Good things come in little packages
Funnily enough, when I first moved to Cumbria 11 years ago now - I never really recognised the strengths of a small school. My previous school had been a large inner city school, which I had thoroughly enjoyed. However, I soon fell in love with teaching in a small school…..
First and foremost, because you really know the individuals within your class. The small numbers enable the teachers to really understand the children in their care. I now can no longer imagine having children for just one year. It’s a huge advantage to know what each child needs to achieve their best, to be able to recognise if one child isn’t themselves and needs some extra care. As a teacher in a small setting you find that you care for the children as if they are your own, you want every one of them to do their best and to be happy. They are there in every decision you make and in reality, it is more than just keeping the “children at…
Inspiring every child to reach further than they ever thought they could
This was our vision statement when I became headteacher here at Grayrigg CE Primary School. Of course we are a primary school - a place of learning, however this statement does not only relate to academic achievement; for me, it is much more than this. It’s about that magic moment when a child is genuinely surprised by what they have achieved. Every day children at our school exceed our expectations, but it is when they genuinely stop and say “wow, did I really just do that? I am amazing”. I am passionate that every child should have the opportunity to feel like this, not just the most able.
Of course reading, writing and maths are important, so how do we ensure every child reaches further than they ever thought they could in these areas? For us, it isn’t about results or outside drivers, the only driver for the team here at Grayrigg is the individual child. Children all develop at different stages of their life - our aim is to ensure they all have…
Headteacher’s BLOG
My first blog.
It is incredibly exciting to start my first official blog. I aim to share what is happening in school from a leadership perspective, sharing both the things we need to celebrate and the things we are working on. Whilst Grayrigg CE Primary School has such a special place in my heart, it is not my school or even your school, but the children’s school, which we are all just incredibly privileged to be part of. The reason I say this is that I want it to be completely clear to everyone that the children are the drivers here. They are the reason we make every decision we do and they are at the heart of all of those decisions.
Last year was the culmination of an amazing few year for us - the changes have been described as the school going through a metamorphosis. If this is the case, then 2014-5 was the year that we emerged from the chrysalis and spread our wings as OFSTED said:
So what does…
James and the Giant Peach
Grayrigg does Kendal Torchlight - and wins!
Torchlight Carnival is a huge event in Kendal and one the majority of school’s participate in. It is one of those events that never fails to remind me how lucky I am to be part of such an amazing school and community. Educationally, Torchlight couldn’t come at a worse time of year, only one week into the first term of the new academic year. Teachers are trying to establish routines, settle in the new children - in theory the idea of building a float, costumes and props should fill me with dread but here at Grayrigg, I love it.
Every year, I am reminded how much the parents (past and present) believe in and support our special little school. As soon as the theme is announced a meeting is held and ideas discussed. This year’s theme could not have been more appropriate; THINK BIG. Parents share their talents, some help with the painting, some make things, some even check the health and safety and of course Mr Dodgson provides the tractor. They get together to…
What a Cool Canvas
Grayrigg gets a new play space and it’s brilliant
With a stunning view of Whinfell, a large playground and large hilly field nobody could deny that our school’s setting is stunning. Looking out of the windows to the rear of the school is like looking at a framed masterpiece. With the use of two beautiful forests our outdoor learning was good, but I wanted it to be inspirational.
The problem wasn’t lack of space, it was what to do with the space. We had several visits from outdoor developers and all had their merit but nothing quite sat right until a visit from Oliver Wotherspoon from the company Cool Canvas. The first thing that hit me about Oliver was that he was as excited as I was to discuss ideas. Talking to Oliver felt like nothing was impossible, everything we discussed was open ended play, collaborative play.
My biggest fear was spending a lot of money on something that children would get bored of, yes of course I wanted a bit of a wow factor to excite the children (and our wonderful…