The Maynard School, Headmistress's Blog

As we near the end of the term I have been reflecting on all things seasonal. The rehearsals for Prize Giving are in full swing, and the school is looking forward to celebrating the wonderful achievements of our senior students next Thursday. The Choirs have been performing at the Lord Mayor’s Carol service in the cathedral and at our recent stunning Autumn Concert. Additionally the Chamber Orchestra will be performing at Prize Giving, whilst the netballers have won the Devon County competition and move effortlessly onto the next stage at the regional competition next term. The Junior School Christmas production will be a highlight next week, as will the Year 6 girls singing carols at The Lodge care home. All is well with the world as our school Christmas trees are now up.

Christmas is nearly upon us and I must dash as late night shopping awaits….

A Merry Christmas to all our readers!

Having recently returned from a very stimulating Head Teachers’ conference in Bristol organised by the GSA I have been reflecting on the key theme. We heard from many delegates about their work in a variety of fields, highlighting issues across the globe that impact young children and their human rights. The independent film maker, BAFTA and Emmy award winner Kate Blewett showed an excerpt from her film ‘The Dying Rooms’ about state run orphanages in China, and the extensive suffering young girls experienced in these places. The film, made over 30 years ago, had a tremendous impact across the world with its harrowing images of dying children. The impact of course was considerable as the Chinese officials, whilst initially denying that such places existed, eventually accepted that there was a problem and promptly shut them down. It took over 6 years of lobbying by Kate and aid agencies to promote change. Her main theme was to emphasise how powerful TV can be in harnessing the power to bring about social change. Her most recent film focuses on Bulgaria’s abandoned children.

I was delighted to hear first-hand how many of our students are involved in blogging with our international partner schools in France and Germany. The girls are thoroughly enjoying the digital exchange, having just hosted our German students as part of the exchange programme. The German exchange is now in its fifth decade which is an excellent testimony to all involved. We were delighted to host a German Teacher for a 2 week placement last week to observe and learn more about the English educational system. I was delighted to hear from him that the girls at The Maynard were apparently much quieter during fire bell practice last week than their German counter parts.