Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Letter to families 22.07
Wed 22 Jul 2020Dear Families
Thank you once again for your support, patience and kind words during this difficult time. The staff have greatly appreciated the messages and emails that have been sent in to school. I am very proud of our school community and I would like to send a massive thank you to my staff who have worked hard to provide a great standard of home education as well as supporting the children coming back into school. I hope that you all have a good summer break and manage to find some time to relax.
Provisional Plans for September
On 3rd July, the Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, announced plans for all children to return to full time education at the start of the autumn term. The Government published supporting guidance that provides schools with the details to plan for a full return.
The guidance for the full opening of schools from the start of the autumn term can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak
The guidance for what parents and carers need to know about schools in the autumn term can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak
We have managed to welcome back nearly 250 children in some form this term, which has been a great team effort. The children who have been in school have had a very positive experience and have loved being back at school with their friends. We are planning carefully for September so that children can get back into school happy and safe. We are really looking forward to seeing all the children again.
The Y1 – Y6 children will start back full time from Wednesday 2nd September. We will be operating a ‘Year group bubble’ system which will give us more flexibility with staff, enable us to run catch up programmes and interventions and also allow the children to socialise with their friends at playtime in the other classes.
School Opening times
There will not be any lining up in the playground and the children will come straight into the building. School opening times will be staggered to support social distancing rules and to allow movement between sites and to prevent large gatherings at any one time. If the times cause a problem, for example, siblings in other year groups, please let us know. Only one adult will be allowed to bring/collect the children to ease congestion.
Start time
Finish time
Dropping off/Collecting
Reception bubble
(from 14th Sept)
9.00 am
3.20pm
Main playground/outside classroom door
Year 1 bubble
8.50am
3.10pm
Class 3 – Main playground/toilet door
Class 7 – Main playground/outside classroom door
Class 2 – Hall door
Year 2 bubble
9.00 am
3.20pm
Year 2 entrance and playground
Year 3 bubble
8.50am
3.20pm
Main playground
Year 4 bubble
9.10 am
3.40pm
Main playground
Year 5 bubble
9.20 am
3.50 pm
Main playground
Year 6 bubble
9.00am
3.30pm
Main playground
PE and Sport
As part of our ongoing Risk Assessment, we are trying to minimise the amount of equipment that will come in and out of school. We have therefore decided that we will NOT be asking the children to bring PE bags into school, at least for the first half term. Instead, each year group will have a PE/Active day each week – you will be informed of this in September. On this day the children (and staff) will come to school in their PE kits and will have a day to do their formal PE sessions and maybe some outdoor learning. We will be active on other days – wake and shake, daily mile, etc so it will be important that the children come to school every day in suitable footwear for activity.
We are hoping that the Y4 children will go swimming when we return in September, however we are currently awaiting a detailed risk assessment from Bramcote Swimming Baths.
Catch Up Intervention programmes
As mentioned in a previous letter, we will be launching our Catch-up Programmes in September. These are best carried out by our own school staff who know the children well. Once children are settled, staff will properly assess the children’s needs during the first three weeks and direct additional support to those children who need it the most. We may look at running some after school Catch up Interventions too but we will provide more detail about these in September.
Preparing for all Pupils to return in the Autumn Term
We do understand that for some children this is a huge step and they may be anxious about their return. Whilst we are expecting all children to attend, as school attendance will be mandatory in autumn, we will do our best to be supportive. If your child is coming back to school for the first time, please make sure that you go through the information, pictures and videos that can be found on the school website.
Lunch Times
We will have a phased approach to reintroducing hot cooked meals back to children. This will allow us to test the systems and make sure it continues to be as safe as it can be and avoid the mixing of bubbles.
Reception children
Hot meal provided from Friday 10th September
Year 1 and 2
Hot meal provided from Wednesday 3rd September
Years 3 and 4
Hot meal provided from Monday 14th September
Years 5 and 6
Hot meal provided from Monday 21st September
All other children will need to bring a packed lunch. Please note that all Free School Meals Vouchers will cease as of 28th August. If you are in receipt of Free School Meals we will provide a hot meal or sandwiches in line with the dates above.
School Uniform
We have relaxed school uniform policy during coronavirus; the government is encouraging us to return to our usual policy in the autumn. Please try to ensure that the children are in uniform (this does not have to have the logo) The guidance states that uniforms will not need to be washed any more than usual, or by methods any different from normal. In order to avoid having to be unnecessarily close to children, we strongly encourage children to wear shoes with velcro fastenings if they are not able to tie shoelaces themselves and trousers/skirts and tops which have no buttons/fastenings. Shoes must be practical to enable active learning – no open toe sandals. NO earrings or other jewellery should be worn.
