Dear OFS Community,
On Monday, Rachel Dimond joined me to share her reflections of working with My Yard, as they try to establish security, care and community in the Grange Farm Estate. She described the impact of the food boxes and gifts that Orley Farm families put together before Christmas.
There are so many challenges that appear to be rushing towards us and it’s remarkable that we are seeing them more clearly in the midst of a pandemic – climate change, BLM, inclusivity, BREXIT, entitlement, cancel culture and the list goes on. Our eyes were strangely blinkered during the good times and it’s a powerful and inspiring thought that we see more clearly in the hard times!
Listening to Rachel, I couldn’t help but wonder how on earth do we capitalise on this shift to ensure permanent changes for the better are made? To clear my head, I took a walk through the Grange Farm Estate with a camera and the words of this poem in my head.
As I came to the new development, a building that is offering 574 flats to replace the tired, cold and draughty ones, I was wondering how many of the residents will be offered the move, I fear that very few will be relocated, despite this catchy promise:
I need our children to see beyond these images and feel what a community actually is – it’s the love, laughter, care and warmth. Rachel kindly left a number of magazines that are in the school library that contained snapshots of life on the estate, I include some of these lovely photos below:
Is Orley Farm inclusive and outward looking, if ‘yes’ how can we be better? If 'no' where do we start?
I was inspired with the artwork and messaging that I found in the shadow of the new building:
I’ll let you know how we get on but a huge thank you to Rachel for joining us to kick start our week.
The Victorians
Year 2 have seen some strange happenings in Pre-Prep - the telephone box appears to be connected to some form of time vortex, sucking visitors from the past into the present! A few weeks ago Queen Victoria appeared and luckily Year 1 pupils were able to update her on changes – she was very confused by an iPad.
This week, Emmeline Pankhurst was squashed in the cubicle and Mr Richards thankfully heard her knocking on the door. She came to tell us all about the challenges that she faced in a very unfair world as she fought for equal rights between men and women, boys and girls. She was very dazed and needed a cup of tea so Mr Richards took her into the staffroom – where she discovered her first banana, something she had never seen!
Balance!
I dropped in on a Year 1 PE lesson in which they were looking at movement, balance and transitioning. I was really impressed with the focus and attention being paid to every part of the body, from toes to fingertips!
Headmaster's Commendation
Another thoughtful week in which we have all been prompted to think about the world around us, past and present. I’m so mindful of the extraordinary skills that Orley Farm pupils develop in their time with us – making sure that they see and feel the purpose of using these skills is the real gold-dust! Have a lovely weekend!
Tim Calvey