year to keep parents and carers informed about what we are doing at the school and crucially explain why we are doing it. We are using this final term of the year to define our school rules for the next academic year, this is crucial because all good schools, like all functional families need clearly defined rules for them to be successful. We are very lucky as a school to have so many well-mannered, pleasant and enthusiastic young people but in order for this school to reach its full potential we need to outline clearly how we can work together to ensure that all of us feel safe, secure and happy. LSA is the size of a village and young people come to us from a range of excellent primary schools, each one with their own carefully calibrated set of rules, routines and rituals. We have been a bit guilty of not continuing these systems as they transition into secondary school. These systems and rules are particularly important for our most vulnerable learners and for those young people who struggle to regulate their feelings and emotions. The safer and more stable the school, the more these young people thrive.

 We recently conducted a behaviour and safety questionnaire of our students, in the main the findings demonstrated that our young people felt safe and secure, especially in lessons and in shared areas like the dining hall. There were two findings however that were of concern. The first was that our young people sometimes felt unsafe in corridors and stairwells and the second was that many of our students felt that other young people didn't always treat them with respect. Feedback is a gift and we are now going to do some intensive work on defining how our students should move around the school and how they should treat each other. We will define some very clear rules and systems and share them with you so that you can reinforce them with your children at home. I am fully committed to making this an exceptional school and this starts with rules, routines and common decency, these are the cornerstones of a civilised school and civil society. Thank you in advance for your support, I am, as always, proud to be LSA.