Headteacher's Blog

Week 2 of the Summer term

Dear Parent,

A chilly week and one in which we've also struggled with a stomach bug amongst the  children and staff. Remember, if they have been vomiting or have had diarrhoea, they must stay off school for 48 hours to limit the risk of it spreading.

Reminders for the week:

1. School in action sessions for Yr 1 boys on the 29^th @1.10, Yr 1 girls on the 30^th @1.10, and Yr 2 boys on the 2^nd May@11. Thanks to those of you who attended last week, and again , a plea for you to fill in the very simple online parent view survey via the Ofsted website to help us understand what we do well and what we need to do better. Simply google 'ParentviewOfsted' and you will be taken to the site- it's a  2 minute process that would be ever so appreciated.

2. Vouchers and help. A reminder to all of you that if you experience any change in circumstance that means that your children may be disadvantaged because of your financial situation, please come and talk to me or one of the pastoral team on the gate. We can provide food and utility vouchers in the form of a QR code for your phone to help. Please don't struggle alone...

3. Safeguarding. Keeping children safe is everyone's responsibility and if you see/hear something about any child here that doesn't 'sit right' with you, then by scanning the QR code attached and filling in some basic information, you can tell us about it so that we can act. Don't ever worry about getting something 'wrong' in this regard, it's better for us to check and be wrong than simply presume it can't be true..

Advance notice: School is shut on May 6^th for the Bank Holiday.[ Clubs will obviously not run on that day.]

Phones/Xboxes: There has been a lot of publicity in the news this week about the continued social and emotional impact on children's well being through overuse of  such devices , so much so that several schools nationally have now either banned phones completely from the site, or have extended the school day to ensure that children's time is spent on more socially interactive activities. I think we can all play our part here by using the lighter evenings to our advantage and try to get out in the garden or have a family walk/bike ride that then naturally limits children's online time. Set yourself a challenge to see how many hours you can 'knock off' your child's online time over the next few weeks  🙂

Enjoy the weekend

Miss Harris

Week 1 of the summer term

Dear parent,

A belated welcome back to those of you that I haven't seen this week.  Expecting some summer term weather was  obviously a step too far though, although there's been definite glimpses of the sun 👍

Reminders:

1. Clubs restart next week, You should have been emailed to confirm if your child has been given a place in the club you requested.

2. Parent view- thanks to those of you who have completed this survey. If you haven't, we'd be very grateful if you could, simply search 'Ofsted parent view' on google and it will show you how to do this.

3. 'School in action' rota attached, This will be the final one of the year, so if you haven't already done so, do try to make it in to see what your child typically experiences.

4. Uniform- can I remind you that we have a clear uniform policy that is on the website. This also refers to jewellery, hairstyles etc. I am seeing a lot of long, dangly earrings from Yr 6 girls and some very short, patterned hair shaves in boys -  please be aware that encouraging/allowing  your child to deviate from the uniform policy will set them up to fail at secondary school, where they are very likely to incur significant punishments for flouting this there.

5. The key learning skill we are highlighting this half term is independence,' the ability to live your life without being helped or influenced by other people,' so please encourage your child to do as many things at home as they can safely ,independently, in an age appropriate way.

Enjoy the weekend when it finally arrives.

Miss Harris

Week 12 of the Spring term

Dear parent,

Just a quick email to wish you all a 'Happy Easter '. We'll see you back, bright and breezy on the 15^th April and I'll email you the night before with a few reminders for the week.

In the meantime, enjoy some extended family time - and copious amounts of chocolate! I'm a Cadbury's kind of girl myself.....😉

Miss Harris

Week 11 of the Spring term

Dear parent,

Another term  nearly finished. It's really frightening just how quickly the year goes...I judge the pace of it by the amount of grey hairs that seem to be rapidly appearing. 🙂

Soon, after Easter, we will begin to think about transitions and transfers for children for the next academic year and how we will make that as smooth as possible for them all- from those joining in September, to those leaving, and everyone 'in between'.

Reminders:

1. Due to  a lack of numbers/bookings, we can no longer offer our childcare facility in the Easter break. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.

