Family Picnic 🌞

What a truly lovely afternoon we all shared at the family picnic to celebrate the well-earned retirements of Mrs. Walker and Miss Hatton! The highlight of the day was a heartfelt and inspiring speech from our Chair of Governors, which we’re delighted to share with you below.

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I saw a post on social media this week that perfectly captured what headteachers really do—and it made me think of Mrs Walker. Because after 35 years in school leadership, and years of pouring her heart into Wodensfield, she hasn’t just done the job—she’s been the beating heart of this place.

So here’s a little tribute. A glimpse behind the scenes. Five reasons why being a headteacher is basically an extreme sport—and why Mrs Walker has done it all with extraordinary grace (and probably far too much caffeine).

1.You’re Atlas—with a budget spreadsheet

Being a headteacher means holding up the entire school universe while fixing the photocopier (again), chasing down whoever keeps stealing the good staplers, and somehow remembering the Wi-Fi password is still “password123” because no one’s had time to change it. Every decision—from “Do we need more toilet roll?” to “How do we respond to this government policy bombshell?”—lands squarely on your desk. And somehow, miraculously, you keep all the plates spinning… without dropping a single child.

2. You’re everyone’s emotional superhero

Children arrive with scraped knees and heavy hearts. Parents come with worries that keep them up at night. Staff need someone to lean on when the job feels too much. Governors bring questions that would stump a PhD panel. And you? You absorb it all. You listen. You guide. Even on the days when you’re running on fumes and can’t remember if you ate lunch. You’re a therapist, counsellor, and cheerleader all in one—with a teaching qualification for good measure.

3. You’re the captain in every storm

When it all goes brilliantly—a good Ofsted, a show-stopping Christmas performance, sports day magic—the team rightly gets the applause. But when the roof leaks during parents’ evening, the heating breaks in January, or someone complains about, well, anything? That’s on you. Headship means shouldering the tough stuff and quietly making space for everyone else to shine. That’s not just leadership—that’s heroism in a patterned dress and sensible cardigan.

4. Your brain never gets a day off

Headteachers don’t have off switches. Just dimmers. At best. Even at 2am, your mind’s whirring—about Timmy’s reading, the new phonics scheme, or where the mysterious dead rats keep coming from. Weekends become planning sessions. Holidays become “thinking time.” And somehow, that becomes normal.

5. You’re doing miracles on a shoestring

The job is basically juggling fire while riding a unicycle on a tightrope. Balancing children’s needs, staff wellbeing, parent expectations, Ofsted demands and shrinking budgets—and through it all, you never forget why you’re here. It’s exhausting. It’s impossible. And you’ve done it with humour, endless patience, and an unshakeable belief that every child at Wodensfield deserves the very best.

And why do you do it?

Because headteachers like Mrs Walker don’t just care—they care so deeply it’s written into their DNA. You do it for those magic moments: when a child finally gets it, when a quiet voice grows louder, when a struggling family finds support. You do it because you see potential—always—even when it’s buried deep.

So to Mrs Walker—who’s been spinning plates, solving crises, and changing lives longer than some of our staff have been alive—you can finally put down the juggling balls. You’ve earned the right to sleep past 6am without mentally drafting tomorrow’s to-do list.

Thank you. You’ve shaped young minds, supported families, and built a school that feels like a second home. Even on the days when it felt like you were failing, you were succeeding in ways most of us never even saw.

You’ll be missed more than you’ll ever know. And whatever comes next – relaxing times in France and an prestigious pro bono portfolio, we couldn’t be happier for you.

Please join me in the most heartfelt, thunderous round of applause—for the one and only Mrs Walker.

Mrs R. Lambert

Chair of Governors