An Evening at The River School: Celebrating Community and Looking Ahead
There was a real buzz around school this week as families from Nursery, Primary and Seniors came together for our first parent event of the new academic year, An Evening at The River School.
With cheese and wine being served, the evening began simply with time to mingle and chat. Parents, carers and staff had the opportunity to catch up, meet new people and enjoy being together as a school community.
And community was very much at the heart of the evening.
Partnership in all its fullness
Once everyone had taken their seats, Headteacher Emma Ellin shared something of our vision for the year ahead, emphasising the importance we place on a genuine partnership between school and home.
Open communication, honesty and transparency are central to that relationship. We want parents to feel part of school life, to understand not only what we are doing, but why, and to know that the door is always open for conversation.
It is part of what being a small school allows us to do particularly well. Our pupils are known as individuals, but so too are our families, and strong relationships between pupils, parents and staff are an important part of what makes The River School distinctive. Our aim is to create a place where every child is known, valued and given the opportunity to flourish.
What's new at The River?
There was plenty to share.
Our extracurricular programme continues to grow, giving pupils even more opportunities to discover new interests and develop their gifts beyond the classroom. Dance, volleyball and 3D printing are among the extra-curricular clubs, and there is even more excitement on the way for our upcoming Pet Club, with three new rabbits due to join The River School family very soon!
Our school environment is changing too. Families may already have noticed our freshly painted hall, part of an ongoing programme of improvements across the site. We've also expanded our staff team, including welcoming our very own in-house painter and decorator, Mr Snow.
Some of our Senior Art pupils have started work on a new mural in the Primary entrance hall, (which just happens to be one of the first corridors Mr Snow painted last term but we’re sure he won’t mind)!
Elsewhere, Primary pupils are getting involved in redesigning the reading nook and library at the top of our grand staircase. We love that the children themselves are helping to shape the spaces in which they learn and spend their time.
With more improvements planned over the coming year, watch this space.
Learning to look beyond ourselves
One of the developments we are particularly excited about this year is our new Community Service afternoon for Senior pupils every Thursday.
Service has always sat at the heart of our Christian ethos. Our ambition is not simply to help pupils succeed academically, but to develop capable, compassionate and grounded young people who understand that their gifts can be used for the benefit of others.
That is now taking on a very practical form.
Projects range from improving our own school site, including designing and constructing a nursery water play area, developing a dedicated prayer space and restoring furniture, to going out into our wider community. Pupils will be visiting a local care home, supporting food bank collections and finding other ways to contribute.
It is about learning by doing, taking responsibility, serving others and developing character beyond the classroom.
A new Parent Staff Association
The evening also saw Mrs Coward introduce our new Parent Staff Association, another venture we are really excited to launch.
We want to create even more opportunities for families and staff to come together, strengthen connections across Nursery, Primary and Seniors and contribute to the wider life of the school.
More on that very soon!
Exploring The River after hours
After hearing about the year ahead, parents were invited to explore.
Classroom doors were open across the school, from Nursery right through to Seniors, with teachers on hand to talk about their classrooms and learning. Families could wander freely through our walled gardens (although they do look better in the daylight), discover different parts of the school site and take a look inside spaces they may never previously have had reason to visit.
For some, it was a chance to see where children spend their days. For others, it meant discovering a completely new part of our eight-acre site.
It was informal, relaxed and, judging by the wonderful feedback we received, something our families would like us to do again.
We loved every minute of it too.
So, thank you to everyone who joined us and helped make our first Evening at The River School such a success. We think it's safe to say that it might just have earned itself a regular place in the school calendar.
Come and discover The River School for yourself
If reading this has made you curious about The River School, this is a particularly good time to come and take a look.
We are a small independent Christian school and nursery for children aged 2 to 16, set within eight beautiful acres on the northern edge of Worcester. Small classes and a high staff-to-pupil ratio help us really get to know the children in our care, while our Christian ethos places character, relationships, service and the inherent worth of every individual alongside academic achievement. We welcome families of all faiths and none.
Our next Open Days are:
Tuesday 6 October 1pm to 3pm
Saturday 10 October, 10am to 12 noon
Come and explore our classrooms and grounds, meet our staff and pupils and discover what Life in all its fullness looks like at The River School.
We'd love to welcome you.
The River School & The Brook Nursery
Oakfield House, Droitwich Road, Worcester WR3 7ST
01905 457047 | info@riverschool.co.uk | www.riverschool.co.uk
