Important news and information about Tudor as we approach the half way point of the academic year!
Newsletter 7
Thursday 26th January 2023
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Ofsted- It really was the most wonderful outcome…
In many ways, one of the challenges when responding to a government inspection is the confidentiality period once it is over. There are very clear expectations given to the school leadership in regard to allowing the report to be written/ quality-assured before an outcome can be shared. To highlight this, I was not even able to tell the teaching team about the result before the parent community! The result was worth the wait and it places the school in a super position…
Now the process is complete, we should all feel extremely proud of the recognition that our school received. I am happy to share at this point that we did not push for a ‘further’ inspection which could have ‘unlocked’ a higher official grade. This would have meant an additional 2 day visit at some point within the next two years. We are keen to keep developing and refining our approaches and, after all, the new report evidences a school performing at the highest standards. As shared with parents last week, I would like to thank the efforts of all those who have been part of Tudor in the period since the last inspection. Even though it appears the grade for Tudor is unchanged, considering that approximately 80% of all primary schools are in that category it is fair to say we have gone from one end of the ‘good spectrum’ to the other. Well done all…
Reporting for children too- we look forward to seeing ALL children represented at consultations!
Can you believe we are nearly at the half way point of the academic year? The teachers are currently writing the mid-year reports and these will be shared at the consultation evenings on Tuesday 21st and Thursday 23rd February. Please ensure you book an appointment via the booking system at: SchoolCloud - Tudor Primary School tudor.schoolcloud.co.uk
We expect EVERY child to be represented at this vital point of communication between home and school. Progress information as well as key targets for the rest of the year will be shared.
Please park safely- ensure you follow the correct guidelines
You may have noticed that there has been an increase in the number of checks from parking enforcement officers around school recently. I have been asked to share with the parent community that parking ON the pavement behind double yellow lines is NOT permitted. When driving to school is the only option, please do consider parking a bit further from the school where there is more (legal) capacity to do so. Please do NOT park in front of the blue gates- even if they are closed- as well as stopping potential deliveries, it means that families are unable to walk along the pavement. Let’s STAY safe.
Strike action
Wednesday 1st February- As previous communication has shared, the NEU has declared strike action. Whilst there are potential further dates of strike action in March, I will remind you that a number of classes will be closed at Tudor on Wednesday 1st February. The classes that are OPEN are 1O, 3S, 3T and 5W. All other classes will be CLOSED on that day. All at Tudor request that (regardless of whether you are pro or anti industrial action) that you respect individual staff decisions. Hopefully, this dispute will be resolved with speed, empathy, thoughtfulness and for the best outcomes which will benefit children and staff. Thank you in advance for your support.
Inclusion at Tudor Primary- a message from Miss Reading- our Leader for Inclusion:
Keep Tuesday 28th February 9am free in your diary! Chrissie, our Family Support Worker, will be attending our 'Tudor Coffee Morning'. Not only will she be available to answer questions you may have about any aspect of family life, but she will also be facilitating a mini 'How to support your child with anxiety' workshop. Please ensure you keep up to date with the latest information about the support available to children with additional needs and their parents or carers, both in school and in the local area, by regularly checking the 'SEND/Family links' section and the 'Well-being' section of the school website. If you cannot find what you are looking for on our website, please do contact me at: inco@tudor.herts.sch.uk.
Safeguarding at Tudor- Safer Internet Day 2023 will take place on the 7th of February this year, with celebrations and learning based around the theme ‘Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online’. It is an important reminder of how it is all of our responsibilities to keep our young people safe and to support you as parents, we have a wealth of information on our school website here: https://www.tudor.herts.sch.uk/page/?title=Internet+Safety&pid=164
Please do take a look at the county online safety newsletters that we share here, as well as links to many 'parent friendly' websites. We are sure you are equally proud of how Ofsted recognised the quality of our systems in regard to the safety and well-being of pupils.
Class assemblies
Please ensure you use our website as your main source of information. You can find out all of the key dates including parent consultations (they are AFTER half term in February) as well as when each class is presenting their assembly to parents. These are the classes for THIS term:
2nd Feb- 2Q
9th Feb- 1P
9th March- 2R
16th March-1O
23rd March- 3T
30th March- 4V
COMMUNICATION
PLEASE ensure that your contact details are up to date and any changes with phone numbers/ emails are given to the school. CHECK that you have downloaded the Arbor app so they you receive school news and information. We will no longer be sending SMS text messages. It is fair to say that the VAST MAJORITY of enquiries/ questions the office team receive have already been given/ answered multiple times on the website/ newsletters/ school comms.
PUNCTUALITY- a HUGE factor in social and educational development
At the start of the year, all families were informed about the changes to the structure of the school day. To ensure full compliancy with government expectations the OFFICIAL start time of the day was moved forward to 8.45am. This is when we expect all children to be in school as learning activities are taking place from this point. Registers CLOSE at 8.55am and class teachers are unable to add children as present in classes after this point. PLEASE be on time. We hope to see all children IN at 8.45am!
An increase in school meal pricing
Increased costs are causing additional difficulty for families at the moment and it is disappointing that I have to inform you that there will be a rather significant increase in the cost of school meals from the start of the summer term. From Tuesday 18th April, the cost of a school meal will be £3.20. Our school is already having to deal with levels of debt (of unpaid lunch payments) that is not sustainable. Going forward, families with an existing debt of over £10 will be not be able to access the school meals service.
Managing absence
If your child is absent, you MUST inform the school. In addition, on any subsequent/ further day of absence please update the school with the situation so we are aware of how things are progressing. The duty of care (whether they are in school or not!) is a key part of our work at Tudor and this can only be achieved with clear cooperation between home and school.
It’s rather disappointing to conclude this newsletter with some ‘less uplifting’ news items but we hope that there is a true understanding of how well Tudor is responding to the challenges in schools. We have received the HIGHEST number of school applicants we have EVER seen and we are determined to ensure that 2023 is yet an(OTHER) year of AWESOME performance for EVERYONE in #TeamTudor… Let’s GO FOR IT!
Mr Weightman #TeamTudor
