Kibworth Mead Academy TMET
Dear Editor
I am a writing in response to the recent double page spread regarding The Kibworth School’s move to join The Mead Educational Trust.
As an ex-pupil of Kibworth High during the 90s, a current parent of a child at the school and a teacher at a Mead school myself, I feel that I am in a unique position to reply.
As a past pupil, I understand that it is always difficult and worrying when things change. The Kibworth School is at the heart of the community. Of course there are concerns over an ‘unknown’ trust. The name has changed, the uniform slightly, what else may change? All natural concerns.
As a teacher for TMET, I was worried myself when we joined the Trust about 8 years ago. As a teacher at Willowbrook Mead, I had all the same thoughts as I have listed above. Would we be allowed to maintain our own identity? Would we still ‘fit’ the needs of our local community? The answer has been an absolute yes!
The Mead Educational Trust prides itself on allowing schools to maintain their ‘character’ and ‘integrity’ whilst learning from each other. All of the schools within the trust are incredibly different yet we work together to share our areas of excellence.
No school is perfect and the only way to maintain an ‘outstanding’ judgment is to constantly strive to improve. Only yesterday I met with other trust teachers to share our expertise. Admittedly, I was slightly annoyed to spend a day away from my class but came away brimming with new ideas and also a sense of pride in my own school.
In the double page spread, the writer questioned what TMET could bring to the school that the past 620 years had not offered? The answer is a fresh pair of eyes. Education should never be stagnant but always looking to move forward. Education, society and Kibworth Village itself are constantly developing. The support from other schools who have tried and succeeded or tried and failed is invaluable.
I would like to finish this letter as a parent as it is our children who are most important! So as a parent, I am excited and delighted that The Kibworth School has joined TMET.
I know from experience that what matters most to the trust is its pupils. I have seen first hand that every decision is made with the needs of the pupils in mind.
Yes, TMET strives for academic excellence but it is also committed to developing the whole child. Their character, their mental health, their enjoyment and engagement in lessons, their life experiences and for them to maximise their future life chances.
I am looking forward to seeing what the future holds for Kibworth Mead School.
Tabitha Hill
Kibworth Mead – Sports Hall Lettings
