Dear Parents, Carers and Students of Cleeve Meadow,

I would like to introduce myself as the new Executive Headteacher of Cleeve Meadow School from January.  I feel incredibly privileged to be leading Cleeve Meadow School alongside Mrs Morris as Head of School as we go into 2021.  My first impressions of Cleeve Meadow are of a school community that really cares about each other.  It is an exciting time as the school grows and whilst things feel very different due to the Covid 19 pandemic, my visits into the school have shown that the students and staff are friendly, kind and keen to succeed despite the challenges we are all facing at the moment.  Most have adapted well to this strange environment, and as parents I thank you for your support in that.

Throughout this term I have been able to visit the school and I am in regular contact with Mrs Morris. Her insight to the school has been valuable in enabling me to understand the school community before I start.  I am grateful for her support and that of the senior team.

Whilst my school leadership experience is currently in a mainstream academy, we have a very successful Specialist Resource Provision for autistic children of which I am immensely proud.  I expect all teachers to be educators of all children embracing and celebrating differences in academic ability as well as educational need. 

It is wonderful to see that Cleeve Meadow offers the balance of academic and pastoral care that I would want my own children to experience and give them the skills they need for later life. I have one child at university and one completing an apprenticeship - there are many routes into adult world and I truly believe in finding the best route for the individual child. Inclusion should be at the heart of everything we do to enable all our children to succeed in their chosen pathway. 

I make no apologies for high standards in every aspect of school life.  School should be an exciting, engaging and positive experience for all.  There will be things that you agree with and things that you do not, but having given the privilege of educating your child to Cleeve Meadow, I hope I can rely on you to support us to make appropriate and informed decisions based on sound educational experience. To do this there must be a strong partnership between parents and school.  We must support each other to guide and educate our children.

It is important that children are happy and secure in their learning. Education is a lifelong journey. I see it as our role to guide young people through that journey - avoiding the potholes, planning the route for the future and knowing when it is time to speed up or slow down. Sometimes these messages are difficult and it is important that we all understand that the goal is for young people to leave Cleeve Meadow with all the academic and social skills to be successful in whatever path they take in adult life.

I look forward to meeting many of you as I join the community at Cleeve Meadow. 

Yours sincerely

Alex O'Donnell

Executive Head Teacher