Parish of Leatherhead - Trinity School 2006

from the August 2007 Parish Magazine

Leatherhead Trinity School and Children's Centre is now completing its first year. Everyone in Leatherhead should know about us, if only because children now walk round in a single red uniform rather than the various shades of blue and green of the previous St Mary's, All Saints and The Woodville. But there could be some confusion about exactly what is happening given that those same three school buildings are still in use. Has anything actually changed?

There were two parts to the vision of Leatherhead Trinity. One was creating the Children's Centre, bringing together childcare, the whole range of State services for children, and the work of the All Saints Family Project. It operates out of much improved buildings on the All Saints site at Aperdele Rd, is run by a manager, Hazel, operating under the overall structure of the school and its Head and Governing Body, and is spectacularly successful, becoming, in its first six months, the only local provider to be rated "outstanding" by Ofsted. It is undoubtedly making a difference to the lives of families in North Leatherhead and beyond.

The other part of the vision was bringing the three existing infant and junior schools together into a single new primary school, in a new building. We've done the "people" bit of that. As well as a single uniform, we have a single Head, Alison; a single Governing Body (David, Ian and Dean are Governors, as are several other church members, reflecting the three-way church foundation); a single curriculum, budget, staffing structure, and ethos, we are a single school in everything ... except for the linchpin of the vision: a new building.

It may sound as if this should not matter too much. Surely real value comes from people, not from bricks and mortar? Maybe I started the year thinking a bit of that myself. But experience shows it just isn't so. Organisationally for the management, for the curriculum, for the staff, for continuity for the children any school on three sites is trying to run with one foot in a bucket of concrete. And the physical surroundings, the atmosphere they create and the facilities they provide make a huge difference to the nurture of children, something that should not surprise us as churches. Until we get that new building, the vision is, frustratingly, stalled.

Why the delay? The Planning Application was far too late going in. Then, in June, the Planning Committee voted (on a tied, 7-7 vote) not to grant permission but to refer it back for more work. The proposed building itself is wonderful, reflecting an £8M price tag, a measure of the investment Surrey are prepared to put into Leatherhead. The problem is the access to the site, the top half of the existing Woodville grounds. Is it possible to accommodate the car movements on Kingston and Woodville Roads? Can we realistically persuade parents out of cars onto foot? These are the issues where the Planning Committee were not yet persuaded and so the building is delayed by another six months.

How do we balance the concerns of the local residents with the broader imperatives for the community? Shaped by the input from the churches alongside others, one of the values of Leatherhead Trinity is that we are part of the community, not just a place to send children during school hours, but an integral part of the life of a town. That means the local concerns are our concerns too, and as a school we have been urging Surrey not just to force this through roughshod but to find a solution that works for everyone. But it also explains the hurt and frustration as the needs of the community, not just the school, are left unmet.

Leatherhead is largely united round a vision of how to go forward. Churches, staff, Governors, and parents, we're all in it because we want to make a difference.

Watching yet another generation of our children in Leatherhead receive less than we know we could give them is not what education should be about.

Meanwhile the staff, despite the problems and the stress, are working very hard for the well-being of the children; as well as the "outstanding" Ofsted tag for the Children's Centre, standards are significantly improved at the school this year too. We are a church school. As a church community, we share our undoubted strengths and successes with you; and our problems and frustrations too. John Swanson Chair of Governors

from the August 2006 Parish Magazine

Both our church schools, St Mary's and All Saints, will formally be coming to a close as independent Voluntary Controlled Schools in their own right this month. Both schools have served Leatherhead for over 100 years and were originally brought into being by local church initiatives. Each school plans an eventful closure day when all that has been achieved by them in the past and present can be celebrated: St Mary's is on Tuesday 25 July, and All Saints on Wednesday 26 July.

These formal closures mark the turning point in the coming into being of the new Voluntary Controlled Leatherhead Trinity Primary School and Children's Centre. For about the next two years education will continue on these same sites, and longer at All Saints with the Foundation Stage remaining in place as part of the newly created Children's Centre.

