Everything is interconnected.
I remain very mindful of the challenges we are facing as a result of the pandemic; my thoughts remain very much with you all as we continue to work so hard to ensure that the education and welfare of our children continue to be prioritised, both inside and outside of the virtual classroom. Looking ahead, following the Prime Minister’s announcement last weekend, I am thrilled to confirm the planned phased return of pupils to Prince’s Mead for our Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils on Monday 1st June, immediately after the half-term break; subject to final Government authorisation.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming back those pupils and recognise that this is the best place for them to learn. On that note, I look forward to welcoming parents of children in those year groups for (more) virtual coffee next week to discuss our planning in more detail and answer any queries that you may have. Mindful of other children remaining at home, I am certain that the return of other year groups are not too far behind and do please be reassured they remain very much at the forefront of our planning. In line with Government guidance, our new Nursery will also be opening its doors, a little later than its previously scheduled date of the end of last month.
On this note, I am delighted to confirm the appointment of Mrs Charlotte McMillan to join Miss Maddy and Miss Brewer in the Nursery when it opens on 1st June. Mrs McMillan is an outstanding nursery practitioner who is making the move back to an Early Years setting from the Montessori environment. She is sure to be a winner at Prince’s Mead with a love of cookery, gardening and horse riding and is a big conservationist. Her youngest daughter, Lucy, attended Prince’s Mead. She was so impressed by developments at Prince’s Mead since being a parent here and can’t wait to be working with the EYFS team.
It was a great pleasure to be part of the webinar for parents on mental health this week, so ably led by Mrs Jones, our Head of Pastoral Care, and Matron. I am sure that you will agree that Prince’s Mead and indeed our nation, will be much kinder to one another and the wider world as a result of the challenges we have faced. What this experience of learning at home is showing us is that there is so much to be gained from a creative and flexible approach to learning and from tuning into what is going on in the natural world around us, as I encouraged children to do in Friday Prayers this morning. We have all learnt recently, to our cost, how incredibly interconnected our world is. Our responses, too, have highlighted how we have worked as a community to help us recover from this crisis. We need only look to the natural world to see that this interdependence exists everywhere and it is one of the key principles that underpin all life on Earth. We look forward to continuing our commitment to structure the learning of our young people in a way that encourages them to see the world, to see themselves, as part of a deeply interconnected and interdependent whole.
I hope you have a restful weekend.
Peter Thacker
Headmaster