Message from the headteacher

Quite often at the moment I ask the deputy headteacher the same question: ‘Is this really happening?’ He always looks at me patiently and reminds me, ‘yes, it is’.

It is truly astonishing to look at emails from last week which now seem as if they were from another era. They refer to visits, meetings, events which are now cancelled. We learnt on Tuesday morning that around a third of our staff would not be able to attend school for the foreseeable future. And we realised that we were unable to run a full school with that many staff missing, so we started making plans to reduce our provision.

We met with the vast majority of students on Monday and Tuesday and we talked about the crisis we face together. We explored a bit of history and thought about how crises have usually revealed the best and the worst in humanity. We talked about how they could reveal their best side over the coming days, weeks and months. Some of them agreed to ‘call out’ students who make tasteless jokes or who are still not behaving hygienically. Many of them committed to be mindful of their parents’/carers’ concerns and frustrations if they end up in family self-isolation. Others decided that they would call their grandparents to avoid them feeling remote or lonely.

And so we limped through the week, making the best decisions we could. On Thursday morning we re-evaluated in the light of government announcements and eventually agreed to close on Friday to give staff time to come together and make plans for Monday’s provision of children of keyworkers and vulnerable children. By this time Y11 and 13 had no curriculum no work to and Y7 attendance was at 55% and falling.

So, when students arrived on Thursday morning we met with Y11 and 13 and told them the news as we understood it. It was the very lowest point in my career and one of the lowest in my life.

We gave the students plenty of time to say goodbyes and to sign each other’s shirts. We offered them the chance to stay with us all day but many of them agreed with their parents/carers to be collected or make their own way home. They were a model of grace under pressure. Thoughtful, appreciative and kind to those around them. Later in the day we waved ‘au revoir’ to Y7 students to strains of ‘we’ll meet again’.

Through all of this we have received a constant stream of praise and warmth from families and from staff. I could fill many pages with examples but here are just a few:

“Thank you for all that you and the Highfields community are doing in these uncertain times. Can I also congratulate the language team, the quiz they have is certainly keeping my child and a group (all on FaceTime) entertained. It is quite lovely how the kids are adapting to these changes. I have 2 kids, one sat on a laptop in the kitchen and the other in the lounge, both working through their tasks, with their friends helping in the background.”

“I just want to thank you all for the incredible job you are doing under such immense pressure and such difficult circumstances.”

“Dear Mr Marsh and all your staff, just wanted to thank you all for all your hard work in these strange and difficult times. Whether you close or open you will have our full support and we are grateful for the sensible approach you have taken and the way you have communicated this to the pupils and their families… we are immensely grateful.”

For my part I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart the cleaners, caretakers, caterers, teachers, support staff, technicians, parents and carers who have helped us to keep our children safe through what has been a historic week. There are interesting times ahead. I know Highfields staff have the skill, grit and determination to make a success of the challenges we face.

Like the first parent above who had her children working at the kitchen table, I hope that you choose to limit the extent of any educational ‘slippage’ by ensuring that your children keep on learning. For any of you who have ever dreamed about home-schooling … here’s your chance! I’m sure that there is much you can learn together.

So …. outwardly this week I have aimed to remain calm and focused on the needs of your children. Inwardly between you and me, I felt completely and utterly heartbroken yesterday (Thursday). School is my work family and I really feel as though our family is being broken up at the worst possible time of year as students head towards a summer of examinations, sports, events, performances and trips. The children’s faces, as they absorbed the news that all of their exam preparation had been for nothing, will stick with me forever.

This morning (Friday) I met with those staff who are still able to come to school and we planned our immediate future. I have appointed Peter Cole as SLT lead for online curriculum and Matt Hodkin as SLT lead for emergency childcare provision. We are already well into writing a completely new online curriculum and a curriculum for those children in emergency keyworker childcare (see official communications for details).

I do hope that you are your families will stay safe and I hope to you write to you next week.

I wish you the very best as we head into this unprecedented challenge.

Staff planning meeting 20.3.20

A Marsh Headteacher