Message from the Principal

Dear Britannica Parents

Welcome to this week’s Newsletter!

On Wednesday morning, SLT and the Primary and Secondary leadership teams met with year 5 and 6 parents regarding a broad range of topics connected to transitioning between the Primary phase and Secondary phase at Britannica.

We have worked very hard over the last few years to develop this aspect of the school. There is now a close bond between the two phases and staff offer a whole range of activities and events for year 6 students and parents so that they are fully informed and ready to make the step into secondary. The students are usually extremely comfortable by the time they start but, as a parent myself who has recently experienced this transition, I know that we do worry and that some children find it more challenging than others. Of course there are differences, with the change from one main teacher to many the most obvious but there are also great similarities in terms of our school vision and commitment to academic excellence and developing the whole child.

The secondary phase has made huge strides forward in recent times with high standards, high expectations now the norm and top quality staff recruited alongside long standing excellent practitioners. The demand for places is currently massively outstripping availability and has led to us adding a class into the secondary phase every year for the last four years and needing the extension block to cope. We are in a very strong place, unlike some of the other secondary schools in Budapest, and aim to continue this rapid progress over the next few years.

There have been several new additions to the transition programme this year with Year 6 having their own Transition Passport that tracks their path into year 7, alongside all secondary departments inviting year 6 students to attend a lesson or an activity in their department. I know the opportunity to visit the Science Labs to carry out an experiment with secondary students and attending the incredible secondary Music Assembly have been just two of the excellent collaborative opportunities on offer. It is becoming a real strength of the school and rightly so as, of course, we are already in the same building rather than coming from a group of external ‘feeder’ schools.

Miss Peters, our Head of KS3 led the parent meeting and alongside the staff presentations, students from year’s 8, 11 and 12 shared their ‘secondary experience’ with parents. Well done to Sophie, Levi, Aniek, Adi and Marta for presenting with such confidence and aplomb! I was definitely not that relaxed and composed in front of an audience at that age.

If you are a parent of year 5 and 6 and missed the event, Miss Peters will be sharing the presentations with you over the next few days. If you have any questions regarding our curriculum, how we stretch and support every student or just general practical questions, please do get in touch in the usual way. The key emails are at the end of Mrs Moreton’s and Mr Barker’s articles.

Just a reminder from last week’s Newsletter. Please complete your intentions for the next academic year response form. Thank you to the 214 parents who have managed to do so in the first seven days. This is truly outstanding, thank you. If you have not yet done so, please follow the link in last week’s Newsletter or in the email sent to you directly. You may already know that we ae currently full and have a growing waiting list, so would recommend completion well in advance of the May 1^st deadline.

You will I am sure have noticed that on the Kakukk Street side of the school, part of our external fence and wall was removed on Thursday afternoon. This is to allow access to the site for large drilling equipment in the tent area next week. I know our little ones loved seeing ‘big diggers’ near the school. It is likely to become a familiar site over the next year as our exciting development and extension plans are put into action.

Next Wednesday morning, we have our Spring Term Meet SLT meeting. All parents are invited. Main item on the agenda is to feedback from this year’s Parent Survey. I look forward to seeing you all there.

Just a reminder that the school is closed on Friday 15^th March as we celebrate a Hungarian National Holiday to commemorate the 1848 Revolution.

Have a great weekend

Kind regards,

Neil McGarry

Principal