There is always something special about the start of a new school year. The classrooms are once again full of voices, the playground is busy and there is a real sense of excitement about the year ahead.
It is always wonderful to welcome everyone back and, particularly, to welcome our new Foundation children and families, pupils joining us in other year groups and new members of staff. Starting somewhere new can be both exciting and a little daunting, and we are incredibly proud of how warmly our children welcome new members of our school community.
Our vision, “Encourage one another and build each other up”, feels particularly fitting at this time of year. Together with our ICATCH values Inclusive, Caring, Ambitious, Trustworthy, Creative and Honest – it reminds us of the kind of school community we want to be and the young people we want our children to become.
One of our own new beginnings this year is OPAL Outdoor Play and Learning. OPAL is about transforming playtimes and making much better use of our outdoor spaces, giving children opportunities to build, create, explore, invent, cooperate and play imaginatively.
We are extremely grateful to Bloxham Parish Council for their support as we begin our OPAL journey. We hope its impact will extend beyond the school gates too. Learning to share, manage risk, solve problems, look after resources and care for shared spaces all helps children become confident and responsible members of their wider community.
And this is something the village can help us with! OPAL makes imaginative use of everyday objects and items which may no longer be needed. We would love to hear from anyone who might be able to offer old musical instruments or musical toys, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, dressing-up clothes, dolls and pushchairs, crates, buckets, guttering and pipes, tarpaulins, suitcases, tyres, ropes, cable reels, wooden planks, old keyboards or telephones, den-building materials or other interesting resources.
Please contact the school before bringing or leaving any items with us, so that we can check that they are suitable and something we can use.
We have much to look forward to this year and hope that school and village can continue to encourage one another and build each other up as together we Be. Build. Become.