Celebrating Harvest and transformation!

Yesterday was the fourth and last of our Harvest Festivals. This time it was at our school. The pupils performed admirably, you could see their confidence and joy. The hall was full of parents, and this is indicative of the great positive change in our school which is little short of a miracle. Here is a success story of the first order.

The school was not in a very good position; numbers were low and the future, for a very long time, uncertain. Just over a year ago Mrs Cooke and Mrs Quirke took up the challenge to take over the school. This was indeed great news; their vision was inspiring. They took over the school and worked hard persevering with their vision. In one academic year from a failing school it is now deemed to be good school with outstanding features! From a roll of 58 we have today a roll of 99; just one more to open the bubbly.

This is what happens when there is vision, when there is the courage to persevere in what is good and honourable. This is what Mrs Cooke and Mrs Quirke, their team and the Governors achieved, what an example!

So it was with sadness that as Chair of Governors I had to announce to parents the well deserved retirement of Mrs Cooke. We shall have the opportunity to thank her in due course, but many of us are in debt to her. Mrs Cooke feels it is time for her to move away from education, to which she dedicated her whole life; but she will never be far away from those many whose lives she has touched.