It is a real privilege to welcome you to Hook Norton Church of England Primary School as your Headteacher.

From the moment I first stepped through the doors of this school, I could feel that there was something special here. There was a warmth and sense of community that is difficult to put into words, but easy to recognise. Most importantly, I saw children who were happy, curious and engaged in their learning, surrounded by adults who genuinely care about them and want them to succeed.

At the heart of everything we do are our children. We want every child who walks through our doors to feel known, valued, safe and inspired. We want them to discover what they are capable of, develop a love of learning and leave us with the confidence, character and curiosity to embrace whatever comes next.

Our school is wonderfully rooted in the village of Hook Norton. We are proud of our strong family ethos and the relationships we share with our families, our church and the wider community. These relationships are one of our greatest strengths, and I believe that when we work together, we can give our children an education and childhood that they will remember for all the right reasons.

Our school values — Live, Love, Care, Think, Learn and Dare — are at the centre of school life. They encourage our children to embrace life, show kindness and compassion, think deeply, keep learning and have the courage to try new things. Alongside these values sits our school motto:

“Love your neighbour as yourself.”

This is more than a motto. It is a reminder of the kind of community we want to be: one where we look out for one another, celebrate each other's successes, support each other when things are difficult and treat everyone with dignity, kindness and respect.

We have high expectations for every child, both academically and personally. We want children to achieve exceptionally well, but we also recognise that education is about so much more than results. It is about developing responsible, resilient and compassionate young people who understand their place in the world and feel empowered to make a positive difference.

As Headteacher, my commitment is to keep children at the forefront of every decision we make. I want our school to be a place where children are excited to come through the gates each morning, where staff feel supported and valued, and where families feel that they are an important part of our community.

I believe strongly that the best schools are built through relationships. Our culture is created by what we say, what we do and, importantly, how we treat one another every day. I want Hook Norton to be a school where we are ambitious for our children, kind to one another, open to new ideas and always looking for ways to improve. We will celebrate what makes our school special while having the courage to ask ourselves, “How could we make this even better?”

I feel incredibly fortunate to be joining the Hook Norton community and am excited about the journey ahead. There is so much to celebrate, and so much potential for the future.

Thank you for welcoming me so warmly. I look forward to getting to know our children, families and community and to working together to make Hook Norton an even more wonderful place to learn, grow and belong.

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Mrs L Hunt
Headteacher