Memories

This morning I took Arwen into my old workplace. The village middle school was a wonderful place to teach in. The children were well behaved and keen to learn. The atmosphere was always happy and the staff had a great rapport with the children and with each other. Unfortunately, pupil numbers meant I was made redundant from there three years ago (long story but seems odd that the two part timers who had recently had kids were made redundant and others made part time after we left...). Anyhow... The school is still fab but OFSTED decided last summer that it wasn't. And then the county council in their wisdom decided that this damning report and falling pupil numbers meant the school needed to shut. Some would argue there is another agenda at play - mainly surrounding a political move from the expensive three tier model of education to a two tier one. There have been staunch battles all year to try and keep the middle school open, but all the efforts failed and on Friday next week, the school will open its doors to middle school pupils for the last time. It's very sad. I know the staff there are excellent. The kids there are amazing. I read the OFSTED report and shook my head. It didn't sound like the school at all. If that is a failing school...?
This cake was commissioned and paid for by the pupils at the school as a thank you to the teachers who despite knowing their school was closing have stuck by the kids and worked their socks off to meet the OFSTED targets this year.
As for the building itself, it will be converted into a primary school over the next few months and Grace and her friends will be taught there from November. Not sure what will become of the first school buildings though. It's all very sad, but the plans the primary school have for the future at least mean my girls will have a great education in the village. It's just that they will move to secondary education elsewhere aged 11 in stead of 13.
190/365 completed!