Dear Families and Friends,

A very warm welcome to our new families – and welcome back to everyone returning to St Bart’s! I hope you have all had a happy and restful summer and that your children have enjoyed their first few days back with us.

It has been lovely to see the school full of life again - classrooms busy, friendships being renewed and children beginning the next stage of their journey with us.

As we start this new school year, we want every child to feel happy, safe, valued and ready to learn. We continue to have high expectations for all of our children, rooted in the simple behaviours we talk about every day: being Ready, Respectful, Safe, Curious and Hopeful.

This year, we are adding another important idea to our shared language: bravery.

During our first Collective Worship of the year, we thought about God’s words to Joshua: “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

Bravery does not mean never feeling nervous, worried or unsure. In fact, we often need courage precisely because something feels difficult.

Throughout the year, our new lion mascots, Winston and Willow, inspired by the lions on our historic school emblem, will help us encourage the children to notice, practise and celebrate bravery – not only the big, dramatic sort of bravery, but also the quiet acts of courage that happen every day in school.

A child might be brave when they put their hand up even though they are unsure of the answer; when they try something they have previously found difficult; when they join a new club; when they admit they have made a mistake; when they stand up for someone else; or simply when they try again after something has gone wrong.

We will be using a simple phrase with the children:

"Facing a Challenge with Courage leads to Confidence to Cope."

There are four important ideas within this.

Challenge
A challenge is something that feels difficult, unfamiliar or requires extra effort. Challenges are a normal and important part of learning and growing. We do not want children to believe that everything should always feel easy - instead, we want them to learn that difficult things can be faced.

Courage
Courage means choosing to take the next step even when we feel nervous or uncertain. It does not mean ignoring our feelings or pretending not to be worried. Sometimes courage means having a go; sometimes it means telling the truth; sometimes it means asking someone for help.

Confidence
Real confidence develops through experience. When children face something difficult and discover that they can manage it, they begin to think, “Perhaps I can do this.” Each positive experience helps build their belief in themselves.

Cope
Learning to cope means developing the ability to manage difficulties, disappointments and setbacks. Over time, children build up experiences that remind them: “I have faced difficult things before. I can get through this too.”

Our aim, therefore, is not to remove every challenge from children’s lives, but to help them discover that, with encouragement, support and courage, they can face challenges and grow through them.

Of course, children should never feel that they have to manage everything on their own. Asking for help can itself be an act of bravery. Our staff will always be there to encourage, guide and support them.

This fits closely with the Christian ethos of our school. We believe that every child has dignity and worth because they are made in the image of God. They are known, valued and loved. From that secure foundation, we want our children to grow into people who show compassion, seek justice, develop wisdom and live with hope.

Christian courage is not simply about trying harder or being fearless. It is about being able to face what lies ahead knowing that we are valued, supported and never alone.

Bravery may mean being Ready to have a go, Respectful enough to admit when we are wrong, Safe enough to ask for help, Curious enough to explore something difficult, or Hopeful enough to try again.

We would love families to use this language at home too. When your child faces something difficult, you might simply ask: “What would courage look like here?”

Sometimes the courageous next step may be very small – but small acts of bravery, repeated over time, can make a very big difference.

A few practical updates

You will know that we have changed our school catering provider, and all school meals must now be ordered through Aspens’ SwiftKitchen. You will need your personal code to order meals using either the website or app. We have made this change to improve both the quality and variety of our meals in a way that we hope children will enjoy and parents will appreciate. Despite a small technical issue last week, the system is now up and running. Please do take a look at the menus and the range of options available.

There have also been a number of changes to national expectations for schools this year, including those relating to school uniform, mobile phones and pupil premium funding. In several areas, our existing practice already reflects the new expectations. We will keep families informed about any changes that affect you as the term progresses.

One practical change to be aware of concerns school milk. For pupils aged five and over, milk must now be ordered and paid for through Cool Milk, including for children who are eligible for Free School Meals. Please contact our office for more details.

We are incredibly excited about the year ahead and about everything our children will learn, experience and become.

Thank you, as always, for your support and for the important partnership between home and school. Together, we can help our children face challenge with courage, grow in confidence and learn that they really can cope with the things life brings their way.

Yours sincerely,
Mr Restall & The St Bart’s Team