Sky’s the limit for primary school, says new head
LUKE REDFEARN USHERS IN MORE TECH AND LINKS WITH CHURCH
THE new head teacher of Kniveton Primary School has now settled into the new academic year and he has spoken of his ambitions for taking the school into the future.
Luke Redfearn took over the reins at the Main Street school in September from Lynn Board, who was its head for many years and helped the school go from strength to strength.
Now firmly in the saddle, Mr Redfearn has already led a rebranding for the school, which has involved the creation of a new website, an active Facebook page and even an app which enables pupils to stay constantly up to date with staff and teachers.
As part of the adoption of the latest technology, the school has been publishing video blogs as newsletters,while this week pupils created a video appeal for Children in Need.
Father-of-two Mr Redfearn, who has been teaching for 11 years, was formerly an assistant head teacher at a much bigger school in Stockport, says he feels like moving to Kniveton has been like joining a family.
He said: “I am blessed with talented teachers, supportive parents and a passionate governing board and I truly believe the sky is the limit for what we can achieve over the next few years.
“In recent years, Kniveton has been placed in the top one per cent for attainment in core subjects and that’s where we want to be in the future.
“I believe that we can only strengthen our offer by engaging the local community, in particular the church community.
“We have already had our Harvest Festival at the church and our rebranding of the school logo puts the church at the heart of the school.
“My life-long ambition, ever since I became involved in education was to be a headteacher. Children are the best hope for our future and being in a position to shape the next generation is a privilege I feel very fortunate to have.”
Mr Redfearn acknowledges that the disruption of the pandemic has served up various challenges across the education sector but, for Kniveton, now that restrictions have lifted, closer involvement with parents has become a new priority, and was at the core of the rebranding.
He said: “The pandemic has forced schools to engage with children and families remotely. Now that we are back in schools, it is vital we make parents as big a part of our school community as we possibly can.
“We have launched a new website which allows new and prospective parents to see all of the amaz
Being in a position to shape the next generation is a privilege I feel very fortunate to have. Luke Redfearn
ing things we do at our school.
“We now have an active Facebook page and a brand-new app that enables us to be in constant dialogue with parents.
“There are fewer locations that are as idyllic as Kniveton. The setting is like no other. Furthermore, we are within touching distance of the highlights of the Peak District.
“I am incredibly keen to make up for lost time, making sure that children don’t miss out on the most memorable parts of their school life – the school trip.
“We’ve already been to Chatsworth House as part of our sculpture module in art and the PTA have arranged for us to visit the Buxton Opera House at Christmas to see Aladdin.
“We have a forest on our doorstep where we look to engage children in ways you simply can’t in the classroom.”
To find out more about the school and to see its new website, visit knivetonprimaryschool.co.uk