Dear Parents/Carers,
We have finally reached the end of term and indeed the school year and what a year it has been, especially the second half with everything that has happened. When we came together back in September, we could have had no idea of what was waiting around the corner but we have adapted, changed how school looks and got on with what we do best which is to provide a safe and stimulating environment where children can do their best and get ready for the challenges ahead. I would like to say a huge thanks to all the staff who have worked hard during these past few weeks both at home and increasingly in school as we have been able to bring more children back. By today over 140 children will have been in school, even for a week, and this will make a big difference when we get to September. Also well done to you the parents for being supportive and respectful of the restrictions and changes we have put in place this term. I will speak more of the future at the end of this newsletter but first I want to tie up the end of this term
This week we have seen pupils from Year 5 back in school and it again it has been lovely to see them again, even for just 4 days. Once again I think they found it all rather strange on the first day but then adapted very quickly and hopefully had a nice week in the Year 6 classrooms back with their teachers and some of their friends. Once again a big thank you to you the parents for the way you continue to respect our new timetable and make sure you are dropping children off safely in the morning and picking them up promptly in the evening. We also said goodbye today officially to our key worker and vulnerable pupil group, many of whom have been coming to school since way back in March when lockdown was first put in place. In many ways they have been the constant in all this time and they have mixed so well together with the different ages.
Summer Catch-Up Scheme
Although the school year has now officially ended, we are of course running our Summer Catch-Up Scheme during the first two weeks of the summer break from Monday 20th July to Friday 31st July. Part of the programme will have an educational element to it as well as sport, art and drama etc. I am very grateful for the many staff who have volunteered to help during the scheme and give up the first two weeks of a well-earned break. As well as the play leaders and After School Club staff who would normally run our play schemes, most of the teachers and many of the teaching assistants will also be here to run the catch-up programme for small groups of pupils and to support the other activities. If you have received an invitation and your child is attending, then it starts on Monday at 9:00am, finishes at 3:00pm and pupils need a packed lunch each day and clothes for the weather and for sport.
Uniform
I know many of you will be planning to buy uniform this term in readiness for the new school year in September and we also want to sell uniform to the families of our new pupils who will be starting in Year 3. We are going to be selling uniform tomorrow Friday 17th July from 10:00am to 12:00pm and from 1:00pm-3:00pm. We will also be selling uniform during the staff inset days in September from Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th September.
End of Year Reports
If your child has been in school recently they will have been given a copy of their report to take home. If your child has not been in school at all this term then you will need to come in and collect it. Any report not collected by the end of next week will be posted out or e-mailed.
September Re-Opening
As we come to the end of one phase of the partial re-opening of school, we are already preparing and planning for the full re-opening in September. This is obviously going to be a huge challenge for all schools but we will do everything we can to make sure that we are ready to receive all our pupils on Monday 7th September. I will share a more detailed outline of how school will look in September nearer the time and we will still be communicating with everyone during the summer break. Staff have already been planning the curriculum for next term and we have an inset day tomorrow to come together and to share ideas. We will also have 3 inset days the week before our scheduled opening on 7th. Meanwhile here are some initial plans for how the school day may look in September. This is based on the current government guidelines and as we have learned things can change quickly. Our overriding aim is to keep the school day as normal as possible, do as many things as we would normally do while keeping to the guidelines and restrictions. One advantage we have is the experience of the last few months and the things we have had to put in place.
• We are looking at creating and maintaining year group “bubbles” within the school day so each year group can work, eat and play together with largely their own staff staying with them. We will avoid year groups mixing during the school day wherever reasonably possible.
• We will have staggered arrival and departure times for the lower school (Years 3 and 4) and the upper school (Years 5 and 6). The times I am currently looking at are Years 3 and 4 arriving at school between 8:30am and 8:45am and departing at 2:45pm. The Years 5 and 6 arriving between 8:50am and 9:05am and departing at 3:05pm.
• There will be staggered playtimes and lunchtimes during the day. We will be serving hot meals to everyone in the dining room as usual apart from the pupils who would normally have a packed lunch. The playground will be divided in two as it is at the moment and year groups will have their own section to play in at different times.