Equipment in School
In line with the new Risk Assessment we will be minimising the amount of equipment coming into and going out of school. The children will be provided with their own pencil cases, books, etc to use in class. They will need to bring a water bottles, piece of fruit for playtime, lunchbox if they are having packed lunch and a small book bag with their book and reading diary. Nothing else should be brought into school please unless the teacher has asked – this may be a homework project, piece of work from home. Scooters and bikes cannot be stored on the premises. Mobile phones will not be allowed in school.
Cleanliness
The children and adults will wash their hands frequently throughout the day. All surfaces in classrooms, sinks and toilets will be cleaned regularly. All shared resources will be cleaned after use or stored for at least 72 hours before they are reused. Children will be reminded about how to wash their hands and the ‘catch it, kill it, bin it’ approach to hygiene. Please continue to remind them of this at home.
Social Distancing
We do not expect the children to maintain social distancing but staff will maintain a distance of up to 2m from each other and parents/carers wherever possible. We expect parents/carers to maintain a 2m social distance from staff and other adults from different households. This includes when dropping children off at school and collecting them.
Communication with school
Parents and carers will not be able to enter the school building unless by prior appointment. The class and office email system will continue in the Autumn term and staff will reply promptly. If you need to meet face to face, we will expect you to adhere to the social distancing rules.
CHAS After School Club
CHAS provides wrap around care for the pupils at The Lanes. Whilst they have managed to open in the summer holidays, we are still liaising with them around the management of September. We hope to have further details of this soon.
Summer Holiday work
We have created a section on the website with some summer holiday learning ideas https://www.thelanes.notts.sch.uk/summer-holiday-learning/ My end of year assembly will introduce the summer reading challenge to you – the children may want to get involved. We have provided a menu of activities for the children to have a go at but we would like them all to do lots of reading and to prepare a presentation about themselves or a mini project to share with their new class. I have also put together the list of general websites that may be of interest to keep the children going – don’t forget that you can always do the Times Tables Rockstars and practice spellings too! Just keeping a bit of learning going will really help when your child returns to school.
Once again, thank you so much for everything during this very unusual school year. I cannot tell you how much we are looking forward to welcoming you all back to school. We will be in contact again at the end of the holidays to confirm arrangements. Meanwhile, keep an eye on the website https://www.thelanes.notts.sch.uk/september-return-to-school-information/as we will continue to update this with relevant information during the holiday. Please also bear in mind that arrangements may change if there is any new government advice before September.
Take care everyone and see you soon. Make sure you look at the website for the last staff video and the Year 2 show video. https://www.thelanes.notts.sch.uk/video-messages/
Mrs Revill and The Lanes staff
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Virtual Sports Day
Tue 21 Jul 2020Due to the current restrictions in place The Lanes Fundraising Group had to cancel the Summer Carnival, however they organised a 'Virtual Sports Day' and so far , through your generous donations have raised over £630.
There is still time to donate and also to send in your pictures which are available to view by clicking here. Details can be found below on how to make your donations.
Account Name: The Lanes Fund Raising Group
Bank: Lloyds Bank Plc
Sort Code: 30-97-77
Account Number: 22687168
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Letter to families 17.07
Fri 17 Jul 2020Dear Families,
I hope that you have had another good week. Reports are being sent out today along with some messages from your teachers. I hope you enjoy reading them. A comment sheet also came home with the reports. We would love it if you could fill this in and maybe drop it into school before the end of term – we will put boxes in both entrances. Thank you.
I hope that most of you will have also had your last Zoom call with your current teachers – they will give you one last phone call before we break up on Wednesday next week.
Your new teachers will also have arranged a Zoom meeting (some of you may already have had this) so that you can meet them and have a chat. The new class email system will be set up but will only be activated in the last week of the holidays. We will continue to pick up the office emails during the holiday if you need us for anything – please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Next week the teachers will set the last home learning challenges for this term. Thank you to all of you for the hard work. I have loved reading the emails and seeing all the pictures. We will be setting some projects for the summer and there will be a new section on the website for this.
