Charlton School

Dear Parents and Carers, 

I hope you are well and enjoyed the summer break. 

It is of great sadness to all of us that Queen Elizabeth II passed away last Thursday. She was an inspirational, dedicated monarch whose 70-year reign was dignified and deeply committed to the service of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. We all have been greatly moved by the events of the last few days and we are now in a period of national mourning. All our schools held assemblies or time with tutors last Friday to share with our young people the momentous events of Thursday and to celebrate her life as our Queen. We will be continuing this week to share her extraordinary life and reign, as well as supporting our new King, Charles III, as he faces the challenges of monarchy alongside the personal grief for him and his family of losing the Queen. 

All our schools will be closed on Monday 19th September 2022 as there is a bank holiday for the state funeral of our wonderful Queen Elizabeth. It will be a very sad day for our country but also a celebration of a “life well lived”. 

In other news: 

We have had an excellent start to the term and it is lovely to have a very normal start! Our staff are well rested, and our children and students looked very happy and so smart in their uniforms. Thank you to parents and carers for all the effort you have made for the new term. 

Last Monday we welcomed the Lantern Academy to the LCT and the staff have worked so hard to get the school ready for the children. We welcome Michelle Skidmore, the new Headteacher, a completely new team of teaching staff, support staff, children, and parents/carers to our Trust. We are delighted to have you all as part of the LCT community. The children looked splendid in their new uniform! We have done lots of work on the interior of the building with new furniture, some decorating and new ICT in each classroom ready for a great start. 

Last week saw the publication of the Queensway and HLC Primary Ofsted reports. I am delighted with these – they read very well and recognise the strengths of our schools. 

I launched our new primary school - Allscott Meads, which is now being built - at an information evening last Thursday at Charlton School before we heard the sad news. This was well attended and our first contact with prospective parents. 

Finally, it is this half-term when we hold Open Evenings for parents, carers and Y6 children to consider applying for a place for Y7 in September 2023 in one of our academies. The dates are: 

• HLC Secondary – Tuesday 20th September from 5pm; 
• Ercall Wood Academy – Wednesday 5th October from 6pm; and 
• Charlton School – Thursday 13th October from 5pm. 

There will also be opportunities to visit the schools during the working day. All information is on their websites. 

I look forward to seeing you at events over the next few weeks. 

Best wishes to you and your family. 

Kind Regards, 

Dr. Gill Eatough 

CEO LCT