Dear Parents and Carers,
I am just writing to you with a few updates. Firstly, I would like to thank you for all that we have achieved together in the last week. What a difference a week makes! Thank you for your encouragement, your patience, your suggestions, your care, your thanks, your commitment and your flexibility to achieve a great first week during this current lockdown.
Whilst the school is less in numbers, our school day has returned to 8.45am-3pm to give some consistency across the school and to support staff with the recording of lessons to support pupils at home. Please ensure you are social distancing when arriving at this time and wearing a mask. Breakfast and after school club can continue for key worker and vulnerable children in the usual booking system.
I hope that you are finding the remote learning useful that has been sent home via Seesaw. Staff have today moved to pre-recorded learning to help support explanation to pupils and to support parents where needed. If children are unable to access Seesaw, please contact the school office who would be happy to help. Staff will be moving to weekly and fortnightly phone calls to keep communication going with their pupils so please discuss any concerns you have with them about learning at this time or e-mail them directly.
For those pupils entitled to free school meals at home, we will be available to offer a school packed lunch again which will be available for collection from the school office at midday each day. This will consist of a choice of a cheese/tuna/ham sandwich with a yoghurt, fruit, biscuit and a drink. If you would like your child at home to receive this and they qualify as a free school meal, please phone the office daily by 9.30am to place your order. The national voucher scheme will soon be up and running again and so when we have this information, I will update you accordingly.
Some parents have contacted the school regarding devices. At the previous lockdown, the Government gave devices for some vulnerable pupils. I have just been able to place an order today for 35 tablets today for disadvantaged pupils. When they arrive, I will let you know and what the criteria is for being able to have one. We have SIM cards available at school to grant free internet access so please contact the school office if you require a SIM card.
May I remind those parents sending their pupils to school that this should only be done if they fall into the key worker or vulnerable group. If parents are a key worker but one other parent is at home, the safest place for those pupils to be is at home. We would like to support families as much as possible but also need to keep the staff and pupils safe and numbers in school low to be able to socially distance as much as possible.
Many thanks for your attendance at the virtual review day before Christmas. I am pleased to say that we had 89% attendance at this event. If you were not able to attend, your child’s class teacher will have made contact with you to still have your appointment on the phone. If you have missed this call, please phone the school office to re-arrange or e-mail the class teacher directly.
If you wish to contact me to discuss any of this further, please do so via e-mail on annabelle.thomas@teignmouthschool.co.uk
I will continue to send updates as and when they occur. Thank you for your continued support. Very best wishes to you and your family.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs Annabelle Thomas
Head of School