As promised, here is a brief communication from me to outline who’s who among the new staff arrivals, together with some more routine and (I hope) useful reminders about sources of information and so on. There have been (for Bishop’s) an unusually high number of staff changes from the last academic year. The full list is below for you, and no doubt you will meet some of our new colleagues either virtually or face-to-face during the coming year. Here is the complete list:
Teachers new to BWS
- Miss Camille Bedard (French)
- Ms Rowena Dewar (Spanish)
- Mrs Florencia Martin (Spanish)
- Miss Deborah Foulkes (German)
- Mr Marcel Corson (Teacher i/c Drama)
- Mrs Anna Doran (English)
- Dr Matthew French (Head of Physics)
- Mr Stefan Madzarevic (Geography)
- Mr Jonathon Ritter-Roberts (Maths)
- Rev’d Dr Robert Taylor (Maths)
- Mrs Imogen Smith-Edmunds (Art & Graphic Design)
- Mr Tim Valjak (Second i/c RS)
Internal teaching promotions
- Mr Mike Thorne (Assistant Head, Timetabler)
- Mr Rob Southern (Assistant Timetabler)
- Ms Zoe Lambard (Assistant Head, Head of Sixth Form)
- Mrs Louise Drummond (Head of Lower School)
- Mr Henry Joyce (Assistant Head of Middle School)
- Mr Hamish Morton (Assistant Head Sixth Form /EPQ Coordinator)
- Mrs Ruth Tonkin (Head of Science Faculty)
- Mr Oliver Stamp (Head of Politics)
- Mr Andy Green (House System Manager)
- Mr Ben Denham (PHSRE Lead)
- Support staff appointments
- Ms Lilian Finucane (Attendance Officer)
- Mrs Kate Robson (Librarian)
- Ms Jade Salmon (Catering Assistant)
- Mrs Tamsen Tagg (Teaching Assistant)
- Mrs Susannah Ventor (Teaching Assistant)
- Mr Daniel Jones (Graduate Music Assistant)
- Miss Sophie Cowey, Mr Samuel Edmunds, Miss Erin Lyttle & Mr George Smith (all Sports Assistants)
There will be several ways in which you will be able to find out what is going on in school, in the highly unlikely event that your son or daughter is less than forthcoming about the world that lies inside the gates of Exeter Street. As usual the website at https://www.bishopwordsworths.org.uk/ contains a wealth of information about school routines and also what’s on; the calendar at https://www.bishopwordsworths.org.uk/main-school/about-bishops/school-calendar/ is a good starting point and the term dates for the year can be found close by for forward planning. The main trips planned for the year are listed at https://www.bishopwordsworths.org.uk/main-school/activities/key-school-overnight-trips/. Another essential online source of information is My Child At School (or MCAS), our parent portal, which can also be accessed via the website at https://www.bishopwordsworths.org.uk/main-school/parent-portal/my-child-at-school/. This gives real time information on attendance and behaviour, as well as reports in due course. All distinctions (Years 7&8) and commendations (Years 9-13) will also be entered on the portal so that you know when s/he is doing well – and of course any significant sanctions (detentions etc) will also be there. You should be able to develop a balanced view, but if at any time you want to talk things through then please just contact your son or daughter’s tutor or mentor.
Can I remind you of a couple of routine but really important things at the start of the new school year? Firstly (and sorry to bang on already!), can you please ensure that you have named all items of clothing/kit/personal belongings? We take a fairly strict line with ‘lost’ items – if they are named then they generally get straight back to their owner (if s/he can be enticed to collect them from Reception that is…!). If they are un-named then they are retained at School Reception for a couple of weeks and then they are disposed of if they are not retrieved. A name attached means that we have a fighting chance of reuniting property with its owner in quick order.
Your first point of contact at the school should be your son’s form tutor (Years 7-11) or your son/daughter’s mentor (Sixth Form). He or she should be making contact with you early in the academic year to ensure that you are aware of who to talk to and also outline some basic understandings for the year. If, however, you feel that there is a more serious issue then please feel free to contact the appropriate pastoral support officer – you should find all of the details on the website. If you have any concerns relating to child protection then please get in contact with Mrs Jemima Edney or one of the other members of the Safeguarding Team (they are all listed on the website). If you have a change in personal circumstances (eg contact details, domestic circumstances or medical details) then please make sure that you let Mrs Sarah Hayward sah@bishopwordsworths.org.uk know immediately.
Lastly, I have one very specific request relating to dietary matters. We now have a small number of students at Bishop’s who have severe nut allergies. It is, of course, impractical to make a school the size of BWS a nut-free zone, but it would be very helpful if you could avoid nuts if you prepare food for your son or daughter to bring to school. We will be reminding both students and staff about washing their hands regularly and (especially) before and after eating so as to minimise the environmental risks, and a message to this effect will be issued on twitter shortly. This is potentially a life-threatening issue, so please do everything that you can to help us mitigate the risks.
So in the possibly vain hope that you have endured unto the end of this message can I take the opportunity to wish you and your son or daughter(s) a following wind for the coming school year, my last at this school. Throughout my teaching career I have always tried my best to ensure that all of the young people I have encountered are able to give of their best, in whatever way suits their aptitude, enthusiasms and skill set. Once again at the start of 2023-2024 I will be urging all of them to grasp every chance to make a difference and to shine. It is an absolute privilege to enjoy their company each day and I wish them every success once again.
All the very best.
SDS
