Dear Parents and Carers,
There is only one thing to write about this week ...
Ofsted
As you all know, the school was inspected this week by an HMI and an additional inspector. We received the call at 9:30am om Monday morning and welcomed the inspectors in for Tuesday and Wednesday. Over two packed days, the school was put under scrutiny and judgements have been made across the areas of the revised Ofsted Framework:
I am not able to disclose gradings, but it was a very positive outcome that we are looking forward to sharing with you in a few weeks when the report is published. Both inspectors were highly complimentary about all aspects of the school.
Thank you to all parents and carers who took the trouble to complete the Parent View. We had a very good proportion of you doing that, which I think reflects the fact that schooling at HB is very much a partnership with home. Thank you also to those of you who were able to speak with the inspectors: this is an important part of the whole process and the information they gleaned contributed to a positive outcome.
Although the two days are not 'normal' by any stretch of the imagination, the work of the excellent staff certainly was. The two intense days put all staff under the microscope and none of the staff were found wanting. It was lovely that the inspection allowed teachers, TAs, MTAs cooks and admin staff to 'Let Your Light Shine' as you do day in and day out. A massive thank you and well done to all of you for making the school such a great place to learn.
We already knew it of course, but the three days of the inspection process really brought home the incredible value of being in TEAM MAT. Mr Polak and Ms Carter both guided us through the inspection (they have an awful lot of inspection experience!) and we were also able to call on the knowledge and skills of Mrs Nott (TEAM Literacy Lead), Mrs Parsons (SBM) and our own Mrs Goss - who also have plenty of inspection experience. Thank you so much to all of you.
Finally, and actually without doubt most importantly, the biggest ever thank you goes to the children. From the youngest 2 year old in Class One to Jack and Esmay (our Lead Boy and Lead Girl) in Y6, they were all magnificent from first to last. The comments of the inspectors quite literally brought a tear to my eye. It was just so amazing to hear the positive comments about the way the children are in school and I can't wait to be able to share what was said with them in a few weeks. You are totally inspiring children: thank you so much.
Red Nose Day
It has been so lovely to end the week with the sun shining and the field accessible for the first time this year! We had another fantastic turn out of non-uniforms today in support of Comic Relief. The children enjoyed coming together as a school to celebrate and enjoy the good weather.
Reading Choices
Here are Year Three's favourite reads (don't worry - I haven't forgotten you Y4 ... You are up next week!)
Torben - 'Harry Potter' I like this book as it is about learning spells and being a wizard
Erika - 'The Girl Who Speaks Bear'. The hero of the story can speak to animals and she's not sure why! It is very imaginative and has lots of animals in
Reggie - My favourite book is about football: It is called 'Ronaldo'. I like it because I like football
Merryn - I like the 'Animal Ark' series because I just like animals!
Megan - 'Snow Foal' It's about a girl who's mum is in hospital who has to go and live in a home ...
Arianwen - I would recommend 'The Sea of Adventure' as it is about an adventure journey
Have a wonderful weekend,
Rob Norton
Head of School
