I hope that you have all stayed safe in the wintry conditions and that there has been an opportunity to enjoy the snow. Certainly in school today, the boys and girls have been having great fun in picturesque conditions and we have had messages from parents, especially those who are working today, expressing their appreciation of the fact that we have stayed open. Many teaching and support staff made a great effort this morning to be in school, with some going way beyond what could reasonably be expected of them. In particular, I know that the team of grounds staff were at work at 5am! It is days like these which make us feel all the more proud to be part of such a hard-working and loyal school community.
It is hard to believe that January is over already and that we only have two more weeks before half-term. I am sure that this is due to the fact that there is always so much happening and so many events and opportunities for our boys and girls to enjoy. Very well done to all of the pupils who have been representing TPS so admirably at the Taunton Arts Festival. Very valuable life-skills are learnt by taking these opportunities to perform in competitions in front of an audience, and we are all very proud of the children who put so much heart and soul into their performances. Well done also to the members of 5H for their excellent assembly on the origins of the Chinese New Year which was both informative and very enjoyable.
Alongside striving to ensure excellent academic progress for each child, we are totally committed to giving our pupils a wonderfully broad educational experience. It is terrific to see a boy leading on the rugby field one day, and then singing on stage the next. In all areas, it is cool to opt in, not to opt out. Trips during the school holidays are such an important part of the educational experience at a school such as ours, and you will be receiving very soon a letter setting out plans for trips during the whole of 2019-20. This will allow families to see the bigger picture and to plot the correct way forward as these trips are advertised during the coming months.
Finally, it is our Spring Term Open Morning tomorrow, and it is good to report that we continue to experience a large level of interest in places. We are very mindful of class sizes and several year groups are very nearly full. In our current Year 6, the three classes will definitely become four at the start of Year 7, and such is the demand for places in this year group that families approaching us now are having to go onto a waiting list. If you have friends who are considering joining the school in any year group, please do encourage them to come along tomorrow or to make contact with our Admissions manager, Mrs Harvey, sooner rather than later.
I wish you all a very enjoyable weekend.
Mr Andrew Edwards
Headmaster TPS
