The first fortnight of September 2022 has passed in a whirlwind. Certainly it has felt this way but I am told that a calm and purposeful start has been made to the new school year. Life at Deer Park is familiar and foreign in equal measure. The reality of my new role in familiar surroundings is sinking in. I am thoroughly enjoying being Headteacher and Deer Park pupils (including our great new Year 7s), parents and staff have been kind and encouraging.

I have spent most of the last two weeks communicating my vision and aims for the school to whoever stops and listens, be it in assemblies, the corridor, front field or classrooms. I have also been trying to live and breathe these expectations, ‘walking the walk and talking the talk’.

Simply put, my aim is for all the young people at Deer Park to feel safe, feel happy and be successful. And our mission, the reason why the school exists is so that we can be the best we can be every day. Ensuring this happens requires a clear set of values, which not only underpin the mission but allow us all to test our decisions and actions against. They will supersede the current school standards but serve us in a similar fashion.

I have tasked pupils and staff to help form these values by answering three simple questions:

1. What value or characteristic makes you feel safe?
2. What value or characteristic makes you feel happy?
3. What value or characteristic will make you successful?

Once the pupils and staff have sent their answers, I will draw the ideas together to form our three core values and reveal them to the school community. So watch this space.

And finally, please do find out what I really think about Cirencester Deer Park School by reading the Head’s Welcome.