6th
March 2026
HEADLINES
By James Saunders
WORLD BOOK DAY
“Words can be like x-rays if you use them properly - they’ll go through anything.” - Aldous Huxley, Brave New World.
It was so great to see everyone embrace World Book Day yesterday as well as our extended week of activities. Those that came to school as a character from their favourite book really looked the part. We also extended this to staff and I am pleased that so many embraced this too; we had a smorgasbord of books and characters represented! The aim of the day, of course, is to raise the profile of books and of reading. The evidence is quite clear on this; regular reading makes a real difference to academic performance.
The week kicked off with a bake sale. I am pleased to say that we managed to raise £173 towards new books for the library. A huge thank you to everyone who donated and bought cakes/donuts/cookies/brownies - every single cake was sold!
Thursday is one of my teaching days which allowed me to take part in our whole school read of Ray Bradbury’s The Veldt, a story where technology replaces parental roles in a “Happylife Home.” Siblings Wendy and Peter become obsessed with their virtual reality nursery, which manifests a lethal African veldt. When their parents attempt to shut it down, the children’s blurred reality leads to a chilling, murderous betrayal.
Each lesson across the school began with all classes reading a chapter from the book. By the end of the day many of us were poised to find out how it ended. Please do ask your child what they thought of the story.
Today Mr Gribben, Mr Williams and I will be judging the door design competition.
I wish you all a lovely weekend.
James Saunders
I am going to kick things off this week with a riddle:
“A father and his son are in a car accident. Sadly, the father dies. The son is rushed to the A&E. The attending surgeon looks at the boy and says, ‘I can’t operate on this boy. He’s my son!’ How is this possible?”
I will come back to the riddle in a moment.
Now imagine an equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated.
Sunday is International Women’s day (IWD) and I am sure the media will be filled with inspirational stories of talented women from across the globe. As a young boy I can only remember a few inspirational male role models. Ok, there was my father. And screen icons Rambo and The Terminator. However, it was female musicians that had the greatest influence on me and helped me develop my love for music: Tracy Chapman; Nina Simone, Lauren Hill, Annie Lennox, Nenah Cherry and Kate Bush to name a few. These women managed to express themselves and the art form without the misogyny and violence that plagues so much of today’s male dominated world of rap.
International Women’s day reminds us that equality still very much needs to be on our radar and as a society we must still strive to achieve parity for all every single day.
Whilst the theme of international women’s day is the backdrop to this week’s headlines, equity is something that permeates all parts of society as well as being one of our core values. We can sometimes forget the difference between equity and equality when making decisions around school. Usually the root of this misunderstanding is our perception of fairness. We often think that fairness is consistently treating
IWD 2026
everyone the same; in some contexts this is the case. However, if we are to embrace our core value of equity we must appreciate the nuances that often exist for individuals and their circumstances. So for International Women’s Day and beyond, let’s clear a path for our girls to lead.
The following video stimulates thinking and illustrates my point pretty well. It is about the misconceptions and stereotypes that exist regarding women in leadershipor rather lack thereof.
International Women’s Day- Can You Solve the Riddle? (Mindspace)
It is very similar to the riddle I posed at the start of this piece and contains the same message. Did you crack it? The surgeon was the boy’s mother.
IWD reminds us that we can all positively impact how girls see themselves and their possibilities. One thing is clear - even our wonderful school culture is not impervious to the effects of stereotypes and societal pressure on girls. Misogyny and a lack of respect for the talents of girls is still a societal issue as we continue to battle the influence of social media. For too long leadership has been seen as the domain of men and globally continues to be dominated by men. I say this with full acknowledgement that I am a man. Girls need to see themselves as leaders and recognise their skills, qualities and attributes as something positive. We must collectively get real with girls.
The world is still stacked against girls, but this is rarely discussed. On top of this, the “girl power” narrative leads many girls to believe that gender inequality is a thing of the past. This leads girls to blame themselves when they face bias and barriers—and to internalise harmful stereotypes about what girls can and can’t do. That’s why it’s so important we address these issues head on: it can be an antidote to girls blaming themselves and can help promote their self-esteem.
When we inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion, we forge a better world. And when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.
Collectively, it is essential that we forge a more inclusive world for women. The campaign theme emphasises the importance of diversity and empowerment in all aspects of society. The theme underscores the crucial role of inclusion in achieving equality. It calls for action to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes, and create environments where all women are valued and respected and there are no barriers or ceilings to their progress.
CELEBRATE AMAZING EDUCATORS THROUGH THE ESSEX TEACHING AWARDS!
The 2026 Essex Teaching Awards is a fantastic opportunity to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contributions of our dedicated educators and staff. These awards honour those who go above and beyond to make a positive impact on their learners and school community.
If you know a teacher, teaching assistant, headteacher, or any other staff member who has made a difference in your child’s education, please consider nominating them for an award so that they receive the recognition they deserve.
Your nominations help to celebrate the hard work, dedication, and passion of those who work in schools. To submit a nomination, please visit https://www.essex.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/ essex-teaching-awards
Thank you for your support in recognising the incredible efforts of school communities. Together, we can celebrate the excellence in our school!
THANKS
To the following learners for supporting the Governance Day on 27th February:
Woody Barrett, Harper Marangou, Benjamin Boughtwood, Nancy Cawley, Ali Frid, Pippa Hutchinson, Veronika Havryliuk, Hema Mistry, Dylan Roberts and Ivy Murkowski
Last term, Edward Carey was drawn as a winner for the full achievement point conduct card raffle, he was presented a queue skip pass from Mr Caygill as his prize. Edward used his pass to buy himself a gooey jam donut. As you can see from his excited face it was a real treat, going straight to the front of the queue and presenting his pass to Mr Munro. Edward has use of this privilege for a whole term, I wonder which sweet delights he will pick next?
Congratulations to Freddie Estall in C11 who has passed his National Pool Lifeguard Qualification! Well done Freddie!!
Congratulations to Estelle Scherer in C11 on securing a 2 year contract with London City Lionesses u21s. What an amazing achievement! Well done!
As it has been World Book Day this week, we’d love it if you could do some reading and find out how people are helping to reduce global warming and their carbon impact on the world. If you are inspired, please let us know what you’ve found out and if it has prompted you to act differently in any way.