Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you all had a pleasant half-term holiday.

As I am sure you will be aware, education has been in the news this week with the release of the government's new Education White Paper, 'Every Child Achieving and Thriving'. While few may feel the desire to trawl through all 116 pages of the document, paying attention to the headlines is incredibly useful for all school stakeholders.  At its core, this White Paper is about ensuring that school is a place where every child, regardless of their starting point, receives exactly what they need to succeed. Whilst this is not a new vision for us here at De Havilland, the prominence it has been given reflects the unique challenges schools currently face; it also reinforces the vital importance of our collaborative work with families to ensure our children fulfil their potential."

This perhaps brings me on quite neatly to my next point regarding the mathematics multiplication workshops in Years 3 and 4 that our staff have organised over the past few weeks. It was a shame to see a lower turnout than expected, as these sessions are specifically designed to give you the tools to support your child’s progress. Mastering multiplication in Years 3 and 4 is a critical milestone, and we really need that 'home-school' team effort to make it happen. We want to ensure every child has the best chance of success, and your engagement in these workshops is a vital part of that puzzle. As ever, we are incredibly open to your feedback on how we can ensure a higher turnout for events of this nature. Please speak to your child's class teacher or any of the senior leaders with suggestions or adjustments we could make in the future to help more of you attend.

I have felt very lucky this week as I’ve managed to spend plenty of time back in the classroom! Alongside my regular Year 6 sessions, I thoroughly enjoyed teaching Geography and RE to Silver-Birch class. In RE, we started learning about the festival of Passover, and I was really impressed by the children's contributions. A special mention goes to Evaan for sharing his fantastic prior knowledge of the story behind the festival, and to Evie and Ella, who both really shone with their thoughtful ideas and engagement throughout the lesson. Well done to every member of Silver-Birch class!

I hope you all have a very pleasant weekend. Dare I say it, but the temperature is rising and the days are finally getting longer, a sure sign that spring is well and truly on the way!

Mr Bostock