Friends

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 Hi Johnathan, 

I just wanted to send you a message because, as you’ll know, we’ve had Eloise’s GCSE results, and I honestly couldn’t let the moment pass without telling you how incredibly well she has done - and how much you deserve to know that you were a huge part of getting her here. She passed every single one of her GCSEs, with mainly 6s, 7s and 8s, and despite school predicting her a 3, she got a 5 in maths, and she has now secured her place at sixth form. She is absolutely delighted, and we are unbelievably proud of her. But when I look at how far she has come, I think back to when she first came to you. She had only just made the enormous transition from being home educated into a mainstream school of more than 2,000 students. Her anxiety was through the roof, and she genuinely didn’t know whether she would be able to cope. It was such a huge leap for her, and she had so many barriers to overcome. Maths was one of the biggest ones. The day we found you, she had completely broken down after a teacher had suggested she wasn’t cut out for a large school after she panicked during a maths test - not believing she could continue at school because she felt stupid in maths. She used to sit in the SEND room during maths class, as she was simply too anxious to go. I vividly remember sitting with Aaron and searching for tutors because we knew she needed someone who could do more than simply teach her maths. She needed someone who would understand her, be patient with her, build her confidence and, most importantly, make her believe that she was capable. And we are so incredibly glad we found you. You worked with her for three years, and I honestly don’t think you realise just how significant those three years were in her life. You didn’t just help her improve her maths. You helped her conquer something that had become a source of huge anxiety for her. You gave her confidence. You gave her reassurance. You celebrated her progress. You made her feel capable. And little by little, you helped her realise that she wasn’t someone who couldn’t do things - she was someone who could do them if she was given the right support and someone who believed in her. That confidence then went far beyond maths. You were a huge part of helping Eloise integrate into mainstream school and giving her the confidence to actually believe she belonged there. That’s something I will never forget. And now look at her. That little girl who was so anxious about whether she could cope in a school of 2,000+ students has just passed every GCSE she took, achieved some genuinely brilliant grades and secured her place at sixth form. She’s now looking ahead to her future and talking about becoming a lawyer. I honestly couldn’t be prouder of her - but I also wanted you to know that when we celebrate where she is now, you are very much part of that story. There are teachers who teach a child a subject, and then there are teachers who leave a lasting mark on a child’s life. You are absolutely the latter. You have an incredible gift for bringing confidence out of children and making them feel that they are capable of more than they thought they were. That is such a rare quality in a teacher, and Eloise was incredibly lucky to have you at exactly the point in her life when she needed someone like you. You haven’t simply helped her get a maths grade. You helped her believe in herself. And that is worth infinitely more than a GCSE. You really are a credit to every child you teach, and I hope you take enormous pride in knowing that the work you do has a lasting impact. Eloise will take the confidence you helped give her into sixth form, university, her career and whatever she chooses to do with her life. We will always be incredibly grateful that, all those years ago, we found you. Thank you for believing in her when she was still learning to believe in herself.