What a term! It has been non-stop from start to finish and to be quite honest, we all deserve 6 weeks of R&R. Having started the year with 8 students, we have ended with 34 students. We have supported students in completing a range of qualifications from GCSEs and EPQs to Functional Skills and Arts Award. There have been a number of applications to further education colleges and we worked hard to source work experience opportunities and run trips to different workplaces, such as the investment bank, JP Morgan.
The term as a whole has been jam-packed with trips. Staff have been so keen to run them, I have felt like I have spent the term swimming in paperwork and risk assessments but it has allowed us to learn outside of the classroom and visit the Natural History Museum, Lewisham Lanes Bowling, Thorpe Park, the London Sea Life Centre, the cinema in Leicester Square, Pizza Hut, the Everest Inn Curry House, The Reach Climbing Wall in Woolwich, and the Heath for Sports Day. A huge thank you to all our fantastic staff for being brave and providing such wonderful opportunities for the In Toto students. A number of our staff have had internal promotions, and I am delighted that from September, Ravina will be Assistant Head (Teaching and Learning), and Shilpa will be Curriculum Lead for Science across the whole organisation. Our staff team remains stable and I am delighted to be welcoming Camilla Beecham as Deputy Head, Daisy Munroe in the English department and Joe Norwood will be joining us as a TA. The hamsters Toto and Beast have had a busy term in the well-being department and are looking forward to spending the summer on a sabbatical - I don’t blame them!
Next term is set to be another busy one as we look to expand into another building (more information to follow), develop our PE curriculum to include lessons at the Glassmill leisure centre and prepare to deliver a suite of new qualifications including Level 3 Music and Level 2 Childcare. Our curriculum remains broad and balanced and allows our students to build on knowledge, expand their horizons and prepare for the next stage of their life.
Thursday 22 August is GCSE results day and is an exciting day for Year 11. We will also be sharing certificates and outcomes of the vocational qualifications that have been achieved this year on the same day. I will be in touch with arrangements in the coming days.
As the term draws to a close and we reflect on the ups and downs and the stresses and strains of working in the education system, I am reminded of the true meaning of In Toto: totally, entirely, completely.
And with that, it’s time for me to spend some precious time with my own children, and I look forward to seeing yours in September.
Emily Gunton, Head of In Toto London
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