Blog
Which school will be 'the one'?
It will be a real privilege this week to open our school to our wider local community for our first two open events of this academic year.
It is a huge time of transition for Year 7 and Year 8 parents and carers at this time, as you aim to learn as much as possible about the local schools - not to mention the primary school students themselves who are trying to picture what might lie beyond school as they know it.
Which secondary school will be 'the one'?
As I was out and about around school last week there was a real buzz in the air - colleagues telling me what they were keen to share with our visitors, describing dance pieces, art demonstrations, English activities, music promenade performances ... the list goes on!
It is about more than this, too - what will we do to help our newcomers feel at home quickly, listen to their worries and support them to reach their potential?
Our students are our very best ambassadors, and after last year - when it was safest to keep them at home - they are keen to share their experiences of our school this time around! They will be in our classrooms, ready for our potential new families to ask them questions, and they will also be located across our site, to help visitors navigate their way round. Thank you in advance to all our young people who are giving up their evening for us this Thursday; we really appreciate your time.
We have learned from the pandemic, in spite of all its inconveniences, and have kept last year's booking system in order to eliminate the long queues that visitors experienced in the pre-pandemic years.
We learned last year, too, that an evening session doesn't work for everyone, and so we are opening our doors this Friday morning as well. Over the course of our transition programme last year, we heard that some students find the busy-ness of a full open evening to be a challenge and so Friday morning will be a quieter opportunity for a visit during our staff development day - fewer people, less background noise and less of a contrast between us and the smallest of our local primary schools. We are a friendly and approachable team, so please do ask us your questions, however silly they may seem!
You'll be able to take a little piece of us home with you, as we have created a virtual tour again this year - perfect to jog your memory at a later date or to share with others who are unable to attend.
Bonus points to any prospective student who spots either of our school cats whilst on tour - even better if you can tell us their names and how to tell them apart!
I look forward to meeting you - come and let us know what you think!
