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My speech at Carpenters Hall about Cass's legacy

4/7/2018

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It’s almost 300 years since Sir John Cass died. In one version of the events of the evening of July 5th, 1718 Cass had just managed to initial two pages of his Will when the end came. The haemorrhage covered his quill. This blood-stained feather is a symbol of his benevolence we still use today- but what is the legacy of his gift in relation to the school he set up?

Sir John Cass’s School was originally established to provide an education to the poor children of Portsoken- a ward in the once populous City of London. This Independent Charity School split in the 1960s when Sir John Cass’s Foundation and Red Coat Church of England Secondary School was established. Both schools have flourished in the last twenty years. The secondary school is consistently one of the best performing schools in Tower Hamlets with a diverse programme of sports, arts and curriculum enrichment. The school is graded as outstanding by Ofsted and was also graded outstanding in its recent SIAMS inspection which considers how effective it is as a church school. It is an incredibly popular school with 1310 applications for 208 places for this coming September of which over half are 1st and 2nd choice preferences. The school regularly works with a range of local primary schools and is involved in a wider family of partnerships with other bodies.

Our own primary school nestled underneath the corporate towers of the square mile is among the top performing schools in London, if not the country. Our Nursery provides an exceptional environment for babies to 4 year olds and a range of family and children’s services to support child development and develop parent skills and understanding. We are consistently in the top 10% of schools nationally for pupil achievement. But much much more than that we offer an exceptionally rich curriculum featuring science, art, PE and music of excellent quality.

The great shame of the English Education system is that the most money is spent on those who need it the least. Did you know approximately three times more money is spent at independent day-schools per pupil than in state secondary schools?  For all the talk of widening access, Independent sector schools are typically woeful at getting truly vulnerable or disadvantaged children through the door. The talk of money may be vulgar but it’s the assets Sir John left 300 years ago which still make the difference in 2018. Money– in the right hands– has a transformational effect on the lives of the young people in the Cass schools. The purpose of the Charity set up in Sir John’s name is to maintain these two remarkable schools- to invest in and support their work so that they flourish. Sir John’s money– through the Cass Foundation - adds a premium to every child who attends a Cass institution. Spent well, it provides opportunity and the chance for excellence in various areas of the curriculum.  Lets name just two recent projects supported by Sir John Cass’s Foundation which have truly made an exceptional difference in my school. Our partnership with the inspirational Hampshire Cass Mountain Centre– funded by Sir John Cass’s Foundation enables children to fully immerse themselves in exceptional quality outdoor education. I think Roger and his team are here today. Second- our interactive whiteboards, science lab and technology project funded by Sir John Cass’s Foundation have helped to improve teaching and learning in the classroom so that lessons are well resourced and teaching makes very good use of the latest approaches. Money makes the difference and it is right and good to invest it in the each child at a Cass school for that was Sir John’s wish.

The final part of Cass’s legacy worth reflecting on is the idea of ourselves as independent schools. As a Head leaving the school- and the Country- at the end of this academic year I think it’s worth thinking about how successful schools are governed. The independence of voluntary aided schools is a real strength. Unlike academies we’re not stymied by contract law and new layers of bureaucracy. Voluntary aided schools are the original- and I would argue- best way to manage a school. The freedoms available offer Headteachers, governors and trustees an opportunity to forge their own way, drawing on what’s best from the local area but creating a school with true character. Our schools today- the fact they are thriving, successful institutions is informed by the thread of history which can be traced back to their foundations. This provides energy, life and ethos to our institution. Nor is it by accident that our two schools- as with most voluntary schools across the country - were provided by Christian charities, Churches or people of the Church. The very act of providing a school for those who were without education was a gift of enormous Christian benevolence. We’re both schools which proudly aim to develop children’s understanding of God, their spirituality and place in the world. Or to put it like Sir John- to provide instruction in the principles and practices of the Church of England. This independence informed by our Christian character is something to treasure.

With that I want to commend the life, the works and legacy of Sir John Cass to God. Let’s be thankful for the thriving schools we have today, be grateful for the money at our disposal and let us make the most of the opportunities offered through our independence.

