New headteacher at Bolnore Village Primary School

Last month the Governors of Bolnore Village Primary School announced the appointment of Mrs Tracy Taylor as the new Headteacher of the school with effect from 1st September.

Tracy comes from Bramber Primary in Worthing and has been the Head there for 11 years. Prior to that she was the Deputy Head for three years at Balfour Infant (now Primary) School in Brighton and Hove. Tracy has also been a classroom teacher for 14 years, so she is bringing with her a wealth of experience as a successful teacher to the school.

Chair of Governors Chris Gage commented: “As Governors we believe that Tracy will fit well into Bolnore and is the right person to help direct the next phase of the school’s development. A passionate outdoor person herself and with a great sense of team building and the shared belief in irresistible and memorable learning, we are convinced that Tracy will continue to drive and support the many great things that are well established at the school.”

Village People: Dom Kenrick (Warden Park head)

By Simon Yeend

Dom Kenrick believes in special moments. Moments that children will remember. Moments that will enrich their lives.

Mr Kenrick has been Head of Warden Park Academy for just one term but has already stamped his mark on the school with this approach.

His is the first face most pupils will see when they arrive in the morning and the last face they see as they leave in the afternoon as he sees the kids off, encouraging, praising and looking hungrily at any apple pies baked in food technology that day!

“I’ll be out there in the morning to welcome students into school and in the evening I walk down to the road and wave the kids off and say thanks for all your hard work. It is important to do it so that students know that I think what they have done today matters. Perhaps they’ve got something that they’ve baked in food technology class or a piece of art work or something they have made, I will always ask about it. These little moments of recognition are important as they help to build confidence, resilience and self-esteem. Lots of the work students do is very challenging therefore it is important that they feel proud about what they have accomplished.”

His approach makes him a popular figurehead following his move in the summer from Steyning Grammar. And he has been pleasantly surprised by the number of girls at the school who get involved in sport and are succeeding in other areas of the school curriculum.

“There’s a massive number of young ladies here who are bucking the trend from every other school I’ve worked in, who are getting involved, being successful and being great role models, and hopefully going on to be healthy, successful adults in the future,” he explains.

“We’ve got girls working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and Year 8 girls working in coding – computer science at the Amex.

“There are a lot of opportunities for girls to play sport here, and they are picking it up. Here, more than in other schools I have worked in, it’s cool to be doing these things. 

“The number of kids who are here at 8 o’clock in the morning to play netball is fantastic.

That is all helped by teachers committing and parents supporting that by dropping them off early."

Full Story in January's issue of Cuckfield Life magazine

Warden Park's new school head teacher says Hi on YouTube

Welcome video by Mr Dominic Kenrick, new Headteacher of Warden Park Secondary Academy from September 2017

Warden Park Academy’s new head teacher, Dominic Kenrick, has made a video to introduce himself to pupils and parents before he takes up his role in September.

Kenrick, who lives in Haywards Heath, is promising to set the bar extremely high in all aspects of schooling and to continue the “World Class” approach that the school has demanded of itself.

He said: “The relationships between students, teachers and parents is fundamental in achieving this success and by working together we can ensure that students at Warden Park make outstanding progress and leave as well-qualified, mature young people.

“My expectations of the students in terms of their achievement and behaviour are very high – I expect all students to be ambassadors of the school, to wear their uniform with pride and to display the highest standards of personal conduct.

“The values of the school should underpin the values of the community as a whole. Great communities are based on care and kindness, those are vital.”

He believes empowerment is the way to get the best out of students. “Education is a transformer and empowerment is the absolute priority,” he said. “Students who are empowered personally, socially and academically to go on and make the very best of their lives and be absolutely fulfilled in all that they do. A great academic outcome will be the ticket for students to move on in their learning.”