2022 has been an extraordinary year. It has seen the shortest-serving Prime Minister in history, the loss of our Queen, the tragedy of the ongoing Ukrainian conflict, skyrocketing costs, impending strike action, and the lingering presence of COVID-19.
We have also had our share of difficulties at school. The aftereffects of Covid-19 and the recent increase in flu cases have combined to make school life more challenging than usual. However, when a four-year-old greets you with, “You’re a happy girl,” things improve! It was this lovely moment that made me think that I do indeed have many reasons to be happy.
Reasons to be Cheerful!
Part 1 I enjoy work …
Every school morning, I look forward to coming to school. Of course, the job has challenges, and not everything goes as planned. This, combined with the struggle to return to school in pre-COVID days, has sometimes made life quite difficult. I had hoped that when I wrote this, I would not need to refer to Covid. However, its unfortunate legacy is something we find ourselves dealing with daily. Thankfully, as always, it is in such challenging times that I see the very best in our school community. Some schools haven’t been able to do what we have done. Our dedicated staff, supportive parents and delightful children make the job so worthwhile and enjoyable that I wouldn’t want to be elsewhere.
Part 2 Our Children
I’m sure that when you read through the department reports, you will see that we have happy and thriving children. Nothing makes me happier than this.
I have enjoyed spending most of my lunchtimes with the children, listening to what they most enjoy about school, what they have learned in class, and who their friendship groups are. Some talk about their family, pets, hobbies, and what they most like and dislike. What comes across more than anything else is their impeccable manners and how they speak with such pleasant confidence. It’s little wonder supply teachers ask to come to Tower College as their first choice, and trip venues praise our children when they visit.
If you were fortunate enough to attend our Speech Day, you would have witnessed all the above qualities and more. If you couldn’t attend, please watch the video below for a beautiful snapshot of the occasion.
Part 3 Our Teaching and TA Staff
The staff have worked together to ensure our children have been happy and safe, experiencing a rich and carefully planned curriculum – with clubs, enrichment opportunities, outstanding educational visits and catch-up plans in place.
They have had to draw on all their energy, positivity and commitment reserves. I cannot thank them enough for their efforts and impact on the children’s learning and well-being. They have focused on school improvement and conducted several internal curriculum quality reviews. This process has identified clear departmental strengths and provided a powerful opportunity to share skills and expertise. The reviews have enabled us to identify the next steps for our curriculum teams to work on together to improve our curriculum offering further.
To complete the picture, we have a dynamic, caring and innovative SMT team committed, beyond belief, to driving the school forward.
I could not wish for a better group of people to work alongside.
Part 4 Our Parents
Without the support of our parents, none of the above would be possible.
Raising children is never an easy task and certainly not made easier by the pandemic, the ever-more disturbing influence of social media and the recent hike in the cost of living. Thank you for your commitment and for trusting us to educate your children.
Thank you, too, for your unconditional offers of help and incredible generosity in supporting our charity work.
The Parents’ Forum has again proved to be successful. Throughout the newsletter, you will see that we have addressed many of your concerns. One that you won’t see pertains to the way we invoice. Ms McNamara is now looking into ways to improve the process as some parents are finding it difficult to keep track of payments.
Part 5 Our Office Staff
I’m temporarily handing over to Ms McNamara her office staff and maintenance staff reports (blue text) …
Welcome, Mrs Corcoran! As well as being the school librarian, Mrs Corcoran now displays her consummate communication skills in the school office. Although Mrs Corcoran works part-time alongside Mrs Potter, Miss Loftus and me, she has already made a considerable difference to our workloads.
Like Ms Bingley, I also have reasons to be cheerful. Our September Open Day attracted over 40 families who gave glowing feedback after their visit, and following our October Entrance Exam, 15 new pupils joined the school.
The new school library introduced in October has been an enormous success for the children and teaching staff. And so too with the office staff. As the office is separated from the library by a glass partition, we get to see more of the children!
The office is always busy but is now even busier with many invoices for the lovely trips the children have been attending, including London, Ski Trip, Chill Factore and our upcoming trip to Kenya next year.
The highlight of the term has to be the 12 Days of Christmas. Seeing all the children bobbing in and out of the office has been lovely. The excitement on their faces trying to find elves on their Elf Hunt, the sheer magic of watching the little ones looking up at our fabulous Christmas tree in the reception area and the older children who sometimes just come in for a chat! They are always polite and engaging and are a credit to you all. This was only eclipsed by Miss Loftus, who came dressed as a Christmas pudding on Dress-up Day!
Part 6 Our Maintenance Staff
My eternal thanks to our brilliant maintenance team. Much of what they do is taken for granted, but without them, the children wouldn’t have the same experience of enjoying the beautiful buildings and grounds.
Over the summer break and pressed for time, they worked incredibly hard to renovate Lower School. Each room received a new floor, freshly painted walls, and furniture. The corridor also has a new floor, fresh paint, and a brand-new lighting system.
In the April half term, it was the Jubilee Building’s turn to receive their magic touch as they moved the Art Lodge to its new location. Miss Morris is delighted with the new floor, lights, sink station, and freshly painted walls.
Never ones to rest on their laurels, Tower Tots also received an overhaul with replaced flooring and a freshly painted fence. The ‘piece de resistance’ has to be the new artificial grass—this has completely transformed the children’s playing experience.
Perhaps more than anything else, their forward-thinking impresses me the most. This allowed the school to remain open during the recent severe icy spell of weather, and their constant checking and gritting meant that the children, staff, parents and visitors all stayed safe.
Apologies to our domestic team, which includes Jaqui, Liz, Ann, and Charlotte, for not being in the picture above. My thanks to them, also, for always keeping the school so clean and tidy.
On behalf of the office and maintenance staff, I wish you a happy Christmas and look forward to hearing from you in 2023.
Ms McNamara
Before moving on to my next reason to be cheerful, I would like to say a few words about Ms McNamara. Although I’m not one for singling out individual staff members when commenting on the team, for Ms McNamara, I must make an exception. I am very fortunate to have a staff member with such experience and an unparalleled skill set. I cannot thank her enough for her tireless devotion to ensuring all runs well at Tower College. I don’t know what we’d do without her.
Part 7 Our Governors
The largely new governing body has only been in place for a short time but has positively impacted many aspects of school life. Their range of expertise and willingness to give up their time has certainly made my job much more manageable. When the governors have finalised it in the New Year, I will send you a detailed School Development Plan. I am very excited about this, and I’m sure you will be, too.
Part 8 The Carol Service
All of the above culminated in a beautiful carol service at St Ann’s Church in Rainhill. The children performed exceptionally, the staff organised it perfectly, and the parents and governors gave unfailing support. Like me, I’m sure everyone there felt immensely proud to be part of Tower College.
I look forward to 2023 with great optimism, knowing that our school has all the right people for it to succeed and, more importantly, keep me a happy girl!
In the meantime, I wish you a happy and relaxing holiday season.
Warmest wishes
Ms Bingley