Friday 16th March 2018

Dear Parents/ Carers,

The hall is finally complete! The ‘oohs and the aahs’ of the children (and staff) were clearly heard on the Wednesday of this week when the children were able to come together for our first school assembly as one in quite some time. The hall has been completely refurbished and I am sure it will be a fantastic space of years to come. I think you will all be surprised with how different it is- in size as well as appearance. To be able to have all the children from Nursery up to Year 6 enjoying time together is really special… and about time too!

Important changes regarding access to the site- PLEASE NOTE

The construction team will soon be departing and this will mean we can finalise the access arrangements to the school site for children, families and visitors. The main ‘news’ is that very little will change. The main access will remain the middle blue gates: these allow good flow of movement in and out of the school. The lower pedestrian gate (next to pre school) will be for pre school parents. The lower double gates will allow families with mobility needs to drive into the school. The widened road area in front of the school will allow them to turn and drive out of the same exit. No vehicular traffic should be coming in/ out of the pedestrian entrance between 8.30 and 9.00am (and 3.05-3.25pm) when families are arriving/ leaving.

To confirm:

8.30-9.00am/ 3.05-3.25pm- Parents/ carers to access/exit the site using the main pedestrian gate or the ‘top’ gate. These gates are shown here below:

For families who have permission to drive onto the site, the lower main gate will be used for arrival and exit. There is now sufficient space to turn in front of the school.  From 9.00am until 3.05pm (during the day), the pedestrian access for those visiting the school office will be the lower pedestrian gate (next to pre school).

I recognise that this is a little confusing but I am confident that all will become clear and understandable so everyone has safe and simple access to the school. Using the large (middle) double gates for pedestrian access has been popular and we do not suffer from the ‘difficulty of movement’ at the front of the school anymore. Be assured staff will be on hand to welcome you in and support with any problems. I certainly enjoy saying hello and goodbye each day!

Parking update

You may have noticed that there have been some police officers monitoring the traffic around school recently. As I predicted, they felt that the situation at Tudor was relatively calm at the start and end of the day. In fact, as I continue to observe, the situation is only sometimes problematic for those parents who seek to park directly in front of the school. Please be aware that we still encourage parents to travel in the direction of the voluntary one-way system. If we all do our bit, this could improve the situation even further.

IMPORTANT- Attendance- ‘School refusers are not born, they are created’

The school recently received a visit from the county Attendance Improvement team. As you are aware, I continue to want the best for all children at the school and strong attendance is a vital part of being successful.  A concern for the school continues to be those children who are regarded as ‘persistent absentees’.

Following advice from other schools as well as the attendance officers, the school will be introducing the potential use of ‘FPNs – Fixed Penalty Notices’. More information will follow soon. Please be assured that the vast majority of parents do not have to be at all concerned with the use of such ‘fines’ at Tudor.

In fact, I was really pleased to see a number of classes achieve 100% attendance last week and the overall rate for the school was 96.8%- so close to the main target of 97%. There is a huge amount of research about the impact of poor attendance in school. Poor attenders at Primary school are likely to experience attendance issues at secondary school and subsequent work careers. As the quote above highlights, the role of parents is key…

Let’s continue to make Tudor a fun, inspiring place to be…

Last week was such fun in (and out of school). We had so much going on including: Gary and Shirley our popular pigs inspiring children’s learning; our Tudor book day proving enjoyable for all; the Tudor choir performing at the Royal Albert Hall; visits from emergency services to talk about how they help people as well as so much more. Phew- the children loved it all!

Providing such a wealth of opportunities is important and it really helps keep Tudor the vibrant and inspiring place that we all want it to be. The smiles on the children’s faces make all the extra effort worthwhile. A big thank you to the staff for making it all happen…

Breakfast club update

Letters will be sent home shortly to confirm the provision of spaces at our breakfast club that will start in the summer term. For those parents/carers who use breakfast provision elsewhere do recognise that we can meet ‘long term’ demand. Come and see the office team to book on!

Friends of Tudor

The next FOT Bingo Night is their Easter special- it’s on Friday 23^rd March. Come along for some fun and the chance win cash and chocolate prizes!

It’s not long until the next Tudor Owls Cake Sale:

Tudor Owls- Friday 23rd March is cake day. This time it will be the turn of the children in Year 2 to provide biscuits and Y3 to provide cakes. Tudor Owls charge 20p for each cake or for two biscuits. PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN CAKES/ BISCUITS THAT CONTAIN NUTS- THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Reading this newsletter back, it highlights how Tudor is continuing to evolve and change. Commitment and partnership from all is vital in ensuring children receive ‘the best’ and I trust that you understand that the well-being of children is at the heart of any decisions made.

Enjoy your weekend,

Mr Rob Weightman/ Headteacher