Next week we will put out PE kits and anything else that was left behind when school closed. Everything will be put outside the front of school at both sites. Please come and pick up everything if you can. Everything that was left in school will be outside and there will be nothing left in the building. If things are not picked up, we will dispose of them at the end of the week. We will also put out a couple of boxes for you to bring back any school reading and library books so that we can audit our stock and get ready for the new term. Thank you.
Take care everyone. I will be back in touch next week with plans for the new term and an end of year assembly.
Mrs Revill
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Letter to families 10.07
Fri 10 Jul 2020Dear Families,
Hello everyone – Friday again and here is the latest update from school. I hope that you are all OK – let’s hope the weather improves next week and we can get out and enjoy it.
The home learning this week will include the SRE objectives that we would have taught this term. It would be great if you could find the time to discuss this with your children. Thank you to all those parents who sent feedback about the new RSHE policy. We will collate this over the summer and hope to hold some information meetings when we return to school. The feedback was generally very positive and I will pick up any individual concerns with those parents in September.
Today you will receive the class allocation letter for September. Your child’s new teacher will be in touch very soon – keep your eyes open for the welcome Zoom meeting. There will also be an introductory letter from the Year group team which will come out with your child’s report next week.
Reports will be sent home on Friday 17th July. The Year 6 children in school will take them home on Thursday. The other children who are in school will bring their reports home with them on Friday. If your child is not in school, we will deliver the reports to your houses – we have a mass staff delivery team on standby. If the report will not go through the letterbox and no one is in, we will bring it back to school for you to pick up and will text you if this is the case.
I have met with CHAS and they are able to open in the summer holiday, which is great. Please contact them directly if you would be interested in a place – their contact details are on the website. I am meeting with them again next week to look at possible arrangements for September.
We are now looking carefully at the arrangements for September. We are determined to be open full time for all pupils and are looking at running a ‘Year group bubble’ system. We are at the very early stages of this but I am hoping to have some more definite plans in place before we break up. Children will be back in school in uniform in September.
My assembly this week is a story called ‘Princess Rose’. This is a very special book as it was actually written by one of our pupils Lowri Moore. You may have seen her on the news last night but if you didn’t here is the link so that you can see her talking about her book in our school library. https://www.itv.com/news/2020-07-09/girl-creates-book-with-glasses-wearing-princess-after-realising-no-disney-heroine-wears-spectacles
You may remember that over a year ago Lowri wrote a letter to Disney to ask them why none of the Princesses in their stories wear glasses. Since then Lowri has become an ambassador for the charity ‘Clearly’ whose mission statement is ‘We want to help the world see clearly so that everyone can realise their full potential. Everyone should be able to get a pair of glasses no matter who they are or where they live’. Lowri has attended conferences and spoken in the media about her campaign. Not only has she done all of this – she has also written a book which I will share with you today. The story has been written to be a tool to aid conversation and discussion about self acceptance. This is fantastic achievement and we could not be more proud of Lowri. I hope that you enjoy the story. If you want to purchase your own copy you can do so from Lowri’s website www.lowrimoore.com and 30% of all the profits will go to charity for the sole purpose of enabling vulnerable children to access eye tests and receive glasses if requires. Well done Lowri – what a star!
Take care everyone.I will be back in touch next week hopefully with some firmer plans for September.
Mrs Revill
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Letter to families 03.07
Fri 03 Jul 20203 July 2020
Dear Families,
I hope that you are all well and keeping safe as we continue to emerge from lockdown. It continues to be a very different end of term and I thank you once again for your patience and support through this very difficult time. The staff and I have really appreciated the positive feedback that we have received. It honestly makes such a difference to us all and I really feel that the school community has pulled together brilliantly. Thank you.
As this academic year draws to a close this letter will set out the arrangements for the end of term.
Classes for next year
We are currently in the process of sorting classes for next year. Careful thought always goes into this every year and in particular we have thought long and hard as a staff about the situation we find ourselves in. Many of our children have not been in school at all since March 23rd so this has meant that we have had to deal with things very differently. Our priority has been to provide some stability and continuity for the children. Therefore, classes will move up as they are in all year groups with a few very minor tweaks which have already been communicated to the relevant parents. We will be moving some teachers into different year groups due to staff leaving and the class structure will be confirmed soon. I will send you details of your child’s new teacher and class by Friday 10th July.
End of term
We have also reviewed the transition arrangements for the children. We are not in a position to invite the children in to meet their new teachers so the provisional plan will be:
- By Friday 17th July the ‘old class’ will meet via Zoom to say Goodbye to each other. The teachers will send out link details soon. It would be nice if the children could share some memories of their time in the class with their friends.
