The new headteacher at a Lichfield school says her ambition is to put the site at “the heart of the local community”.
Dr Rhian Warrack took over at Scotch Orchard Primary in February.
Families were invited to meet her at an event earlier this month, with the new headteacher saying she hoped to continue reaching out.
“I’ve already made lots of links with children and local families. It’s a fantastic community and the school is clearly an important part of it.
“We have children here whose parents were also Scotch Orchard pupils when they were little, so there really is a connection with the school that goes across generations.
She said: “We want to open our school up so people have better access to see what their children are doing, and to share in their learning adventure.
“It’s about building bonds between families and the school, so that we work together in partnership.”
Dr Rhian Warrack, Scotch Orchard Primary School
Dr Warrack said her ethos to education was one of “belonging, believing, learning and achieving”.
She added that she was keen to create aspirations for children at the school.
“I think that in order for children to succeed they need to feel they belong and develop trust with those around them, so they feel safe. That way children can believe in themselves, and then they become open to learning.
“If we get that right, our children can go on to achieve whatever they want to.
“Aspirations are really important as well, so they believe that anyone can become anything they want to, if they work hard and never give up. That’s something we really want to instil in them.”
Dr Rhian Warrack, Scotch Orchard Primary School
The new headteacher said that the school, which is part of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, had the capacity to become a focal point for the local area.
“The school has such an amazing amount of space and fantastic grounds. The potential is vast.
“I would really like to open us up more, to make us really at the heart of our community. For example, with the amount of space we have in the building, we could potentially have a toddler group here.
“We’ve got the resources and space, and we have got early years expertise with the nursery on site as well.
“That would mean our local community would be able to come in with their youngest children and get to know the building, and engage with the school.
“Looking ahead, we could even link in with health visitors, hold breast feeding clinics, or host similar health access points.
“I think it’s possible, and I think it could be a valuable resource for our local community.”
Dr Rhian Warrack, Scotch Orchard Primary School
