Thanks for your response - it feels less like posting to a vacuum when answers come back. I must apologise for not making clear that I found the inside of the newsletter very informative. I always enjoy reading the newsletters even if they’re not relevant to my own children as they generally give a good flavour of the range of activities going on in the school.

My only gripe was with the letter from the head on the front page, and I really wasn’t alone in finding this a prime example of management gobbledygook. I’m glad to hear you have confidence in the Headteacher; as parents, we rely on you guys to make those judgements. We see very little of the Head directly and this is one of the few opportunities she has to put her opinion and personality across to the parents. I really do think that in this particular instance she missed that opportunity. So we’ll have to agree to disagree on that one!

But please don’t take this as a vote of no confidence in the Head -all I’m saying is that I thought that one letter was awful. I’ll edit my post to include a comment about the inside of the newsletter.

I know from experience just how difficult it is to meet the needs of ALL parents in a letter - some want more information, others less - it’s a difficult judgement to get it right. I once got a complaint from a parent about a letter home because I’d used words that she didn’t understand - and another complaint from a different parent because my statistical analysis was not sophisticated enough! - sometimes you just can’t win.

Modern headship is not all about the individual at the top - they play a key role but it’s no longer about their ability to dominate the school. I think the range of activities and contributors to the newsletter demonstrated that to good effect.

I have huge personal confidence in the Headteacher and know that she is tackling a range of issues to good effect and is committed to making the school an exceptional place. In my recent visits to classrooms I’ve been very impressed by the quality of work and attitude of pupils and staff.

I’d like to encourage you to make contact with the Headteacher to discuss your concerns - I know she would be interested in your point of view.

We are all finding our way with how to make best use of social media such as blogs - I’d be concerned if they actually ended up putting up barriers as opposed to breaking them down.

Head below the parapet for a bit, I think