Headlines By James Saunders 8th March 2019
World Book Day
International Women’s Day Today is International Women’s day and my Twitter stream has been filled with inspirational stories of talented women from across the globe. As a young boy I can only remember a few inspirational male role models. Ok, there was my father. And screen icons Rambo and The Terminator. However, it was female musicians, and in particular, Rap music that had the greatest influence on me and helped me develop my love for music: Salt ‘n’ Pepa; Monie Love; The Cookie Crew; Queen Latifah; Nenah Cherry and Lauren Hill to name a few. These women managed to express themselves and the art form without the misogyny and violence that plagues today’s male dominated world of rap. Does this make me a feminist? Surely the very nature of our jobs as teachers must make us all feminists. You should surely never favour one learner over another. You should treat them all equally. And that is what being a feminist is. For me it is simply about equality. All our learners deserve an equal opportunity to receive the same high quality teaching and support that enables them to achieve great outcomes and a happy life. International Women’s day reminds us that equality still needs to be on our radar and as a society we must still strive to achieve parity for all every single day. There is a excellent series of children’s books (little dreams, big people) that highlight the great accomplishments of women. Figures such as Rosa Parks, Emmeline Pankhurst, Ada Lovelace, Frida Kahlo, Maria Montessori and Ella Fitzgerald are all represented. Days like International Women’s Day help us to spotlight the great accomplishments of role models such as these and open up an equality of aspiration for all our learners. Which neatly segues me into World Book Day.
It was so great to see everyone embrace World Book Day yesterday. Those that came to school as a character from their favourite book really looked the part. This we extended to staff and I am pleased that so many embraced the event. We had Lord of the Rings, Alice in Wonderland, The BFG, Where’s Wally, Harry Potter and many more books represented. Coupled with our book fair, this was our most successful World Book Day yet and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone that supported it. The aim of the day is raise the profile of books and reading. The evidence is quite clear on this - regular reading makes a difference to academic performance. Funding demands This week I have included a letter that outlines some of the current challenges that all schools, including ours, are facing due to funding cuts. As a group of Headteachers across Essex, we have all agreed to inform our communities of the increasing challenges that exist. Whilst at Honywood we feel proud that we have managed with the resources given, it is clear that this is not enough and going forward we are concerned about the level of funding. We thank you for your continuing support on this matter. Consultation Meeting Following the publication of the joint letter from Honywood and Saffron Academy, we have now arranged for an additional meeting, following the meeting on the 22nd March at 11:15am, for parent/carers on the 28th March at 5pm—6pm. This will take place in the main hall. The consultation period has been extended until after the Easter Break. Wishing you a restful weekend.