Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome to the end of our second term of the year and what a busy term it has been for everyone at De Havilland. We have shared so much of what we do with visitors from both within and outside of our trust, gaining some well deserved praise as well as identifying ways to move the school further forward. I do want to pay tribute to the fantastic staff team we have here at De Hav, who have risen to the occasion over and over again to ensure we are providing the best possible support for your children. I would also like to thank all of the parents and carers who are committed to working alongside us and supporting us in what we do; we are all truly grateful.

As part of the development of our character curriculum, this week saw a 'Curiosity' afternoon at De Havilland and a chance for children to enjoy some hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) activities in their classrooms. We had everything from towers made of spaghetti to elephant toothpaste and the children seemed really engaged across the school. What was particularly memorable about this experience was the children's opportunity to work with peers from a different year group. There have not been many more rewarding sights this term than seeing some of our Year Five and Six children showing compassion and support to their Reception and Year One counterparts whilst completing the activities. It should make our whole school community extremely proud! 

Whilst the majority of our children will enjoy over two weeks off from today, I do want to express my gratitude to those children in Year Six who will be attending Easter School from the 14th-17th April. For any parents / carers who have not yet signed their child up, please do encourage them to attend even if not registered, as this extra push before their SATs tests next month really can make all the difference. 

Before signing off, I did want to provide some reassurance around the presence of police officers on school grounds on several occasions this week, which the children may have noticed. This is simply part of our ongoing commitment to ensuring a safe and secure environment for all children and staff. There is no cause for concern - officers are sometimes here for a routine visit, building positive relationships with our school community and supporting our safety programs. We appreciate their partnership in keeping our school a welcoming and secure place for learning.

I wish all of our school community a very pleasant two weeks and for those celebrating Easter, I hope you have a lovely weekend with your loved ones when it comes. Make sure those chocolate eggs do not melt in this glorious sunshine which we are currently enjoying!

We look forward to seeing the children back in school on Tuesday 22nd April.

Mr. Bostock