From The Principal #159
14th October 22
As we approach the end of the first half-term of the academic year, it is good to be able to reflect on time well spent as a community. A half-term uninterrupted by Covid restrictions has seen our provision begin to return to pre-pandemic times, bringing several visits and excursions around London and other opportunities for students to represent their school at a local and national competition level. It has been a real joy to watch students flourish and take up such opportunities with vigour and a thirst for challenge. We have an inspirational student body, with those new students who joined us in September further advancing our capacity for creativity and achievement to an even higher level, as we continue to build an exciting and dynamic learning environment in which all students can thrive.
As well as the excitement of enrichment visits and co-curricular challenges, students have also experienced their first academic assessments of the new year. Students have risen to the challenge and have taken this first academic milestone seriously. It is the first step on an academic journey that requires consistency, patience with oneself and a determination to pursue. Excellent teacher and staff support is of course vital in this endeavour; however, it is the support that students offer to each other that really shows us we are doing something very right within our community. I have myself witnessed several student-made study groups being formed, with a supportive word at the right time from a peer proving a necessary boost of confidence. This is the community spirit that is special to DLD, as the building, now filled with people, really begins to feel like a home as the term settles in. Parents will soon be receiving the results of those first assessments in the form of a short report, and I would strongly encourage an open dialogue of that feedback both at home and at school, to ensure that students feel a wrap-around support that sets the tone for the year ahead.
For now, I wish everyone a relaxing and recharging half-term break, a chance to recuperate and reflect on the decisions and actions of the new academic year. We look forward to welcoming everyone back to learning on Monday 31st October.
Dr Sarah Watson, Vice Principal (Academic)
