PRIVILEGE TO BE OF SERVICE
WELL DONE TO YOUNG PUPILS
A TRIBUTE To Year 6 Pupils
And so we arrive, once again, at SATs time. And this year is the final year in the current format and the last time to be reported in levels.
So, all this week the year 6 pupils throughout Bollington, Macclesfield, Cheshire East and the rest of the country will be taking the tests in Reading and Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar and Maths.
Writing is teacher assessed in schools.
And, even though at this point in their lives, SATs are important, we remind our children that SATs aren’t everything.
That the people who set the tests and mark the tests don’t know the children like we do.
They don’t know that they have been great buddies and role models to the Reception children in their first year helping them feel safe, secure and settled in a new school environment, they don’t know that they have been great ambassadors for their respective schools in terms of representing their schools in sport, music, trips, visits and school productions/ performances, demonstrating their ‘other’ knowledge, understanding, skills, talents, gifts and abilities… that SATs simply do not measure or take account of.
They don’t know that these children have participated in countless events for fundraising for children’s charities and other causes during their past 7 years in school, collectively raising colossal sums of money for disadvantaged peoples and communities far away and much closer to home in order to improve the life chances of others’ lives and that they make a tremendous contribution to making our society a fairer, more just, tolerant and happy place.
They do not know that some of the children have had to overcome personal difficulties and barriers at times during their young lives and have shown grit, determination, resilience and perseverance to succeed and even exceed expectations.
We also know that the overwhelming/vast majority of these Year 6 children demonstrate mutual respect for one another that they are kind, caring, supportive, considerate and compassionate individuals who inspire and brighten up our daily lives as they laugh, sing, dance, play [and learn] their way through school.
So, to all the Year 6 pupils, irrespective of the outcomes of these assessments, we think you are amazing individuals and remember… those who set and mark the tests don’t know you like we do. John Daley Head teacher St. Gregory’s Catholic Primary School
NOT SEEING THE LIGHT
IN the statement accompanying our council tax bill, East Cheshire proudly headlined the £15.3m they are spending on a new ‘Lifestyle Centre’ for Crewe.
Yet we in Kettleshulme, cannot even get them to change a street lamp bulb. It is fundamentally unfair that we must subsidise developments across East Cheshire and yet have our own services reduced.
Street lighting is but one area of reduction, road repairs another, and a consistent refusal to enforce the speed limit in our village yet another.
At least in the days before East Cheshire, we got our lighting maintained and roads repaired and only had to subsidise the area around Macclesfield. Now we have to subsidise half of Cheshire. Local democracy has become a farce. Jon Timothy Macclesfield Road Kettleshulme
WE WILL WORK HARD FOR YOU
WE would like to offer our sincere thanks to the voters of the Macclesfield West & Ivy ward for electing us last Thursday to represent them on Cheshire East Borough Council.
We are honoured to be entrusted with this responsibility and promise to work hard on behalf of ALL residents of the ward over the next four years, regardless of how they cast their votes on May 7. Alift Harewood and Nick Mannion Cheshire East councillors, Macclesfield West & Ivy Ward
THANKS FOR YOUR VOTES
IT’S a great privilege to have been re-elected to Cheshire East Council and elected to the new Town Council to represent the residents of Central Ward Macclesfield.
I will continue to work hard for the people of Macclesfield and speak up for our community.
A big thank you to everyone who supported and voted for me. Also much thanks to the local Labour party members who campaigned so vigorously to return a number of Labour councillors to Macclesfield.
We’re now looking forward to getting our new Town Council off to a flying start. Janet Jackson, Labour councillor for Central Ward, Macclesfield
COUNT STAFF WERE BRILLIANT
I HAVE been privileged enough to have been elected onto the newly formed Macclesfield town council and I fully expect the Macclesfield Express to write an article on the local elections.
I would like to say how fantastic all of the council staff and vote counters were. It certainly was a long three days for everybody but the biggest toll taken would certainly have been on the sanity of the vote verifiers and counters who battled through the parliamentary, borough and town/parish ballot papers.
It was not an easy task and my eyes were glazing over just having to watch the count!
They had such an important task and gave it their undivided attention throughout the whole three days. Friday’s borough count lasted nearly nine hours, with Saturday’s not far off that too!
We must also not forget the polling day staff who easily worked at least a 15 hour day on the Thursday! Adam Schofield West and Ivy ward I WOULD like to thank all the people of Bollington for allowing me to serve as your local councillor for the last four years. It has been a privilege.
I know I wasn’t reelected but tried my best to sell myself (as an outsider!!) to prove I could on behalf of Cheshire East Council look after Bollington.
May I wish Councillor Jon Weston and Councillor Amanda Stott all the best for the future, looking after a wonderful vibrant community with lots always going on. Bill Livesley Macclesfield