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Dear Families,

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you have all enjoyed a wonderful summer break and have had the opportunity to spend some quality time together as a community. It gives me great pleasure to welcome everyone back for the new school year, and a particularly warm welcome to the families joining us.

The start of a new academic year is always an exciting time. Classrooms are full of fresh ideas and opportunities, teachers are eager to get started, and children arrive with a mixture of anticipation, curiosity and enthusiasm. It is one of my favourite times of year, and I am excited about everything that lies ahead for our children and school community.

Updates

As always, we will continue to ensure that all of our policies and procedures reflect the latest statutory guidance and requirements. New laws on allergy policies come into force this September – all staff undertook training on our insets.

Over the summer break, we began some phased work to update the school’s electrics, and some repair work around the school to ensure our school remains safe and looking good. We would like to welcome Adam who is our new premises manager, working alongside Sharon, and will be ensuring our beautiful Victorian building is kept in good shape as well supporting with statutory health and safety.

Parent Governor Election

Last term we held a Parent Governor election. Congratulations to Hannah Hickman who has been re-elected. Hannah has successfully supported the school through our recent Ofsted and Siams inspections, took on the role of Co-Chair of Governors, and through her professional work as a Speech and Language Therapist has a lot of insight and knowledge to offer on SEND and inclusion.

I would like to take this moment to thank all other nominees – your support and commitment to our school is truly appreciated.

Coming Up

You will have received the Autumn Term Dates letter. Please take a moment to go through and put these in your diaries.

One of the first opportunities for families to connect with staff will be our Meet the Teacher sessions. These meetings provide a valuable chance to learn about class routines, curriculum expectations and the exciting learning opportunities planned for the year ahead. We hope as many parents and carers as possible will be able to attend.

Supporting Children to Flourish

During these first few weeks, our staff team will be focusing on helping children settle successfully into their new classes and feel confident, secure and excited about the year ahead.

A strong sense of safety and belonging is a key focus at this time of the year. Staff will be working with children to establish routines and expectations, creating class charters collaboratively so that there is ownership of the values and behaviours that make classrooms a positive place to learn. There will be planned opportunities to build relationships, strengthen friendships and develop connections with both staff and their peers.

Our SENCO and wider pastoral team will also be working closely with teachers from the very beginning of term to ensure that individual needs are fully understood and supported. We know that when children feel known, valued and included, they are able to flourish both academically and personally, and we are committed to creating that sense of belonging for every child.

Congratulations to Lisa Coe, Rob Porter and Veronica Harewood who have been promoted to Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs). Lisa and Rob will have a key focus on further developing our wonderful playtime provision – ensuring that it is a fun and enjoyable space for all children. Veronica will be working within the SEND team to ensure all children have the support they need to flourish.

Looking Ahead

We have an exciting year ahead, filled with opportunities for learning, growth and success. I feel incredibly proud of our school, our dedicated staff and our wonderful children.

As part of maintaining strong relationships with families, I will be on the school gate at least three mornings each week. Please do stop and say hello. Whether you have a question, would like to share how your child is settling in, or simply fancy a catch-up, I would be delighted to see you.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support and trust. We look forward to a fantastic year of learning, achievement and memorable experiences together.

With warmest wishes,

Alli