Welcome back - Spring Term 2021

It was a pleasure to welcome all of our pupils and staff back to school for the Spring Term yesterday, be it online, or in person at the Critical Worker School or the Nursery.

We are starting the school term in a different, although not altogether unprecedented way, and not quite as we would have wished. Our priorities for the academic year remain to ensure the health and safety of our pupils, to engage and inspire the pupils through their learning, and to look after each other. We are such a large community and in what has been a challenging year, the need to listen, encourage, and support each other to be the best that we can be is more important than ever.

In my opening assembly on Thursday morning, I focussed on the school’s motto ‘Finem Respice’ and the parable of the Lamp in Luke’s gospel, encouraging us all to look towards the future, to shine out as lights with confidence in ourselves and the people that we are,  and perhaps most importantly, to listen to each other.

Godstowe is so much more than our physical school, and we have already proved that we can come together as a community regardless of our proximity. We are lucky and grateful to be able to use amazing digital technology, which enables us to be together as a community - albeit ‘together’ in a different way.

I would like to reiterate what I said in summer, which is that in spite of the challenging circumstances in which many of our families find themselves, we are thankful for the engagement and support of our parent community, which is always extraordinary.

We have started the term on a brilliant note, with a very successful first two full days of Virtual Godstowe, Critical Workers Godstowe, the Godstowe Nursery, and a bubble of boarders in Highlands House.

So, I would like to say well done to all of our pupils for starting the term so enthusiastically, and to our teachers and parents who have been working hard this week to inspire and encourage children through another round of distance learning.

Wishing everyone a well-deserved, restful weekend.

Sophie Green

Headmistress