Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you are all well and have had a wonderful week.

While many of us were holding out hope for a very different Sunday evening this weekend, England's world cup journey sadly came to an end on Wednesday. They say disappointment makes you stronger, which by my calculations must make England supporters some of the most resilient people on the planet! In recent years, I have always paid extra attention to how leaders respond to defeats or disappointment; some refuse to acknowledge potential missteps, leaning on a rigid "no regrets" attitude. In our school community, we strive to model a very different kind of leadership for our children and I like to think that comes from the top here at De Hav. True strength doesn't lie in pretending we never make mistakes. It lies in the courage to reflect, take accountability, and ask: "What can we learn from this to do better next time?" This is precisely the message I am championing as we approach the end of the academic year. Looking ahead to September, we will be focusing on sharpening our standards and expectations, ensuring our school remains a community we are all immensely proud to represent.

Without a doubt, the absolute highlight of my week was the Year 6 production, Treachery at Traitors' Quay. It was wonderful to see our hall packed to the rafters with families, including so many familiar De Hav alumni. Given the temperature in the hall on the evening itself, I do hope you’ve all managed to cool down by now! In all my years of being involved in and watching school productions, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cast enjoy themselves quite so much. And who can blame them, given the sheer talent on display? A huge thank you to the Year Six team for their tireless work in preparing the children and supporting them on the night. I’d also like to give a special shout-out to the one and only Miss Moss. Every year, she excels herself bringing props and costumes to life with her trademark reliability and care and I know I speak for everyone when I say how grateful we are for that. 

Although it feels like longer than a week ago now, I do want to extend a huge thank you to our entire community for supporting De Hav Fest. Despite the hot temperatures, the turnout was fantastic, the atmosphere was wonderful, and your generosity helped us raise a significant amount of money for our school. It goes without saying that I would also like to thank the FODs for their time and energy both organising and cleaning up afterwards and all of the staff who stayed to support. My thanks also go to the parents who attended this week's Year 3 Multiplication Check and Speech and Language workshops. Attending workshops such as these shows us your commitment to ensuring your child makes the progress they are capable of and it will come as no surprise than when school and home work in partnership, the best outcomes are achieved. 

I wish you all a very pleasant 'cooler' weekend and look forward to seeing all of the children for the final three days.

Mr Bostock

Headteacher