Dear parents and carers,
Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools
As you will all be aware, we had a visitor in our school this week. This is inspection looks at the question, “How effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling pupils and adults to flourish?” Such inspections occur every five years. Our previous one was in 2015 hence we were long overdue, so this was not a significant surprise. Any inspection can be stressful on the school community but overall, this was a fantastic day. Sadly I am not allowed to share the grade we received, even to the staff or local authority, but I will say that I am very happy! There were many wonderful statements shared but the one that was most important to me was,
"The school lives out its Christian vision. It is fully embedded across the school and drives everything that happens, especially the curriculum. As a result of the vision and curriculum, pupils’ aspirations have been raised. They shared that their hopes and opportunities for the future have increased as a result of their lessons and experiences offered. Pupils’ beliefs of what they can achieve in the future have been raised."
That is exactly what I wanted to hear. A huge thank you to everybody involved, especially those parents and children who met with the inspector.
Two-day trip to France
Those of you who access our phone app and who are on our Facebook group will have seen many of the photos taken during this wonderful experience. Even as I type this, I can hear a pupil telling our SIAMS inspector what a fabulous experience this was and how she will remember it for the rest her life. From travelling by ferry, making our own bread, speaking French to strangers, learning about chocolate in French and playing on the beach at night - this really was a tremendous excursion. Rather than write more I will let the pictures below tell the story. My thanks to not only the brilliant adults whose enthusiasm and commitment made this trip possible but also to those who covered back at school (especially for me with an inspection looming) and the admin team for ensuring all the necessary arrangements were in place so that the trip ran smoothly.
Matilda the Musical!
Our fantastic experiences are certainly not limited to travelling abroad. I am delighted that last Wednesday all of Year Five visited London's famous West End to see the production of Matilda the Musical. Not only did this wonderful production engage all children but also covered important issues around safeguarding - not tolerating abuse, along with taking a stand against injustice. Furthermore, linked to our curriculum intent the pupils were exposed to a range of careers within the theatre industry from actors to costume designers; makeup artists to lighting engineers. With film studios coming into operation near Dagenham East station, who knows maybe we will have future starts in our midst along with those who work so diligently to make such productions happen. I now look forward to seeing the wonderful follow-up work that is produced in class.
I pray you all have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the bank holiday
Mr. David Huntingford
Headteacher