National radio spot for ‘absolutely overwhelming’ thank you gesture to staff at Boston-area school

An ‘absolutely overwhelming’ show of gratitude has been made to staff at a primary school near Boston – and is set to receive national exposure.
By David Seymour
Published 9th Feb 2021, 16:00 BST
Some of the posters created for staff at Sibsey Free Primary School.Some of the posters created for staff at Sibsey Free Primary School.
Some of the posters created for staff at Sibsey Free Primary School.

Earlier this month, colleagues at Sibsey Free Primary School arrived at work to find a host of ‘thank you’ messages attached to the fence.

The surprise was organised by the Friends of Sibsey Free School. With the help of an ‘insider’ (senior administrator Claire Felipes), the group sent a message to all parents and carers asking for ‘thank you’ notes or drawings for staff. These were then laminated and put on display on the school fence on a Sunday evening, ready for the arrival of staff the following morning.

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Group chairman Stacey Mustill said: “The messages and pictures were wonderful – really heartfelt and showed just what a great community we have in Sibsey.

'You're going to cry when you see the fence ...' - the sight that was awaiting staff.'You're going to cry when you see the fence ...' - the sight that was awaiting staff.
'You're going to cry when you see the fence ...' - the sight that was awaiting staff.

“The school is the heart of the community and as parents we are so grateful for how the school and its staff have conducted themselves during this pandemic. Their hard work doesn’t go unnoticed and we hope that this went some way in showing them that.”

Headteacher Graeme Wright described the gesture as ‘absolutely overwhelming’, adding: “I received a text message from a colleague which read ‘you’re going to cry when you see the fence ...’ and I wondered if the weather had damaged it overnight! When we saw it, we had staff members that were overwhelmed, they shed a few tears, smiled and we all stopped to read each poster, message or poem. It was just the boost that people needed. Our school has a high percentage of key workers and our staff have been incredibly committed and focused so it was very touching to be rewarded like that by our parents.”

The surprise went on to be featured on BBC Look North, and, this week, the school was interviewed about it by Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden for an upcoming piece on Heart radio.

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Alongside this media exposure, a number of parents of former pupils have been in touch with the school to offer support, Mr Wright said.

One of the posters created for staff at Sibsey Free Primary School.One of the posters created for staff at Sibsey Free Primary School.
One of the posters created for staff at Sibsey Free Primary School.

“Even though their connection with the school may have been 30 or 40 years ago, it is still there,” he said. “They have phoned in and donated money towards us being able to support the children during this difficult time.”