As my first month at Westholme draws near I face a blank page to pen my first blog.
Where to start? What style? Who is reading it?
Pithy wit, insightful wisdom or inspirational motivation? All seem insufficient to encompass my reflections on September at Westholme; my first four weeks. What a month it has been and it has passed at such speed.
Westholme is a school with a unique sense of its own identity and this has been evident everywhere I have looked. There is a real buzz about each school site, a warmth and friendliness from staff and pupils and a sense of purpose in all corners of every learning space, inside or out!
We’ve seen Sixth Form leaders introduced to the school, Lads & Dads in the Lakes, sports fixtures, football cup match, woodlice experiments, Harvest Festival, Macmillan Coffee Morning,’ Meet the Teacher’ (x4!), Sixth Form and Year 10 Induction, Theatre trips, Wear Something Red Day, School Councils, Debating, European Day of Languages and so much more. On a smaller scale I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting Year 11s and am already impressed by their maturity, humour and commitment to the school. An impressive group of students indeed, and our future Westholme leaders. I firmly believe that schools are fundamentally about people and that everyone has a role to play – I am already enjoying being part of this winning team.
On Friday morning (at 9.00am), as I swung across the sports hall on a rope, crawled under the tent and completed the obstacle course for raising funds for awareness of heart conditions, I concluded that I deserved a flapjack from the Macmillan Coffee morning at Billinge House, 15 minutes later. As the week concluded with a joyous Harvest Festival for the Junior Schools at St Silas Church I wondered how many other Principals or Heads would have enjoyed such a diverse and uplifting Friday at work! What a joy!
Lynne M Horner
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