To the Whole School Community,
I am delighted and honoured to be appointed as the new Principal for The Forest School. I will formally take up the role on the 1st December 2022 but will be in school regularly in advance preparing for the role. I am very keen to get to know the community quickly and to address any areas of concern you may have. I am very aware that a new Principal can be a worrying time for a school, however I am very confident that we will quickly establish a very strong working relationship and that I will give you every confidence that your children are in very safe hands.
A little about me. Within my previous role I was the Associate Principal of a very large SEMH/Special school in Leeds. This school has been part of the Wellspring Academy Trust since its inception. I had the privilege of building that school from the ground up and in this time we welcomed 340 children into our school over 2 years. During this journey, I put clear communication at the heart of the way I worked with families and I will continue to work this way with you. I was delighted that our work in Leeds resulted in an OFSTED good within the first two years. This was huge for Leeds as the school that we academised had been in special measures for most of the previous 12 years.
I have been working within The Forest School to support the school since September and this has given me a real insight into the school. Your children are a delight to be with and at the centre of everything we do in school. I can assure you that this will continue to be the case. I have been able to explore with leaders how they have developed the school over the last year. I can assure you that the curriculum is very well designed and sequenced for all. This has been a real area of focus and I can see the immediate impact of this work in the classrooms. The program to support Students in their reading development is very well embedded. All the students from all starting points are being taught to read and this will continue to be an area we prioritise.
I will be available to meet parents at the Parents evening on the 8th and 9th November 2022 During this time I will be able to say hello and to allow you to request a meeting if you would like this. I will then follow this up with Principal surgery sessions that will be available weekly for the rest of this half term. (Details to be confirmed).
If you do have any urgent matters to which you would like to draw my attention, please do get in touch with the school and I will meet with you in person/virtually or by phone (whichever is best for you).
I want to leave you with my thoughts on what we will be working on together.
“That all students will have all needs met all of the time”
I will be developing the school to ensure that this is an everyday reality and that we are truly supporting needs so that all of our students have the opportunity to really work towards their own next steps with confidence.
I look forward to meeting you all in the very near future.
Kind regards,
Shona Crichton