As I reflect on the autumn term, I remain immensely proud of just how well Bethany coped with all the Covid challenges. We have managed to keep School life as normal as possible. Our small bubbles and insistence on the wearing of face coverings in lessons by pupils and staff meant that our on-site education provision has not been interrupted.

In the Summer, we created a useful video: The Safe Reopening of Bethany School, which demonstrated just how much time and effort we as a School put into making the campus as Covid-safe as possible. Our pupils had to get used to the many changes around campus, and of course the “new normal”, with far less pupil movement around site and an insistence on regular hand washing, social distancing and sanitising. As a direct result of this, our School community has thankfully remained healthy, and our pupils happy and well-educated. The success that Bethany has had this term has been due to “Team Bethany” and by this, I mean staff, pupils and parents.

On the last day of term, our Christmas lunch proceeded as normal (except for the absence of Christmas crackers) and the catering staff did a superb job in making sure that a traditional Christmas lunch was served to everyone. We also held our first ever virtual Carol Service for pupils, which will be shown again for families on Christmas Day. There was a wonderful atmosphere permeating throughout the School throughout the last day, and I was also particularly pleased that we were able to raise money for that most worthwhile of charities “Save the Children” by wearing Christmas jumpers.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and hope you enjoy spending time with your families. The existence of bubbles means that there is limited scope for mixing with other households which potentially means that family time can be even more special this year.

Francie Healy,
Headmaster