5th September 2018
Dear Parent / Carer,
I hope that you and your child have had restful and enjoyable summers.
I wanted to write to you personally today to welcome back those of you already familiar with the school, and to welcome those of you whose child is joining Goodwin Academy this term.
As you will be aware from letters sent earlier this year, Goodwin Academy is now part of the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, of which I am the Director of Secondary Education. Thinking Schools runs 14 schools across the South East of England, and we are committed to transforming the life chances of all our children and young people in our academies.
We are delighted that we are sponsoring your school and we will be working extremely hard every day to continue the school’s ongoing journey of improvement so that every student is given the best opportunities to fulfil their potential.
As a result, you and your child will see some new faces around the school. Working with the Principal, Simon Smith, I will be in school on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. My expertise is in delivering high-quality teaching and learning, and in raising standards at all schools I have worked in, whatever their starting-point. I was for four years the Principal of Rochester Grammar School, one of the top-performing schools in the country and another academy sponsored by Thinking Schools; I have recently been Executive Principal of Holcombe Grammar School, another successful school in Medway; and I was also the Interim Principal of The Portsmouth Academy, bringing it out of Special Measures and helping it towards its current Ofsted rating of Good.
Stuart Gardner, Thinking Schools’ Chief Executive, will also be at Goodwin on Monday afternoons to attend the weekly senior leadership team meetings, and on Wednesdays. Natalie Sheppard, the Principal of The Portsmouth Academy, will be in every other Friday.
All of us at Thinking Schools are extremely excited at what lies ahead for Goodwin Academy and its students. We know how popular it is in the community and what huge potential it has, and we are determined that it, and all Goodwin’s students, will thrive under our sponsorship.
I have always been a firm believer in the adage that the most successful schools are a partnership between everyone involved in the school – the staff, the students, the parents and the whole school community – and I have every confidence that Goodwin Academy will continue to improve in the coming weeks, months and years.
We all look forward to meeting you, and to working with you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me through the Academy Office.
Yours sincerely,
Gwynn Bassan Director of Secondary Education Thinking Schools Academy Trust