Back to school

'First day at school. Stomach sinks. Tears well up. Bottom lip trembles - and you're just the parent. First-time parents get more anxious than their little darlings, so let's spare a thought for them and those others new to school this week - the newly qualified teachers.
As with every "ordeal", the waiting is worse. Parents, awake since 6am, look with adoration and apprehension at little darling's new clothes and shiny shoes laid out ready.
Meanwhile, new teacher, shiny of shoe, has been in the school car park since 6am and is desperate for the loo, but the school is not open yet ...' (Source:Guardian newspaper)


 Tomorrow morning (Wednesday 15 August) we will warmly welcome all of our pupils back to school after what I hope has been a fantastic summer holiday. I am delighted that we have a full complement of staff who are all ready and raring to go.  I look forward to congratulating pupils on a superb set of exam results before we roll up our sleeves and continue on our journey to excellence through the new session.

A very large number of new staff (24) have joined us over the summer following the departure of an equally large number of colleagues. I suspect that this very large number of 'new' staff is unprecedented at Gillespie's. Some of  the 'new' staff (3) I refer to are staff returning after a year's break on various adventures including maternity leave and travelling for a year. The past two days has given us time to work with the new staff to prepare for what, I'm sure, will be another busy and wonderful year in the life of James Gillespie's.