Head Mistress’ Welcome
One of the things that I love most about LEH is the vitality of it, the sheer passion and the palpable creativity that vibrates through the walls of the classrooms and rushes down the corridors. It even seems to fill the air that we breathe. You can’t see it, smell it or hear it, but you can definitely feel it. Parents and visitors always remark on it. It’s a sort of infectious energy that comes about when we bring young, enthusiastic pupils together and encourage them to express themselves, to be playful and experiment, to use their imaginations, to share their thoughts and experiences – to simply be creative. It’s there for all to see in the colourful artwork on the walls, in the heart-lifting music seeping beneath the music room doors and in the stunning pottery creations, bright textiles and innovative 3D printer products proudly on display around the school. But more than that, it’s felt in every classroom, nurtured in each subject,
Creativity issue
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Holles C nnect
at the very heart of all that we do at LEH. It is not something that just inhabits the school curriculum only as it relates to drama, music, art and other obviously creative subjects, it runs through all of school life, infusing the way human and natural sciences are learned, as Mr Brittain, Head of Physics, explains in his piece about creativity in STEM on page 23. Creativity certainly doesn’t flourish when children are regarded as pitchers, simply to be filled with facts, nor when a teacher’s sole objective is aimed at coaching children towards exams. Yet despite being intangible it is a quality that can be learned, encouraged and valued. It works best when combined with deep knowledge and expertise.
We have long been planning to devote this edition of Holles Connect magazine to the creativity that I believe flourishes at LEH. Then along came the pandemic, forcing us to close our doors for much of the last year, and to enforce strict social distancing measures, one-way systems, and year group bubbles even when we were open. Our lives have been about restrictions and online learning, with teachers and pupils far apart from each other.
I have found great pride and joy in LEH’s indomitable creativity
Creativity might well have become another of the casualties of Covid-19. But I have found great pride and joy