This is a One-Stop-Shop incorporating a range of children's and family services alongside early years education. Eventually the present Woodville and St Mary's School will come into the new school being built on the Woodville site.

These changes have meant a great deal of uncertainty at times for teaching and non-teaching staff. All Saints has experienced the disruptive creation of the Children's Centre around them whilst continuing to function as an Infant and Nursery School.

St Mary's has had the disappointment of knowing that it will not continue as a separate school at all. Although the changes are positive and life-giving to a new phase in primary education, the passing of old and well-trusted friends will be a time of sadness as well as celebration.

We thank both schools, and also all who have worked at The Woodville School, for all they have given to generations of children; and we look forward with enthusiasm to the coming into being of Leatherhead Primary School and Children's Centre with its unique support from the Anglican, Methodist and United Reformed Churches.

from the August 2006 Parish Magazine

St Mary's C of E Infant School

As this is our last article for the magazine as "St. Mary's Infant School" I thought it would be appropriate to share comments from Year 2 children of their memories of their time in this school.

"I'll miss the school. Thank you teachers for helping me with everything I have done". . . "I will miss all my friends I have made"
"The woodland trail is my favourite. We get to build houses with sticks and leaves" "We are really lucky to have our woods"
"The swimming pool is really fun. I love it and we do dolphin and butterfly."
"I like going swimming, it's one of my favourite things."
"My favourite time in St. Mary's is singing in the choir at Dorking Halls."
"My first day at St. Mary's I was very nervous but now I have made many friends". . . "We have learnt a lot over the last 3 years."
"I love this school so much we go in the hall for Assembly in the morning."
"I love the pretty flowers in the field". . . "I like finding things in the school pond." "This school is a very happy school to me". . . "It's the most wonderful and joyful place, nothing to worry about, we are all safe."
"I think all the teachers are great". . . "The children are happy and kind."
"I like St. Mary's because it is a lovely school". . . "I am all comfy and warm here." "Our Head Teacher is very glamorous and loving."

After five years of serving this school as Headteacher I, too, move on to a new and exciting chapter in my life. So I would like to thank all those who have supported and encouraged me during my time here at St. Mary's and to wish Leatherhead Trinity School a promising and successful future under the guidance of Alison Walsh, the new Head Teacher. Wishing you all the very best. Yours sincerely
Christine Cottrell-Smith

from the August 2006 Parish Magazine

All Saints Infant School
With great sadness, tinged with hope for the future, I write the very last entry in the Parish Magazine on behalf of All Saints C of E Infant and Nursery School. As a school community we fought hard for this merger, which we felt would unite Leatherhead and enhance the life opportunities for all.

The past few months have been hard, as work has begun to remodel our whole site in preparation for the opening of the new Children's Centre in September. Change is always challenging and this course hasn't always run smoothly; however, as the dust begins to settle, we can see new shoots as we move forward together with St Mary's and The Woodville, to become Leatherhead Trinity School.

Looking back on the last 129 years, All Saints can boast some considerable successes, the most important being that it has always worked tirelessly to meet the distinctive needs of the community that is North Leatherhead and has given countless children and their families a sound start in life. This school has specialised in nurturing confidence, in identifying and supporting individual and group need and in recognising the importance of a whole child and life-long approach to learning.

I have had the privilege of working with a truly professional, compassionate and skilled staff and I have been backed by the most dedicated and informed governing body. Together we have made a difference. This has always been a school that works as a team and it has been rare for me to single out any one for any reason. However, Sara Brown has been the Chair of Governors here for 15 years now. She has been a quiet inspiration, a thoughtful and clear sighted campaigner and she deserves to be recognised as having made an outstanding contribution to All Saints School, to the All Saints Family Project and to the children and families of North Leatherhead.

I know that all the staff, governors, parents and children would like to join with me in recognising her work. Schools are always about the children, the children and the children. The fact that no one here has ever forgotten that, no matter how long the committee meeting or how wrapped in red tape the paperwork, is further testament to our success. I have never been prouder than I am now to have been the Headteacher here. Jane Gorecka