Dear parents, carers and families,
As we come to the end of another wonderful year at Beckfoot Priestthorpe I have been reflecting on how far we have come together and looking to what next for our school community.
Today is day of goodbyes, but everyone who joins our school family is a member of Beckfoot Priestthorpe forever. We wish everyone we say goodbye to today all the very best for the future and we are thankful for the time they have spent with us. We say goodbye to all our children in Year 6 and to many families too who we have a long history with. We also say goodbye to members of staff who have had a real impact on the school. All will be very much missed, but we know that they will all go on to do great things!
We have had such a busy year and so many new families have joined our lovely school which is fantastic. We have welcomed a huge variety of visitors, been on so many trips and visits and enjoyed so many wonderful experiences. Next year will be filled with many new and exciting adventures and I cannot wait. Our biggest new adventure will be Ark Start opening our new nursery which will create new relationships and partnerships!
As we implement our new English scheme of work in KS2, we will work closely with the other primary schools in our trust to develop improved approaches to teaching reading and writing. This will build on our firm foundations in KS1, following the implementation of RWI phonics and the success this has achieved!
Other achievements this year include the Gold School Games Award for PE, Eco-Schools Green Flag Award with Merit for our work in sustainability and the training and qualification of our Play Leaders and Anti-Bullying Ambassadors. The children have all enjoyed their responsibilities and we will continue to build on this next year!
Next year our beautiful building reaches the grand old age of 150 and we have plans to celebrate the milestone. Priestthorpe standing proud for 150 years! Unfortunately, our hall floor will not make it to that milestone as it is being completely replaced this summer. I have asked to hang on to some of it for reasons on nostalgia and history. As part of our celebration preparations, we will start to compile stories from former pupils of any age and their memories of school. We have lots of other exciting things planned too.
Thank you all for your continued support and for being part of Team Beckfoot Priestthorpe. Thank you to FOPPS for everything they have done this year, you provide a tremendous amount of support and enjoyment. Thank you to our parent volunteers who have supported school in so many ways. Thank you to the whole staff team for everything that you do every day and finally, thank you to all our families who work in partnership with school to provide the best life chances for your children.
I hope that everyone has a well earned rest this summer and come back ready to learn in September. I start my 14th year as headteacher here and I am excited to continue to serve you all. It is a privilege and an honour that I do not take for granted. So, stay safe, enjoy the sunshine, spend time with loved ones and make special memories to treasure.
Mrs Gunning
