So the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) is no more.  The Whitehall building which was the hub of the New Labout education vision became flippantly known as the Department for Curtains and Soft Furnishings following its expensive and luxurious makeover a couple of years ago.  Last night we saw workmen taking down the old DCSF signs and replacing them with ‘Department for Education’.  Since I have been a teacher we have had departments for Education, Education and Science, Education and Employment, Education and Skills and the DCSF – 5 re-incarnations!  What’s in a name? Well, it does give a clue about the priorities of the department leader.  I sense that we might be entering a leaner ‘back to basics’ phase – let’s hope the new department focusses on doing ‘what it says on the tin’!

Yesterday, the parents of Joe Biddle, the year 11 student who died in a tragic accident early in 2009, came in to witness the dedication of the handsome sports trophy cabinet whch they generously commissioned in Joe’s memory.  Many of you will have seen this at the end of the glazed walkway by the Main Hall.  After all the preoccupation with what was going on nationally, we were brought back to the importance of belonging to our local community and to the experiences which bind us together. The trophy cabinet will be a permanent reminder in the school of how privileged we are to be alive and here.