COPTHILL SCHOOL - AUTUMN 2020 NEWSLETTER

Head''s News

Our children are rainbows and stars, and give us hope

Exactly 10 years ago, I was coming towards the end of my first term as a member of the team at Copthill School. I remember spending the day here in March 2010 when I was invited for interview. As I waited for a taxi to take me to the train station to head back up north, I sat by the front door and asked Mrs Flynn to chain me to the gates because I had fallen in love with this wonderful school and didn’t want anyone else to be offered the job. In September 2010, I started my new role. The training sessions I delivered to my colleagues way back then asked them to consider the knowledge, skills and attitudes young adults would need to be able to demonstrate in the year 2020. Time has flown and here we are saying goodbye to 2020 - and I don’t think anybody could quite have anticipated the year we have had and the knowledge, skills and attitudes we have all had to develop, adapt and apply. Some things remain constant, however - the passion and dedication of a fantastic team of staff, making sure every child is at the heart of their Copthill education; the commitment and ambition of the Directors in continuing the Copthill legacy founded by Mr and Mrs Teesdale Snr. and the strength and spirit of the Copthill community. Back in March of 2020, I naively imagined this awful pandemic might be over by the end of the Easter break, then by the summer, then by Christmas. I am sure that, for all of us, there have been moments of confusion, moments of anxiety and moments of sadness and, as the pandemic continues, it might seem easy to dwell on these. However, I urge you all, this Christmas, to take time to read this review and to watch your child’s role in our Christmas performances which have been shared with you. Throughout this year, the children have shown that there are rainbows after the fiercest storms and stars during the darkest nights - they are the rainbows and the stars and they give us hope. They have proved themselves to be team players, problem solvers, creative thinkers, independent explorers, reflective learners and responsible citizens in so many different ways. Count the examples in this review! We can learn so much from our children - the children of 2020.

Mrs Helen Schofield

HEADTEACHER

A Copthill Christmas 2020

Santa Run - Years 5 and 6