WELCOME BACK!
After the most beautiful British Summer I can remember, welcome back to Mayfield everyone at the beginning of a new school year! I would also like to extend a very warm welcome to all the children and their families who have just started at Mayfield. Speaking with many of the children and parents in the last few days, it seems that everyone has enjoyed a lovely Summer holiday!
After the first full week back at school, the children all seem refreshed and raring to go. They have all settled in remarkably quickly and the school has quickly got back into the swing of things. I have spent a happy week in the unseasonably nice weather, looking in on all the different classes. The Nursery, Pre Nursery and Kindergarten children have been busy inside and outside, cycling, gardening, painting, writing, reading, building blocks and having a wonderful time. In main school, the children have been getting to know their new teachers and working hard in all the different subjects. In spite of the hard work, they have all had smiles on their faces. This afternoon, Upper II and Lower III girls were learning hockey skills with Mrs Pittaway and Mrs Cook, while the boys were having a great game of football on the Paddock with Mr Cook and Mr Johal. It was far more interesting than watching Mr Allardyce’s men last Sunday, although Big Sam may have learned something from the magnificent Wales victory on Monday night, carrying on from their successful Euros! All-in-all, it has made me immensely proud to see the outstanding teaching and learning taking place all over the school, inside and out!
The official theme of last week was ‘Change’ and there have been a number of changes at Mayfield over the Summer. The first is a change in staff and I would like to welcome Mrs Andrews, Head of English, Mr Johal, Head of ICT, Mrs Pittaway, Head of PE, Mrs Inkster, Form I teacher, Miss Mallen in Pre-Nursery, and the new Dinner Supervisors, Mrs Sharpe and Mrs Sedgwick. I am sure everyone will join me in wishing the new staff the very best at Mayfield. There have also been changes in the classrooms. Lower III and Upper II have gone back to the top floor, while Lower II and Form II are back on the 1st floor.
Our academic results were excellent yet again last year, with one of our most successful Lower III cohorts ever. Academic standards are consistently high and rising year after year. Last Saturday, it began again with the Birmingham Schools Entrance examinations and I wish all of our current Lower III pupils all the best in the Walsall and Wolverhampton Schools entrance examinations on Monday. I feel positive that they will do their best after all the hard work and make us all proud.
This week’s theme is ‘Collaboration, cooperation and communication’ and as long as our wonderful children, parents, staff and governors continue to work effectively together, Mayfield will flourish and truly be an excellent school. Together, let’s make this our best year yet. As our motto says: ‘Believe it! Achieve it!’
I wish everybody a wonderful start to the new year at school and I look forward to watching the children grow and make great progress.
Mr M Draper, Headmaster