I do hope you all enjoyed a restful and relaxing time with family and friends over the Christmas break and that you are looking forward with anticipation and hope for both you and your children in 2024. I am sure that the prospect of returning to school is mixed, with some eagerly anticipating getting back to the routine and others kindling fond memories of long, easy days spent by the fire away from the pouring rain! However, we are excited about seeing your children and getting cracking on what I know will be a wonderful Spring term.
In our staff training this week, we have been focusing on curriculum development and the importance of providing relevant, meaningful and stimulating opportunities for children to learn in all areas of their school life. In my address to staff, I reflected on 2023 and what it brought for us both as individuals and as a community. It is, perhaps, natural to focus our attention on some of the very dreadful things that have happened across the globe and the hardships that many face, maybe drawing conclusions that society has much about which it should not feel proud and, therefore, that hope is a luxury for many. However, I wanted us to focus on the very real responsibility we hold to provide children with an environment in which they can cultivate unbridled hope for the future; where they can see that humans are extraordinary creatures who can imagine and create extraordinary things in life.
Amidst the dreadful events of last year, none of which should be minimised, there are also amazing things that have happened, all of which have been effected and facilitated by human progress: infant mortality is at its lowest percentage in human history; global poverty is at its lowest rate ever and 100,000 people each day are emerging from extreme poverty across the world. Closer to our shores, people continue to do extraordinary things in attempts to tackle the climate issues we face or understand how our planet and human life have evolved over millions of years. Our work with eco-campaigner Oli Rush has helped children see that each person's action can make a difference to our world. Furthermore, just last night on television, I watched with awe the excavation of the head of a pliosaur at Kimmeridge Bay and wondered anew at the incredible planet on which we live, how life has changed and progressed over millions of years, then revelled in amazement at the technology being used to re-imagine the skeleton of this pliosaur, including the blood vessels in its brain, as scientists brought the T-Rex of the sea back to life in my living room. Pre-historic met 21st century tech in ways I couldn't ever have believed was possible. It was, for me, a perfect illustration of human beings seeking to understand our historic world as well as imagining and creating extraordinary things to aid our future.
I appreciate that none of these positive and amazing facts reduce the hardships that individuals face each day and at Yarrells we take our responsibility towards our community very seriously, doing as much as we can to support those in need, both at school and in our wider community. However, my point is that the world is a truly amazing place and every day, we should cultivate this sense of awe and amazement in the children we teach. Yarrells' children literally are the future and their educational space should be one in which they can cultivate hope in their hearts and both excitement and enthusiasm in their learning. Along with my colleagues, what a privilege it is to be responsible for facilitating this awe and wonder.
Mrs S Moulton
Head