The School's Open Day dawned bright and sunny (and it was going to be a bit too hot and muggy - we have still to get the thunderstorms we've been promised). On arrival at the new administration block, opened in January by our Bishop, MP and Chairman of Governors, Fr Michael Whawell, visitors were greeted by the school secretary, Mrs Savage, with a very useful map of the school and the programme of events.


We were then let loose on the classes going on. Jean Barlow was playing with Roamer the Robot in Class 1, and appeared to be simultaneously teaching computer programming, geometry, verbal reasoning and public speaking, logical analysis and problem solving, and probably several other subjects as well, but I couldn't be sure.

Trish Gilbey's class were doing something horribly complicated with four digits and a bingo board (beautifully explained by Bill who seemed to have remembered 4 closely typed pages of rules).

In the new computer room, we saw half a dozen children operating the new computers, sorting triangles and rectangles, packing trains and playing several other computer "games" too complicated and challenging for your correspondent to follow. John Jackson, school governor and caretaker, appeared to be providing on line technical support to several of the children. Clearly restoring 2nd World War artillery (the first users of computers) has taught John things no one else could possibly know - apart hopefully from the Programmer!
And in the Demountable (what is it mounted on and when does it get off it?) Jane Downes was continuing on some higher plane the game begun with Trish Gilbey in Class 2. My team won - not that they bothered to ask me for any pearls of numerology to help them to victory which was rather disheartening for the governor notionally responsible for numeracy.

The overwhelming impression was of bright, happy children, enthusiastically engaged with each other and their teachers on learning about the world, and of teachers confident, capable and equally engaged with their pupils (PS I have not been had paid to write this). All those who are responsible for the atmosphere and "ethos" (New Labour term fresh minted by our new Secretary of State Estelle Morris) of this lovely little school deserve the village's enthusiastic support and three hearty cheers.

I hope that as many parents, prospective parents, governors and other villagers as possible took the chance to see St Andrew's School at work and play - if you missed it, here's a couple of pictures kindly snapped by Anthony Stamp with his digital camera. There would have been more but his batteries went flat, so you'll just have to use your imagination!