Dear ALS Community,
It is a privilege of my position to get to see ALS from a different vantage point to most. For the children, they work in their classes and enjoy time with their friends on the playground and focus on their day. For teachers, they see their classes and enjoy time with colleagues, focusing on the next lesson to be the best it can be. As I get to be on the gate in the mornings and afternoons saying hello to Parents and Grandparents, I have chance to hear from you about how your child has settled in or the change you’ve seen in them since joining ALS. I get to hear, straight from you, how delighted you are with ALS.
Then, as I get to walk the school corridors regularly, I can see the full range of lessons in full flight with children having a yoga session, painting with Miss Cox, using a microscope with Dr Baker, delving in to Geography with Miss Butler or reading Of Mice and Men with Miss Beck. I can see our Sixth Form studying in the common room, Reception having a Games session and Year 5 cooking with Mrs O’Sullivan. I always know how wonderful we are, of course, but even I can sometimes get caught up in a drive for an ever improving school and forget just how magnificent we are right now. Whilst I often share that I feel hugely privileged to be the Headteacher of Arnold Lodge, I am also deeply proud to be part of our school community each day.
Earlier this week, we had a review of Arnold Lodge published in a local digital magazine called Muddy Stilettos (the review can be found here). Though I obviously hoped for a good review, I was delighted to read such a fantastic review of ALS and I don’t know if I could have written it better myself. Please do take the time to have a read through. I’m sure it’ll make you feel proud to be part of the ALS community.
Over the past month, we have had more enquiries than we would normally receive in 6 months. In the last two days alone, we have had 9 new enquiries for Year 7 September 2021 (we already have more enquiries than places) and our Reception class for September 2021 is now over half-full and we haven’t even fully opened our application process yet. What you already know about our school - the unmatched quality of the ethos and culture, the positive impact small classes have on children both academically and personally and that we have the very best staff - is increasingly becoming common knowledge. As we do grow, my promise to you is quite simply this; though we will grow in numbers, we will never lose sight of what makes us special; class size, culture and quality of teaching. Equally, we will not stop our drive to keep improving each year.
This week, our mantra comes from Amicus: Smile. Help others smile, too. If I had a favourite mantra (clearly I don’t), this would be it.
Rather than write about it, I’m simply going to challenge our school community to engage in some random acts of kindness next week. Send someone a thank you. Order some flowers. Make a hot chocolate. Give up a few minutes of your time to help a colleague smile. A school culture isn’t something I can write in a handbook. It’s the set of shared values and attitudes we all have that actually exist day to day. My job is to prattle on about them and do all I can do to encourage you to have faith in them but, when it comes down to it, it’s up to each of us to decide to buy in and create a school culture that is wonderful for parent, pupils and staff. So, please, don’t just read this and go “ah, that’s nice” - go out of your way to make someone smile. Be kind. Thank people. The smallest act of kindness can have a huge impact.
I am delighted to announce that Miss Sarah Crisp, Head of Performance, Art and Music, will be our new Head of Key Stage 4. After half-term, Miss Crisp will take over from Miss Bridges and lead on the welfare for pupils in Years 10 and 11. Musical pupils will already know Miss Crisp and the wider year groups will have a chance to get to know her better over the next two weeks before Miss Crisp takes on the role fully.
Last week I encouraged the community to download and use the new Track and Trace app. A guide introducing the new app can be found here. As I wrote last week, the more we can do as a community to keep each other safe from Coronavirus, the better. I’m going to say again that I would encourage any parents who would feel safer wearing a mask on pick up and drop off to do so.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
Best wishes,
David Preston
Headteacher
