Covid Update 12.02.21

12th February 2021

Dear Parents/carers

COVID update 12.2.21

Well that’s another half term gone…Christmas seems like a lifetime ago! Thank you once again for your help and support in engaging your child in remote learning from home. Engagement from most pupils has been amazing and the learning has improved tremendously this half term. We have come a long way since the first lockdown and children are now having that face to face contact with teachers and their friends. Staff have developed their practice too, introducing more personal contact and providing one to one support for children with special educational needs and families with specific difficulties. We have also been ensuring that many of the learning tasks involve non-screen time so that the children are not glued the whole day to the computer/tablet. It’s been lovely to see everyone having fun, singing, dancing and playing instruments in the Friday assemblies, we even saw grandparents joining us this week which was lovely.

Parent consultations

We return to school on 22^nd February and that week we will begin our parent consultations. Your child’s class teacher will send you an email with a Zoom link and a 10 minute time slot (to be chosen) to talk to the teacher/TA about your child’s progress. We will need to stick to the times allocated so please be punctual or you may miss your slot… we cannot run over because there will be another parent in the waiting room waiting to be let in. Please look out for the email on Monday 22^nd February.

Critical worker and Vulnerable families bubble

This provision will continue after half term and the children who currently have places will continue on the roll so no more forms need to be filled in, the place will automatically roll over. Kitchens will continue to be closed after half term so please ensure your child brings a packed lunch.

Free School Meals

Those eligible for free school meals will receive a gift card in the post in the next couple of days. This is funded by Cornwall Council. If you feel your circumstances have changed and you may be eligible for free school meals then please contact Anita or Mary and they will help you to apply (even if your child is in reception, year 1 or year 2).

Unknown future

We are awaiting the big announcement on 22^nd February which should contain the road map for easing us out of lockdown. We have already heard that the government are hoping for schools to return on 8^th March but what that looks like…who knows? The NAHT are fighting for decisions/phased returns to lie in the hands of School Leaders so we are going to “strategically procrastinate” over half term and hope for the best rather than working through it with a multitude of scenarios and then being dictated to the following week! What I can say though is that all this talk about catch up programmes is rather disheartening... Catch up from where and with who? Our whole school community are doing an amazing job…our teachers are teaching and our learners are learning and surely they deserve huge credit for that. We are certainly not going to be saying at 3.30pm, “Right children now let’s do our Maths catch-up!” Wellbeing is and will always be, first and foremost; sledgehammers don’t nurture healthy minds!

Have a lovely half term. Remember we are still in lockdown so can’t mingle but make sure you get out there in this rather fresh weather and relax and enjoy your family time.

Paula Blackburn