A very Proud Headteacher

This week was a peak for our fabulous Year Six learners – National SATS week. Together they sat statutory tests in Reading, Arithmetic, Grammar, Spelling and Maths Reasoning over four days. All year we have been saying to them, you need to do your very best, and you need to do that for yourselves. As we say at Farsley Westroyd – you have to earn that sense of achievement and knowing you have given it your all, is just the best feeling. Watching how professional they were in the tests, how diligent they were in reading each question and how meticulous they were in checking their answers, was mature beyond their years! As I was invigilating the room, with a child simultaneously sitting his GCSE Maths paper on Thursday morning, I was hoping he was adopting the same professional approach! There were certainly a lot of smiles at the end, smiles of pride, with some even saying how much they enjoyed the papers. Mr Popple and I could not help ourselves and did briefly tease them, that they had a Science SAT on Thursday afternoon, which some individuals fell for. In the olden days, they did do a Science paper too! However, a visit from the ice-cream van and brightly coloured ice-cream replaced that ridiculous idea! Thing is, as I look at the diary for Y6 between now and the 17^th July, I am not sure the children nor Mr Fawcett have time to catch their breath. There is so much planned. By Friday lunchtime, there were scripts and talk of auditions in the morning line, just as an example.

Our Reception children went off to Hesketh farm this week, which is a lovely venue for early years children. I hear George the enormous tortoise is still making his way across the field! He must be very old now, as he was there when I used to take my two children.

An absolute highlight of my week, was the Y2 sharing assembly, which was incredibly well attended by parents. We are so grateful for the support of our parents towards school.  The class had put together the highlights of their year so far, which actually took my breath away – so much has happened. Plus, so much is still to happen in the final half-term. This year we introduced our pupil passports – A bucket list of what each child in a specific year group must see, do, experience over the year! Y2 are well on track to achieving everything on their bucket list by July! Really breathtaking how much enrichment goes on in our school on top of the daily structured national curriculum teaching. Our teachers and pupils work so hard, to make sure the children enjoy their time and have the best primary education possible. 

Myself and some children in Y5 had a trip out into the community the other day to visit a lady who used to work as a Teaching Assistant at Farsley Westroyd many years ago. She donated a special book to the school, so we went round with some flowers to say thank you. She told the children all about her job and how different it is to working as a teaching assistant in school today. The children were so kind and polite, but it did make me chuckle. It appears our children love a good old chin-wag and I found it hard to get them to leave!

In life, I never really worry about anything, until it actually happens. Life is too short to worry and optimism and positivity lead the way. So, with the departure of Mrs Hollingshead on Friday to have her baby, I have been more focused on her wellbeing, than the worry about the gaps left behind…… But now she has gone and at this point I have realised my left arm has disappeared! She is incredibly organised, things just happen, and now she has gone! But we will be fine and, in Mr Popple’s words, “we'll just crack on!” We wish her all the best and Easter 2027 is not that far away! Only two terms really.

As always, I must talk about the weather! It may be hard to believe, but the forecast for the upcoming bank holiday is cracking, and it continues into the half-term holiday. All I can say is bring it on! Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine – the world is a better place with a bit of warmth and brightness…