Newsletter: 21st January 2022

Posted on January 21, 2022 | By Mr Cole

Covid Update

As I’m sure you’re aware, the Government withdrew the requirement for staff in schools to wear masks (along with secondary age students) from yesterday. However, with our cases remaining very high in school (we have over 10% of our children off with Covid at the moment) we will be continuing with mask wearing for the time being and ask all visitors on site, including parents, to do the same. This may be a small part of our Covid measures but it is important so thank you for your support.

Thank you for continuing with the recommended daily testing regime. It really is helping to identify children who have become infected before they mix too much in school and in turn infect others: this is one of our main lines of defense along with restricted mixing indoors and enhanced cleaning throughout the day. We hope the situation is improving, with a reduction in new cases towards the end of this week and no new cases reported so far today… so please stick with it, your efforts really are making a difference.

Village Schools Partnership

Next Monday is the beginning of the Statutory period of Consultation for the exciting proposal to formalise the Village Schools Partnership into a Federation with Buckland Brewer and Parkham Primary Schools. This will be under a single Governing Board with me becoming Headteacher across the group.  A letter will be sent oout to all registered parents by email mid-morning on Monday, together with a paper copy in book bags. Please read the information carefully and note the Parents’ Meeting dates to which you are all invited. If you are unable to attend the one held in Woolsery, you are of course welcome to attend the meetings which will take place in Buckland Brewer and Parkham. We will very much welcome any feedback at all to do with these proposals – whether they are positive or negative – as this will help both governing Boards come to a decision about what to do to best secure the future of the three schools when they meet at the end of the Consultation Period.

World Book Day

If Covid cases continue to decline in school, we will be welcoming the School Councils from Parkham and Buckland Brewer here at Woolsery next Thursday afternoon to meet with our School Voice children. We very much want to encourage some joint projects between the three schools and last time they met, the children were very keen on developing an Partnership environmental project. Once we know what the children would like to do, we’ll of course let everyone know via the Newsletter.

Traffic Troubles

Thank you for your patience this week with the unexpected closure of the pavement at the bottom of Old Market Drive and haphazard parking by contractors on Copper Hill. I know some parents made complaints to TDC earlier in the week, and school also asked for the situation to be urgently discussed at the Parish Council meeting on Tuesday. We need to say a huige thank you to Larry for helping out on Hi-Vis duty each day to help the children negotiate the bollards at the bottom of the road and also thank you to all of you for driving so carefully around the school whilst the road layout is so confusing for young children. Thank you also to those of you who are able to park further away from school and walk in each morning, the reduction in cars in the area of the works is very welcome at the moment.

Matt Cole, Headteacher

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