Head of School Message

Dear St. Andrews Dusit Community,

This academic year will certainly go down in the pages of history! We started the academic year in school and were fortunate enough to enjoy some school events together such as class assemblies, parent coffee mornings, parent workshops, Christmas Nativities, Sing-A-Longs and even a visit from Father Christmas!

In January we experienced a second wave of COVID-19 followed by a third wave in April where once again, we moved to online learning and the way we taught and how students learnt changed overnight.

Despite moving online, our school community knew that being together- albeit virtually - was crucial to our children’s wellbeing and success. Students overcame this challenge with the help of their teachers and families and have learnt to adapt to a new way of learning-showing amazing resilience, perseverance, and dedication along the way. We accepted that our world had changed, but as a community, we did not let this stop us; we worked together and developed new skills to ensure that our children continued to thrive.

We continue to grow as a school and are excited to be opening an additional Year 2 and Year 5 class next academic year due to a further increase in student numbers. This year our Early Years children benefited from weekly yoga lessons that were added to their specialist provision. Our Key Stage 1 and 2 children also received an additional specialist teacher with art lessons delivered by Miss Emilie, our talented art teacher. We continue to improve our academic program and are looking forward to auditing our curriculum again next year and looking at ways we can weave in opportunities for outdoor education, well-being and opportunities to promote student agency through real life links and projects that help improve our school and local community.

It is time for us to say goodbye to our Year 6 students who will be graduating from Dusit this academic year. During their time with us, I have really enjoyed watching these students grow into such caring young individuals and it is true to say that each of these children embody our Dusit Values. Through Buddy Reading sessions with younger students across the school and supporting student play at break and lunchtimes, these children have shown responsibility, understanding, empathy and leadership skills. Both in and out of the classroom, this class works hard, are united as a team and are totally supportive of each other, driving their peers to achieve their full potential. Although I’m sure that our Year 6 students would have preferred to have spent the last term in school, they have overcome the challenge of online learning with a positive, determined mindset. Year 6, if you can approach every challenge in your life with this same attitude, you will go on to achieve great things and get the best out of life and the next chapter in your educational journey.

I am extremely proud of all our students and what they have managed to achieve, particularly after the unsettled year that we have had due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I would like to thank all the parents and staff in our St. Andrews Dusit community for continuing to work together to get the very best for the children in our care. I truly believe that there is no other community like Dusit, and I am so looking forward to us all coming back together in the new academic year and once again being able to enjoy what makes our school so special.

I do hope that you enjoy looking through this yearbook and reflecting on the past year and the positive times together.

As we come to the end of this academic year, I wish you all a relaxing summer. Please stay safe and take care.

Caroline Ratcliffe Head of School

Our world had changed, but as a community, we did not let this stop us