2. No clubs next week, only the paid after school facility.

3. We finish at normal time on the Thursday 28th, and will restart on the Monday 15th. No clubs the first week back.

4. Multi Academy Trust: You may remember from previous emails that I have mentioned that we are highly likely to join First Federation Trust, a Devon based MAT, from September 1^st this year. There will be a formal process starting after Easter where you can have the opportunity to meet the CEO and other key figures for the trust and ask them any relevant questions, I will let you know a date for this as soon as I know it. There is  an email you can send any questions to in advance, this is: MAT@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

5. Parent evening consultations- well done to the 75%+ of you who have made an appointment. Please endeavour to be prompt- on line or in person- for these. For those of you choosing to do them online, can you make sure that you are in a quiet space and are likely not to be disturbed.

6. To run alongside these, we'd very much like you to  offer your views on the school on the Ofsted 'parent view' site, this will also be really helpful to us in ensuring that we do take into account your thoughts on what the school does for your child. It only takes a few minutes to do, but we'd be very appreciative of your time and energy with this.  If you simply paste this link below into your browser or  just google 'parentview' Ofsted- the process is very straightforward. Whether you're happy with what we provide or feel we can do better, we  genuinely want to know.

<a href="http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/"><img src="http://parentview.ofsted.gov.u<a href="http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/"><img src="http://parentview.ofsted.gov.uk/assets/728x90-leaderboard.gif" alt="Ofsted Parent View - Give Ofsted your view on your child's school" /></a>k/assets/728x90-leaderboard.gif" alt="Ofsted Parent View - Give Ofsted your view on your child's school" /></a>

Enjoy the weekend,

Miss Harris

Week 10 of the Spring term

Dear parent,

What a busy week! School in action sessions, mock SATS, 'Bikeability' sessions, lip synch battles to name but  a few.

 Thank you to all those of you who encouraged your child to walk or 'wheel' to school this week. The real test now is if they can continue to support this going forwards.

Reminders:

1. School/class photos on Monday- everyone looking super smart for these, please. No PE kit on that day, proper uniform only.
2. Next week will be the last week of clubs before the Easter break, no clubs the week of the 25th.

3. Remember to book your preferred parent evening date and slot asap, if you haven't already done so. So far,  over 70% of you have.

4. Childcare club for Easter- please let the office know if you want to use this asap so we can sort staffing. At the moment, we have only  a very few bookings, which means we will not be able to run it. Closing date for bookings is Wednesday 20th.

Points of contact reminder: Who to go to, for what....

In order to process any queries you have quickly and efficiently, please take note below of the most appropriate contacts:

• For any queries relating to operational matters, clubs/lunches, term dates, pickup or drop off arrangements and such like - contact the school office on office@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk or 01305 783876
• For any queries relating to your child and matters in class, contact the class teacher- their email addresses are on the year group pages on the website
• For any child protection/child safety issues, please contact myself on j.harris@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk 
• For any help with pastoral issues, support with your children's emotional well being, please contact Mrs Smith or Mrs Ingram Richards on c.smith @chickerell.dorset.sch.uk or l.ingram-richards@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk
• For any help with financial support, please contact me on the email in point 3.
• For any queries regarding SEN and specific learning needs , please contact Mrs Penn on e.penn@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

• For any other matters unresolved ,then contact me on the email in point 3

Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) Parent Information Session

We are holding a parent RSE session 2.30pm-3pm on Monday 25^th March to provide you with information on how we teach RSE at our school- all parents are welcome to attend. Please let the office know by dropping them an email or popping in to give your name if you wish to be at this session. Due to sensitive information being shared at this session, it is for parents only, not pupils or siblings.

Enjoy the weekend, I'll be using  a very big Welsh wooden spoon to cook with this weekend- rugby fans will 'get' that!

Miss.Harris

Week 9 of the Spring term

Dear Parent,

Another super busy week for us all. It was great to see the children embrace the spirit of  'Book Week' and take part in the various activities. Reading- with or to your children- really, absolutely, is the foundation for every  chance of academic success.

A long email today- sorry!

