Our final newsletter of 2020!
Newsletter 8
Wednesday 16th December 2020
Dear Parents/ Carers,
The atmosphere has been amazing in school recently. The children are clearly having a wonderful time in the final few weeks of their Autumn term- the learning has remained inspiring and rewarding and we are effectively adding some festive fun to the mix too! We remain determined to ensure that the children have a super December- there is so much planned for them to enjoy…
Continuing to make big strides forward!
A big challenge for all schools has been the response to ‘plugging the gaps’ and ‘catching up with lost learning’. This has been a focus for how we have organised the ‘normal’ curriculum as well as additional opportunities outside of the school day. The teaching team has been at the heart of this drive and I would like to share how amazing they have all been. There was so much evidence back in September how children’s progress (academic and social) had been severely impacted following the school closure. Whilst we were still in a strong position due to the high quality home learning commitment that we delivered from March 2020 onwards, there was so much that we still needed to do. We did not simply start with additional tests and formal assessments as we were determined to focus on being part of a classroom learning community again and we wanted the children to feel comfortable (and welcome!) again in their classrooms. There was a big school focus on the transition between year groups as well as which key areas of learning needed to be the focus in this first term. This has also been further supplemented with consistent (and sustained) tutoring and extra intervention when required.
As I write this newsletter, there is a wealth of positive information that evidences that we have been successful (so far!) in our provision for the children. The national phonics screening results are the BEST that Tudor have EVER had and continue to show how we are progressing as a school. The progress that the children have made has simply blown us away- one example was a year 1 child going from 4/20 correct responses at the start of term to 37/40! There are so many stories like this at Tudor at the moment and each one demonstrates why EVERY day and EVERY opportunity is so important for your children. Everyone at #TeamTudor is determined to go that ‘extra mile’ for the children and I encourage ALL parents to work with the school in the support of their children.
Without giving too much away, a number of extras have been planned for the children this week. We have also been sharing our festive talents with the wider community- have you seen our Stained Glass Window display at Tesco?
I do believe our approach to the festive period has been about right. Thanks for your support- I do appreciate the fact that I have not had to respond to extra complaints and the feedback that we have received indicate that you feel that the school is working well. In case you have not seen the results yet, the children completed a PUPIL VOICE survey recently. The views of EVERY child were taken and the results evidence a school in which the children feel very happy and one in which they are supported incredibly well. The atmosphere in school as well as the relationships that the children have with the staff team remains our biggest selling point. For more detail about what key voices have being say about YOUR school follow this link-
http://www.tudor.herts.sch.uk/news/?pid=3&nid=1&storyid=1150
SEND at Tudor Primary School- an update from Miss Reading, our Inclusion Lead:
Please do look at the Special Educational Needs and Family Support Links section of our school website, this week I have uploaded the most recent newsletter from 'Delivering Special Provision Locally'. This newsletter provides a wealth of information about online courses, workshops and support groups that are available for parents/carers on a range of different topics. It has been great to receive feedback that several parents/carers would like to attend a virtual 'SEND Friends Coffee Morning'. Therefore, our first online coffee morning will take place on Tuesday 12th January at 9.30am. This will be an informal opportunity to have a chat, perhaps discuss how you and your family have been coping in recent months, share ideas and tips. If you would like to attend or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. Enjoy the holidays and I look forward to seeing you in 2021!
Little Fawns Pre-school opening in February 2021- Our new partner will be offering flexible, high quality provision for all children, accepting 15 & 30 hour Early Education Funding for 2, 3 & 4 year olds. They will be working in partnership with Tudor School to deliver the 30 hour provision to children who attend Tudor Nursery- www.littlefawnspreschool.co.uk
A big thank you to Mr Donley!
On Friday it is Mr Donley’s last day at Tudor Primary. It is not an exaggeration to say that the school site has been completely transformed in the last few years. Mr Donley has obviously been a big part of this. Mr Denny has already started work in his new position of site manager for Tudor alongside Mr Donley and I know that our school will continue to be a safe, compliant and well managed environment in which all children can flourish. Your children deserve the BEST!
Keeping our school SAFE. Please continue to follow guidance:
If your child tests positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) at any point during the Christmas break, please notify us as soon as possible so we can complete the relevant tracking and tracing process with public health, if required, and notify any other children or staff who have been close contacts and who need to self-isolate.
During the holidays you should contact admin@tudor.herts.sch.uk – this will only be monitored until Christmas Eve as after this point your child(ren) shouldn’t be a close contact of anyone at the school. Please only use this email address, do not send information via text or call the normal absence or school phone line as this won’t be covered during the holiday closure.
IF you have any spare time over the festive period and you feel that Tudor has done well for your child, all at #TeamTudor request that you take a few moments to record your views. Ofsted’s parent view is available at- https://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/login?destination=/give-your-views/survey/12606 As ALWAYS, I pledge to remain available to all in our community and, if there is anything you would like to raise, I am keen to engage with you.
It has certainly been a very strange 2020- let’s all look forward to a new year. There will be new themes of learning in the new term and the teaching team are sure to make the learning memorable for our young learners.
Whilst the last 10 months have provided us all with a whole new set of challenges, the ‘united response’ of all at Tudor, in many ways, has been one of our biggest ever achievements. We hope that we have made you all proud to be #TeamTudor. Do not forget that school finishes at 2pm on Friday. There is no EnergyKidz provision on the last day of term so ensure you have made alternative arrangements if your child usually attends. We reopen for children on Tues 5th Jan at 8.45am.
Mr Weightman