Dear Parents and Carers,
We are now at the end of the Spring Term and it has been lovely to have had at least a part of it where school has seemed almost back to normal. Thank you to everyone who has supported our continuing measures to protect the children and staff in school.
As it is the end of term, the children are coming home with all their PE kits and any other clothes that have been mislaid since Christmas. Please take this opportunity to check everything you have is your child’s and to make sure every item is clearly named. We will be swimming from half term, so if you are planning for your children’s ears to be pierced, do appreciate they will have to be able to remove them before they are allowed in the pool.
Many thanks to the PTFA for organising the children’s Easter Egg Hunt; the children all looked very excited going out to find them, and very pleased coming back in with them…
Government Education White Paper – This important document has been published recently which identifies the way education will be shaped over the next few years. Some changes for our school may be quite small, some will not impact at all, while others, such as the goal that all schools should be part of a multi-academy trust, may be more significant. One goal is to increase the length of the school day to 6.5 hours by September 2023, which for us is not a great change as our doors are already open for learning between 8:40am and 3:20pm. The most likely change for us is to bring registration forward by 10 minutes, so all children will need to be in school by 8:50am. The governors will be deciding on this issue over the next few months, but if your family would like to trial this, your children will find the extra time in class very useful.
Lunchtime and After School Clubs – This school year the teaching staff have offered a number of free clubs at lunchtime and after school but have noticed that take-up from the children has been much lower than before. We know how much the children have enjoyed the range of sports, music, craft and computer clubs in the past, so are wondering why so few have signed up. I would be very grateful for any feedback on the clubs as soon as possible next term so we can increase the appeal for children across the school.
As we head towards the Summer Term, our thoughts turn to those annual events which make the school year so special for the children. We are busy planning a trip to see the bluebells in Duncliffe Woods, organising the Summer Play, ready to start as soon as the SATS are over, arranging the ‘Summerising’ of the swimming pool and choosing activities for Sports Day, in addition to finalising next term’s topics – what a lot for the children to look forward to!
I hope you all have a happy, restful and healthy Easter, and we look forward to seeing all the children back in school on Monday, 25th April. Please remember to book your lunches for next term.
With best wishes