Thank you




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The Cass Fashion Show

28/6/2018

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This year's art week had a fashion show theme. This is a short video of Class 6's creations. 
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Tower Hamlets Athletics

28/6/2018

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Fashion Week!

18/6/2018

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Fun with our visitors from Dean Hole

15/6/2018

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PTA Meeting- Summer Fair

24/5/2018

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Playing the archive

11/5/2018

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​Children in Year 5 and 6 will be taking part in a research project over the Summer months with a local university.
 
The researchers are hoping to find out about children’s play in the present day and think about how it has changed in the last 60 years. The children will be using virtual reality equipment as part of the study!

​https://twitter.com/playarchive

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Sports report

27/2/2018

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City of London Swimming Gala
Four children were selected from each class in KS2 to represent the school in the City of London Swimming Gala, held at Golden Lane Leisure Centre. Here they rose to the challenge of racing other children from schools in the city across a range of different swimming strokes, in what was a very competitive Gala. A special mention must go to our medallists: 1st place in Backstroke: Storm in Year 5, 3rd place in Freestyle: Harrison in Year 4, 3rd place in Freestyle: Elliot in Year 3. Finally thankyou to all parents who gave fantastic support.

Sports-hall Athletics
As defending champions in Sports-hall Athletics, we took a Year 5 and Year 6 team (7 boys & 7 girls) in the afternoon of Founders Day to Sir John Cass and Redcoat Secondary School for an afternoon of jumping, throwing and running events. Once again there were some fantastic performances from every member of the team which resulted in an overall result of 2nd out of 7 teams! Well done to all involved!
Team: Boys Team: Justyce, Adam D, Adam G, Mohammed, Orson, Dhanyaal, Arthur
Girls Team: Anastasia, Iris, Erica, Hosna, Sabrina, Monika, Romilly

Boys Cricket
With Year 6 out on a trip, a team from Year 5 and Year 4 took their place to represent the school in an indoor cricket competition at University of East London, Sportsdock. Here children learned how to take wickets and score runs against a number of different schools. A special mention must go to a batting partnership in one particular game by Theo and Harrison in Year 4.

Girls Cricket
A Year 5 and Year 6 team again represented the school at the same venue as the boys’ competition. The girls won one game and lost one game, with some excellent performances all round when bowling and batting. A special mention must go to the sensible batting of Hiba and big hitting of Arabella.

Gymnastics
A team of Year 5 and 6 had the challenge of learning and performing a vault and a body management and floor routine at Marion Richardson School. Here everyone was very impressed with the level of performance from the team. Well done to Harper, Erica and Kai for learning the routines very quickly, and to Sabrina, Romilly, Mila, and Anastasia for fantastic performances as well.

​Netball
Before Christmas we took a KS2 team to Langdon Park Secondary for a netball tournament. With Year 6 away, it was down to children for Year 4 and Year 5 to play against teams older and taller than them. Well done to all involved who improved with every game and competed well against the other schools.
 
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Fish, Feather and Foundation

27/2/2018

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​We enjoyed a wonderful sermon from Bishop Pete—the acting Bishop of London during Founders Day at the end of last half term. Bishop Pete used the symbols of Sir John Cass to talk about charity, service and education. Each Founders Day our thoughts turn to the benevolence of our Founder who set up our charity school in the City of London. His fortune has become the asset of one of the largest educational charities in London—Sir John Cass’s Foundation- offering support and financial assistance to a multitude of projects across the inner London, including ourselves.
 
We talk to the children regularly about the meaning of the Cass feather. Some say it’s stained red with the blood of Cass as he died signing his will. I prefer to use the feather as a symbol of his gift. The gift -through his will—of a free education for every child in this area. We spend much time in today’s society focussing on what can be further improved about educational outcomes. We perhaps don’t ponder for long enough how fortunate we are to have excellent free education in London with many world class schools on our doorstep. Spare a thought for those throughout the world who still don’t have access to a quality education or who don’t go to school at all– and let us be thankful!
 