• We will resume both the Breakfast Club from 7:45am to 8:30am and the After School Club from 2:45pm to 6:30pm. The guidance says that schools can run these clubs but to try and maintain a regular pupil membership if possible. I will be giving more information about how you can book places in the clubs nearer the time. I would like to make the clubs more affordable, particularly when many families may have been severely financially affected during the health crisis. So not only will we not be increasing the prices but we will be offering places at reduced prices in September. Breakfast Club will be £2 per day (currently £3) and After School Club will be £5 per day up till 4:30pm and £10 per day up till 6:30pm (currently £7 and £14) with a reduced rate of £40 if you book for the week (currently £50). I would also like to use some of the additional funding which schools are being promised next year for pupil catch-up to provide some free places in the ASC for targeted children with an element of catch-up learning included. Again more details of this in September.
• We will not be doing class assemblies or any large productions next term. In- school assemblies such as the Friday Golden Book Assembly will be for year groups only so I am going to be spending a lot of time with 4 Monday assemblies and then 4 Friday assemblies! We can still do year group Masses next term which is good but not whole school Masses.
• PE and sport will still be taking place and we can use sports coaches. We can still do trips for year groups but not residential.
• We will be teaching the full curriculum next year. Obviously the first half term will include a lot of catch up but I would hope that before the end of the autumn term we are able to teach the normal curriculum for each year group. We are planning to use the first week as an “Earth Week” with lots of cross-curricular work, outdoor learning and engaging activities to get all the children re-connected with school, particularly those children who will not have been in school at all since March. In the second week we will assess where the pupils are in their basic literacy and numeracy skills to see where the main gaps are and then to plan how to close these gaps.
• The home learning which has become a key part of the school curriculum since March will remain in place. This will now become the main tool for homework in September as children will not be taking books or worksheets home, but would also be needed if there were to be local lockdowns or an outbreak in part of the school which meant classes or year groups having to be sent home and isolated (which of course we hope does not happen).
• We will continue with the measures we have put in place this term such as regular hand washing, the “catch it, bin it, kill it” protocols, pupils not sharing books and stationery and only bringing essential items to school. On PE days they will come to school in their PE kit rather than changing in school.
• Pupils will sit in rows in the classroom, all facing the same way. The change for September is that they will go back to sharing a table with another pupil. Teachers will still be encouraged to maintain the 2 metre distance from pupils and from each other.
• There will be protocols in place if a pupil is taken ill while in school with suspected Covid-19 and of course we will still expect parents to not send their children to school if they are unwell.
This is by no means an exhaustive list and as I said above it is subject to change both before we re-start in September and as the school year progresses. Personally I am optimistic that we will get all of our children back on track as quickly as possible. By today we will have had 145 pupils back in school at different times, many only for a week or so, but what I have seen has impressed me. They have all fully engaged in their learning, followed the new ways and procedures around school in a mature and respectful way and have clearly enjoyed being back. I spoke to the Year 5s today and said that they would be the role models for the rest of the school in Septembers, both their classmates who have not been in this week and all the younger children.
Although it is great that we have had a lot of the pupils back this term, we also know that a significant number of pupils will not now return till September. I have taken care not to put pressure on parents to send their children back to school and I have respected which ever decision you have chosen to make. However the government has made it clear that they expect all children to return to school in September. I do not wish in any way to impose fines for non-attendance in September as this would be counter-productive and I would much prefer to maintain a positive relationship with all of you and work with you. We all hope and pray that the current situation in the country will continue to improve with no spikes or local lockdowns which can affect confidence and understandably make parents reluctant to send their children back in September.
I would just say two things at this moment. Firstly the measures we have put in place during the last few months have worked and kept both pupils and staff safe while in school. Secondly as a parent and grandparent myself, I would strongly urge and encourage you to send your children back to school in September. As I have mentioned above, we will be focusing a lot on catch-up lessons and a curriculum which is broad and balance and fully engages the children. If your child was not in school for even the first few weeks next term, they would be at a huge disadvantage and to be honest may not catch up fully, no matter what we put in place. I really want to use that first week back to get everything in place, get the children used to how school will run so we can then focus on the learning. This will be easier if we have everyone back on 7th September.
I am attaching a letter to all parents in Waltham Forest from David Kilgallon, the Director of Learning for the LA. He covers many of the issues I have addressed in this newsletter, particularly around the return in September.
Finally I wish you all a happy, safe and nice summer with your families. I have already sent my “goodbye” letter to the Year 6 parents and thanked them for their wonderful support over the last 4 years and I now say the same to all our parents. Thank you. As always it has been a pleasure and indeed a privilege this year to work with your children. I will see you all in September and I do mean all!
Yours sincerely,
J Alexander (Head teacher)
