Editorial 20th July 2023

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Dear Parent

As we come to the end of another year at Hasmonean, there is one very important thing left to do. And that is to give thanks.

My first go first to those who are perhaps the least familiar to you but without whom Hasmonean would simply fall apart:

  • The finance team
  • The Recruitment and HR teams
  • The admin team
  • The site and cleaning teams
  • The security teams
  • The marketing and development team
  • The IT Team
  • The examinations officers
  • The science and food technicians

My second go to those who are interacting with your children every day to make a difference to their lives:

  • Our Kodesh and secular teachers
  • The pastoral teams
  • The student services teams
  • The HIPE teams
  • The safeguarding teams
  • The standards teams
  • Our SENDCOs, LSAs and SEND department
  • Directors of learning
  • Subject leaders
  • Our peripatetic music teachers

The next to those that I personally most rely on:

  • The senior and executive teams who shoulder the great responsibility for running the schools; ensuring Kodesh is high quality and the ethos is upheld; and ensuring the operations, HR and Finance aspects run smoothly. They work tirelessly and harder than anyone knows.

Penultimately, my thanks go to the governors and trustees who work incredibly hard late into the night to ensure the vision of the school is not a lofty ambition but is something that is realised throughout the year. I will refrain from mentioning how much time they put into their roles for fear of dissuading you from taking on such a role yourselves. We are very, very fortunate to have them.

Finally, I would like to thank you for entrusting your children to us and for your support. While the new Year 7 site at Belsize Park has certainly tested our nerve and tested everyone’s patience, the amount of genuine appreciation that has been communicated to us is utterly heart-warming. This was a huge team effort on behalf of our governors, trustees and staff – particularly our timetabler; Barnet councillors and officers; the Catholic Diocese; PaJeS; local authority/communal funding – and in no small part – a series of divine interventions.

Wishing everyone a good Shabbos and an enjoyable summer,

Andrew McClusky
CEO, Hasmonean MAT