Notices for next week:

1. Mock SATS for Year 6 this week, please ensure children are in on time!
2. 'School in action' sessions for Yr 6 boys  and girls on Wednesday @ 11.
3. Reminder- school photos on the 18th. Everyone to look super smart.
4. Advance notice: No clubs the week of the 25th , parents evenings will be happening that week instead. More details of those will be sent home very soon

5. Easter April childcare club will run on the 2nd,3^rd and 4^th and then the 8th-11^th inclusive. Please book via the school office. £15 a day again, 9-3.30.

6. Next week is 'walk and wheel' week. The idea is for children to either walk or scooter/cycle to school  on as many days as possible, we will be 'competing' against other schools locally to see if we can rack up the biggest number of these journeys. Class teachers and I  will record them daily. Do support this by encouraging your child to do so.

 Punctuality reminder: We continue to work really hard to support our families with their children’s attendance. We have recently had  quite a few children arriving late to school which does impact on their overall attendance. We understand that occasionally there may be different reasons that delay us in the morning but we need to see all the children arriving on time ready for  morning registration. It makes them anxious when they then have to walk into class late, which is never a good start for them, bless them. Please contact us if your child needs any support with coming to school on time, we are here to help.

Medical appointment, what do you need to do to inform the school? : We encourage you to make appointments outside of the school day, however we understand that this is sometimes unavoidable. If your child does have to leave school to attend a medical appointment, please inform the school as soon as possible once you have been given the appointment, by either bringing the appointment letter to the school office or emailing a picture of the letter or text received. We do support our families for last minute/emergency appointments, if this is the case please call or email the school office, but we do appreciate you letting us know in advance if you can. 

Comic Relief Red Nose Day Cake Sale

On Friday 15^th March, it is Comic Relief and we are doing lots of fun things throughout the day. The Pupil Voice Group have arranged for us to hold a cake sale during snack time to raise funds for this very worthwhile charity. We would be very grateful if you could provide  a few cakes for this event, perhaps you could bake together with your child or choose something together from the shop. Please could you bring the cakes into school on the morning the 15^th (if you would like your container returned then label it with your child’s name and class) and provide your child with some money to spend? We will be selling the cakes for 50p each. Children can also wear Pudsey merchandise if they wish.

A reminder too that on that day, for Comic Relief, we will be putting on a staff 'lip synch battle' for the children's entertainment and our ritual humiliation 🙂. Donations for this on our 'just giving' page on or website would be amazing...

Enjoy the weekend

Miss Harris

Week 8 of the Spring term

Dear Parent,

Happy St David's Day for any of you lucky enough to have some kind of Welsh heritage 😉 Another busy week- thanks you to those of you who managed to attend the 'school in action sessions' -  I know you  helped cook, peel,  and air fry to name but a few activities!
 

Reminders for next week -  a busy one again:

1.'School in action' sessions this week: Yr 5 boys on the 5^th @11, Yr 5 girls on the 6^th @11

2. World Book day on the 7th- see previous email from Miss Simmonds for details

3. Any donations of pencils/coloring for the Afghan children in the camp still very gratefully received - I am due to visit weekly to help, and the children there will begin to visit our school too very soon.

4. Some of our KS2 boys will be representing us at the Nash Football Cup this week, we traditionally do quite well in this, so we're hoping for some more sparkly silverware to add to the trophy cabinet.

5.Class photos will be done  on Monday 18^th March 2024, so super- smart appearance that day for the children, please.

Thank you to everyone for continuing to adhere to our School Street traffic restrictions at the start and end of school days - this continues to make Fairfield a safe place for children and adults to enter and exit the site in a safer way. We remind anyone driving along Rashley Road to do so carefully at a slower speed and to park considerately- I witnessed a crash  there this week through sheer  lack of  driver awareness. We continue to work closely with our immediate community, our local neighbours, to limit this by sending number plates to the Road Safety team.

Easter childcare: Although it's way off, we will be running a limited childcare service over the Easter break. Exact dates to be confirmed very soon

Another reminder to about support from outside services, particularly linked to SEN children: It is true that a number of you face frustrations  with accessing support services beyond school for meeting particular learning, physical and social needs. I can assure you that we share these frustrations as we find it harder and harder to access these services. We make as many representations as we can in the case of individual pupils. There is utterly insufficient provision and funding for addressing need - and this is a real problem for every school. We completely support you and your children as we seek to secure the very best opportunities for them, but please understand that we are very limited as to what we can change. Ultimately, though- we must remember that we are all  working for the very best outcomes for the children and keep persevering!

