As we have a different series of arrangements next week with Careers day, RE enrichment day and a training day for staff on
Friday this will be my last Headteacher update for this half term.
I’m still unsure whether the start of the academic year felt like yesterday or last decade, but what I do know is that it has
been a really strong start to the academic year and as we find ourselves a sixth of the way through the year, there is much to
positively reflect on.
Thank you all for your contributions and support in helping us make such a positive beginning. Things are obviously so much
easier if we start well together.
Collective Worship
This week the theme has been on the implications of honesty. In Genesis the story of Esau and Jacob has been our focus
where we considered the reasons for the lie that was told by Jacob and the hurt that it caused. Mr Wood followed this up by
considering the impact on relationships and how we need to be honest with ourselves as much as we need to be honest
with others.
As we have come to expect, the pupil follow up has been really interesting and respectful. In sessions I have dropped into I
have been taken with both the trust and the humility that pupils display in their responses. The power of the strong emphasis
that we play on oracy is evident in supporting the quality of the discussions and interactions that occur across the
curriculum and collective worship.
Prayer for the week
The prayer for next week was written by Charlie H:
Dear God
Help us to support everyone in the world and who suffers due to poverty or hunger.
Help us to be kind and respect all and be grateful for what we have. To love everyone and everything so
that we cherish people we love as they may not be here forever.
Whether you are rich or poor, small or tall, just remember that you are loved. No matter what.
Amen
House and attendance updates
We had almost 500 more House Points awarded this week compared to the previous week which shows that pupils are
continuing to work really hard as the half term progresses. Huge congratulations to Turing who were our House Point winners
this week, achieving an average of almost 10 House Points per pupil!
Well done to Christie who smashed the attendance charts this week and in doing so have significantly closed the gap to
Curie who are our current overall frontrunners. The difference between the top three Houses this year is 0.27%!
Pupil achievements
Well done to our top House Point achievers for the week:
Attenborough – Sophia R – who was once again the overall winner. A glorious hat trick this half term!!
Christie – Olli G
Curie – Nikoleta H
Farah – Rosetta W
Turing – Dorothy B
Our artist of the week was David P. His fantastic effort can be seen in the image below:
The Oracy Champion of the week for her excellent speaking and listening skills was Sienna B.
Readers of the week were Arthur D, Sophia C and Freya H.
Writers of the week were Skye R, Zamira and Noah D.
Congratulations to Luca L who was our Chef of the week.
RE enrichment day
Earlier this week we asked tutor groups to submit questions to colleagues from All Saints church which will be used for RE
enrichment day next week. The focus of next Thursday is ‘Should happiness be the purpose in life’ and the questions
generated by pupils will be the subject of the session in All Saints church. There were far too many questions to share with
you, but I thought I would share a few examples so you could see the inquisitive and interesting minds that we are working
with!
Is it OK to be unhappy?
Do you need a religion to be happy?
Is it OK to disagree with other Christians?
Are Christians happier than others?
Why is happiness easily rejected or ignored?
Can everyone achieve happiness?
Why does having a faith have so many rules and does that mean you are happier?
Eco Club competition
Inter faith week
I am delighted that we are supporting Inter Faith Week which is the week beginning Monday 9th November. This is a really
important opportunity for us to share the importance of considering the views of all. Whilst St Egwin’s is a Church of England
school we promote, champion and support all faiths and none so we are absolutely behind this initiative.
Cross country success
Well done to the 59 amazing pupils who competed in the local schools cross country championships earlier this week. On
a tough course with many pupils across year groups from other schools, all of our pupils ran their best and gave a great
account of themselves.
A special mention to the following pupils who placed highly in their respective competitions:
Year 6 Girls
Florence A, Jagoda Ty, Rosetta W and Miriam B.
Year 6 Boys
Bruce W and Bertie H
KS3 Girls:
Sofia L, Abigail G and Miruna N
KS3 Boys:
Arlo B, Arlo T, Rory G and Luca L
A particularly huge shout out to Mr Bennett and Mrs Bennett for taking the pupils and supporting them during this amazing
opportunity.
John Martin Trust
I am absolutely delighted to inform you all that this morning we had confirmation of a successful bid that we made to The
John Martin Trust. Their work is so inspiring, and we are so grateful for their ongoing support. Evesham is truly blessed to
have such an amazing charity in our local area.
The money will be used alongside other funding we have sourced to create a new sensory hub provision. We are hoping to
have this work completed so the new resource base is operational from around Easter if all goes to plan. This will be a further
strengthen the excellent work we do in the key area of inclusion.
RSHE curriculum feedback opportunity
Please see below the information regarding two great opportunities from Mrs Sage and Mrs Croft. It would be wonderful if as
many parents/carers as possible were able to sign up to one of these two sessions.
Find out about what your child is learning in Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) and discover more about
Online Safety (including Generative AI) with Mrs Croft (PSHCE lead) and Mrs Sage (Designated Safeguarding Lead.
ONLINE INFORMATION EVENING Monday 30th November | 5:30pm – 6:30pm
Or
COFFEE MORNING Thursday 3rd December | 9:00am – 10:30am
Tea, coffee and biscuits complimentary!
More information, including booking details, will be shared after half term. We look forward to seeing you then.
Town Councillor visit
I had the pleasure of welcoming Marion Griffiths, Town Councillor for this ward and previous Mayoress to the school earlier
this week. I was delighted to show her around the school and to thank her personally for the kind donation of £100 from the
Town Council that we have spent on further upgrading books in our library.
Marion is a passionate champion of inclusive education and really impressed me with her knowledge and support for
schools. I was especially proud that having seen St Egwin’s in action, she was so complimentary about our calm, respectful
and purposeful school environment.
Sad farewell
Whilst we are all absolutely thrilled for Miss Markham who is joining the West Midlands Police, we are really sad that she is
leaving us. Miss Markham has brought energy, empathy and a strong sense of positivity in her time with us as a Learning
Support Assistant. She will be a huge success in her career with the police, and we wish her every success in the next exciting
chapter of her career.
Have a wonderful final week where events on Wednesday and Thursday I am sure will make it a great experience for pupils
and staff alike.
Best wishes
Mr Collard
Headteacher