Headteacher News

Dear Parents and Carer,
I hope this half term has been good to you; it's amazing how quickly the time has flown by. This period has been brimming with chances for our children to enhance their education. Here are a few of my personal highlights.
Assemblies: It's always a highlight for me to join the children at lunchtime and hear what excites them about Tetherdown. I've been pleasantly surprised to learn that many children are particularly fond of our assembly sessions. The Friday class/year group assemblies and the music singing assemblies stand out as favourite. This term, we have launched staff assemblies, offering a platform for our staff to share their personal interests and passions with the children. From wild swimming to international travels, these stories have not only captivated the children but have also fostered a culture of respect and opened new avenues for engaging conversations between our children and staff. It's truly heartwarming to see such enthusiastic responses and the positive impact of these assemblies.
Sustainability with School Solar Panels: The School Council and Sustainability Champions, under the guidance of Ms Etan (Science Lead) have written letters and with the influencing Ms Moss, (School Business Manager) have successfully advocated for the local authority to allocate £4000 towards the cleaning and repair of solar panels. This investment will hopefully enhance their efficiency, demonstrating a significant win for our school's sustainability efforts.
Our spring term Whole School Writing Project, led by Ms Gillingham and Ms Coburn (our English Leads), explored the themes of migration, refugees, friendship and diversity through three carefully selected books. Ronnie from Y5 highlighted how, despite the somber narrative of the Island, she appreciated the opportunity for persuasive writing and discussing challenging topics with her Year 6 peers. We're excited to soon share the diverse range of writing outcomes produced by children from Reception to Year 6.
During this half term, Ms Gillingham has been actively seeking your opinions on how behaviour is managed at our school. In the coming term, I'll be inviting you to share your thoughts on the future development of our school. We'll cover various topics such as homelearning practices, ways we communicate, and the distinctive qualities that set Tetherdown apart from other schools.
After a challenging half term with widespread illness affecting many of our staff and many families, we hope everyone enjoys a restful and rejuvenating break.
Annie Ashraf
Headteacher