Enjoy the weekend,

Miss Harris

Week 7 of the Spring term

Dear parent,

A belated welcome back from half term to those of you I haven't seen. The weather has been awful again-please let Spring sunshine appear soon!

A few reminders for you:

1. 'School in action' sessions for Yr 4 boys on the 27th@1.10, Yr 4 girls on the 28th@11 . 
2.  Advance notice that it is World Book Day on the 7^th March- more details of what we intend to do will follow very soon.

3. Comic relief advance notice. This year's theme is 'something funny for money' and at the moment the provisional plan is for staff to hold a lip synch 'battle' for the pupil's  amusement. I have set up a 'just giving' page for donations for this on our school Facebook  page and have set a challenging target for us to raise £500. If you'd like to donate towards this, we'd very much appreciate it- I might even film it for your amusement too.... 😉 Children will be able to wear any merchandise they have on the day too.

Afghan children: We are going to be supporting the children based at Chickerell camp over the next few months and one of the things I'd like to do is to collect stationery- pens/pencils , pads, colouring books for them to write, draw, colour etc. 

If you can donate anything like this for me to take up, then I'll leave a box next to the food bank box on the front foyer.

Enjoy the weekend.

Miss Harris

Week 6 of the Spring term

Dear parent,

So, we've come to the end of the half term. Now, that means we're half way through this academic year. How scary is that!? Time is flying by....

Reminders for the first week back:

1. Clubs will restart straight away.
2. 'School in action' sessions for : Yr 2 girls on the 19th@11, Yr 3 boys on the 21st@11,  and for Yr 3 girls on the 22nd@11
3. Next parent evenings will be the week of March 25th. Details will follow post half term.

As we approach the end of this half term - and as I said earlier, half way through the year- we would like to invite families to send a thank you message  via email to any member of  staff who has helped you, inspired you or just made you smile  since the start of the academic year.  These types of heartfelt gestures go a  really long way to ensuring that the adults here feel positive about their role and impact. No school always gets everything  absolutely right, but I am very proud of our staff and how hard they work to provide the very best experiences for your children.

I hope you manage to enjoy some family time over the half term break...

Week 5 of the Spring term

Dear parent,

Thank you to those of you who joined us for the school in action sessions this week- again, they were very well received.

Reminders for next week:

1. 'School in action' sessions this week for Yr 1 boys on the 5^th @1.10, Yr 1 girls on the 7^th @1.10, Yr 2 boys on the 7^th @11. 
2. February 8th, Thursday, we are all 'dressing to express ' ourselves, so your children can do the same. Encourage them to wear something that says a little bit about who they are/what they like. This is to support positive mental health and particularly promoting children being ' heard' in the widest sense. £1 donation to be handed in for Dorset MIND.
3. February 8^th is also rearranged movie night. Same arrangements as before.
4. February 7th: whichever 'house' has amassed the most points thsi half term will wear their home clothes- you will be notified by email on the Tuesday if this involves your child.
5. A final reminder - we have a staff training day on the 9th, Friday, so children are not in school that day.

Enjoy the weekend- the 6 nations rugby starts, so that's my TV viewing sorted in the very vain hope that Wales might start with a win....

Week 4 of the Spring term

Dear Parent,

My goodness, there are lots of bugs still lingering. As  a staff we've been quite badly hit by COVID cases recently, but it is testament to the team spirit here that very few things had to be cancelled as a result, we all just 'muck in' and help.

Reminders:

1. School in action sessions resume next week for Reception on the  29^th @2pm for the boys and 30^th @2pm for the girls.
2. 2^nd February is 'number day' nationally, so we will be doing lots of practical maths activities to celebrate this.
3.  Another reminder that we have INSET on the 9^th February, so children are not in school on that day.
4. Child care club: please, if you are wanting to use this facility during half term, Mon-Thur 9-3.30, you must let us know asap so that I can ascertain if we do indeed have enough children to make running it every day financially feasible.

