Date:July 23, 2020

End of the 2019-2020 academic year

23^rd July 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

Re: Some goodbyes, and a big thank you to all our parents and carers!

I cannot quite believe it is the end of the school year already. This year has gone very quickly, and before we break up for the summer, and a well-deserved rest for our students and staff, I wanted to write to you to thank you for your support.

I have been so impressed by the achievements of our young people at Budehaven Community School, and beyond, and the way they approach the challenges today’s world throws at them. I feel very lucky to be the Headteacher of such a thriving school, with such energetic and interesting students.

This year has not been what I expected, but everyone has certainly risen to the challenges we have faced, especially since March. I want to recognise the hard work and dedication of our staff, who, at a time of very little notice, have prepared and delivered the curriculum in a variety of different ways. I must also congratulate all our students who have accessed the remote learning we have provided, and those who have attended school, either via the Year 10 and 12 provision, or those who have been a part of our Key Worker children “family”, which we have affectionately begun to consider them a part of.

Today we are saying a farewell to a number of dedicated staff. We say goodbye to Mrs Price, Mr Carey, Mrs Wreyford, Mr Babio Barreiro and Ms Fox. Whilst they have only been with us a short while, they have made a significant impact upon our school and the children they have supported. I wish them all well in their future career paths.

We also say goodbye and thank you to Mr Barnes, and wish him well in his promotion to Head of History at Brannel School. He has worked incredibly hard as a History teacher at Budehaven, and his work this year as Assistant Director of Key Stage 3 has been very much appreciated.

Our Deputy Headteacher, Mrs Pride, has been with us for twelve years, and has been instrumental in the development of Budehaven Community School, support for the English department, and the strategic leadership of teaching and learning across years 7 to 13. Mrs Pride is going to work full-time as a school inspector for HMI. She has been incredibly supportive to me this year, during my first year as a Headteacher, and I would like to publicly recognise this.

Finally, we say goodbye to Mr Dyer, who is leaving Budehaven after 31 years of service to the school and community. Mr Dyer started at Budehaven back in 1989, and since then has taught PE to hundreds of children in Bude and the surrounding areas, and supported the wider community in a number of ways. We wish him well in all he does in the future, and thank him on ours, and Cornwall County Council’s behalf, who have awarded him a Long Service award.

Next year will start in a different way to every other year, but it is important that it begins with positivity, and that we don’t focus on looking back, but on what our young people can achieve moving forward.

Thank you so much for all your ongoing support for our school and students across this year, and for the welcome you have given me during my first year at Budehaven Community School. I wish you and your families a restful summer, and look forward to welcoming back all of our students in September.

Best wishes,