Merry Christmas from Thomas Bewick School

A Christmas message from our Headteacher, Daley Barber-Allen

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of a whole term and already over a third of the way through another academic year! Where does the time go?! The autumn term is the longest and always feels the busiest, and this year has been no exception. 

We are undoubtedly living in tough times and there have been many challenges along the way. It is no secret that there is a national recruitment crisis within the education, social care and health sectors, and this has been very difficult for us to manage as a very large, and growing, specialist school; but in line with one of our Trust and school core values, we have shown RESILIENCE throughout. In true Thomas Bewick fashion we have really pulled together as a community, and I am finishing this term feeling exceptionally proud of the school I am fortunate and privileged to lead. 

Despite the many curve balls we have been dealt this term, there have been so many positives and highlights. Wonderful and magical things happen every single day at Thomas Bewick School and it is so important to recognise and hold on to these things. And Christmas is the perfect time to shine a light on the people who are responsible for all those wow moments and fantastic achievements... it really is a huge team effort, so here goes!

To our brilliant and hugely talented teachers and classroom support staff - thank you for bringing our classrooms to life and for the exciting learning opportunities you give our children and young people every day. 

To our Local Advisory Committee, the Prosper Learning Trust central team and our Local Authority colleagues – thank you for all the help, friendly challenge, support and guidance you give to help us be the best school we can be. 

To our hardworking admin team and Family Liaison Officers – thank you for being the crucial link between our school and the families we work with, for keeping us all organised and for helping our busy school to run as efficiently as possible. 

To our colleagues within the caretaking, cleaning and catering teams – thank you for keeping us safe, warm, fed and watered.  And thank you for taking good care of our learning spaces. 

To our therapy team (Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, music therapy and massage therapy).  Thank you for all the training, support, advice and specialist support you give to our children, young people and staff. 

To the SEND Transport team and our transport providers – thank you for getting our children and young people to and from school safely. 

To our parents and carers – thank you for being such a fantastic support and for allowing us to work with your amazing children every day. 

And finally, but most importantly, thank you to our truly FANTASTIC pupils who continue to inspire us and make us smile every single day.  They are the reason we are all here, and we are extremely proud of every single one of them. 

I hope that you all enjoy some time together as a family and with those you love most over the winter holiday period.  

To those of you celebrating, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

Stay safe, have fun, and I will see you all again in 2023!

Daley