(The full version of St. Mary's Messenger can be found in the password-protected area of the website)

Dear Parents, Children and Friends,

What a tremendous week this has been! I don’t know about you but I am certainly feeling tired already but we still have a week to go.

First, may I let you know well in advance that the Headmaster’s Address in the Carol Service is not going to be a long, rambling declamation. I am aiming to maintain the atmosphere of the religious service rather than provide light relief in the middle of the carols and readings. (So if you are the sort of person who runs sweepstakes on the length of speeches, my advice is to go low.) Second, I am all too aware that the starting time of the Carol Service (7.15 p.m.) is later than usual, but that was the time slot available to us, so we took it rather than contemplating whether to have an earlier slot in a local Parish church. This service is one of the two highlights of the school year, so I hope very much that everyone who is fit and well will be there, singing along lustily, sharing the joy of the occasion.

The week ending has seen an awful lot of negative comment in the media about the decline of the Three Rs, English primary schools slipping down international league tables, local class sizes in the Academy schools are going to be too big and so on. If I were the Head of a primary school I would feel more than a little oppressed by the steady stream of flak heading my way from the papers, radio and television. Fortunately here at St. Mary’s our standards are, with the usual predictable variations, high and getting higher. You have seen the size of our classrooms; there is no chance that we are going to get classes of thirty clamouring and clambering children. Walking into our school, even on a dank winter’s morning, is an uplifting experience and doubly so at this particular stage of the year.

It was a privilege to attend the Christingle Service in NAME OF CHURCH. The weather was not at its kindest, with small children almost blown away in the gale but they all made it safely there and back, The service itself was a beautiful, simple one, in such tranquil surroundings. I hope that you have seen the photographs on the website because they catch the magic of the event. The singing was lovely but the highlight has to have been the silence, as the children sat, bathed in flickering candlelight, thinking their own private thoughts. It was a special moment.

The Early Years Nativity Play on the same morning can only be described as a triumph. Our thanks go to all the ladies from Early Years who managed to coax great performances out of all the boys and girls. For us, the audience, it is heart-warming to watch the children on the stage, but for the staff involved it is a lot of very hard work. Then there is the fear that one of the main characters will have to stay at home with flu or that the innkeeper will say that he has lots of room, so come on in. There’s so much that can go wrong with that kind of performance, so that when it all goes so smoothly it is a great relief. The children put on a super show that we shall all treasure for its innocent charm. Those of us who watched all felt that it was really marvellous.

The sporting fixtures have come to a temporary halt as we move into the last week of term. My congratulations go to everyone who has represented the school in any sport, any age group. We may not have won every match but there has been a lot more determination than in the recent past. Our teams have played with heart and anyone who has donned the shirt has been proud to do so. It was very satisfying for our U11 Rugby team to end the season on a high, beating the Minster in their final match and our U11 girls had a very thrilling match against a strong Witham Hall team who equalised with the last hit of the match to sneak a draw. I am sure that our teams will come back next term and build on this excellent spirit when they play their football and netball.

Have a good weekend

Andy Salmond Smith