“All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”

JRR Tolkien

Here we are at the end of a term and a year like no other.

As you will see from our latest data, linked to the school reward system, a significant number of merits have been awarded to pupils this half-term. The vast majority of our children are making excellent choices every single day and many have achieved the gold standard of being exemplary in their conduct and attitude to learning.  Our attendance is holding up extremely well and, to date, we have only had to ask fractions of year group bubbles to isolate on a small number of occasions.

In the verse of poetry above Tolkien speaks too of gold, winter and looking at things from different angles. He reflects on the value of that which endures.

This reminded me of Kintsugi.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold. This ancient practice is built on the idea that in embracing flaws, vulnerabilities and imperfections you can create an even stronger, more beautiful artefact than the original.

Many levels of continuity have been broken this year in so many aspects of life and we have all had to navigate limitation, restriction and uncertainty.   Whilst we continue to strive for the best, we all have to deal with imperfection and there is much work yet to be done in terms of social and academic recovery.  In doing this it is our values that endure and provide the collective strength, as a community, to continue to rise to the challenges presented to us all.  I hope that you have a safe and restful holiday.  Enjoy the lights and be as kind as you can – it is not a weakness and may yet prove the golden glue of our age.

J Hughes-Williams, Principal

Newsletter

• Read our latest 2020 December Newsletter which includes this article