Patcham Infant School & Nursery Class

To Our Wonderful Community

As this academic year is drawing to a close, now is the time to publicly thank all the staff at Patcham Infant School and Nursery Class for their dedication and hard work throughout this exceptionally challenging year. We have an outstanding team of teachers, admin and support staff that put the children at the heart of all they do. Their energy, passion, creativity, teamwork, fun and friendship make our school the amazing place it is. For our staff to have accomplished all that has been required of them, as well as managing personal challenges brought on by the pandemic and with a positive, remote, collaborative spirit, has been remarkable.

Someone who deserves an extra special mention is the AMAZING Mrs Hawkins who has been by my side throughout. Four months ago, to the day having had no sleep for days and surviving on very strong coffee Helen and I were planning for school closure, bidding emotional farewells to our amazing families, supporting colleagues and setting up a new model of schooling. Four months later the coffee remains strong, the school has remained open for all but 2 days (Good Friday and Easter Monday) and we have started to come through the other side welcoming many families back into school. Mrs Hawkins has not stopped considering how best to support you, the children and her colleagues and I genuinely would not have managed this situation without her. I am in debt to her for her energy and determination putting the Patcham community above everything else.

Thanks also have to go to the governors who support and challenge the school. Our governors do this in a voluntary capacity and work with the school to ensure our children get the best start they deserve. In recent months governors have put trust in Helen and I to do what we felt was right for the community for which I am very appreciative.

It’s safe to say this year has impacted our lives in so many ways – ways none of us probably ever deemed possible. Across the globe people have had to deal with a great amount of change and upheaval to everyday life and routine. Special thanks must go to you, the parents and carers, for your support in managing recent months and working in such a collaborative and flexible way with us. Patcham Infant School and Nursery Class would not be the wonderful place it is without you!

It is with a heavy heart that we say a fond farewell to our Year 2 leavers and wish them every success as they move on to the next stage in their education. They are all truly wonderful and we are so proud of each and every one of them. We are so sorry to bid farewell in this manner – we had so much more planned for them. However, we would love to get all our Year Two children together again for one last celebration when group sizes can increase and it is safe to do so.

Thank you for putting up with my Friday ramblings; I hope they might have somehow helped during what has been a truly difficult and frankly very bizarre time of our lives. My posts certainly helped me feel connected with you, the community I cherish. We have all learned so much about ourselves and one another during this period and have, quite possibly, managed the greatest challenges of our lives. The emotional turmoil on the ‘corona coaster’ has been relentless and may have left us feeling a little bruised. However, we have got through it and I know we will be better equipped to manage the situation differently, should we need, based on what we have learnt since March.

We look forward to welcoming Year 1 and Year 2 on Friday 4th September and are offering a nurturing start to our Early Years children. We need to assume that the school will be operating fully, with Breakfast Club provision, and will be in touch late August or early September with the finer details (entry points/exit points etc.).

Until then, please do allow time for yourselves as well as your little ones. It cannot be underestimated what we have all been through and will continue to experience for some time. A little bit of self-care is essential! As simple as it sounds, many of us pay little attention to self-care. It is vital as it encourages us to maintain a healthy relationship with ourselves so that we can transmit the good feelings to others. We cannot give to others what we don't have ourselves. While some may misconstrue self-care as selfish, it's far from that. When we pay adequate attention to our well-being, we’re not considering our needs alone. We’re reinvigorating ourselves so that we can be the best version of ourselves for the people around us.

By being healthy about self-care, we will feel better equipped to help others……..Go live your best lives!

Wishing you all a wonderful, relaxing and sunny summer! See you in September for another exciting and hopefully less turbulent year of learning!

Signing off one last time!

Love Chris