CoMPasS

Year 3

You can follow us

Friday 7th July 2023

Good afternoon, children, Parents, Grandparents, Chair of Governors, Headmaster and our distinguished guests a warm welcome to the St Peter’s 2-8 End of Year Review and Celebration. A chance for us all to review, reflect and celebrate all of the children’s achievements throughout the year. What a fantastic year we have had at St Peter’s School 2-8. The year has been full of exciting adventures for children and staff, even for some of the parents!

At St Peter’s 2-8 throughout our curriculum, we believe experiences are everything; without real life experiences, learning would be a process ‘done’ to children and not an immersive and conceptual experience that develops children.

If our children do not look back on their years of schooling with affection, pride and positivity we have failed them. Schools must help children to broaden their minds, feed their imaginations and develop their love of experiences that in turn will develop self-motivated learners who thoroughly enjoy learning. The staff team, I know, do this at St Peter’s 2-8.

All of the credit must go to the extraordinary people around the outside of this room who make St Peter’s 2-8 such an inspirational and extraordinary place. Every single member of staff works incredibly hard to create such inspirational learning spaces and environments for your children and prepare exciting and innovative lessons that inspire your children to learn. The effort they make for your children is staggering. To everyone your work never goes unnoticed and on behalf of the children and everyone else in the room, a huge thank you and congratulations on achieving a school that is quite remarkable.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the whole school Leadership team lead by Mr Walker for their continued collegiality, friendship, and support. I also would like to take this opportunity to thank the governors lead by Mr Bill Wooley for their time, guidance and support too. Thank you to Phillip Hilling as he retires from the board, for his support as a Governor.

A huge thank you to Antonia Clarke for her generous support, friendship and counsel. I really do appreciate all you do, as do all colleagues, parents and children across the school. Huge thanks and I know you will be amazing as the Head of 2-8 in September.

A huge thank you to Mrs McCurrie and Mrs Fattorini. They have been such a fantastic support to colleagues and to all parents at St Peter’s School.

To the FA’s who open the school every morning at 6am, sweep paths, prepare the school for events such as assemblies, plays and music concerts. They drive minibuses to allow children to go on trips and help coordinate parking in school. They do get to know your children and are always wearing a smiley face whatever the weather is like outside.

Everyday, Stuart our chef, will start preparing our lunches at 6.30am. He has continued to develop our menu attempting to provide that fine balance between healthy food and food that the children will eat, providing them with fuel for the remainder of the day. He is ably supported by Aga, Danielle, Michelle and Moira who know all the children really well. Huge thanks.

We have access to the medical team across the campus. Thank you for patching up the children and offering tremendous pastoral care to them all. Your support doesn’t go unnoticed. Thank you to Sian who is often found in St Peter’s 2-8 and we appreciate her support.

Every morning from 6am the cleaning team come to work and turn the school from a scene that can only be created from 2-8 children to a beautiful environment ready for them to learn. My thanks to Simon and his team, whom many of you will never see, for all they do for the school.

Thank you to the parents for your continued support for the school and the feedback that you provide through school channels that can help to improve the offering for your children at school.

Thank you to our St Peter’s 2-8 Friends, volunteers and everyone else who helps at school organising events, workshops, classroom support and pop up cafes. Thank you. This year they have organised parent socials, Quiz and Curry night, St Peter’s 2-8 Grand Bake Off, a Charity Summer Ball for our school charity Zarach, our summer fair

Clif-fest, bags 2 school donations, they have organised and led the St Peter’s 2-8 uniform shop and supported new parents and families who needed support joining the school and raising valuable funds for Zarach. My thanks to Mrs Smith and for leading the parent, baby, and toddler group on Thursday mornings. It is greatly appreciated. My huge thanks to everyone who has volunteered for whatever role. Particular thanks to Mrs Woolf and Mrs Dolan Bent who have led the St Peter’s 2-8 Friends. On behalf of the school community thank you for all you have done this year not be the place it is for the children today.

Thank you to everyone who has helped in anyway.

We do have a few members of staff who will be leaving us today.

Chloe Hopper started at school as a Sport Graduate in 2020. She has been an excellent member of staff supporting children across the school and most recently successfully completed her PGCE to become a teacher.

Sam Lomax has been our sports grad throughout the year, supporting all of the sporting endeavours at school. Sam is always the first to volunteer to attend trips and extra duties – this has been appreciated by the staff, children, and parents. Sam is off to Loughborough University to study for a Master’s Degree.

Kate Jeffrey started at St Peter’s in September 2017. She has been an excellent class teacher to children in Year 1 and Year 2. Affectionately known as Miss J, her ability to inspire and her care for children has been second to none. She will be hugely missed by all and we wish her well for her new job in Dubai.

Harriet Murray at arrived at St Peter’s as a Sport Graduate in 2014 and it was soon evident that she had all the qualities necessary to be a great teacher. Harriet has worked in Year 1, 2 and 3 and has been outstanding in every respect and has made a lifelong impact on every child she has taught. Harriet is taking some time for herself to fulfil her ambition to go travelling. We look forward to hearing about her adventures.

A huge thank you and congratulations to all the Year 3 children for their incredible ability and excitement for learning. You just surprise me every day at school with your enthusiasm, incredible learning, your achievements, and the sense of fun you have. Always remember that success is not always being the best at something. Success is being that little bit better than yesterday, every day. Thank you for making our job as teachers one of the best jobs in the world.

The Year 3 children leave St Peter’s 2-8 today, most of them moving to St Peter’s 8-13. I know they are going to continue their inspirational learning journey at St Peter’s 8-13 and will continue to impress me in my new role, Mrs Fynn, Mrs Spencer and Mrs Savage by getting immersed in as many opportunities as they can and continue to enjoy and love their learning. All the staff at St Peter’s 2-8 will miss you greatly - good luck.

The Year 3 children received scrolls and House Trophies were presented. The Meaby Rosebowl of Housepoints was awarded to Walmgate. The Interhouse Swimming Gala was awarded to Micklegate, and the Marks Sports Shield for Sports Day was awarded to Monk.

Finally, I just wanted to say the last 12 years at St Peter’s 2-8 have flown by. The school is an incredibly special place because it strives to continue to improve to provide the very best education for your children and be the best version of itself.

I am very proud that we as a whole team at 2-8 have been recognised by being awarded three National awards, including the TES Independent school of the Year, our National profile has led to schools visiting us from the UK and on occasions from overseas. I have been lucky enough to represent the school team at 10 Downing Street meeting Theresa May the PM at the time and most recently to a Royal Garden party. These are all lovely. However, the most important things for me at 2-8, is observing the teachers provide an education that truly inspires children and seeing the smiles on the children’s faces as they arrive excitedly at school every single day which is just magical and heart-warming and the reason, we do what we do.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer and I look forward to welcoming the Year 3 children in September at 8-13 and I wish the whole school community the very best for next year and look forward to seeing you all very soon. Thank you!

Please can I ask Mr Walker to the stage to say a farewell and introduce the whole school for their final performance of the year.