VES Team End of Week Update | Spotlight on Boundaries

Dear wonderful VES team,

Hope you are well - and thank you for a brilliant week together at VES.

The obvious highlight was Tuesday’s Refugee Week lunch, beautifully put together by Ian and Adil - our friends from Bluetouch. We had fantastic food from Danny and Sherry, a brilliant violin performance, a lovely atmosphere in the room, and it was so good to have Reza come and visit. Ian and I are still just about on speaking terms after a slightly close-to-the-wire organisational effort… but it was worth it in the end !

See more photos of the lunch at VES Instagram

Because Tuesday is normally our quieter VES day, adding a special event meant this became a record attendance week for VES - by some margin.  Our weekly participation number (all the people through the door inc multiple sessions) was 458!

The school’s continued growth is a real testament to you as a team. You serve with skill, consistency and competence - but this team also brings HEART. And that really matters. I consistently hear back from others that it is one of the key things that sets VES apart from a lot of other ESOL provision. Thank you. It really is the team who make us “more than a language school”.

Spotlight this week: Loving well means good boundaries

Bumper numbers are encouraging - but they also bring challenges, so I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how loving people well requires good boundaries.

We reference the Good Samaritan a lot at VES, and rightly so. But we must take ALL the wisdom from the WHOLE story. The Good Samaritan went the extra mile in a crisis moment; he did not go all the miles for the rest of the man’s life. He interrupted his life, but not indefinitely; he used what he had, but also involved the inn-keeper; he was generous, but he knew his budget.

At VES, we are always happy to go the extra mile - especially when people first arrive, when a fresh difficulty has hit them, or when life just feels particularly tough. That is who we are. AND, we also love people enough to help them take the next step: to build a culture of collaboration and contribution, not just “helpers and helped”; and, where needed, to challenge behaviours that will not bear good fruit over the long term.

So as we continue to grow, there are a few boundaries I’m keen for us to strengthen and maintain together:

● Classes start at 10:30am - no entry after 10:45am.
● Students follow the teacher’s lead on level - we, the team, will place people where we think they can learn best.
● Children staying in the main space need to stay seated and quiet / sleeping.
● Everyone helps with leaving the space clean and ready for the next group - especially if you or your child has left a bit of a mess!
● Only team members should go into the kitchen.

Put in black and white, those can seem a bit unflinching. But most of you have been around VES long enough to know that the loving lead is to maintain high standards for everyone.

In some organisations you can compromise boundaries a bit for “special cases” - but who at VES is not a special case?!

So thank you for your ongoing support in helping us hold good, healthy boundaries that serve the whole VES community - it’s key to keeping VES enjoyable, sustainable and transformative for everyone involved!

VES Dashboard — Week at a Glance

● 19 classes delivered across 4 days
● Plus 3 creche sessions, 1 youth drop-in and 1 fantastic lunch
● 313 student sessions enabled - first time over 300
● 80 team sessions given
● Weekly participation number: 458 - highest ever by some margin
● +88% increase on this time last year

These numbers are hugely encouraging - but they only matter because of the community they point to. VES is more than a busy English school. We strive to be a transformative community: a place where people are welcomed, strengthened, trusted, challenged, and drawn into belonging and contribution.

That does not happen by accident. It happens because of the way this team shows up week after week.  Thank you again for all you carry and all you give. It really is a privilege to build this together.

Have a fantastic weekend, much love,

Andy Brims

https://www.vineyardenglishschool.org.uk/team-updates