10th March 2021

Dear families,

We have been delighted to welcome back all our primary phase pupils on Monday 8th March and all our secondary phase pupils on Tuesday 9th March this week. We know that lockdown has presented many challenges for families and our children and we are proud and appreciative of the way we have worked in partnership to support learning and wellbeing over the recent few weeks and throughout the last 12 months.

Thank you for your continued support in maintaining social distance measures at the start and end of the school day to keep our children, school and community safe. The children have settled into routines really well and have already shown that they are keen to continue their learning and take part in the wide range school activities on offer; as well as being excited to see their friends, coaches and teachers.

Thank you also to parents who attended the Parent/Carer appointments for Reception, Year 2, Year 4 and Year 10 using the new virtual / on line system. Thank you for the positive comments and feedback on the experience. There will be another Parent Carer event on the 24th March, for Year 1, Year 3, Year 5 and Year 7. Information about this will follow closer to the time about how you can make appointments. Please note that school will close at 2.15pm for all Secondary Phase pupils on 24th March. Primary phase pupils will finish at their usual time.

Primary Phase

Thank you for all of the support that you have given your children with remote learning and for your effective communication with us during this time. As children have learned how to work remotely so well, we plan that further learning will now all be accessed through the website to try to reduce our carbon footprint a little. If you need support with this, please contact the primary phase office. On the 24th March we are planning another whole school drop down day. With the theme of ‘The Climate and Us,’ we look forward to learning about how we as individuals can protect and care for our environment and how we can be agents for change.

We will be continuing class based coaching sessions and our vertical coaching sessions will continue on a rota for the moment. Flexible Learning will recommence in the week beginning the 15th March and the current groups will run until into the last week of this term. We hope that swimming lessons for Year 4 will be able to recommence after Easter.

We are pleased to share that Miss Moores is expecting a baby in the coming future and to welcome back Miss Harrison who is supporting us, as the children return to school.

Secondary Phase

Pupils have returned to sessions with their class coaching group, to enable year group bubbles to be maintained. Vertical coaching sessions (socially distanced) will continue to be run on a fortnightly timetable from 9th March.

Flexible Learning activities are offered in year groups and children are encouraged to ensure that they access these extracurricular opportunities offered at lunchtime and after school.

Pupils sitting GCSE and KS4 assessments this academic year will be eager to know about their qualifications moving forward and how they will be assessed. Please see attached to this letter for Year 11 pupils only, a correspondence from Mr Dunford outlining further information for families and Year 11 pupils.

Additionally, Year 11 pupils will also receive information regarding the National Citizenship Service/s summer programme. This is a great opportunity for pupils and has proved to be very successful in recent years with pupils who have taken part.

Please see below an additional reminder of key dates in the school calendar:

Wednesday 24th March, 3pm-7pm (Year 7), 3/3.15pm–7pm (Year 1,3,5) – Year 1,3 5 & 7 Parent/Carer Consultation Evening (online event) – note that school closes for pupils at 2.15pm in the Secondary Phase

Wednesday 31st March (timings to be confirmed) – Year 11 Information Webinar (online event)

Thursday 1st April – Schools closes for the Easter Break

Monday 19th April – School re-opens after the Easter Break

Wednesday 21st April, 3pm-7pm – Year 8 Parent/Carer Consultation & Options Evening (online event)

Wednesday 19th May, 3pm-7pm – Year 9 Parent/Carer Consultation & Options Evening (online event)

    Thank you for your ongoing support.

    Yours sincerely

    Lucie Lakin
    Principal