Bishop Pete also reminded us about the fish on our school crest– the crest of arms for Sir John. Now, fish can be slippery little creatures. We discussed in our assembly on Friday about how they are very difficult to hold onto. Some of the children shared stories about when they had been fishing with their families. When we look down at the jumpers we wear to school, we are reminded that we need to grasp every opportunity, to hold on tight to chances we receive and never give up. With these sentiments in mind, can I draw your attention to a competition we are holding in school!?
 
We currently have an excellent school logo– however, we don’t have a motto which we use in school to clearly represent our values. In our assembly before half term I shared with the children some examples of advertising mottos including ones from school or university. My own college’s motto was Respice Finem (consider the end). Did your school or college have a motto that you still remember? Talk to your child about it if you can.
 
The children have been challenged to take part in a contest to come up with a new motto for school. Think about what’s special about our school. You can find out aims and Christian values on our website: http://www.sirjohncassprimary.org/our-values.html. This page might help you to come up with some ideas. You can submit your idea online or via paper copy to the school office by Friday 9th March, 2018.

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Christmas Market Highlights

9/12/2017

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Thanks to the PTA who organised a fabulous Christmas Market this year in school. We raised an enormous £1500 for school projects. And we had a great time!
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The Christmas Lantern Parade

9/12/2017

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We joined together with local schools and community groups last week to take part in the first Aldgate Lantern Parade. Children paraded around the local area with lanterns they had made in art projects this term in school. 
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Trips out and events at schools in the autumn term

21/10/2017

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We’ve had lots of visits and events in school during the autumn term. From music to sport, museums to outdoor and adventurous activity, the children have enjoyed many new and inspiring experiences.
 
Class 6 have just returned from their residential visit to the Brecon Beacons in Wales. Our Brecon visits are generously supported by Sir John Cass’s Foundation. The Foundation has a partnership with Hampshire County Council, who run this excellent activity Centre. We have built our relationship over the last few years and the children now attend in Year 5 and again in Year 6. This enables them to develop and extend their learning, building their confidence and ability to take risks. This year highlights included pony trekking and camping outside overnight. The pictures from the journey have just been published online on the Head’s Blog.
 
Class 3 and 4 are taking part in a project with the Barbican with Poet, Michael Rosen. The classes have received delivery of a very old school desk full of all sort of childhood treasures. The children will be writing poems about the contents of the desks and working with Michael Rosen later in the term.
 
Class 5 are getting very involved in their new topic on The Vikings. The children have visited the British Museum to learn from the artefacts and objects on display. In fact, everyone is so involved that their new stick insects have been named with Viking names– Loki, Odin, Freya and Thor . Our new insect arrivals relate to Class 5’s science project on living things, life cycles and growth.
 
Class 4 have been learning all about The Romans. On Friday, the children took part in a special themed day which included dressing up and performing their class assembly. Check out their amazing shields!
 
Class 3 have also been on a visit to the Natural History Museum. This was linked to their History project in class on the Stone Age and their science work on rocks and fossils. Children used the rocks, bones and fossils and found lots of amazing discoveries about prehistoric history. Mr Jones has made a great video of their adventures, you can see it on the Head’s Blog.
 
Ironmongers and Carpenters have been learning all about traditional tales. The children have settled quickly into Year 1 and have started learning in the national curriculum subject area. Children are currently hunting for a wanted wolf– can you help find him!?
 
In Discoverers, children have been learning all about autumn. They have collected conkers and leaves, explored the natural environment and have used them to make a lovely display.
 
For Year 1-4 the Musicians Company have also been into school with some of the young musicians they support. Children were enthralled by the performances on the tuba, trumpet, clarinet and bassoon.
 
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Mathematics day

24/6/2017

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Children enjoyed an excellent Mathematics day this week. In year 5 and 6 there was some great collaborate work with peer tutoring in a fun practical session.
Year 4 chose arithmetic– they just love numbers in that class. Year 3 enjoyed working together playing games including number operations Bingo. In early years
children made balance cakes, estimating how many pieces of Lego they can hold in their hands or cup !

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Meeting Dolly

27/4/2017

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Easter Bonnet Parade

7/4/2017

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Faith, hope and love abide, these three: and the greatest of these is love.  1 Corinthians 13:13
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