2^nd September 2019

Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,

I hope you have had a great summer break and have managed to have some rest and relaxation before our new school year begins. As you know, we have a building project on going at school and there are some important changes to school access arrangements, which I have outlined below.

Please could you note the following information relating to the start of our new school year.

Term 1 begins for pupils on Wednesday 4^th September 2019. School doors and gates are opened at 8.35am and pupils must be in school by 8.45am as registration is at 8.50am. We will have extra members of staff on duty to show children where to go once they arrive through the school gates and door.

Pupils starting in Reception have their own arrangements for the first week back, with the entire intake starting on Wednesday 4^th September but with one half coming in the morning and the other half starting at 1.00pm. Details relating to Reception start times have been issued.

Coming into school. These are the entrances for children to use as they come into school in the mornings. Please note the changes are due to our on-going building work.

Children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 please use Cuss Lane entrance into school.

Children in Years 3-6, please use the Pupil entrance on Victoria Road.

For families with children in both Key Stages, please allow a few extra minutes so you can drop off at Cuss Lane and walk around to the Victoria Road pupil entrance. This is a temporary arrangement whilst building work is been carried out in the main playground and the walkway between the two parts of school is inaccessible.

Cuss Lane entrance:

Nursery children walk through the white hall door, along the corridor and out through the end door, turn left to your normal Nursery entrance on the far side of school. Please do not go through the wooden gate in the middle of the corridor.

Reception children turn left through the usual picket fence into Reception outdoor play area, then into the classrooms via the open doors.

Year 1 and Year 2 pupils walk through the white hall door, along the corridor adjacent to the hall and out the other side, then turn right to the ramp entrance where a member of staff will point you in the direction of your classroom.

Parents please note- there is no access from Nursery, Reception and KS1 to the school office. Please walk back out of Cuss Lane and around to the front of school, where you will see the current temporary office arrangements.

We apologise for any inconvenience but this is temporary whilst work is being carried out in the main playground area.

Front of school Pupil Entrance:

Years 3 and Year 4 pupils enter and walk straight to their classrooms.

Year 5 and Year 6 pupils turn left and walk through the Library area to the new upper KS2 area.  

Parents are welcome to accompany their children as they settle back into school. Usually, by the end of the first couple of weeks all pupils are managing to come into classes by themselves. Corridor space is extremely limited so we ask where possible for empty buggies/pushchairs to be left outside.

What to bring on the first day:

• All children must bring a named water bottle with drinking water in. This is required every day.
• A named book bag or equivalent. This is required every day.
• A coat to wear during wet/cold weather
• Named and bagged PE kit, including outdoor sports shoes (trainers) this must be brought into school and left in school as PE lessons begin right at the beginning of term.
• Years 3-6 (optional) to bring fruit or vegetable snack for mid-morning. (No nuts or nut products please)
• Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils have a fruit or vegetable-based snack provided by the school.

Guidance on nuts in packed lunches

With an increase in our number of pupils with severe nut allergies, we will be following this guidance in order to minimise any risk and to keep all pupils as safe as we can.

This guidance serves to set out the most important measures we must all take to reduce the risk to those children and adults who may suffer an anaphylactic reaction if exposed to nuts to which they are sensitive. The school aims to protect children who have allergies to nuts yet also help them, as they grow up, to take responsibility as to know what foods they can eat and to be aware of where they may be put at risk.

In order to minimise risk please do not have the following in school lunch boxes.

• Packs of nuts
• Peanut butter sandwiches/rolls/crackers
• Fruit and cereal bars that contain nuts
• Cakes made with nuts

Food items labelled with ‘may contain traces of nuts’ are fine to include.

Our school lunches continue to offer completely nut free meals for all pupils and it makes good sense for pupils having packed lunches to fall in line with this, so all pupils are kept safe.

Thank you

Yours sincerely,

Wendy Foster

Well done to three of our Year 4 pupils who have taken part in Jujitsu competitons and a three km fun run in Fairford. Thank you for sharing your successes with us.

We look forward to hearing from more pupils as you take part in hobbies and activities outside of school.

24th May 2019

Dear Parents, Carers and Guardians,

I am delighted to be able to say that our long awaited building project starts next week. Over the half term break, our building contractors will move onto our site and prepare their 35-week program of work.

E G Carter and Co Ltd has been appointed as the Principal Contractor and the resident site manager is Mr Graham Lammas.

As with any building project, there will be some change to our everyday routine when we return to school for the start of Term 6. The first phase of the project involves improvements to our KS2 toilet block and a change of venue for our school office. Phase two is planned to begin over the summer holidays where the foundations and outlining structure for our new hall will be put in place.

The only noticeable change for KS2 pupils will be the use of toilets and cloakrooms. Pupils will have coat and bag pegs placed outside their classrooms and a temporary toilet block will be brought into school for pupils to use as current toilets are being replaced.

There will be no change for Nursery, Reception, Y1, Y2 and Y3 pupils for Term 6.

Pupils in Years 4 will use the toilet block along the Y1 corridor and Year 5 and 6 pupils will have alternative toilets to use.

We are all very excited about the changes and improvements this project will bring on its completion, hopefully by February 2020. We aim to keep you informed as the project progresses and where other regular routines may be altered.

All contract staff have had the necessary checks so they can work safely on school premises and Graham Lammas will talk with all pupils during a school assembly about safe working practices for pupils and work staff. He intends to involve the pupils as such as possible in the project, so they understand how plans, drawings, materials and instructions all work together to bring about a successful and safe building project.

As soon as we have further details for Phase 2, we will write again and let you know.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Wendy Foster

'Caring for others' and 'thinking of others' are two of our school Values.

Here we have examples from our wonderful enterprising young people who have thought up engaging ways to raise money for charities which they wish to support.

We have a group of up and coming young choreographers who would like to offer an

After School Club to children in Years 2 and 3.

The club involves learnng dance routines set to music.

If you would like to join this club, please see Mrs Foster or Mr Archer for a letter.

The club is due to start on Tuesday 13th November and will run for the rest of this term.