Good afternoon,
These are really strange times and we are all doing things that are out of our routines or things for the first time. Everybody is having a different experience and I know many are finding home school hard. It feels hard, because it is hard and that isn’t because you are doing anything wrong. Children present very differently in school as they do at home. If I a £1 for every parent who has stopped me in parents evening and asked if we are talking about the same child, I would be sending this message from my own island in the pacific. We are all trying to juggle home schooling, working, family life, walking the dog, fixing the kitchen door and 101 other things. I can’t offer advice on fixing the kitchen door but from a school point of view, please stop what you are doing and read the rest of this message.
Completely understandably, we are all growing increasingly anxious because we don’t know when this will all end and when we will return to normal (well a new normal). There is a lot on the news about a learning deficit and a generation of children who will be delayed academically and socially. Please ignore these stories. Learning and opportunities for social interaction have been lost but children are incredibly resilient and we as a school community will support you all in making up lost ground.
When we came back after summer, many children had missed over 6 months of school. We assessed them in terms of learning and mental well being and assessment them again in December. I haven’t shared this with parents before but I am going to share the progress the children made last term. This is what your wonderful children and our fantastic team are capable of.
Progress – Expected progress for one full term is 2.
| Year group | Reading | Maths |
| 2 | 4.2 | 4.7 |
| 3 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| 4 | 4.3 | 4.5 |
| 5 | 5.2 | 4.4 |
| 6 | 5.3 | 6.1 |
As you can see, this is outstanding progress.
We are providing lots of work to support all needs and please continue to work hard. However, when things get too much, stop, do something different. We are all different and our circumstances are different. In order to make up the ground, we need all the children happy and ready to learn when they do return. If you need anything or have any questions, please email or phone school and we will do everything we can to help.
As you can see from the progress above, your children are very capable and will be fine. Please take care of yourselves, find time for yourselves but above all, ask if you need anything.
Mr Woodward