Safeguarding - Did you know… That we are an 'Operation Encompass' school? This means that we work in partnership with the Police and Early Help so that these services can offer immediate support to children experiencing domestic abuse.  I now receive a notification that an incident has occurred prior to school starting the next day or over the weekend. We are then able to offer support to the pupil and families if required.  Operation Encompass aims by directly connecting police and schools, to enable schools to better understand the impact living with domestic abuse has on children. 

Smart watches: Twice this week, we have had situations whereby children are using  certain smartwatches to  either take photos of other children in school, or to text their parents from class. Obviously, neither of these are remotely appropriate and therefore I am going to ask that if your child has one of these watches that has these functions, then they must either expressly not use these functions in school time or leave the watches at home. Watches will be confiscated if they ignore this.

Email: We are aware that there is a problem with the Microsoft email system we use at present, in that, when you are emailing us, our responses to you are 'bouncing' back. If therefore you don't hear from us, it's worth ringing the school office to ask/clarify anything until this fault is rectified.

Finally, a quote I read  this week that I'd like to think really sums up our school: 'What makes a good school ? Ultimately, it’s community. Regardless of size or resources, a school works best when children, teachers, support staff, and parents all come together. It goes beyond the physical. You can’t see those intangible factors, but they make a real impact on children.”

Enjoy the weekend

Miss Harris

Week 3 of the Spring term

Dear Parent,

Another very chilly week- but lovely to see some sunshine at least.

Safeguarding - Did you know that Childline is more than just a number for children to call if they need support (0800 1111). Their website also provides support for young people and their parents/carers in such things as: 

Racism and racial bullying - advice on what racism is and how to get support 

Discrimination, hate crime and equality - support to help young people recognise and get support if they're experiencing discrimination 

'How you look' - support around body image and developing confidence with how you look

Bullying message boards - a safe space where children can get support from other young people.

Get support for any of the above - contact Childline counsellors, online or over the phone. 

 Attendance matters: Our vision for 2024 is  for all our children to really attain their potential by achieving a high standard for attendance. We are currently at around 94% and remain at quite a secure standard amongst Dorset schools, but we know we can achieve higher. We know great attendance can give our children the best opportunities and a real 'headstart' over other children. But we also know that not every child finds attending school regularly easy. With this in mind, we are always here to help, we can support you every step of the way. If your child is struggling to come to school,  please contact us: 

l.ingram-richards@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

c.smith@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

...and we will try to offer some practical solutions to help.

 School in action: Apologies, due to  external staffing commitments that are beyond our control, we need to rearrange the school in action sessions for   Yr 1 girls and Yr 2 boys. These will now be on Wednesday 7th, 1.10-2 for Yr 1 girls, and Wednesday 7^th 11-12  for Yr 2 boys. Thank you for your understanding with this.

Childcare club: February half term: We are able to run a limited childcare service to help out  working parents, February 12th- 15^th [ Mon- Thur] from 9-3.30 each day. Please contact the office directly if you wish to use this service, for whole/parts of days. The cost will be £15 for a full day, £7.50 for half a day. There is also a flyer attached to the weekly email for a science holiday club provision too.

Cross country success: I am delighted to report that the 35 strong cross country team that we took to Budmouth this week won the YR 3 / 4 boys category, the YR 3 /4 girls category, the Yr 5 /6 boys category and the YR 5/ 6 girls category! Amazing! 

A reminder that PTA movie night has been postponed to the 8^th February to avoid/limit  further COVID cases.

Enjoy the weekend..

Miss Harris

Week 2 of the Spring term

Dear Parent,

 What a cold snap this week! Please do make sure that your child has a warm coat to come to school. I'm aware with the older years in particular it may not be 'cool' to wear one, but it is essential if the children wish to play outside at breaks.

I am attaching a guide to managing children' s screen time that may be of use- I'm sure many of you could do with some additional support with that battle!

Reminders:

1. PTA movie night next Friday 19th. Details from the school office.
2. We have our first Area cross country races at Budmouth  this week for Yrs 3/4/5/6 - we wish the teams well. Last year, we won almost every category, so we're hoping for some repeat success. 40 of our children are taking part.

3. Our enrichment afternoon on a Friday restarts this week. Children for this afternoon, from Yrs 1-5, take part in  a range of alternative activities to encourage them to 'get out of their comfort zone',  and work with children and adults from other year groups . Activities range from kickboxing, veggie cookery, coding, superhero art, Forest schools. circus skills - to name but  a few.

