By Roger Hardy, headteacher of St Illtyd Primary School, Llantwit Major
HAVING contacted the Glamorgan Star to enquire about sending in some school photos I was somewhat surprised when they asked me to contribute a small column to the paper.
As headteachers, we have to be very careful about what we say – don’t be political, be careful with your own strong opinions etc.
So where to start? The list of things on my ‘to do’ list grows longer every day. Not because I can’t read the many documents and articles that get emailed to me, not because I can’t complete forms by specified dates but because I run a school.
There are children, adults and emotions involved. Covid is still at the forefront of everyday business. Tick boxes to say ‘complete’ aren’t always an option and I don’t want to sit in my office all day.
I joined the profession to make a difference to pupils and increasingly this isn’t just academically but in so many other areas. This can only be done by getting to know the children and enjoying their company. You can sometimes learn more about a child’s wellbeing by twirling a rope and chatting at lunchtime than any test.
There are massive changes happening in Welsh education at the moment. Changes to Additional Learning Needs, changes to the curriculum and changes to assessment. Largely, we are very excited about these opportunities and are working hard as individual schools and clusters to begin implementing the changes. There is a lot to do and it has to be done alongside, and on top of, our day to day work.
With any challenging environment it is always good to chat through ideas and developments with colleagues and luckily, in the Llantwit area, the headteachers and senior management teams of the primary and secondary schools regularly meet and work closely together. It is important that we meet the above challenges, especially the curriculum, with a shared vision.
The next 12 months in education will be an exciting time and we look forward to sharing our developments with you as we go.
