Welcome back! I hope you all had a very enjoyable and relaxing Easter break. It was great to see plenty of sunshine over the holidays. Spring has certainly arrived and Term 4 is set to get off to a warm and sunny start.

After nine months of contractors working in St Bartholomew’s, it’s wonderful to be returning this morning to a completed building. Although the electricians and painters were absolute stars, it has, nonetheless, been a very challenging year and I’m sure both pupils and staff are looking forward to a summer term without any disruptions. The skip we hired in the last week of term gave us the chance to have a final clear-out; we left no corner of the school untouched and the place really is looking fantastic!

Please can I take this opportunity to thank staff for their patience, help and support during the refurbishment. Particular thanks to Mrs Ruddy and Mrs Dolan who turned up with military precision time and time again to get each classroom back to normal once contractors were finished. I am especially grateful to Mr Lynch who has gone WAY beyond the call of duty throughout this year (even continuing to beaver away behind the scenes while we were on holiday last week). We simply couldn’t have got by without Mr Lynch during the refurbishment… a huge thank you from us all!