Mr Railston's Message...
It's holiday time...
It's been a very difficult year for teaching but ultimately rewarding for us. In a year of great change and political uncertainty within education, I am pleased to say that our children have flourished. Building young learners who will be resilient in the future is a difficult task in today's society and context. I'm told (as I've never managed to attend yet) that awards night at Ilfracombe Academy featured many past pupils from CMPS and that I would have been proud of the achievement. All year I reiterate 'choices' and it is clear that the message is getting through. Today we will send off another cohort of children on their next step in life. Off to 'big school' to continue their journey. I wish them the best in their choices and yes, we do worry! We worry because we know the choices they need to make and we hope that they make the right ones.
Looking at the development in school is frustrating. There is so much I want to do and so much is limited due to financial restraints. Providing barebones resources and trying to improve on poor maintenance. However, the development of people is free and our impact has been huge. It fills me with joy to see parents engaging with their child but more so to see them go back to education to further themselves. To see parents engage in school with the mission of becoming a teaching assistant is fantastic. A choice not taken lightly but that will be ultimately rewarding.
I have see the community come together and use their voice. We have had long discussions on improving the school and we are all better for it. The collegiality of our PTFA is fantastic and this great group will forge new opportunities for children as they grow.
Performance of a school again can be very political. I prefer to concentrate on the development of individual children not vague numbers reported to the Government. I believe that one will look after the other and this year the children and teachers have done us proud. Our children have coped fantastically with the 'new tests' and (whilst unconfirmed) the end result has been good. Y6 were considerably above the 'National Average' for children who achieved the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths. We have to wait for comparative data to be released but I am so proud of the individual success underneath those numbers.
As we move forward together we need to develop together. We have so much to work for together. Our children. As a school we will not be as successful as we want to be without high parental involvement.
We have a lot of change in the coming year. New teachers and new children. New challenges. I have already set the agenda for next year with the teachers and you can help us. We will let you know how. But for now, in the long lag in education we call the summer holidays. READ... WRITE... CALCULATE... Don't just have weeks off. Keep your child ticking over. Work on aspects of their report. Write a diary. Whatever you do... Have fun. Learning is access to the world around - and we want our children to inherit the earth.
Thank you so much to the parents and helpers who have gone beyond with us. The drivers, readers, makers, artists, diggers, gardeners, builders, carpenters, movers, hand-holders, Sea Schoolers... The list is long. You help us make it possible. You are so valued. Thank you. We really couldn't do it without you.
A final word. We are losing some fantastic staff - all of whom I'm extraordinarily pleased for professionally but personally sad to see go. Mrs Bartlett, Mrs Speed, Mr Huggins and Miss Pink will be sorely missed. They leave a school they have contributed so much towards and their new journeys are all equally exciting. We wish them luck and courage on their journey.
To the staff that join us in September, I am equally excited and we have some high standards to better.
I know that all of the staff at CMPS are equally valued but I would like to thank them on your behalf. They have been brilliant this year. Brilliant. Thank you.
Have a great and safe summer holiday. We will see you on the 5th September.
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