Back to Primary School – and Straight on to the Benches

There are few things guaranteed to keep one grounded in public life, and a primary school assembly is right up there.

On Friday afternoon, Mark and I joined Windale School for their end-of-week celebration assembly - a school very much at the heart of its community, with a strong emphasis on inclusion, encouragement and helping every child to flourish. You feel that the moment you walk through the door.

Thankfully, we were spared the indignity of sitting cross-legged on the floor. Like the Year 6 pupils, we had graduated to the benches - although, in my case, I was very kindly given a chair.

It was a joyful occasion. Certificates galore, including some wonderfully imaginative stories about Paddington Bear, which clearly captured both creativity and care in equal measure. The pride in the room - from children and staff alike - was unmistakable, and there was a real sense of a school that celebrates effort as much as achievement.

As ever, there were excellent questions. What does a High Sheriff actually do? Why the sword? And, perhaps most importantly, why the shiny shoes? I did my best to answer them all with due seriousness, though I suspect the shoes may have won the day.

But the real purpose of the visit was to celebrate a group of children who have been working with tutors from Quest for Learning. This Oxfordshire charity does extraordinary work alongside schools like Windale, supporting pupils with targeted literacy and numeracy tuition - helping to build not just skills, but confidence and belief.

It was a genuine privilege to present certificates to pupils who have made such striking progress. You could see it immediately - not just in what they have achieved, but in how they now carry themselves as learners. That quiet shift in confidence is where the real impact sits.

And speaking of reading, Windale has found a rather inspired way to encourage it. Each week, classes compete in an inter-year reading challenge, with their progress tracked by space rockets climbing across a wall display in the hall. I was invited - indeed, required - to don the coveted astronaut helmet and move the rockets along their trajectory. Not a duty I had anticipated when taking on this role, but one I undertook with appropriate enthusiasm.

My thanks to Ms Katie Geran-Haq and her team for creating such a positive and purposeful environment, to the Quest for Learning tutors for the skill and care they bring, and, of course, to the children - whose curiosity, energy and openness remain the very best reminder of why early support and encouragement matter so much.

As ever, the future is in good hands.