THE new principal of a Derby special school has vowed to reconnect with the community and bring ‘normality’ back to classrooms as the UK prepares to lift covid restrictions.
Rob Sherwood has taken over the reins at St Giles Spencer Academy – the city’s only special primary school – from Clive Lawrence, who spent seven years at the Hampshire Road school.
And as we see Boris Johnson’s Government begin to ease restrictions Rob – who has spent six years at St Giles and was, most recently, the school’s Deputy Headteacher – says that welcoming visitors back into the school and children mixing together, rather than in class ‘bubbles’ is something he’s looking forward to.
“I have really missed the buzz of having visitors – especially parents and carers – into school,” said Rob, who worked at the Birchwood Special School in Melton Mowbray prior to joining St Giles Spencer Academy.
Rob Sherwood is looking forward to more ‘normality’ in the classroom at St Giles School. Picture: St Giles School.
“The past two years have challenging for everyone but, finally – and I say this with a little trepidation – things look set to return to some kind of normality.
“During the first half-term of school, we were able to hold family homework sessions in school, something we haven’t done since the first national lockdown in March 2020.
“We’ve got rid of class ‘bubbles’; the children are now mixing together, although this will continually be reviewed. There are plans to take our children out on trips. All this is essential in helping to build their confidence, boost their independence and helps to create social skills which are so important, particularly to children at St Giles School who have a diverse range of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities.
“Community is so important to St Giles, and this has been limited during covid. My plan is to reconnect with our wider community and bring back a little more normality.
“We have pupils in school year 3, seven and eight-year-olds, who haven’t completed a ‘normal’ school year. All of those firsts – first Christmas play, first sports day – have been done with restrictions in place.
“At St Giles, we have remained open throughout the pandemic, but things have been very different. I’m looking forward to sharing these experiences with our children and their families – not forgetting our staff!”
Rob Sherwood (right) is the new head teacher of St Giles School in Derby and he is looking forward to ‘normality’ returning to the classroom as covid restrictions are eased.
When the Government announced a national lockdown in March 2020, St Giles, like thousands of other schools, had to re-think the way it operated, making sure that as many families as possible were continually supported during the pandemic.
Because of the needs of its pupils – some are tube fed or rely on an oxygen tank and some have life-limiting illnesses – St Giles offered an alternative provision for vulnerable children and families, with some pupils remaining in school and others being home-schooled.
Rob says that he takes great pride in the way that St Giles have coped over the past 18 months and that, despite it being a time of uncertainty, the resilience of staff and pupils was evident.
“Covid was a challenging time for everyone,” he said, “but it also allowed staff to be more creative and to think ‘out of the box’.
“We held virtual events, our parent consultations were held online and the learning packs which staff put together for our pupils – each one tailored to meet their individual needs – were inspiring.
Rob Sherwood is the new head teacher at St Giles School. Picture: Penguin PR
“We had one pupil, Harry, who is non-verbal. We created a learning pack for Harry which included sensory activities, and it was during a water sensory session with his mum that Harry said his first-ever word. Under normal circumstances, his mum would not have witnessed that moment. It was a heart-warming moment for everyone involved.”
St Giles has always taken great pride in being a warm and welcoming school community and is currently Ofsted-rated ‘outstanding’. Rob was a part of the team who played an integral role in St Giles achieving its ‘outstanding’ grading in 2016.
Since then, St Giles have been awarded SEN School of the Year at Pearson’s Shine A Light Awards and achieved a ‘world-class school’ status – a quality mark that looks at the development of pupils’ qualities and characteristics, instead of national assessment frameworks.
They were invited to support with SEND provision for the Oak National Academy; the virtual home-learning platform backed by the Department for Education and St Giles also deliver inclusion and SEND training to more than 40 schools in the East Midlands through their Inclusive Teaching Alliance – which Rob has led since its formation in 2018 – sharing best practice in mainstream settings.
Rob said: “We’re continually striving to be the very best we can, to provide an inclusive, positive and fun environment for the children at St Giles Spencer Academy.
“The team here – and in that I include the parents and carers, catering staff, caretaker and bus drivers at St Giles – are like a big family; there is a real togetherness. We have specialist knowledge, skills and are firmly committed to providing every pupil at our school with an exciting and personalised curriculum, in line with their Education Health Care Plan (EHCP), which encourages them to become the best they can be, both academically and socially.
“I’m excited about the future,” added Rob, “there seems to be a glimmer of hope on the horizon. I am very fortunate to be able to lead a school with such fantastic children and families, with dedicated and enthusiastic staff – we have some exciting adventures ahead of us.”
