I cannot believe how quickly the weeks fly by and that we are already a significant way through this term. The school is a lovely place to be and it really does feel like our community is beginning to return to normal. Our routines and structures are certainly not what they were during pre-COVID times but we are getting there! We are very much looking forward to future ‘wider’ events such as trips and residentials and are delighted that the government have confirmed that these can go ahead as part of the further easing of restrictions on May 17^th. Our residentials for the next academic year have now been scheduled and you will receive details of these very shortly.

Catch Up

Our catch up plans are now well under way and we are very grateful for your support with this. You will now have been contacted if your child needs any aspects of catch up. Please rest assured that we are keeping an eye on the academic and emotional progress of all children. We will contact you if your child needs any additional support or interventions over the next few weeks.

School Timings

Please could I remind you about the start times for our different classes. These are as follows:

• Class 4 : 8.30am
• Class 3: 8.40am
• Class 2: 8.50am
• Class 1: 9.00am

There are a number of children arriving a little late, particularly for our earlier 8.30 and 8.40 starts. I do know that most of these times are earlier than previously but, for all children, our learning starts straight away. Registration occurs as the children complete their first task of the day; just 5 minutes missed can make a difference!

Attendance

Whilst it is lovely that we are all able to see friends and family again, please could I also remind you about attendance. I really do understand how difficult it is to reschedule previously postponed trips and that you all need to see friends and family, after such a long time. The unauthorised absence rate is, however, creeping up and, as a school, we are monitored on this, particularly by Ofsted! Please bear this in mind when organising trips or holidays.

Global Curriculum

The start to our term has seen a re-launch of our Global Curriculum and the children are very enthusiastic about it. You may recall at the very beginning of our curriculum journey, we talked about widening children’s perspectives and equipping them with the skills for lifelong learning and occupations in an interconnected world. In many of my recent assemblies, we have looked at the meaning of the word ‘global’ and how this may look in school. The children have been amazing in their responses about equality, taking responsibility for their actions, looking after our environment etc. Many aspects of this are linked to the children’s current topic learning but we would also like to encourage the children to adopt positive global attitudes in wider school life.

We have been thinking long and hard about what makes a good global citizen and, more importantly, what this looks like from a child’s point of view. To complement our existing SMART values (self-confident, aspirational, motivated, resilient, team player) we have, as a school, agreed the values we would like to instil in our children in a global context. These are to:

• Take responsibility for their actions
• Respect and value diversity
• Recognise that they can make a contribution to the wider community at a range of levels.
• Be aware of the wider world and how it works
• Understand equality and fairness.

We have designed a badge to recognise any child’s contribution to these. I have shared this with the children in my assemblies. We will look to award these at termly special assemblies but are also encouraging the children to write to myself (in an age appropriate way) to persuade me that they deserve a global badge and why!

Boys’ Reading and Writing

Another aspect of learning we have been looking at is boys’ reading and writing. Nationally, and indeed within our school, there is a gap between the achievement in reading and writing for boys as opposed to girls. We have surveyed all the boys in school about their reading and writing preferences, perceived barriers to learning and the subject matter they would like to read or write about. We are going to ask you to complete a similar survey about boys’ reading and writing at home…watch out for the link over the next couple of days.

We are going to trial a boys only reading and writing club at lunchtimes which is very much targeted to their interests; those taking part in the trial have already been notified. We will let you know how we get on and when, and if, we can ‘roll it out’ to other boys. Please rest assured that the girls have not been forgotten! We are looking to provide similar opportunities for them but really do need to try and redress the balance in literacy at the moment.

It has been so lovely to write to you all about issues other than COVID! As usual, please come back to me if you have any questions or concerns.

I cannot quite believe that we have reached term break. The children have been brilliant since our full return and school life certainly seems to be feeling a little like normal!  When we return after Easter, we will still be operating bubbles and staggered starts but we are really hoping that as the restrictions ease, so too will the constraints on school life.

I hope you and your families are able to enjoy a slight relaxation in the restrictions over the holidays. I have been asked by Public Health England to send out a letter advocating a cautious approach over the next couple of weeks. This letter has been emailed to you all. In the very unfortunate event of any children or family members testing positive for COVID over the holidays, please let me know by email. This is especially relevant for the first 3 days of the break when there may be implications for contacts in school.

We are really hoping to reinstate some of our usual summer events over the coming term but will await guidance to see what is permissible. We are very aware that our Key Stage 2 children have missed out on residential visits once again this year. We are, however, looking at options for day trips later in the Summer Term, regulations permitting. We will write to you with more details of this and potential Key Stage 1 trips after the holidays. Residentials for the following year for all Key Stage 2 children have already been pencilled in; again, more details will follow shortly.

Many thanks for your positive feedback about the RSE policy which has been overwhelmingly supportive. We are very grateful for your faith in us to deliver this curriculum in a sensitive and age appropriate way. Your child’s class teacher will, of course, write to you in the Summer Term ahead of any potentially sensitive lessons. We will also be compiling a list of the frequently asked questions and responses to share with you. The policy, once formally approved by Governors, will be added to the website.

During the second week of term (19^th and 21^st April), we will be holding Parents’ Evenings. The link will be sent out shortly to enable you to book a slot. These will be held via Zoom and your child’s class teacher will contact you with a Zoom link ahead of the meeting, once you have made your booking.

I hope you all have a lovely Easter break and enjoy some time with your children at home without a Google Classroom looming!

We look forward to seeing you all on Monday 12^th April.