New children's tea party

On Friday 5 September, we welcomed the new children and parents to St Bede’s, for a new pupils tea party. The party offered the opportunity for staff and pupils to meet in a more informal setting, iron out any initial worries and look forward to the term ahead. It also allowed parents to mingle, not only with the staff but with each other too – thus forming useful connections for the future.

The exciting improvements currently being made to the school (and inclement weather) meant that the field was temporarily out of bounds. However this did not dampen any spirits and the tea was relocated to the Theatre. Delicious cakes and biscuits were provided by the catering department, washed down by tea, coffee or juice. Mr Bevington addressed the crowd from the tiered seating area and informed the children of the exciting prospects which lay ahead of them.

After the address, form teachers took their children to see their classrooms and showed them the most important areas of the School. The time spent with the form teacher was invaluable in integrating children into St Bede’s and initiating this important pastoral relationship. Students and parents also received their Salto cards and watches: similar to an Oyster Card, Salto is a state of the art security system allowing only those people carrying an individually encoded card to gain access to the building thus ensuring the safety of the children.

The afternoon was a great success and enjoyed by all. Indeed, after a relatively short period of time some very nervous expressions were transformed into broad, confident smiles.