6. Archive Newsletter 19.12.17
Dear Parents/Carers,
2017 has been quite a remarkable year for Sevenoaks Primary School.
We have moved from our home of over 50 years to the new building and been congratulated by KCC on our outcome achievement (read: test results) for the year.
We have enjoyed unrivalled success in both sporting and academic achievements, to name a few. We are now the South of England Hockey Champions and won the Kent School Games Basketball Finals. One of our (now) year 4 pupils reached the final of the Sevenoaks Partnership Bake Off competition and a year 6 pupil reached the top 37% of the National Primary Maths Challenge. The Gym competition squad won gold medals at the South East Key Steps Competition and our Chess Club enjoyed success at the UK Chess Challenge and National Primary Schools’ Competition Semi Finals. This is just the tip of the iceberg of our achievements.
If that were not enough, OfSTED decided to give us an early Christmas present in the form of an inspection! So, all in all, just another normal quiet year in the rollercoaster life of SPS!
It is hard to believe that this time last year we were still in the old building and the new SPS was merely foundations. Roll on 12 months and I am sitting in my new office and the view from the window has changed beyond recognition.
It is official – Sevenoaks Primary School continues to be GOOD! Despite the various challenges, we have maintained the quality of education since the last inspection. It has been very much a team effort, with everyone pulling together, and it is this spirit that continues to make this school so successful. Please click the link below to read the full report:
Sevenoaks Primary School Ofsted report December 2017
I would like to take this opportunity, in the last newsletter of 2017, to thank you all for your support throughout the year and during the inspection process. Parental, staff and children OfSTED questionnaires revealed very positive feedback with the overwhelming majority of the parents stating that they would recommend the school.
We require heavily on parental support and it is through your engagement that we are able to foster a ‘true family feel.’
I would especially like to thank the Governing Body. I have been at the school for 17 years now and have always been fortunate to have a passionate, knowledgeable and supportive Governing Body. They work tirelessly to improve the school for the benefit of your children. It is a voluntary position and they receive little acknowledgement for their efforts. I would like to redress the balance somewhat and thank them on behalf of the children, staff and other stakeholders at the school.
A school is only as good as the staff that works there and I would not swap our team for any other. Their dedication, commitment and loyalty to this school is second to none and this was particularly evident during the inspection. Staff came into school even if they had not been timetabled to do so because they wanted to help and prepare to show the school in the best possible light. To quote the report: ‘all staff have a shared vision for excellence, and teamwork is strong.’ To all of the staff, a huge thank you from the children and myself – we all think you are fantastic!
Last but not least, I would like to thank the children. They have been brilliant this year, both in terms of coping with the transition from the old to the new building, and particularly, during the inspection. They were superb ambassadors for the school, and I am incredibly proud of them all.
We are now exhausted but elated and in need of a well-deserved rest! I would like to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.
I look forward to another action packed year in 2018!
Best wishes
Alan Duffy
STONEPITTS CHRISTMAS TREES
Many thanks to Stonepitts Farm for donating the Christmas tree in our main reception area!
