Tuesday 7th July

Hello to our brilliant community. I hope you are well on this rather drizzly Tuesday.

Do you like shopping? Yesterday I visited a clothes shop for the first time since the country went into lockdown. I was so excited! I originally went into the shop to buy my godchildren a little present. I came out of the shop having bought my godchildren a present; a new dress for me; a new top for me; a new pair of jeans for me and ANOTHER new pair of shoes for me.

In the past, shoppers would almost always go to stores in person, ready to make a purchase that day. One of the only alternatives was to browse a catalogue and then place an order through the mail or by phone. One of my favourite memories from my childhood was visiting my aunt in Cornwall. At the time, she lived in quite an isolated area and every week a van would arrive in the local area for the residents to buy their groceries from - I used to love climbing into the blue van and looking at all the goods. I found it fascinating as I grew up in town where you could easily pop to the corner shop and this was an entirely different shopping experience.

Today, many people prefer the convenience of shopping online. I know that some members of staff have certainly been making the most of online shopping during lockdown. When was the last time you went into a shop? Or have your parents been shopping online? Perhaps your household has been doing a mixture of both?

Throughout history people have been shopping. Primarily people would shop in towns and for centuries the focus was the market. The markets would consist of lots of stalls selling different goods. The stalls would be regularly set up and dismantled again. There are still many markets around today and some of them are very much a tourist attraction.

Buildings gradually began to replace market stalls and they would line the high street. Originally shopkeepers would have had an open window to display their products, but glazed windows took over during the 18th century. Windows have always been seen as a way to attract potential customers into a shop. Next time you are out shopping in the town have a look at the window displays. What techniques do they use to encourage you to go into the shop and make a purchase?

I did a quick search to find out some of the most popular products available to buy, either in stores or online in 2020. My search revealed that the Echo Dot is a popular purchase at the moment, along with Crayola Super Tips and the Dobble card game. I bet you can all guess what I buy a lot of …shoes! Nothing can beat buying a new pair of shoes, it is always guaranteed to make me happy.

Although I have missed the freedom of going shopping whenever I like, there are other things that I have missed more. I have really missed having a school full of children and I am looking forward to seeing you all return in September. It could even make me happier than buying a new pair of shoes! There are many, many decisions that we are having to make at the moment. It is almost like a giant jigsaw puzzle and all of the pieces have to fit together. We have now put the outside pieces together and know what the school will need to look like come September; the next step is to consider how all of the inside pieces will fit together, the small details that make our school the best.

We miss you. Stay safe.