Dear Parents,

This week, Ms Neville has been in Edinburgh at the IAPS Head’s Conference, where she has enjoyed her own enlightening education!

At School, we have celebrated the start of Black History Month 2022, starting with a very interesting assembly from Ms Neville, based on the work of the artist Glenn Ligon best known for his work on American slavery. The children deepened their understanding of African history and culture by learning about and performing the traditional Ghanaian call and response song, Che Che Kule.

Learning about the contributions that those with African or Caribbean heritage have made to British society is a fundamental part of our Curriculum 2020, which, through the Philanthropy strand, aims to develop empathy, awareness, thoughtfulness and proactivity in our children. It also remains our responsibility to actively promote the Fundamental British Values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and, mutual respect and tolerance for those with different faiths and beliefs. At Rose Hill, we aim to go one step further, promoting not just tolerance, but acceptance of our differences.

These values are crucial for maintaining the balance between having freedom of thought, expression and choice, with the need to maintain safety and security. They enable us to create a school community free from discrimination, intolerance and hate. We hold these values close, as we build upon your parental efforts to raise your children with integrity and a sense of responsibility.

All of this brings me to the topic of the School car park.

Parking is a tricky issue in urban schools. While we are fortunate to have any space for car parking on-site, we fully recognise the frustrations that our parents experience when the car park is full. In recent weeks we have taken action to relieve pressure at peak times, working closely with those who hire our facilities to minimise disruption to the School community. You may have seen Mrs Lupton and Mr Sellors helping to direct the traffic this week. On match days, we have repeated our request for visiting parents to park off-site. Cones are in place to make parking easier for everyone.

While we will continue to do all we can to make drop-off and collection as smooth as possible, we do ask for understanding that there are limitations to what we can offer. We were disappointed to learn of several confrontational parking incidents this week within our school community which contravene the values of the School.

I ask that all parents park considerately and please do not block other parents or staff in on any occasion. Alternatively there is parking available in the surrounding residential roads which are a short walk from the school. If you live close enough to walk from home, please do so when you can. Car sharing might also be an option for families who leave near to one another.

Collecting your children from school is a task which requires awareness, thoughtfulness, tolerance and mutual respect, proactivity and adherence to the rule of law! Please take every opportunity to make our community safer and happier, through our interactions with one another.

With sincere thanks and warm wishes for the weekend,

Philippa Lang

Deputy Head