- During the final week of term (week beginning 20th July) your child’s new teacher will set up a Zoom meeting for the new class. Again the link will be sent to you by the teacher or office.
- We will take photographs of the classrooms and we are hoping to put some videos together so that the children can see their new environment. The teachers will also write an introductory letter to the children.
- For our Year 6 children, we are liaising closely with the secondary schools and working with the children in school to get them ready for the transition.
- We are also in close contact with our new Reception parents to manage their transition into school.
Reports
We are currently finalising the end of year reports. These will be sent out to you on Friday 17th July. There will be no attendance data this year due to the school closure. We have included assessment data – where the children were in their learning when school closed and an end of year prediction based on previous assessments and our professional judgement. These assessments will obviously be reviewed when we return to school in September. We will also be sending out a comment form – if you get a chance we would really appreciate it if you could fill these in as we value your feedback and opinions.
Summer holidays
A reminder that school will break up for the summer on Wednesday 22nd July. The staff will use the last two days of term as Inset days to enable us to review how we have managed the school closure, plan our curriculum for September, work in their new teams and put school back together again for the new school year.
We will be setting a summer holiday project for everyone and I will send out some useful websites that you can continue to use over the holidays.
School will be closed to ALL children over the summer. We are having extensive building work at Cator Lane and new toilets at Meadow Lane so access to both sites will be restricted. CHAS are working hard at the moment to plan their potential reopening over the summer. If you need childcare over the summer you can find their contact details on our website. There will be a charge for the care over the summer.
The government have talked about ‘catch up’ programmes and this has been widely reported in the media. We feel that any catch up programmes are best carried out in September when school is up and running, teachers are fully rested and all staff can be back in school. We can then properly assess the children’s needs and direct additional support in small groups and on a 1:1 basis as appropriate. We are acutely aware of the need to take things slowly in September and we will work hard to support children as they return to school both in terms of their learning and their wellbeing.
September
As I write this letter, we will just have heard the announcements from the Government (school leaders hear it at exactly the same time as everyone else). We will then need to wait for the detailed guidance to appear. As we all know, this can often take some time and can be subject to many changes before a plan can be confirmed. I will try my best to be as certain as I can about our plans to reopen but we are obviously unable to plan for so many things at the moment. We are desperate to get the children back to school and I promise you we will do our very best to do this safely. As soon as there are any firm plans I will let you know and I apologise for the unpredictability of the whole situation.
The assembly this week is about the values of Happiness and Positivity. This situation has made many of us evaluate what makes us happy in our lives. We have all had to adjust to this ‘new normal’ and many of us are finding happiness in different ways. Although I have been at work throughout this time, I have still appreciated the slower pace of life generally. I have found happiness in my garden, with my family, taking part in Zoom quizzes, having time to read a book and cooking some interesting new recipes (with mixed success rates!) It has been hard for all of us to remain positive at some points but it is just so important to keep reminding ourselves to have a positive mindset and look for the good in situations. As we know, positivity is contagious and one of my very favourite stories ‘The Pig of Happiness’ proves this point brilliantly as you will see! My challenge to you this week is to think about the little things that have made you happy and to look around you and share that happiness and positivity with others – look for the good, pay someone a compliment, do something kind. Let us know how you get on and be like the pig!
Have a good weekend everyone and I will be in touch again next week. Keep sending the emails as we love reading them and seeing what you are all up to at home.
Take care
Mrs Revill
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Lowri Moore's Book is Published!
Wed 01 Jul 2020Following on from her letter to Disney asking why none of their Princesses wear glasses, Lowri Moore (Y6 pupil) has now had her story 'Princess Rose & The Golden Glasses' published.
Copies of the book can be purchased via www.lowrimoore.com with 30% of the profits going to help vulnerable children access eye tests and glasses.
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Letter to families 26.06
Fri 26 Jun 202026 June 2020
Dear Families,
As we head into the final few weeks of this very unusual summer term, I thought I would update you on a few things. We welcomed our Year 1 pupils back this week for 2 days a week – it was so lovely to see them. School is starting to feel busy again and the children have settled back brilliantly. Teachers will be contacting you at home again next week to check in with those of you who will not be returning to school until September.
