Gesher School is delighted to announce the introduction of a Co-Headship model as it continues its expansion from a primary school for young people with mild to moderate learning differences, to an all-through school. The Co-Headship will be a partnership between Gesher’s current Headteacher, Tamaryn Yartu, and Nikeisha Webb-Hardy. Tamaryn has been the Headteacher at Gesher since 2020, and will oversee the primary phase of the school, while Nikeisha, who has already spent a year at Gesher as a Deputy Head, will be responsible for the secondary phase of the school. The partnership will also ensure that Gesher continues to efficiently progress through its next phases of development.
In September 2021, Gesher School expanded into an all-through school, catering for students from Reception to Year 11. Currently, the school has 51 students, and over the next five years will grow to over 100. A key milestone for the development of Gesher over the coming years will be the expansion of the secondary phases of the school, while also retaining the high standards set within the primary phase. Having a Co-Headship model will facilitate expertise within each phase and ensure that there is continuity and an effective transition for students as they progress throughout their time at Gesher.
The Co-Headship has also been designed to support Gesher’s ambition of developing into a ‘Centre of Excellence’, within the education system. Specifically, the model of Co-Headship will allow for the capacity of both heads to engage in their outreach work. In turn, it is hoped this will create many more opportunities for collaboration and development than could be achieved under a single headteacher.
Speaking about their new joint roles, Tamaryn and Nikeisha said:
“We are deeply committed to supporting the holistic development of all students at Gesher, and will put the needs and well being of students at the heart of all decisions made. We are very excited about co-leading Gesher through the next phase of its development”.
As you are aware over the last year, Gesher School has been working in collaboration with the Office of the Chief Rabbi, the United Synagogue and the Daniels Family to create a new siddur; Siddur Lakol. Siddur Lakol, which translates to ‘A Siddur for Everyone’. As part of our involvement with the project, our primary classes were joined by members from the United Synagogue, the Office of the Chief Rabbi, the Daniels Family and the Chief Rabbi himself to participate in our inaugural Chaggigat Siddur. During our Chaggigat Siddur, each child was gifted a personalised siddur signed by the Chief Rabbi, and participated in a beautiful tefillah ceremony to celebrate the occasion.
News of Siddur Lakol has spread far and wide. You can read about it here:
’Trek for Gesher’ in Jan 2023 For those of you who know me, you will know that I am a keen and avid trekker. It ticks all of my boxes of adventure, camaraderie, head space and physical activity.
Back in October 2018 (pre Covid!), 20 marvellous women trekked with me to Matchu Pitchu via a High Andes Pass to raise over £70,000 for Gesher.
The Next ‘Trek for Gesher’ will take place JANUARY 2023 (19th-29th). We will be trekking in Colombia following the trail to Thet Lost City and having a shabbat experience in Bogata.
Bookings are open and anyone over the age of 18 is invited to join. All the details including costs/itinerary can be found on the link below.
https://www.ultimatechallenges.co.uk/challenges/south-america/gesher-colombia-trek/
If you have any questions please do get in touch.
Hope you will consider joining us!
Best, Sarah
Gesher moved to its new home in Pinner in September 2021. Since then we have been very fortunate to welcome The Chief Rabbi to the school on three occasions.
The first was to put our mezzuzahs up in our original building! The second was to record the Shabbat UK 2022 song with the students and the third was in April when the school transformed itself into a sensory immersive Pesach experience replete with animal sounds, live locusts and plenty of frogs. Three of our students hosted The Chief Rabbi and other guests along the ten plagues learning walk culminating in a freedom party in the school hall.
It was a really special afternoon and we are truly grateful for the time, support and interest The Chief Rabbi has shown to Gesher. We very much look forward to his next visit next term.
