Head of School's Blog: Monday 3rd September 2012

Welcome back to Copthorne everyone!
I know that many of you will have been celebrating Eid so I hope you had a wonderful time.
The weather has been very mixed but there have been some lovely sunny days this summer so I hope that you managed to enjoy them I am really looking forward to seeing all our children again and hearing about what they did during the holidays.

Staff changes:

Executive Head
Mr D Jacques will be Executive Head of both Copthorne and Horton Grange School. This means that I will have access to his guidance and support for 21/2 days each week. Mr Jacques is a highly experienced Head who has led the complete transformation of Horton Grange School and we will be working together to move Copthorne forward whilst maintaining it's outstanding status and all that makes our school so special. I know that I will learn a great deal from him.

Head of School
I am very excited about starting Copthorne in my new role as Head of School. As always, the staff, pupils, parents, governors and the local community will be working together to keep our school outstanding, providing our children with the very best possible education. I would like to take this opportunity to than all of you who have taken the time to congratulate me on my new role and to pledge your ongoing support for the school and myself - your sentiments are greatly appreciated.

Deputy Head
The Acting Deputy Head for this year will be Mrs Whalley. Mrs Whalley has Copthorne's children at the heart of everything she does and I know that she is keen to work closely with the whole Copthorne community in developing our children as lifelong learners. As part of her role, Mrs Whalley will continue to be our Assessment Coordinator. She will also be leading the induction and support for the many students and volunteers we provide placements for, along with carrying out a wide range of other responsibilities.  

Assistant Head
Mr J Darr will be Acting Assistant Head for the year and, as part of this role, will be responsible for Maths, PE, Learning Mentors and Educational Visits. Mr Darr too is totally committed to Copthorne and it's children and I am sure that he will be a great asset to the Senior Leadership Team.

SEN CO
The Acting SEN CO for this year will be Mrs C Bradley. Mrs Bradley recently completed the National Award for SEN COs and shared the role with our previous SEN CO for the whole of last year so as is very keen to take on full responsibility for this area, making sure that all of our children with Special Educational Needs are receiving an outstanding education.

Important dates:
Wednesday 5th September: Registration is at 8.40am. Breakfast Club begins at 8am and classrooms open as usual at 8.30am for Raving Readers. Please remind your children that the only entrance into school for Breakfast Club or Raving Readers will be the main entrance which is at the front of the new building.
Key Stage Meetings
Separate meetings for parents of children in Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2 and Upper Key Stage 2 will take place in the second or third week of term. The meetings will cover expectations as regards work and behaviour along with procedures and routines. I will inform you of the dates for these meetings by the end of this week.

As usual, if you have any concerns or wish to discuss any issues relating to school please feel free to come into school to chat to me. I will make every effort to see you straight away and, where this is not possible, a suitable appointment will be made for us to meet.
Mr Jacques and myself will also be holding weekly drop-ins at a specific time during which you will be able to pop in to share your ideas, concerns or issues. These meetings will alternate between Mr Jacques and myself from week to week. I will inform you of the day and times for these sessions by the end of this week.

I will continue to publish my blog weekly to let you know all about what we have been doing here at Copthorne and what exciting experiences we have planned for the children. Many of you have told me that you find it a really useful way of finding out what's happening at school. I would be grateful if you could 'spread the word' to encourage more of our parents and children to look at and use the blog. Thank you.

Here's to a great first week.
Mrs Shepherd