I am continuing to follow government guidance carefully. At this time, there is no confirmed guidance for September. We are working on planning for several scenarios and I will let you know when we have a clearer idea of arrangements. I am hopeful that all children will be back at school but this is not definite and of course, the situation is likely to develop and change for a while yet. Currently the advice is that school will not be open in the summer to any children (including those of keyworkers). I am meeting with CHAS to look at what they may be able to offer over the holidays.
I am now working with the team to look at teachers and classes for September. We are just finalising the arrangements and I will send further details out next week, including our plans to manage transition. In the meantime, we do have some staffing news that I can share:
* Miss Buckley and Miss Layton will both be going on maternity leave at October half term. I completed interviews yesterday and have appointed two new teachers, Miss Chloe Hodkin and Miss Harriet Clarke to cover this. They will work alongside Miss Buckley and Miss Layton for the first half term to give the children some extra support and continuity and then take over the class until Miss Buckley and Miss Layton return.
* Mrs Herbert and Mrs Ward will be leaving us in July. They have both given many years to the school and we will miss them greatly as they are both amazing teachers. I am sure that you will join me in thanking them for their support, hard work and commitment to our school community over the years.
Our ‘bubbles’ in school are now full including those for keyworkers. We are running a waiting list but this situation is unlikely to change.
I hope that you enjoyed the assembly last week and that you managed to get out and about enjoying the natural world. I thought about you all as I went on one of my walks through a wood near my house – it was so lovely and peaceful and made me feel so much better after a very busy day.
This week’s assembly is based on the theme of ‘Change’. This has been a time of change for all of us and we have had to adapt to new things almost on a weekly basis. At this time of the year, our thoughts also turn to the question of classes and teachers for September and, of course, our Year 6 children will be moving on to pastures new. These changes can be very exciting but they can also be uncomfortable and worrying. The story this week is about Aziz who didn’t like change and how he overcomes this with the help of his friend Numi. Have a good weekend everyone and I will be in touch again next week. Keep sending the emails as we love reading them and seeing what you are all up to at home.
Kind regardsMrs Revill
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Letter to families19.06
Fri 19 Jun 202019 June 2020
Dear Families,
Hello again. What a week it has been and I hope that you are all safe after the torrential downpours we have had. We have had another successful week in school and the children are working hard. We opened our final Keyworker class this week and our Reception and Year 6 children have also enjoyed being in school again.
We will be welcoming back some of our Year 1 pupils next week at the Cator Lane site. Arrangements until the end of term have now been finalised (as long as the government advice does not change again of course). From next week over 100 Keyworker children will be in school all week, an additional 45 Year 6 for 3 days, 60 Reception children for 2 days and 60 Year 1 children for 2 days. We have had to limit the number of days due to the space in school, availability of staff and to enable us to adhere to our risk assessments. We will be offering at least some provision in school to over 250 children every week from Monday 22nd June onwards.
Once the Year 1 children are in school all staff who can be in school will be working and we have no more flexibility or ability to run any more groups. We will keep the home learning going and endeavour to keep the phone calls and Zoom meetings going too. I know that this is an uncertain time for everyone and there is nothing I would like more than to have all the children back in school. As we look towards September, the picture remains very unclear and we are awaiting Government guidance as to what school may look like. It may surprise you to know that as school leaders we do not get any prior warning of changes and generally hear announcements at the same time as you. This is incredibly frustrating for us as I am sure you can imagine. As a staff, we are discussing various models for September and I will let you know details once they are finalised – unfortunately, this is unlikely to be any time soon.
We are also beginning to look at classes and teachers for September and I will let you know how this will be organised at the beginning of July. We are looking into ways that the children can ‘meet’ their new class teachers and classmates to aid the transition process. As part of our planning, we will also be looking carefully at the curriculum for the first half term to ensure that children come back into school positively.Note about the end of term – Monday 22nd June should have been an Inset Day. We should also have had one in May. As school remained open on both days, the governors have agreed that they are taken off the end of term. The summer term will now end on Wednesday 22nd July.
My assembly this week focuses on the importance of having some calm time and connecting with nature. I have really enjoyed my walks and love spending time outdoors – it always make me feel better (even in the rain). I know that lots of you have been building dens, camping out in your gardens, growing vegetables and enjoying bike rides and walks. I have also loved watching Springwatch and I have included a link to the programmes website below, as there are some lovely videos, photographs and activities to do. There is also a link to the RSPB Family Wild Challenge website as some of you may like to become involved with this project.
Springwatch - https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007qgm3
RSPB wild challenge - https://www.rspb.org.uk/fun-and-learning/for-families/family-wild-challenge/The assembly is a guided ‘walk’ through the woods – I hope you enjoy it.
