Dear Ash Mount Community,
August is here, and suddenly opening Ash Mount feels very, very close.
For such a long time we have talked about what the school will be like when the children arrive. We have looked at plans, chosen furniture, designed the curriculum, recruited our founding team, written policies, planned timetables and thought through hundreds of details.
Now we are getting ready to actually welcome you.
And that feels incredibly exciting.
Across the school, August is about bringing everything together. Classrooms are becoming classrooms rather than spaces on a plan. Resources are being unpacked, furniture is being positioned, displays and learning areas are being considered, systems are being tested and our plans for those all important first days are being checked and checked again.
There are still builders and contractors around us, particularly as the external areas continue to develop, but inside there is an unmistakable feeling that a school is emerging.
We’re getting ready.
The question for this month is: are you?
Please don’t worry, I am not about to suggest workbooks, revision schedules or turning the final weeks of the summer into school!
Quite the opposite.
Children need their summer. They need rest, family time, play, travel, lazy mornings and days when very little is planned.
But as we get closer to opening, there are some small things families can begin to do that will make those first mornings a little easier.
For our younger children, this might simply mean beginning to think about bedtime again, practising getting dressed independently, opening their own water bottle or lunchbox and talking positively about what their new school might be like.
For Primary children, perhaps start talking about morning routines. Where will school shoes live? Who is responsible for remembering a water bottle? Can they pack and carry their own school bag? These sound like tiny things, but they build confidence and independence.
For our Secondary students, there is a little more responsibility. Start thinking about sleep routines, organisation and getting back into the habit of managing your own time. Secondary school brings greater independence, and we will support students with this, but there is no harm in beginning now.
Most importantly, talk.
Ask your child what they are looking forward to.
Ask what they are wondering about.
Ask if there is anything they would like to know before they arrive.
You do not need to have all the answers. If there is something they are unsure about, tell us. We would much rather know and help.
One of the really special things about opening Ash Mount is that nobody is walking into an established community where everyone else already knows one another.
We are all new.
New students, new teachers, new classes and new friendships.
There will be children wondering who they will sit next to and parents wondering who they will meet at the school gates. There will probably be staff wondering who their closest friends will become too.
We get to build all of that together.
Over the next few weeks, our August blogs will focus on getting ready for Ash Mount, without wishing away the final weeks of summer.
We’ll talk about routines, friendships, independence, wellbeing and those first few days. We’ll share simple things you can do at home and, most importantly, hopefully take away some of the unknowns that naturally come with starting somewhere new.
For now, keep enjoying your summer.
We’re getting ready, and we cannot wait.
Are you?
Best wishes, Abi
