Headteacher's Blog #36

This will be my final blog of the year, so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support. Being a headteacher requires nerves of steel and enough experience to know what is right. In September I outlined a set of expectations that I have not backpedalled from and despite much Facebook abuse and making the local press, I knew that swift action had to be taken if we were going to be able to build the foundations for future improvement. If schools are not fully safeguarded, then young people are not truly safe. There have been a number of tough decisions to make this year, many of which were long overdue. After the initial big bang of September, I have been humbled by your support and I'm very grateful. 

I have an unshakeable belief in comprehensive education, but it is often seen as less than that offered by faith or fee-paying schools. LSA is not powered by scripture or bank accounts, but it stands for something powerful, the belief that every young person, from every sort of background can receive a high-quality education. No young person should feel less than because of their background. Everything I have done this year and will continue to do, will be driven by this belief. 

Next year we will be working on making our school more inclusive, this won't be done by decreasing expectations, in fact the opposite will be true. We need to become more efficient, communicate more clearly and ensure that our systems empower parents and children, rather than obfuscating and frustrating them. Now that the routines for children are beginning to fully embed, we will move to routines and systems for communication and information, trying to help you help you children and help us to educate them. I have dealt with a number of historical complaints this year and at the bottom of almost all of them has been communication and information. This will take time but, when done properly will release the great potential of this school and this community.

I wish you all a restful summer, send them back to us in September with the correct uniform, equipment and attitude and they will benefit from another year of focused improvement. I limp exhausted into my summer holidays, proud to be LSA!