Welcome from the Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you all and let you know a little bit about me as Head teacher of St. Nicholas' Chantry Church of England Primary School.

I am delighted to be the Head here because the school family has strong Christian values at its heart. Staff and pupils are friendly, approachable and kind. Behaviour around the school shows that pupils have a good moral compass and enjoy their learning. My core values and interests align well with those of the school. I love to paint and draw and intend to ensure creativity, as well as honesty, charitability and aspiration, form the basis of all we do as a school moving forward. I aim to bring the very best out of every single child by nurturing their character, confidence and sense of self to ensure they become successful, happy citizens of the future.  

The staff here care deeply for your children as well as for one another and this shone through in our recent SIAMS inspection and Ofsted Inspection. This is the type of school I want to lead because I make the mental health and wellbeing of all pupils, staff and families a priority in order to ensure our school is successful and thrives. I am also aware I am responsible for retaining the true character of the school. I promise to make sure the very best elements of St. Nick’s are not lost as the school continues to embed high standards and practices following its recent transformational phase. I will work with all of you and the church and local community to keep St. Nick’s character and reputation at the forefront of our thoughts, plans and priorities.

Every single pupil here without exception deserves to make the best progress possible, regardless of their needs and starting point and I will ensure this happens. I have very high standards and expectations for myself and my staff team and I aim to support them no matter what their role here at school. In order to achieve this, I also need your help. I expect you to tell your child’s class team, or me when you have a concern and we will do the same and let you know if we have a concern about your child so we can work together to put it right. We will always communicate with you as effectively as we can and I expect you to raise your concerns in a polite manner as soon as you can too. I assure you I am a very open, approachable person, so please let me know if I can help.

My other expectation is that you make sure your child arrives on time, in smart school uniform every day (in line with the specifications on the school website parents & carers' area). It is vital you’re your child completes homework set by the teacher, particularly phonics, daily reading and Maths. This will ensure your child is equipped to learn and doesn’t miss out on all the opportunities on offer. If this does not happen I will contact you, because it really must. Occasionally I like to make a home visit. This is something I do in order to get to know you and your child and talk about any support I might be able to offer. I hope you will be able to find the time to make me welcome if I should ask to visit.

I know it can be hard to make it into school when you are busy with family and work commitments, but I will hold regular drop-in sessions when you can come and have a cuppa and a chat with me and other members of staff if they are available. Some of these drop-ins will include a tour of the school so you can see the classes in action. I will also be asking for your help with projects such as donations for our new OPAL project, blitzing the school’s outdoor areas and planting in the autumn and spring. All parent and carer sessions drop-in sessions will be toddler, baby and breastfeeding-friendly events so please come along and say hello and we can get to know each other and discuss any queries, suggestions or positives you might like to raise – I look forward to seeing you!

Stacy Shopland
Headteacher