   If  then your child comes home and say they're doing Forest Schools, they will need wellies and a warm waterproof coat. If they are doing kickboxing, they need to wear PE kit that day. No other equipment is needed for other groups. Yr 6 have their 'buddying' time with Reception during this slot.

    [Personally, I love this time of the week, it is a lovely way to finish the week doing something completely different.]

4. Clubs restart next week, we still have spaces in quite a few of them, so do sign your child up for one. They get so much out of belonging to  clubs or teams- it is often what they remember most about school. A reminder that if you are in receipt of certain benefits, all clubs are free too.

Very advance notice: February 9^th is our next INSET day.

Enjoy the weekend

Miss Harris

Week 1 of the Spring term

Dear parent,

A belated welcome back to those of you who I have not seen since our return on Wednesday. We're hoping that the weather will be kinder to us than it was over the Christmas break- even my dogs began to object to going outside!

A few reminders for this week:

1. You should have had a clubs list, you will need to apply/reapply for any club that your child wants to do.

2 These clubs will stat the week of the 15th. If you need childcare before that, then do use our Chattichicks facility.

3.I am attaching the next 'school in action' rota for you to come and get a glimpse of what your child does in a typical lesson. I know that those of you who were able to attend last term found them very useful.

4. Hot meals MUST be booked at least a week in advance, we do not have 'spare' meals on site and if your child does not have a lunch, we will need to ring you to rectify this.

5. Although it's very early, we are hoping to run a limited childcare provision in the February half term. I'll keep you posted of exact days and times soon.

6. We are seeing children still with no ties on and a lot of nail varnish being worn. Please , if this applies to your child, can you rectify this?

Points of contact: Who to go to for what....

In order to process any queries you have quickly and efficiently, please take note below of the most appropriate contacts:

1. For any queries relating to operational matters, clubs/lunches, term dates, pickup or drop off arrangements and such like- contact the school office on office@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk or 01305 783876
2. For any queries relating to your child and matters in class, contact the class teacher- their email addresses are on the year group pages on the website
3. For any child protection/child safety issues, please contact myself on j.harris@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk 
4. For any help with pastoral issues, support with your children's emotional well being, please contact Mrs Smith or Mrs Ingram Richards on c.smith @chickerell.dorset.sch.uk or l.ingram-richards@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk
5. For any help with financial support, please contact me on the email in point 3.
6. For any queries regarding SEN and specific learning needs , please contact Mrs Penn on e.penn@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk
7. For any other matters unresolved ,then contact me on the email in point 3

Hopefully this will help direct any queries you have to the right person!

Enjoy the weekend. A colder and drier one possibly.... ?

Miss Harris

Last week of the Autumn term 2023

Dear parent,

A short email from me this week .

Firstly, a huge thank you for your generosity with donating Christmas presents- we have been completed overwhelmed by your kindness.  We have been able to make up some amazing hampers to be donated , but we actually do have some presents left. What we'd like to do is to offer these to anyone else who may be finding things tricky in regards to buying presents for their own children. We will leave the boxes with all the presents in the main foyer, please just come in and help yourself at a time to suit you, between the hours of 10-2 are the quietest. Once again, though, thank you for your amazing kindness and care- it made my eyes leak!

Secondly, a reminder that we finish around 2pm on Friday 15th. A-M will be let out at 1.50, then N-Z just before 2pm. Remember, there is no after school club at all that day.

Thirdly, we have an INSET day on January 2nd, so the first day back for the children is Wednesday 3rd. I will email you this as a reminder at the very end of the holiday.

And finally, and most importantly, thank you all for your support this term. Attending parents evenings or any meetings to do with your child's achievements,  coming to school in action sessions,   watching Christmas events, supporting the PTA events- they all mean so much.

I hope your Christmas is a happy, family centered occasion- we'll look forward to seeing you all again in the New Year.

J.Harris

Week 12- Autumn term 2023

Dear Parent,

We are well into the throes of  Christmas excitement now. It's that absolutely lethal combination of children  [  and Mrs Cecil ] getting super excited, and the other grown ups getting super tired .

