Patcham Infant School & Nursery Class

To Our Wonderful Community

Sunday’s announcement has brought the week uncertainty and school leaders have worked tirelessly ‘trawling’ through government guidance. All school leaders want children, staff and families to be safe and well. After all, our core value is ‘children at the heart of all we do’; we want to get this right! There are however, many questions still to be answered about opening schools more widely. I am certain that you too have concerns relating to your own circumstances and I can empathise with the dilemmas you are faced with.

The government’s published guidance is NOT a detailed blueprint for opening schools more widely. The notion of all primary year groups returning before summer is far ahead of the reality. Any phased return must be managed with extreme caution and care so that all essential protective measures can be put in place. This may mean it becomes necessary to take a more gradual approach than the government has indicated in order to create a new normal and adapt to the new ways of working.

We do know that Patcham Infant School will open fully; we don’t yet know when or how but above all else, we want to foster an environment of collaboration and commitment to one another for your children, enabling a safe and successful return for them. We are all learning together and it is important that we are asking the right questions. Now more than ever we need to be working as a genuine team around the child; we need to do what is right for each individual and the children as a whole.

Leaders have started to formulate a plan for the potential wider opening of the school to small groups for short periods at some point after half term. Once I am entirely sure it meets all the safety requirements from our risk assessments and it is in agreement with governors, colleagues and the local authority, we will be in a position to share it with the wider community. I appreciate that some of you may be eager to get children back to school whilst, for others, it fills you with anxiety. Whatever your thoughts and feelings we will support you all when that time comes.

The weekend is upon us again and we have made it to the end of another week in lockdown; as always, we are missing you all. We have really appreciated and been lifted by the positive messages and clips you have sent us; your support keeps us going! We have felt a real sense of community over the recent weeks and look forward to continued collaboration in the weeks to come.

After another unusual week we thought it would be a good time to say a HUGE THANKS to you all for being so wonderful and as a way of appreciation have prepared something for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kRXYedjEUg&t=19s Look after yourselves and your wonderful families.

With love

Chris