I would like to extend a very warm welcome to Pinewood School.
Pinewood offers an educational provision that is child-centred and holistic to the core. There is ample space within a good school for scholarly teaching, but it is the overall cultivation of mind, body, and spirit that counts the most. Every pupil has the ability to be creative. It is our obligation to unlock their creativity to enable them to develop qualities, such as innovation, imagination, and individuality.
At Pinewood, education does not stop and start at the classroom door. Academic excellence is certainly evident, but so are the highly impressive endeavours in the Sport, Music, Art and Drama departments, not forgetting Activities and Pinewood Adventure. Of course, effort and talent should always be celebrated, as it is crucial that we work hard at boosting the children’s confidence – as confidence, in my opinion, is one of life’s most valuable commodities and helps children tackle the impossible and imagine the unimaginable.
This is an extremely happy school, in which relationships are built on kindness and respect. I believe kindness should permeate every member of a school’s community, from support staff, teachers, and leaders through to the very hearts of the pupils themselves. Create the right atmosphere of care and respect and accept that children will and should ask questions, push boundaries and occasionally transgress, and you establish a school where children start to trust their instincts, recognise the relationship between action and consequence, and begin to take responsibility for their own development.
Pinewood children have often been described as possessing a ‘relaxed exuberance’, but we would hope their attitude is one that recognises, respects and abides by the core values of decency, good manners, honesty and a consideration for others. The caring and congenial environment at Pinewood allows us to pursue a family atmosphere, with greater attention to each and every pupil. Through emphasis on traditional values, children are taught the importance of mutual respect, loyalty and integrity.
Children learn by testing their limits. Learning is a lifelong process; it is a self-directed and self-paced journey of discovery. If the Pinewood children are going to discover their talents, explore their interests and pursue their passions, then they will need to look up and beyond the classroom. The purpose of learning is not to arrive at a particular level of proficiency on time. They say learning is a journey – in fact, the journey never ends.
Neal Bailey, Headmaster
What super power would Mr Bailey most like to have? Where does he draw inspiration from? What key characteristics does he look to promote in Pinewood pupils? The answers to these and many other questions can be found in our Talk Education Ten Questions interview.
