This academic year has been dedicated to raising standards further and to see pupils develop their abilities, talents and reach their potential. We are especially aware of our careful planning which enables further development of a child’s academic, social, emotional and physical development, and here we have focused on all pupils and staff continuing on a journey - on our road to ‘Excellence and Enjoyment’. This year we have worked hard and we have played hard - this has become an ethic!

We are really proud of all the pupils and staff, along with our parents, who are working together within our Primary Department and applaud their positive, hard-working attitude and their achievements. We have finished the year with so many pupils achieving well above age appropriate expectations with most pupils achieving outstanding results. We acknowledge that opportunities have been given to all pupils to progress and this is down to the hard work and efforts of all pupils, staff and parents.

The school environment aims to support all in this drive forward towards success. Indeed, in striving for ‘Excellence and Enjoyment’ we have seen a year of hard work and fun along the way. Just to mention a few of the memorable events and highlights of this year: Poetry Week, the spectacular Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 Christmas Show which entertained us with acting, dance, colourful costumes and an excellent array of popular Christmas songs to keep our toes tapping. Key Stage 2 put on a performance I will not forget which involved every child taking an active part in the hope that Father Christmas would reclaim his Christmas spirit. These short class acts provoked tears of laughter, joy and at times sheer awe in seeing individual and group talents displayed. We felt that one afternoon could not do justice to these shows and demand an encore next year. I felt that these performances were our best yet and look forward to seeing what next Primary Christmas brings!

Moving on throughout the year, I am particularly aware that our pupils in Primary have been able to develop confidence in what they do and the teachers worked especially hard to allow children to try new experiences and express themselves in a variety of ways: using creativity in planning across the curriculum and in helping children to solve problems for themselves and others. To name a few events: The Foundation Stage outdoor learning environment allowed children to express themselves and learn while having such fun in their indoor and outdoor role play areas. To name a few: Santa’s Grotto and his little helpers busy at packing parcels, weighting and organising; underwater adventure fun in a sea life area was also colourful, creative and inventive; Bob the Builder and Wendy’s site; going to the Circus with acts and dressing up costumes, and an outdoor garden centre brought unforgettable smiles to the faces of these small children!

So that all pupils may acquire and develop their knowledge and understanding of the world and develop the skills needed for life long learning, this year we have supported children in developing a caring and responsible attitude towards others with our Golden Rules in school and in our links with the Malaga Orphanage. This year’s Primary School Council had hands on approach when we delivered over 204 Christmas Boxes, along with small groups of dedicated parents with big hearts, and 52 gift wrapped Selection boxes in late December. These were moving experiences for all as the school gave generously with other items of food, clothing, blankets and a pair of trainers for each individual child in the Orphanage. It will be a memory I shall not forget when these small children (and teenagers) opened a Chocolate Selection Box presented by our EIC pupils and we witnessed a multitude and mixture of responses such as surprise, excitement, confusion, fear of the box being taken back, great joy, laughter, tears and in being overwhelmed by such a small gift. Some were so pleased they broke out into song and dance. I believe we gained far more from this service than they did!

Other memorable events along this year allowed friendship to blossom and children to develop self confidence and to praise others in their endeavours to push themselves that little bit further: Sports day, Swimming Fiesta and displays, friendly school football matches and competitions and team matches (in which we won most!). The Year 6 Residential Trip to Ronda, Maths Week and Maths trails, Healthy Week with the unforgettable wake up, shake up exercise each morning and a fun packed week of Teddy Bear picnics, competitions, parents’ presentations, talks, cooking experiences and all staff, parents and pupils supporting one another in fun learning in school. This week ending with an array of presentations for each class by displaying what they had learned that week – it was a performance on creative tasks, stories, acts, poetry recitals, healthy posters, warnings, dance and provided opportunities for extending learning and helping children to develop for themselves an active and healthy lifestyle.

Our extra curricular activities this year has brought teachers’ talents to the forefront including Classics Club, Christmas crafts, Art Club, Sewing Club, dance, Swimming Club, recorders, Media Club, gardening, cooking, drumming, drama, Homework Club and a variety of ‘booster clubs’ for developing and extending gifted and talented pupils.

Indeed, this year we have achieved much in our strive towards excellence and enjoyment and what will stay with me is seeing the final shows of the Summer Fiesta and Silver Celebration day when pupils displayed outstanding talents in dance, costumes, singing and acting. These all incorporated an air of style, sophistication, talent and what fun! I shall not forget the spectacular sight of all pupils parading in white, silver and grey on our Silver Celebration day to upbeat music in our early morning assembly. Each class laid down coins to surround our EIC logo and we raised over 242 Euros for charity. The mini discos were pure dance, fantastic fun (in which I think the teachers enjoyed just as much bopping around as the children!) and culminated in a spectacular performance of the EIC’s Got Talent winner’s show at the end of the day. The final winners were best singer - Charlotte Floyer; best band - Year 6 boy group; best dance - Che, Sebastian and Lucien; best act - Toby and Karim who had us in stitches of laughter!

All in all a fun, hard working year has seen the development of a broad and balanced curriculum in linking all subjects together and developing opportunities in the development of our children, one in which we shall definitely say we have worked very hard and travelled on a road of Excellence and Enjoyment!

Fiona Gallagher