Newsletter 3- Thursday 1st October 2020

Dear Parents/ Carers,

It is hard to believe that we are in October already. The weather has been rather changeable recently but it is noticeably feeling more Autumnal. I am sure that many other headteachers were less certain of how schools would be in this first month back but I must thank you all for your collective efforts in making sure that all at Tudor can feel safe and well in this school of ours. As Headteacher, I must be robust and transparent in the choices I make but I must recognise the differing views/ perceptions of those in the Tudor community. I trust our actions so far evidence that we remain committed to your children and we are determined to meet your expectations.

The duty we all have towards the social and academic development of your children is one of our key areas. On occasion this will lead to a difference of opinion for what is right/ wrong but please be assured that all decisions will be made in the best interests of your children. Our expectations on attendance must remain strong and, as the parent community know, I take this part of our job very seriously indeed. The fact that we have to work harder at Tudor than in other schools to maintain expected levels of attendance for some of our families does trouble me- especially considering the fact that I believe the children get a very good ‘deal’ when they are in school. From a school that had highly problematic attendance in the fairly recent past we have started to make great strides forward and we must all remain committed to ensuring children are safe and well in school. The impact on your child of low attendance is huge and there is huge amounts of research and evidence that show how children with low attendance have reduced/ limited experiences later in life including low attendance in secondary education as well as in the work place. Please do all that you can to help your children succeed- it is simply our duty to do so! To sum this area up- the photos blow show the difference 3 weeks can make to a young learner:   

Finding out more about the Tudor Thematic Curriculum- How is each subject taught?

In school, we believe one of our biggest strengths is the curriculum that we present to the children. We are confident that the learning opportunities we give really do inspire and excite the children each day. In Year 1 and Year 2 at the moment the children have the theme of ‘Toy Stories’. The year 1 writing about Woody and Buzz is truly amazing to see and some of the instructional texts (and videos!) in year 2 about how to make ‘Forky’ are super. Follow this link to see some what our young Tudorites are achieving:

http://www.tudor.herts.sch.uk/blog/?pid=141&nid=12&storyid=1106

I have been very impressed (and I know lots of parents have been too) with the historical knowledge of the children in year 3 and year 4. They are loving the ‘Is it right to fight?’ theme and the children’s writing in years 5 and 6 has been great too. We are determined to ‘fill those learning gaps’ that the school closure has created. If you want to know more about how individual subjects are taught within our thematic curriculum, our website has been further enhanced with information written by our subject leaders. I promise you that we have some budding historians, geographers, artists (and more!) in our school- do check the following link out: http://www.tudor.herts.sch.uk/page/?title=Curriculum+and+Classes&pid=58

Parent Consultations- interactive opportunities to find out how your child’s experience in school

Please keep an eye out early next week for information on our October parent consultations. These will take place via a ‘simple to use’ video link through our new parents evening app. It has been tested and it works well! You will be able to meet your child’s teacher for a 10 minute appointment on either Tuesday 20^th October or Thursday 24^th October between via the app which works on computers/ phones/ tablets. Each online meeting will last 10 minutes. We are really excited to offer this opportunity to ensure the parent/ school relationship can flourish!

Help to keep Tudor improving- Governor Elections

It was really pleasing to receive a lot of interest in the governor position. The governing board at Tudor is a highly committed group that work together to ensure the children of Tudor have a super experience in school. Ballot papers will be sent to families and you can select the candidate of your choice. A big thank you to all those parents who have put themselves forward.   

New Lunch Menu

A new lunch menu with increased hot meal options starts from Monday 5^th October. A copy should be in your child’s book bag today, and we have also emailed this to parents/carers. It will start with the week 3 options. Then we will go back to week 1, then 2 and so on.  Remember to pay in advance if you need to pay £2.60 per meal, and use gateway wherever possible to pay.

Flu Vaccinations

The deadline to hand in your forms for the flu vaccination has now passed, and they will take place on Thursday 22^nd Oct. If you didn’t hand your form in but would like your child to have the vaccination, please complete the form and hand it in at the office. They will try to fit in as many extra requests as possible, and will return on a second date if they need to. In regard to our ongoing response to COVID, our website has the most up to date guidance. This can be accessed via:  http://www.tudor.herts.sch.uk/news/?pid=3&nid=1&storyid=1102

EnergyKidz- socially distanced after school care!

Our after school care provider is back at Tudor. By using our large hall, the EnergyKidz team are able to deliver their high quality provision until 6pm each day. Booking of spaces can be made online at:  https://www.energy-kidz.co.uk/breakfast-and-after-school-clubs/hemel-hempstead-tudor-primary-school/

There is little doubt that the current situations we are facing in society do heighten our concerns and I pledge to you all that Tudor remains here to help in any way it can. We are very aware of the expectations placed on our school in ensuring children are supported with catch up curriculums, enhanced measures for social distancing, etc and we will always take these seriously. We want to be highly visible to you and we want to maintain the high standards of communication that we have received good feedback for in the past.

Some of you may also be informed about additional strategies and interventions that we wish for your children to be part of. Please do all that you can to ensure that your children can access such opportunities. All of us only ever one ‘go’ at an education and there is little doubt that the young learners of today have had to experience more disruption than any of us have had to experience. Our collective response to this is vital and I know that if we all remain truly committed to our young Tudorites, the future will be very positive indeed. The best part of working at Tudor is seeing the happy, contented faces of the children- in fact, if the enjoyment of the children is my key source of evidence, I promise we are responding to these challenges in the right way!  

Mr Rob Weightman/ Headteacher                                               #TeamTudor