Patcham Infant School & Nursery Class

To the Wonderful Patcham Community

I hope this Ping finds you all safe and well as we are drawing the first ‘virtual’ week back from the extraordinary Easter break to a close.

As a family we have found getting back into a routine particularly challenging. The children have been quite reluctant to get up in the mornings, and engaging with home schooling has become more of a dispute. Whilst the home learning is arriving in our virtual classroom we are still trying to make adjustments to ensure our own wellbeing as a family remains in tact.

Although we are enjoying more time together we also recognise that for all of us being under one roof for extended periods adds pressure we don’t usually experience. Home learning is definitely adding to it! Jan and I have given ourselves permission to do what we can and disregard anything that is becoming unwieldy. We know the kids are going to be fine when they go back to school and will pick up from where they left off; we recognise we are doing the best we can at this time. We have also made a decision to ignore what we can’t manage and have stepped away from comparing ourselves against those that can.

If, like us, you are experiencing similar challenges please give yourselves a huge celebratory pat on the back because you are doing better than you think! To hopefully reassure you, we will not be making any assessment of how much children have picked up whilst away from school. I am trying my hardest not to make any judgements about anyone or anything as it will only have a negative impact on how I feel.

We know your children and the level they were attaining prior to lockdown and we will carry on with their learning from that point on return to school. We will not be expecting children to ‘catch up’ because we know they will learn at a rate that is right for them at any given point in time. Children learn at different rates throughout their childhood and everyone plateaus at some points too. What I do know is they will all achieve their own successes! Children are unique and we know that their behaviours in school are different from those at home. I can hold an audience of 300 plus children in school and fail miserably with 3 of my own! Please do be gentle on yourselves if any of this chimes with you. I truly believe that children’s wellbeing, as well as your own, is paramount to anything else right now.

Whilst I don’t want to discredit or devalue the hard work our amazing teachers are doing right now, the home learning we are offering is merely a suggestion and we invite you to use it if and when you can; I know the teachers feel the same. Whatever and however much or little is just fine. We will get your children back on track, staff here have superpowers! No child is ahead and no one is being left behind. Your child is exactly where they need to be. Please remember that following their lead in play, fresh air and exercise will aid them in their personal development. Make sure you celebrate all the successes however small or insignificant you feel they may be. Globally every family is going though this pandemic and all schools are closed as a result. T

his is just a snapshot in time and as long as our personal health and wellbeing remains buoyant everything will slot back into place. We would dearly love to have you all back in school but know it just isn’t the right time. We will be all together again and I very much look forward to it.

Please look after yourselves – you are an amazing bunch of human beings!

With love

Chris