Headteacher Message
Hello all,
I hope you are all well. First the coronavirus update. We have seen an increase in cases locally but thankfully have not had any reported positive cases within school. We recognise that it is a time to be extra vigilant and would urge you to continue to follow government guidelines. If possible, please ensure that you wear a face mask when you collect your children. This is in line with the current recommendations from Richmond council. We have very clear plans in place should the school have a positive test and I am very confident that we will deal with it calmly and sensibly.
Myself and Mr Gilbert have just finished our weekly live whole school assembly and I want to share some of the news that we shared with your children. We have started a new reading incentive scheme across the school. Each child will have the following in their reading record;
Whenever they read at home the class teacher or TA will dot their record. They will receive a certificate when they get to 50 dots and wait for it….. a free book of their choice when they get to 100. As an added incentive, when they get to 100, they will be invited into the hall to have a hot chocolate or fruit juice with Mr Porter and Mr Gilbert and have the opportunity to discuss the book they are reading. This may sound a little bit complicated but please do not worry. Effectively your role continues to be as it was. Please sign their reading record when they have read or you have read to them. We will do all the admin in school. Please also remember to ask your child about their reading using the prompts provided in the newsletter.
I would like to offer a big thank you to the school community for your support of our walk into school on Monday. At 4.30am walking down an A road in Staines, devoid of any pavements, I did question the whole escapade. However when I found out we had raised £700 it seemed worthwhile and made me think we need to go bigger and better next time! This money will be used directly to buy books for the school and I already have order forms on my desk from our English coordinators.
I wanted to talk to you about a difficult subject. You may have noticed that we have had some children leave the school recently. I have spoken to several heads in the locality and our picture is similar and in some cases much better than theirs. The Coronavirus has seen some families move from the area opening up spaces in schools that were previously full. For example we have recently had 3 children move schools. Apparently they had been on the waiting list for a number of years and other schools in the borough losing children has opened up spaces.
It is difficult for me to comment on the past but I would say that our current offer as a school matches those in the locality and our most recent SATs scores match and exceed Richmond averages. I am fiercely ambitious for this school and will leave no stone unturned in making it the school of choice in the locality. I would urge anybody who is considering a move to meet with me to discuss their concerns. Whilst I know that all schools in this area will offer a high quality of education for all children, I am confident that by living our values and ensuring that we make a difference to each and every one of our families, we can create a school community that thrives and flourishes. Please remember that our door always remains open, despite the current restrictions in place. Do not hesitate to contact the school if you would like to discuss anything with us.
Take care of yourselves and your families,
Joe Porter
Make a difference
attendance last week was 94.8% our target is 96.8%.
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