As the spring term closes amid some uncharacteristically glorious March and April weather, another busy term’s work can be reflected upon. A great deal of activity will have been spent in preparing and supporting Year 11 and Year 13 students to be ready for their various assessments, starting with practicals and the intense IB programme of exams. On returning from Easter in previous years, I can certainly remember getting ready to conduct MFL orals as being the herald of the summer term, hoping that all the work done over the preceding years would distil successfully into those tense few minutes for the languages students.
I was also put in mind of MFL days when, on visiting King Edward VI Camp Hill School for Boys recently, I bumped into a group of German exchange students who had just arrived for their stay. There are so many educational visits that go on in our schools – local, national and international – and the investment of time, effort and emotion on the part of staff is greatly valued. I am sure that any of us who have led or accompanied school visits have our share of stories, but seeing that group of students at CHB did bring back to me various hospital visits, calls with parents, passport control issues, ferry delays, coach crashes, attempted knife-buying in Boulogne and close encounters with bulls in the South of France over the years. However, what keeps staff going is seeing the change that such visits can have on pupils. Witnessing a group of Year 8 pupils watching the White Cliffs of Dover disappear and Calais come upon the horizon on their first ever trip abroad will always stay with me, as will the acclaim I received from a group of Year 7 pupils when I sprinted after someone in Paris to retrieve the 20 euro note that had been purloined from one of our children (the enthusiasm was probably more at seeing me run than anything else, an activity that I am not skilled in). There are some things that PGCEs do not prepare you for. Thank you to all the staff involved in these visits.
There will be many opportunities for thanks in the summer term at the Foundation Awards and I would like to thank everyone who has taken part in nominations. Shortlisting has been very difficult due to the great quality and quantity of nominations, and it has been heartening to see how much colleagues value each other. We look forward to celebrating together in June.
In the meantime, I wish you all a very happy Easter break.
