I cannot believe another year has flown by and what a year it has been. Our staff have worked incredibly hard to ensure our students get the best opportunities in preparation for the next steps of their education whether that is remaining at St George’s or moving on. This year we have students leaving us to start apprenticeships or go to the Isle of Wight College, HTP and the Phoenix Project. We are so proud of each and everyone of them for their achievements both academically and socially during their time at St George’s. For those staying with us we have seen increased levels of maturity and development of social skills, alongside learning both in the classroom and the community, our Year 7 students have settled incredibly well and are ready for Year 8. We look forward to welcoming all of our new students in September.
Sadly, at this time of year as well as saying goodbye to our students there are also a number of staff leaving us for new challenges and adventures; Heather, David, Neil, Clyde, Donna, Andrew, Will, Sarah, Amy, Katie and Sarah. These staff have been at St George’s between 1-20 years and I thank them all for their hard work and commitment over their time at St George’s and wish them all the best of luck moving forwards. Ella and Molly are leaving us temporarily to have babies and again we wish them the best of luck. Steve is stepping down from teaching but will be staying with us at St George’s to continue to work with our students.
St George’s is at the forefront of exciting new developments within SEND across the island with the new satellite provision ‘St George’s Studio’, which is opening in September. This is a very exciting opportunity for the island and I am proud that our school has been identified to take this on.
With that in mind, Sarah and myself will be splitting our time between sites and focusing on the strategic development and improvement plan for St George’s. I am very confident that our Senior Leadership Team will continue to be effective in supporting students, families and staff at our main site. Sarah and myself will also be available via email and telephone and will always endeavour to respond to any concerns in a timely manner. Unfortunately, I will be out of action at the start of term due to long awaited surgery on my hand but please be reassured that I will return as soon as possible. I will be accessing work from home and have already arranged lifts into school.
Thank you to all our families for allowing us the privilege of working with your young people. Our students are the best. I hope that you are all able to enjoy the summer and we look forward to them all in September.
Steff Gleeson
Head Teacher