Have a good weekend everyone and I will be in touch again next week. Thanks again for all your continued support and understanding.
Mrs Revill -
Letter to families 12.06
Fri 12 Jun 2020Dear Families,
Hello everyone, I hope that you are all Ok. We have had a busy week in school this week with the return of some of our Year 6 and Reception children. It has been so lovely to see the children – they were all amazing. School feels like it is beginning to wake up after hibernation. Of course, it would be great if we could welcome you all back but unfortunately, this is not possible at the moment – fingers crossed for September!
The introduction of more children to school has been extremely challenging with the new regulations and the complex risk assessments that we have to meet. As the economy has begun to open up, we have also had an increased demand for ‘keyworker’ places. This has meant that we have had to put back the introduction of Year 1 until week beginning 22nd June. This decision was a difficult one to take as I am only too aware of the pressure you are under to maybe get back to work and to have some certainty so that you can plan for the next few weeks. In light of this, I will confirm the arrangements until the end of term on Monday next week for Reception, Year 6 and Year 1.
The teachers will be phoning you again this week if your child is not in school. The class email system is still up and running and some class Zoom meetings have already taken place.
I have also sent out a consultation for the new Relationships Education policy (RSHE) today. This new policy will be statutory from September 2020 and we, as a school, need to consult with parents. At the moment this consultation will be completed online but we hope to have a meeting in the Autumn term if at all possible. Please have a read of the policy and send us your feedback by Friday 26th June. We will then follow up these comments either in a general FAQ format or on an individual level as appropriate. My assembly this week is on the value of Happiness. The story I have chosen is ‘Have you Filled a Bucket Today?’ The story shows that if you are kind and thoughtful to others then you can have a positive effect on the people around you. There are lots of resources on Twinkl to supplement this story if you wanted to do some of them at home. Have a good weekend everyone and I will be in touch again next week.Thanks again for all your continued support and understanding.
Mrs Revill
Head Teacher -
Letter to families 5.6.20
Fri 05 Jun 2020Dear Families,
As the final half term of the year has started, school is certainly a much quieter place. I have been reflecting on the usual ‘summer term madness’ in school and all the things that we will miss doing – end of year shows, residential trips, the picnic and many other events. We are already thinking of the things that we can do when we finally meet again. These are certainly unusual times.
This week the keyworker classes have settled into their new ‘bubbles’ really well. The children and staff have been getting used to the new routines in school and have been working hard doing the home learning set by staff. We are so looking forward to seeing some of our Reception and Year 6 children next week – I have never seen the staff so excited! We are all set up and ready to welcome the children into school and we are determined to make it a positive experience for everyone. The provision in place will be reviewed on a daily basis and may be subject to change – we will, as ever, endeavour to give you as much notice of any changes as possible.
Many of our keyworker bubbles are now full. We are also full in Year 6 and only have a couple of places left in our Reception and Year 1 bubbles. Due to the guidance and legislation, these bubbles are now fixed and there is no room for flexibility. If you do decide that you would like to send your child back you can email the office; however this would mean that we would need to completely review our provision in order to maintain the small bubbles that we have put in place.
The teachers have once again enjoyed making the phone calls and talking to you and the children. I know that lots of you are continuing to work hard accessing the home learning – keep sending your emails as they really brighten our days. We have had positive feedback about the new weekly format and we will continue to respond to your feedback and ‘tweak’ things as necessary. The class email system is still up and running and some class Zoom meetings will start to happen again from next week.
I know that many of you will have watched the events in America unfold this week and I am sure that some of your children will have asked lots of questions about it. It made me think of one of our core values of Respect – respect for each other, valuing everyone and celebrating difference and diversity. My assembly this week will focus on that key value of Respect and I will also read a story called ‘Odd Dog Out’ which talks about finding your place in the world and being proud of who you are. These sorts of issues can be difficult to talk about, particularly with children, but it is important to be led by the children and answer questions and enable this debate and discussion if the children want it.
Thank you all so much for your support, flexibility and kind words. These past weeks (since late
March) have been, without doubt, the most difficult period of my time in education leadership and I will share with you that at times I have felt close to being overwhelmed by what I've been asked to do and then, as a result, what I have had to ask the staff and all of you at home to do. I feel immensely proud of our school and community and I know that we will come back from this even stronger than before.
You are always in our thoughts. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Mrs Revill
