Headmaster's Bulletin (34)

I hope that you were able to enjoy some time with family during half-term.

Our working lives have undoubtedly become busier over the last few years, and holidays with family and friends are therefore very precious. We have benefited from technological advances which we could never have dreamt of as possible, yet electronic communication (in its various forms) and ICT systems which ‘support’ us at work don’t always appear to create extra space - or if they do, that space is soon filled with new tasks!

We are currently looking at ways to work more efficiently in school, hoping to make certain processes both ‘smarter’ and ‘leaner’ - and thereby freeing up teachers as much as possible to teach and to tutor their pupils. Some of the answers of course lie with technology and its use to simplify processes, to streamline administrative tasks and to improve communication - and we shall continue to train staff and to exploit the endless possibilities of technology for learning and teaching.

This aspect will undoubtedly continue to develop very rapidly, and we shall need to run to keep up! However, despite some prophetic voices, I don’t personally foresee a time when pupils will conduct their learning almost exclusively online, with infrequent input from their teachers. The joy of learning stems partly from intellectual curiosity, but above all from lively and spirited interaction with fellow learners and with teachers. It is the memories of certain ‘characters’ and of unexpected happenings which we cherish from our education! The friendly yet respectful rapport between pupils and staff is very strong at Bablake - and this is a key to our pupils’ success.