Dear Colleagues,

I hope you had a restful half term break.

As we move further into this spring term, it’s hard not to notice how persistent the rain has been across the Diocese. From the Wolds to the long flat stretches of the Fens, rain has shaped our days—soaking playgrounds, filling car parks with puddles, and often sending children inside with damp coats, muddy shoes, and endless energy in need of direction. Yet even as we navigate these practical challenges, rain offers us a rich metaphor for the quiet work of hope within our school communities.

This simple image reminds us that rain is rarely wasted. It softens, nourishes, and prepares the ground long before we see any visible growth. In the same way, much of the work carried out in your schools happens beneath the surface—small acts of kindness, patient conversations, gentle interventions, and routines repeated day after day. They may not show immediate results, but they are soaking into the soil of children’s lives, preparing them for growth that will come in its own season.

For many, February can feel like a month of waiting: daylight still limited, energy stretched, and the next holiday is weeks away. Yet hope is not the same as simply “looking on the bright side.” Hope is rooted in trust that something unseen and good is already at work. Rain reminds us of that. It is a sign that God hasn’t finished with the landscape or with us.

In our school communities, hope is found in the resilience of children who keep trying, in staff who encourage one another on tired afternoons, and in parents who send grateful messages instead of complaints just when they are needed most. Hope is also found in the determination of church school leaders who continue to steer schools with compassion and steadiness, even on the rainiest days.

As we start this new half term, may the showers around us become gentle reminders: that God is at work, that growth is happening, and that hope is never out of season.

I wish you every success for this half term. Please don’t hesitate to seek support from one another and the DBE team whenever you need it.

Best wishes

Canon Paul Thompson - Diocesan Director of Education

Dear God,
As rain waters the earth, water our schools with your grace.
Soften what is hard, strengthen what is weary,
and awaken quiet growth in pupils and staff alike.
Teach us patient hope, steady courage, and generous hearts,
that we may lead with wisdom and serve with joy.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

 Amen.