Welcome back and Happy New Year! I hope that you had a restful and enjoyable break.

It was an early return in January and the Spring term certainly got off to a quick start with train strikes, looming teacher strikes, a Government announcement setting out an ambition for a turn of events in the recruitment of mathematics teachers, and guidance for schools from the UK Health Security Agency regarding high levels of sickness. Although we have not gone back to the awful lockdowns of January of 2021, managing staff and pupil absence continues to be an unwelcome distraction from core business. The disproportionate impact of absence was well documented following the height of the pandemic and is also featured in a recent report published by the Children’s Commissioner. As well as robust systems to challenge poor attendance, the impact can be mitigated through an ambitious curriculum offer and confident teaching that actively identifies learning gaps and misconceptions. This is itself a learned skill. It is so important that teachers can continue to develop their pedagogical approaches through training, learning from peers, and opportunities to see others teach throughout their career. I hope that you will be able to support us in ensuring that curriculum leaders take full advantage of the subject network sessions that are again taking place this half term as a way to share and spread the best education offer to all Camden schools.

We have a number of new staff to welcome at Camden Learning this month, Katy Wetherill who has taken up the substantive Executive Support Assistant role, Michelle Borland our new Primary PSE adviser and Mohammed Rahman our new Court Officer supporting the attendance team. After the last few turbulent years, it is hard to try and predict what is coming in 2023. Certainly no one would have guessed at five Education Secretaries and three Prime Ministers in 2022. Let’s hope for some stability and time to get on with the business of being able to provide a great education without distraction. Thank you as always for everything you are doing.

Best wishes

Stephen Hall

Chief Executive Officer, Camden Learning