Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back to another school year! I do hope you all had an enjoyable summer and were able to make the most of the glorious sunshine which we experienced. 

There would not be enough space in this newsletter to outline all of the changes which have taken place since I last wrote to you in July. Therefore you will have to bear with me as I share changes gradually over the coming weeks. Needless to say, they all are being implemented with the aim of driving our school forward and ensuring De Havilland is the best possible place for your children and our local community.

I have to start by officially welcoming our new and returning staff. We are delighted to introduce Mrs. O'Brien, our new Sycamore class teacher, who brings extensive teaching and subject leadership experience. Her talent and passion for working at De Havilland shone through from our very first meeting, and I am thrilled she chose to take her next career step with us. Although they joined us in July, we also formally welcome Mrs Ashwood and Miss Bedwell to Ash and Holly classes respectively - their enthusiasm for joining our school was clear from every interaction I had with them during the last academic year and I am so pleased they are now fully signed up members of the De Hav team! Finally, a warm welcome back to Miss Moss and Mrs. Samroo as they return from maternity leave; they were dearly missed during their time away, and our team is infinitely stronger with them back. 

We have also made a few key updates to our leadership structure: to best support our school community, Miss Miles will now serve as our SENCO in addition to leading Early Years. This strategic shift allows Mrs. Walker to direct her focus toward her other many essential roles. Also, Mrs. Lines has stepped into the role of Key Stage One phase leader and will continue Mrs. Barnes's excellent work in leading writing across the school. I am so grateful to both of them for stepping into these crucial roles to support our school's growth. The alignment, strength, and collaborative drive of our leadership team remains a huge asset for De Havilland. For a complete overview of staff roles and where everyone is based this academic year, please visit the 'Our Team' section on our website so you always know the best person to contact with any questions.  

During our two INSET days, we focused heavily on resetting our school standards. We introduced 'The De Hav Way' - Be Ready, Be Respectful, Be Safe - which guides how we expect our children to conduct themselves both inside and outside of school. This has already been shared with the children in our welcome back assemblies and staff have been asked to ensure these expectations are being fully embedded across the school. Shortly, we will share an updated home-school agreement outlining our shared commitments as staff, parents, and carers. I know you share our desire for high standards and want your children to attend a school that prides itself on having these in place, and I am grateful for your partnership as we work together to uphold them across our entire school community.  

One date for your diary which I want to share with you well in advance is 'Meet the Teacher' on Monday 21st September. Here, you can come into classrooms to see the environment your child is working in and meet the staff who will be presenting to you. You will hear more about this over the coming week.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend. It looks as though we are being treated to a return to some warm sunshine over the next couple of days so enjoy every moment of it!  

Mr Bostock

Headteacher