It is wonderful to be able to wish our many Jewish families much happiness and joy as they celebrate Rosh Hashanah. During what is a special time of extended family togetherness, we offer them all a heartfelt and sincere L’shana tovah u’metukah blessing.
Having been in my interim Head role for a full month now, I thought it appropriate to share a few first impression reflections with you all: The Sowing of Seeds My regular visits to a few randomly selected classrooms each time have allowed me to see first-hand the effort that teachers are going to as they bring thoughtfully planned, thoroughly prepared, and well taught lessons to the girls and boys. This might almost seem like a rhetorical statement for a headteacher to make given that such delivery by educators in a school like Edge Grove should be non-negotiable. Perhaps so, but it is an important point to make as a relatively new, but seasoned, member of this school community. The intentional business of bringing quality teaching and learning into the hearts and minds of the children each week is taken on with a deliberate and shared commitment in the pursuit of excellence.
Knowing and growing each young sapling During my presentation to all members of staff at the beginning of this term, I shared what are my five essential ‘P’s for those of us responsible for bringing learning to life for the children in our charge each day.
I have been impressed with how the teachers whom I have spent time with exemplify and project each of the following: Professionalism … An important starting point for us all as educators. A word that signifies a teacher’s willingness for being reliable, setting our own high standards, and showing that we care about every aspect of our job. It's about being industrious and organised, and holding ourselves accountable for our thoughts, words and actions.
People … Our teachers truly care for and about the little people in their charge each day. My experience reminds me that one of the signs of a great school will almost always be projected through and seen in the lives of its children. I have been so impressed with the Edge Grove boys and girls; their happy smiling faces, their manners and politeness, their willingness to share place and space together, and their wonderfully buoyant and infectious spirits. Passion … It is my view that without a sincerely felt passion for the work that one does as a teacher, a person would be wasting their time. My contact with all teachers, and my regular visits to staff rooms and meeting places has certainly had an impression on me. Edge Grove is blessed with passionate men and women, most of whom are fulfilling a personal and professional calling.
Purpose … In my daily dealings with the school’s well-oiled structures and systems, and with the very organised and proactive ways in which so many of the operational wheels function, I have again been impressed with the purposeful and well-thought through decision-making processes. Every effort is being made to stay alert to and so avoid, wherever possible, intrusions and interferences that might compromise the children or the integrity of the teaching and learning in some way. A proactive and purpose-driven mindset is very much a part of what we are striving for and what underpins our daily working culture. Pulse … This relates to the heartbeat of the school. Again, a personal view, that if, as a teacher and educator, one is going to feel the spirit of belonging, that excitement of adding value, and the joy associated with making a difference in children’s lives, then one will need to seek out and find the pulse; that is the heartbeat of a school like Edge Grove. From what I have seen, most members of our school’s staff have found and are quickened by the pulse that to me comes alive each day when the children arrive at school.
Cultivating, feeding and watering the fertile soil It has been a personal pleasure to get to know, work alongside and learn from the experienced members of our Senior Leadership and Management teams. A dynamic and fast-moving school like this one relies on the seasoned expertise, fine-tuning skills and big-picture capabilities of men and women who have a clear understanding of what is needed in the interests of harnessing optimal performance from our people, systems and strategies.
Our Executive Senior Leadership Team is made up of Gillian Dippenaar (Business Manager), Jo Leighton (Senior Deputy Head), Laura O’Hare (Deputy Head Academic), Anna Warren (Head of Upper School), Samantha Robinson (Head of Lower Prep), Kate McManus (Interim Head of Pre Prep), Ian Kay (Head of Digital Learning Strategy), and myself as Interim Head. Our Operational Senior Leadership Team is made up of all members of the above group and includes Brian McManus (Director of Sport and Extracurricular), Carron Cookson (Director of Educational Logistics), Neil Alexander-Passe (Director of Learning Success), and Gill Emmerson (Head of Admissions). You can see a photo of the full team below.
From left to right: Neil Alexander-Passe, Ian Kay, Laura O'Hare, Carron Cookson, Jo Leighton, Samantha Robinson, Brian McManus, Kate McManus, Gillian Dippenaar, Gill Emmerson, Anna Warren, Richard Stanley
In the pursuit of excellence, any institution or organisation and those who make up its workforce will soon realise that they have embarked on a journey. In pursuit of it one soon realises that it’s not tangible or clearly defined, or something that one can pin down. As Ralph Marston says,
“Excellence is not a skill, it's an attitude. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
It is one that is acquired over time and with a striving to learn from mistakes made and the resolve to be better.
Best wishes for the week ahead and warm regards,
Richard Stanley Interim Headmaster
