Hello
I am really pleased to say that we have had a really good start to the new academic year with the majority of students returning to school on a positive note. Our new Year 7 students at Newport have settled well and it is lovely getting to know them all. Our returning students have also returned with positivity and well into their new year groups or Key Stages. Last Wednesday was a truly special morning; meeting and greeting students as they arrived.
At St George’s studio we have had a number of new students join and they too are adjusting to the routines and expectations of being in an educational setting. Our returning students are also settling back into school routines and structure.
Our staff on both sites are trained to support our therapeutic responses to teaching and learning and will support students when feeling anxious or overwhelmed. It is lovely to see students building relationships with their new staff teams.
Both sites welcome a range of new staff to the community of St George’s.
Senior Leadership Team have been working on the school Vision and Values which will underpin St George’s expectations across school for all students and staff. Please see the attached information which outlines Vision & Values and a new school logo.
Our therapeutic classroom transformation at our Newport site is now well underway with all 5 Key Stage 3 classes converted and 2 Key Stage 5 classes complete. The feedback from both students and staff is really positive and report feeling calmer and enjoying the new environment. Thank you to everyone who gave up time during the summer to ensure the classrooms were complete.
Our corridors have also had a makeover with the reception and corridors being display board free and calming colours, it really does make a difference. Further work on corridors has been identified for October half term.
At St George’s Studio the phase 2 expansion was carried out over the summer and we now have a separate area for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. It looks great and also continues the therapeutic approach to the environment. Some elements will be completed during October half term due to the very short summer holiday making timescales very tight. Again thank you to all contractors and staff who worked incredibly hard over the summer to ensure the site was fit for purpose at the start of term.
I have some very exciting news and want to inform you all that St George’s has been identified by the DfE as a priority for the school rebuild programme and we are currently undergoing a range of feasibility studies both on our current site and a potential new site. This is something that I have been pursuing for some time, and I am really pleased as our students deserve the best. Please keep an eye out for an imminent press release from the Local Authority, which is due to be released on 3rd of October.
I hope you all get to enjoy the weekend.
Steff