By now, you should all know exactly when your child's Christmas event is. Each little Christmas event will start at 1.45 promptly, with the 'doors' opening at 1.30 to allow us to clear up from lunch and get the seating out. A clear reminder that it is only two adults per child allowed in to comply with strict fire regulations with regards to numbers in the hall -  please do not turn up on the day hoping to get in if you are not counted within the 2 allocated.

Other notices:

We will be counting up this half term's house points on Tuesday 5th, the winning house, who will be notified by email ,will then wear home clothes on Wednesday 6th.

It's Christmas jumper week the following week, the week of the 11th, your child can choose to wear  a Christmas top every day- but the rest of the uniform  remains the same, please.

Remember that there are now no clubs other than our paid facility of Chattichicks until after Christmas. A new clubs list will come on out on the INSET day, January 2nd.

It is a 2pm finish for us on the 15^th 🙂 [ Miss Harris will be in her PJ's and holding a glass of something sparkly by 2.30..] 

Enjoy the weekend.

Week 11- Autumn Term 2023

Dear parent,

I'm hoping that this week you take the time to look at the attachments on my email, since they are all linked to online safety. We know that with the Christmas holiday fast approaching, children will probably spend more time ' on screen' and they may also be getting new devices for Christmas that will need you to put privacy controls etc on. 

All this information attached, if a bit scary, is worth a  read, and there are more leaflets on our website under the 'parents guide to online safety' page.

Reminders from last week:

Christmas notices :

December 15th- the last day of term, there will be no after school club and we will be finishing at 2pm that day.

Christmas Meal day :`13th December. Please order by 4^th December if you want your child to have a mini Christmas dinner on that day.

Christmas jumpers: Rather than just have  a Christmas jumper day, we'd like to let the children wear a Christmas jumper, if they want  to, every day of the last week of term.

Christmas expense: We know that this time of the year is particularly difficult for many of you who find 'normal' times of the year difficult financially. We are absolutely clear that no child should be disadvantaged in this respect and therefore if you need some extra help with food, or electric, or anything else that might make your Christmas easier, then please, please email me on j.harris@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk   We will do whatever we can.

Additional financial support that you can access...

Household Support Fund - Dorset Council

Next round of applications 10am Tuesday 5 December 2023

Another reminder of Christmas dates for performances:

 Reception to Yr 5 traditionally put on some kind of Christmas performance for you in the last week of term. I am attaching the dates for the shows. Due to fire regulations, we are very limited to two adults per child for each show- I know you'd love to bring all the family , but it simply isn't possible without compromising safety .

December 7th 1.45+  Yr 1

December 8th 1.45 +  Yr 2 

December 11th  1.45 +  Yr3 

December 12th 1.45+  Yr 4 

December  13th 1.45+  Yr 5 

December 14th 1.45+  Reception 

New fencing work: There will be some significant disruption to the path by Willowbed and access to our car park over the next few weeks, we are having new security fencing installed to keep  children safer, and also  to stop people climbing over onto the site out of hours. Please bear with us whilst this is happening.

Clubs: All clubs finish on December 1st. Our paid facility, Chattichicks, will still be available until the 14^th December.

Enjoy the weekend.

J.Harris,

Headteacher

Week 10- Autumn term 2023

Dear parent,

Another very inclement week weather wise. Thank you for ensuring that your children are well wrapped up against the elements.

Can we respectfully ask, on those really rainy days when you naturally want to find shelter, do be aware that children need access to get their bikes and scooters from the bike sheds, and also that if you've got your hood up, the teachers  still  need to see your face to point you out to your child 😉

We  have now finished our first round of 'school in action' sessions- it was lovely to see so many of attend these. We know because of work commitments that it isn't possible for you all to do so, and we will make sure that we vary the day and time next term for you.

Advance notices: all clubs apart from our paid facility will stop on December 1^st until the Spring . If you need childcare for those last two weeks, then do use this paid facility.

Christmas notices  [bah humbug, says Miss Harris , the Grinch..]

December 15th- the last day of term, there will be no after school club and we will be finishing at 2pm that day.

Christmas Meal day :`13th December. Please order by 4^th December if you want your child to have a mini Christmas dinner on that day.

