Headteacher's Blog

 There seem to be so many things to worry about at the moment and maybe you are anxious with all of the things that our children have to deal with currently. Life can be complex but it needn't overwhelm. Your children are great at sharing with each other the things that can help them to be feel grounded. They are also great at teaching us what we need to do to feel better!  Next week marks the start of our special wellbeing focus week where we will develop the brilliant theme of 'express yourself'. As well as exploring what makes each of us uniquely individual, throughout this week we will also prioritise a range of wellbeing techniques which will help us to be grounded and more mindful. We hope that our children are keen to share their learning with you this week! Mr White launches the week by sharing a journey through mindfulness with 'happy':

 Well my learning was challenged this evening. It has been quite a while since I published the last Friday Vlog and I had to jump feet first into the Learning Pit to rediscover how to do it! Hence the Friday Vlog that arrived early on Saturday!!!! Well, here it is anyway ... Mr White's take on what learning means for those at home and those in school and how the learning struggle is so important. Lockdown presents us with a real opportunity to focus on independence in learning; equally, however, it could do the opposite ... so let's ensure that we all support the independence and celebrate the struggle before jumping in to help too soon! In the long run, it will create much better learners who are resilient and able to adapt to new situations.  If you want to find out more about the learning pit, check out James Nottingham's website here:  https://www.challenginglearning.com/learning-pit/ Find out about Professor Guy Claxton's Building Learning Power and 17 Characterist

It has been a strange time with some pupils working at home and others working at school. All pupils at home and at school are currently working on the same materials. Materials are uploaded to Purple Mash and these are used in school as well as at home in order to ensure a parity of experience.  The following document aims to explain our current approach to remote learning: Remote Education Offer Draft Jan 2021 The Teaching & Learning Committee of our Governing Body met to consider our Remote Offer after exploring the materials available to pupils and parents. The school review document for this is available here:  School Review Remote Offer Jan 21 Our Remote offer is a work in progress and is continually open to review. Constructive feedback is always welcome via feedback@stvincent.herts.sch.uk Please do let us know how you are feeling about our offer; we can't promise the world, but we will always listen and act upon your opinions where we can. Thank you for your partnership

 Our children are great at making daily use of the school mission statement. It trips off their tongues so easily and is accompanied by their beautiful signing. But what does it really mean for them and how does the charism of St Vincent de Paul influence their daily life in school? Check out our recently premiered charism film here: As always, our young people can always teach us a thing or two. It is often so humbling to hear them talking of their faith so naturally, entwined with their very being and reflected in their interactions at school and beyond. They talk with such passion about what it means to be a person of faith and how this impacts upon their lives in the classroom, at home and in the wider community and are so keen to make a difference in the world. It gives me great pleasure to watch this: our children are our future and the world is in their safe hands!  Thanks be to God!

Usually at this time of the year I am busy showing families around the school, as parents engage with that important decision about selecting a school place for their nursery or reception aged child. This is usually an opportunity to get a real feel for the school in action, to see the interactions between peers and between children and adults and simply to 'feel' the school. There are usually lots of questions on a range of topics to keep me on my toes!  It is sad that this is not possible this year due to Covid-19 restrictions. With this in mind, we have produced  two virtual tours - one for nursery and one for reception to help you to get a feel for the school.   Nursey applications (for children born between 1st Sep 2017 and 31st Aug 2018) opened on 03/09/20 and close on 27/11/20. The nursery tour is available here:   Reception applications (for children born between 1st Sep 2016 and 31st Aug 2017) open on 2/11/20 and close on 15/01/21. The reception tour is available he

It is sad that we are unable to welcome potential new families to view the school currently. However, the following video has been created to expalin to potential new nursery familes what we are all about: The admissions pages of our website are linked here: We look forward, as always, to welcoming new and familiar families to our community. Enjoy the film!