15 December 2009

Dear Parent

We have just returned form the Carol Service, which was one of the best I can remember.  Seemingly for the first time in a long time, the sun is shining and the air is cold.  Tavistock looked at its best and Jo and I feel boosted by the strong sense of community and common purpose, which often comes with a really high quality, traditional school event.

Not too many of you will have read the Cambridge Primary Review which was published in October this year, although you may have heard its findings debated in the media.  This was the most far-reaching piece of research into primary education carried out in the last 40 years and looked at evidence and experience from all over the world.  In summary Prof. Robin Alexander found compelling evidence that breadth in the curriculum is associated with improved standards in the basics: children learn the basics best when their minds are already open, engaged and eager.

This was exciting for us at Mount House, being persuasive affirmation of our core statement of purpose:

‘to foster excitement in the children’s learning whilst promoting their confidence, fitness and generosity of spirit’

Put in another way there are themes even more fundamental than the ‘ three R’s’,  which have to be put in place before a child’s intellect and spirit can be built up.  To force a child to read before they are capable of forming persuasive mental images or having some empathy with a story-line is likely to build up a resistance and frustration and ultimately 13, 15 and 18-year-olds who have never read a book for the love of it.  The same theme is equally true to numeracy too and also wider emotional development with too narrow a push for ‘progress’ likely to see fault lines appearing in emerging  intellects and even personalities.

It was frustrating to see the government’s response to this research (and that of the opposition), which was to reject it out of hand.  This stance is either a purely political expedient or simple short sightedness.  This philosophy of learning certainly has the backing of most sensible and ambitious teachers.

We have the privilege here to be able to offer so much depth and variety to the children’s learning, which we fully embrace.  We are free from the stultifying culture of constant testing and narrow intermediate goals, although entirely preoccupied by the ultimate outcomes for the children and of course this includes to which school they move on.  Luckily we have a long run up to this with 13-plus entry being the norm.

I hope you have been looking at the school website and have received the newsletters we have sent out, including the one enclosed.  These prevent me having to review the catalogue of events which have featured in the children’s lives this term, but I hope will give you some flavour at least.

Out of many to choose from there are two examples, which have made me especially proud recently.

This week some of the senior musicians were taken to Crelake Old People’s Home where they sang carols and songs including the Pie Jesu and various other tear jerkers.  Needless to say they quickly had the residents dabbing at their eyes, but at the end of the concert the children, quite unbidden, broke off and started to mix and engage with them, making them feel special in an entirely unselfconscious and spontaneous way.  The adults present were deeply thrilled to witness this.

This term we welcomed the usual influx of new pupils and I have been delighted by the way they have fitted in.  New parents have made some very supportive comments in particular ‘We are so delighted that, here at last, we have found somewhere the children regard it as ‘cool to be kind, academic and musical as well as sporty’.

I am deeply proud of this kind of feedback, which suggests that in the task of getting these building blocks stacked in the right order, our philosophy is succeeding.

I do hope you all have a very happy Christmas.

Yours sincerely,