Groundhog day

Today is Candlemas, which many people believe tells us whether or not winter is over. In the USA today is also often known as Groundhog Day, where in Punxsutawney they hold a ceremony where a groundhog is coaxed from his hibernation to take a provisional look at the world outside. It is said that if he can see his shadow he goes back inside, and there will be six more weeks of winter. Otherwise spring will soon follow. As I write this blog there are grey skies over Blackpool and it is raining, so let us hope that the ice and snow and cold temperatures of recent weeks are now behind us.

Sadly, freezing temperatures put paid to our rugby last weekend but the girls managed to play hockey. Have a look at the reports in the Sports News section of the website to see how they got on.

I spent part of last week at the UCST residential conference in York where, as well as sharing thoughts and ideas with fellow Heads, I listened to some interesting speakers. I am pleased to say that the determination to offer our teaching staff the best possible training remains and I was delighted to hear about some of the opportunities that my colleagues now have for high quality professional development. For instance, UCST teachers can now take advantage of higher degrees in education from the University of Warwick and several of my colleagues have already seized that opportunity. Taken along with all the other ways we develop the skills of our teachers, it is clear that the children are in good hands.

Best wishes

Barry Hughes

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Date: Tuesday 02/02/2010