Over the last year, Gesher has been lucky enough to have received regular visits from a young man called Leo. He has been fundraising prior to his Bar Mitzvah so as to able to support Gesher pupils in accessing music through drumming and percussion, something which is a huge passion of Leo’s. Subsequently, he raised over £700 and has kindly used this to purchase a number of instruments which Leo has donated
to Gesher. Alongside this, Leo has also been investing his time in coming to demonstrate how to use the drums and provide introductory lessons for our pupils. We cannot understate how incredibly grateful we are to Leo for the kindness and generosity he has displayed, and it is a testament to what an outstanding citizen he is within the community. Thank you, Leo – our pupils cannot wait to get their hands on our new drum kits!
The physical design of classrooms in the UK typically focuses on how teaching will be delivered, rather than the learning needs of students. As part of Gesher’s relocation and expansion into an all-through special school we have been working with the team at Planning Learning Spaces to design inspiring and purposeful learning spaces that inspire and empower our students and facilitates their outputs and outcomes.
One of these spaces is our exciting new Makerspace which will come to life this summer and was made possible thanks to the generosity of The Wolfson Family Charitable Trust – you can find out more about the space and the process here.
Supporting Children to manage anxiety over war, conflict and crises
It feels like a very dark time in our world right now, and I am sure that as I do, you will be reaching out as much as you can in an evolving mixture of despair, empathy and hope for the plight of the Ukrainian population. I am also aware, as I write, that many of our Gesher families and staff will have close links with their own familial histories in Eastern Europe.
So how should we as parents and teachers talk to children about the conflict should the discussion arise?
Give children the basics and don’t avoid the conversation
The information that happens around children is as important as what is said to them; many are likely to pick up on snippets of news from the TV, social media, or discussions around them. As adults we can provide a supportive framework to discuss the conflict with sensitively worded honesty and clarity.
It is important that we do not assume we know what the children want to know. We need to provide a platform where children feel they can ask the questions they want to know. It is OK to say that we don’t have the answers right now, too. It is important to use child friendly language and imagery that is not overly graphic, prejudiced, or disturbing, and sometimes just writing a brief script with ideas on a discussion beforehand can be both supportive and calming.
If your child feels anxious, it is important that you work to keep calm, try to ensure your tone is quiet and measured and if it feels too much for you, take a break.
Sometimes writing or drawing can be helpful for wellbeing, to keep a written or audio record of worries, it is something you as a parent or child can refer back to.
Try to manage your own feelings
It is important to recognise where you are emotionally when discussing the war. It is ok to be reflective with your child but if you feel that you are too upset, try to find time to regulate yourselves too. This is crucial since your child will also begin to absorb the sense of fear and be sensitive to your reactions.
If you notice that it is emotionally triggering for you or detrimental to your mental health, then try and take a break from watching/reading the news and politely tell friends and family it is not something you feel in a good place to discuss right now. It is okay to look after yourself and it does not make you a bad person to acknowledge this. Feelings of helplessness are also very prevalent right now as watch the events unfold overseas, so it can sometimes be helpful to look for relevant charities that can be contacted who will offer ideas as to how support can be given (i.e. financial donations, letters to MPs, care packages, etc.).
Look for the Helpers
In times of war and trauma, there will always be helpers. It is crucial that whilst we discuss that terrible things can happen in the world we can always find some way to help and humanity has a wonderful way of reaching out. Be very clear with your children that helpers will be on the ground in the warring country and also support is being offered from around the world.
Avoid exposure to a constant stream of news
Be mindful of whether you have the TV or radio on increasingly as children will be absorbing the news, often without us realising it. Try to build in breaks from the news (for example when collecting your child and being aware of the radio on in the car), thus breaking away from the constant exposure to worrying and frightening news cycles.
Watch where your child is getting their news
Many of our children have access to the internet and we are aware that without realising they can be exposed to fake news. Try to ensure that your child understands that everything they see on social media is not true and that they know reliable sources of news to consider. First News and The Week Junior alongside Newsround are excellent and considered resources to use.
I hope these pointers offer some support and as ever if you have concerns please do reach out to us at school.
