STAFFING

• It is with the deepest of regret that I have to inform you that our Head of Religious Education, Mrs Nicola Bostock-Hayes, is leaving us at Easter. Those of you who have children who have been taught by Nicola will already appreciate that she is an outstanding classroom teacher in her own right. It is my opinion that she also has the potential to be an outstanding leader in our schools in the years ahead. For both these reasons I deeply regret that Nicola is leaving our school, but, for reasons which I understand she has decided to take up a post in London. She will be going to a new academy in London and we wish her every happiness and success both professionally and personally in the years ahead.

We will be replacing Nicola with two new teachers from April but we will not be replacing her as Head of Department. The RE Department will come under the overall jurisdiction of Director of Social Sciences, David Croft. The day to day running of the department will be under the direction of a member of the senior leadership team, Mrs Fiona Gittins. Those of you who have been parents of the school for any time will realise that both these staff are deeply committed to St Peter’s and exceptional leaders and teachers in their own right. Religious education in the school will, therefore, not in any way be diluted by us not having a discrete head of department and we would hope to re-establish the department with its own discrete head in the not too distant future.

• Many families in the school over the years have had cause to be grateful for the excellent work our teaching assistants undertake in supporting staff particularly with young people who may be experiencing one or two difficulties with school life. Many students on leaving St Peter’s express gratitude for the fact that the teaching assistants helped them to overcome their problems and enabled them to take their rightful place in society and, indeed, in higher education and the world of work. This Easter one of our long serving TAs, Margaret Holder, is retiring and leaving us. I would like to thank Margaret for all the work she has done for the students at St Peter’s over the years and wish her every health and happiness in the years ahead.