By Roger Hardy, Headteacher of St Illtyd Primary School, Llantwit Major.
The joy of getting back to normal school life
A whole term has flown by since I have written a short piece for this newspaper.
Spring saw a new emergence of Covid with staff and pupil absence hitting another small, short lived but significant peak. At times our energies had to be completely focussed on keeping classes and, indeed, the school open. It is with the flexibility and support of all the staff in our school that we were able to do this.
We therefore seem to be heading into the summer with renewed optimism as we plan a catalogue of events. Some of these emerged as new opportunities over the last two years and some are making a comeback. Either way, what we are excited about is the potential to have our parents and community coming back into school. It should not be underestimated how important it is for children to have their parents or carers coming to see them take part in a school event.
When speaking to parents at our Spring Parents’ evening I was reminded that some of them with children in the early years had never been into the school building. We sometimes forget that, as practitioners working day in day out in school, how lucky we are to see the children develop every day. The joy of seeing a ‘first’ or watching a child proudly showing you their work is a privilege.
We recently started larger assemblies and to see the look on young faces of being in the hall together was lovely. It also reminded us that our younger children have never sat in a long, straight row of 20 or more before!
The need to wear masks in schools has now also gone. Whilst it will take some a little longer than others to adjust, this has given another sense of freedom we forgot about. I’m so pleased that children can now see me smiling when they tell me their good news stories.
In a recent survey to parents asking what they want to know about their child in school, the top answer was connected with ‘wellbeing’. As a school, this will continue to be our focus as well but it is fantastic to feel a small corner has been turned on our journey to give our children the school experiences they deserve.
- The views expressed by columnists of this newspaper do not necessarily reflect the views of the Glamorgan Star, its employees or its proprietors.
🌟 This article first appeared in the printed edition of the Glamorgan Star on 19.05.22.
| Scroll down to comment on this article
Tributes are paid to a ‘true gentleman’
Man sentenced for murdering his wife
A MAN who murdered his wife by strangulation has been sentenced to life imprisonment at…
Upsets galore in Barry Cup round two
Llantwit man is jailed for child sex offences
Rhoose Lifeguards celebrate strong showing at Open Nationals
Barry into round two after walkover
| Scroll down to comment on this article
