Prep Head's Blog: Simple acts of Kindness

Dear Felsted Families,

I have been inspired this week by a simple act of kindness displayed by a young man called Cooper. He recently decided to write to King Charles III, sending his heartfelt get-well wishes. In a wonderful turn of events, King Charles III himself responded, and Cooper received a lovely card thanking him personally for his kind gesture.

Acts of kindness like these are a distinctive characteristic of Felstedians. They remind us all of the power of a kind word and the far-reaching impact of our actions.

There are times when we witness unkind actions in the news, in our local community, and sometimes in our places of work and learning. On the radio this morning, the ‘thought of the day’ section focused on the appearance of posters that carry messages about being respectful to staff in places such as train stations and doctors' surgeries. The question was raised: why do we need these reminders?

We do not have these kinds of posters in our school, and instead, we repeatedly focus on kindness, on positive noticing, and on building relationships. We provide a safe space to make mistakes and to learn.

When I say good morning to children, they stop and ask me how my day is going and, more importantly, they wait for the answer because they are genuinely interested. Indeed, I was even asked recently what my job was like. My reply was that no two days are ever the same.

Whilst the days may be different, the focus on kindness will always remain consistent, and this message will continue to be reinforced and celebrated so that our community continues to demonstrate kindness and compassion.

In the interests of celebrating our community, I met with our amazing class rep team this week, and I remain very grateful for their commitment and support to the school. Their skilful command of the WhatsApp group, their patient support for delivering reminders and information, and the time given to attending additional meetings do not go unnoticed. I remain incredibly grateful for the open conversations, constructive feedback, and smiles of encouragement for the team.

With many warm wishes to all our Felsted families,

Miranda Norris