By Roger Hardy, Headteacher at St Illytd Primary School
‘A supply teacher has been a rare but priceless asset’
It’s the end of term and I think staff and children alike are really looking forward to a relaxing break.
We’ve managed to get through the term with largely no major issues such as school closures. This has been close a few times though, and I know my headteacher colleagues will agree when I say that juggling the logistics of having staff off this term has been a very trying process.
A supply teacher has been a rare but priceless asset.
Through the hard work of all staff we’ve managed to give the children a good curriculum ‘diet’ this term. Most schools are now well underway with their new Curriculum for Wales design and here in St Illtyd we have had training in, and have been trialling, lots of new pedagogical approaches.
The schools in the Llantwit cluster continue to adopt a very supportive approach with each other and the primary schools have met with the high school on a number of occasions to discuss the new curriculum and to look for new opportunities.
As well as the Curriculum for Wales, we have introduced the new processes to support Additional Learning Needs in school.
Despite the changes and the external pressures, the best bit of the job remains the pupils in school. How amazing that, despite the up and downs of Covid, they still come sprinting into school in the morning, laughing and joking. It is the fuel that we as the adults in the school need.
We have had another year of no Christmas concerts. I know many parents and family members will miss these but a Christmas performance of some sorts will be in the offing. However, this has removed the need to have endless hours of practice in the hall and enabled us to do more enriched tasks with the children in class. A small silver lining perhaps?
As a school and cluster, we are very proud of our achievements to date. We still do not know what is around the corner that could put up barriers to the progress we’ve made but I have no doubt we will get through every one of them together.
Happy Christmas.
Roger Hardy
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