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Newsletter 15- Wednesday 17th March 2021
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Considering the fact that the school disruptions have now been happening for a full year, the ‘return to school’ went really well last week. The children (and families!) had a clear spring in their step as they made their way back into their school. Our Tudorites have been able to talk about the things they have missed and what they are looking forward to. The words the children say really do highlight why school is such an important part of life. There is little doubt that the school closures have significantly impacted the educational development of the children but we are determined to also support the children with a renewed focus on wellbeing too.
It’s been great to see the number of children at my door who are keen to share their classwork. We are all incredibly proud to work at Tudor and we are so committed to helping all our young learners re-connect with their school:
A big indicator for ‘commitment’ to a child’s wellbeing and education is their attendance and we were delighted to achieve nearly 98% for the first week back. I am very aware that not all parents appreciate my ‘active involvement’ in ensuring good attendance and I will make no apologies for this. A positive experience of school is a right for all children and the impact of poor attendance on children is damaging in both the short and long term. My role should be working hard to ensure the children of Tudor get a super experience of school (and I believe that there is a lot of evidence they do)- it should not be trying to convince (or persuade) a minority of parents to send their children in. I am aware that we are expanding our provision in a number of ways at the moment and we are keen to ensure our young learners are enabled to ‘catch up’ with lost learning. I am determined to make sure our school does this in the right way- the happy faces and big smiles of the children are the best source of evidence when I’m evaluating our approach!
Speaking of evaluation- we’ve had a county inspection!
A big well done to the team in Early Years this week. Miss Price and her team had a visit from a county advisor on Tuesday of this week and they were able to share the approaches that are in place as well as how they use the learning environment to support our youngest pupils. Whilst we await the final report, the verbal feedback was incredibly positive and the advisor was clearly impressed with what she saw. This does not surprise me due to the hard work of the team that work with the children each day- the space, which we continue to invest in, always looks awesome.
Important updates to school policy- working WITH our community to keep the children safe
There is little doubt that the advancements in technology bring a wealth of advantages to life but, unless they are managed correctly, can also be extremely harmful. A new Online Safety Policy will soon be accessible on our website and this will include guides on safe practice as well as a summary of responsibilities for parents. I very much doubt that ANY of the content will cause disagreement/concern for parents but we would expect everyone to adhere to it. Our CORE aim must always be to look after the children of Tudor and work as a supportive community with each other. Part of this is treating each other respectfully and recognising that negative behaviour online/ on social media can be incredibly damaging. Let’s TRULY look out for each other…
A reminder about parking and ensuring ease of access to the school
I think it is a good time to remind parents about the need for parking sensitively (and safely) when dropping off or collecting children. To support the flow of traffic, do consider driving UP Redwood Drive rather than against the flow of traffic when you leave.
If walking is not an option, park a little way away from school (where there is always lots of space) and walk the final bit. PLEASE DO NOT park across the driveways of local residents- I am sure you would not appreciate this outside your own homes.
INCLUSION at Tudor- a message from Miss Reading, our Inclusion Lead:
If you feel your family require any additional support, please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be able to book a telephone appointment with our Family Support Worker. She will be able to offer advice, guidance, support on a range of different issues including communicating with your child, establishing routines (bedtime, eating), managing challenging behaviour and wellbeing for you and your family. Please also look at the SEND/Family Support Links section of our school website to find out about the new online BeeZee Families healthy lifestyles programme, this programme will cover topics such as healthy snacking, balanced meals, portion size and physical activity. If you require any additional information about this programme (or anything else!) contact me via email: inco@tudor.herts.sch.uk. Stay safe and well!
Summer Sporting Opportunities (including Wednesday Wheels and Freewheel Fridays!)
As mentioned earlier in the newsletter, we are keen to offer a super return to school. Spending fun time with each other is more vital than ever and, as part of this, we are offering an extensive range of actitvities in the summer term. We will also be heavily subsidising such opportunities because we want to enable as many children to join in as possible. Please keep an eye out for further information including the booking arrangements for the different clubs.
Part of the above will include offering use of our extensive grounds as a place where children and families can play and enjoy themselves. On Wednesdays (Wednesday Wheels for EYFS/KS1) and Fridays (Freewheel Fridays for KS2), the grounds will become the Tudor Park where children can play on bikes and/or scooters. Whilst there will be additional staff to monitor and support, families can stay with the children too and access the Tudor Towers and nature reserve. I am sure we can even arrange an ice cream van to turn up every now and then! So much fun will be had!
Some super staff (family) news- The staff team has seen number of additions to the ranks! A mini-Crowder and a mini-Munro have been born recently and Miss Sentance and Miss Pike are (very) close to starting their maternity leaves. Be assured that you will receive information about any changes in the teaching provision within your child’s class. Putting high quality staff in front of your children is one of my key tasks and I continue to be delighted with the interest in our school for new (and experienced!) teachers. We do have a strong reputation- long may this continue!
And finally- school will finish at 3.15pm (normal time) on the last day of term (Friday 26th March).