Alston Moor Federation - Head’s Blog

  As we race towards half term we are busy planning exciting things for the next few months of the academic year. The weeks ahead will undoubtedly be busy, and we have lots of work to do across the federation schools before Easter. It is sometimes said that schools have lots of holidays, and there is also often discussion about why this. Schools are fast-paced, dynamic and varied places. Pupils will often take part in multiple different things each day, and they are expected to switch with the ring of a bell or the clap of a hand from one topic or activity to the next. Information comes thick and fast. Our young people can be physically active, mentally stretched, creatively stimulated and then guided to work quietly and independently all within the same lesson. In short, school is tiring. Breaks and holidays help the school community to reset. They allow for recovery and rest. They also give the pupils a break from the routine and rigour of school. The breaks can also allow th...

Community is a word used a great deal in education. The ‘school community ,’ or a school’s links with the local community, are often highlighted or questioned whenever judgements are made, or opinions are formed about a school.   In the month I have been with the federation it has been amazing to see just how strong the sense of community is across the three schools. The schools that make up Alston Moor Federation each have distinct communities, both among their children, and with the wider group of teachers, parents, carers, and volunteers who are all involved in numerous ways .    What has struck me most however , is how much interest the community takes in the federation, and how keen people are to be involved with the young people it serves. In the last month I have been fortunate to meet lots of people from the communities across Alston Moor. Many have simply arrived to introduce themselves, got in touch, invited me to visit their business or establishment, ...