Ickford News
Our journey continues and we have one week left of teaching and learning this academic year and I promise you that is what we will be doing right up until the end.
Although I shall leave reflections of the year until next week’s newsletter, I can’t help but think to myself how times have changed. It was not that long ago, July 2010 if my memory serves me correctly, that I did not get out onto the field for my first Ickford, Sport’s Day as I was busy listening to an Ofsted Inspector summarising for me his assessment of the school and agreeing with me that things could only get better. I was quite grateful to him (in more ways than one actually) as the Sport’s Day then was out of my control and being ‘done as we always do it’ and from the little I saw, I knew it was either it went or I did!
Last Monday, our Sport’s Day was fantastic and enjoyed, I think by the great majority of those who attended. The weather was kind (though the follicaly challenged among us suffered a little in the sun’s rays), the atmosphere positive and the turnout in the morning and afternoon, large. The children provided great sporting entertainment and everything ran smoothly thanks to the brilliant staff and the meticulous planning of Mme Basnett. Even a steward’s enquiry during the House Tug O’ War failed to dampen spirits especially as any wrongs were soon put right when Green took the title following a tie breaking final pull.
The hotly contested afternoon races had the crowd on their feet although many of the ‘Dads’ appeared to lose the use of these appendages during the traditional parents’ races and at one point I was left looking around for the ‘sniper’.
There were some memorable moments; Rose picking up Chloe who fell, Beth and Caitlin holding hands and smiling as the completed the final lap and the applause for those who, to coin a phrase, ‘went the distance’ literally, simply for the sense of achievement and through sheer determination. These children did this because, in spite of the competitive nature of the event, not one child made fun of any other child and not one child failed to celebrate the success of others. This is the real achievement, an environment where one does not have to be embarrassed for being a winner and where everyone is credited for their personal endeavour.
On Friday evening, it was a slightly different story although the same sense of togetherness and team spirit prevailed, this was competition! Ickford against Oxfordshire schools at Horspath Athletics track, the smell of the crowd, the roar of the heat rub!
We went with the understanding that in our team we had some very talented individuals that could pick up medals and credit must be given to some of our stars that performed so well and picked up several golds, this was our target achieved. Exceeding our target was coming out as overall winners to round off an excellent year of sporting achievement. This was because not only did we win so many events but in those we did not win, we picked up valuable points and were more consistent than any other school. We shone on the track but we had to dig deep in the field events to pick up the valuable points that secured the overall result. Well done to everyone.
One more reflection, in the same year that I arrived at Ickford and suffered the ignominy of a devastating Ofsted before breaking up for the summer holiday, I had explained to the teachers at that time (all gone now) that I was going to restructure the year groups and move some classrooms around. I explained this to parents as well but most were not around and in truth, few cared. To be able to restructure, I had to take out hedges from the playground, pave an area for what is now Class 1 and fence it off to make it secure. It took me more than 3 weeks of that first summer holiday here, doing the work by hand on my own and when we returned to school in the September, I had 4 new teachers.
As I said, how times change. Yesterday, we had more than 20 parents and members of staff give up their Saturday to work in school on maintenance jobs that would otherwise have undoubtedly been strain on finances. They cut grass, trimmed verges, repaired fences, cleaned the pond, removed nettles, fixed electrics, tidied sheds, painted pipework, removed the climbing frame, concreted bases, painted benches, dug the garden and the list goes on and on. I can’t express my gratitude enough and I know that there were many who would have joined us had family commitments not been unavoidable.
Those who did come however deserve a roll of honour and a special mention must be given to Mrs Davis who co-ordinated the whole event.
Mrs O’Kennedy, Mr O’Kennedy, Mrs Jayasakera, Mr Thompson, Miss Wakelin, Mr Carter, Mrs Carter, Mrs Coke, Mrs Dawson, Mr Dawson, Mme Basnett, Mrs Stow, Mrs Shackleton, Mr Shackleton, Matthew Shackleton,Mrs Brunet, Miss Harper-Bourne, Mr Wakelin, Mr Aldread, Mr Sayer, Mrs Sayer, Mr Gleed, (Mr Gleed’s employees, Sorin and Cornell)
On behalf of the children, I thank you all.
Mr Ronane