Christmas jumpers: Rather than just have  a Christmas jumper day, we'd like to let the children wear a Christmas jumper if they want  to, every day of the last week of term.

Christmas expense: We know that this time of the year is particularly difficult for many of you who find 'normal' times of the year difficult financially. We are absolutely clear that no child should be disadvantaged in this respect and therefore if you need some extra help with food, or electric, or anything else that might make your Christmas easier, then please, please email me on j.harris@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk   We will do whatever we can.

Enjoy the weekend- I've already spotted Christmas trees up on my nightly dog walks around Wyke!

Miss Harris

Week 9- Autumn term

Dear parent,

Good afternoon, everyone. I hope you're all well.

A huge thank you to all of you who made the effort to attend/ log in to  a parent evening appointment. It shows your children just how interested you are in their education. If you have not done so, but maybe would like a phone call with the class teacher to ask how your child is doing, then please do email them to arrange.

'School in action' sessions next  week- lots of them!

Yr 3 girls Nov 13^th 11-12,

 Yr 3 boys Nov 14^th 11-12, 

Yr 5 boys Nov 13^th 9-10, 

Yr 5 girls Nov 14^th 9-10, 

Yr 6 boys Nov 15^th 9-10, 

Yr 6 girls Nov 16^th 9-10

These will be the last opportunities before the Spring term to see a typical lesson for your child. We do have a visitors book in the front office, after these sessions it would be so lovely if you could take the time to write a few comments on what you've seen.

A reminder of Christmas dates for performances:

 Reception to Yr 5 traditionally put on some kind of Christmas performance for you in the last week of term. I am attaching the dates for the shows- please note that these are provisional, but unlikely to change too much. Due to fire regulations, we are very limited to two adults per child for each show- I know you'd love to bring all the family , but it simply isn't possible without compromising safety .

December 7^th 1.45+  Yr 1

December 8^th 1.45 +  Yr 2 

December 11^th  1.45 +  Yr3 

December 12^th 1.45+  Yr 4 

December  13^th 1.45+  Yr 5 

December 14^th 1.45+  Reception 

Just a reminder that Chickerell Primary Academy is a nut free school.

Enjoy the weekend, let's hope for some drier weather again....

J.Harris

Headteacher

Week 8- Autumn term 2023

Dear Parent,

What a blustery, rainy week. Things are always a little trickier when children  can't get outside for breaks, but the weather hasn't stopped us doing too much this week.

Thank you to those parents who have attended the 'school in action' sessions so far. We have  a few more of these to go and then we will resume them in the Spring term. There is a 'visitors book' at the front office for you to write any comments after being in these that you'd want us to know.

Reminders:

1. Parents evenings next week, almost 82% of you have booked a slot, which is brilliant. Come on, the other 18%, let's see how close to 100% we can get.
2. School in action sessions resume the week of the 13th.

Parking: It really saddened me this week to have an elderly resident ring, upset, because she had been blocked in on her own driveway and then verbally abused when she'd asked whichever parent it was to move so she could get to her appointment. I completely understand that when the weather is poor you want to park closer, but, please, show some consideration to our neighbours- many of whom are, in fact, quite elderly. I am asking the residents to take registration numbers of any illegally parked cars and we will be sending these onto the police.

Christmas dates: Reception to Yr 5 traditionally put on some kind of Christmas performance for you in the last week of term. I am attaching the dates for the shows- please note that these are provisional, but unlikely to change too much. Due to fire regulations, we are very limited to two adults per child for each show- I know you'd love to bring all the family , but it simply isn't possible without compromising safety .

December 7^th 1.45+  Yr 1

December 8^th 1.45 +  Yr 2 

December 11^th  1.45 +  Yr3 

December 12^th 1.45+  Yr 4 

December  13^th 1.45+  Yr 5 

December 14^th 1.45+  Reception 

December 15^th 10.30am+  Chickadees

Enjoy the weekend, let's hope it's  a little drier....I'm running out of 'wet weather' coats!

Miss Harris

Week 7- Autumn term 2023

Dear parent,

I just wanted to wish you a relaxing half term break. Your children have worked really hard this half term and they deserve - and need - a  break.

I'll send you a parent mail with reminders for the first week back at the end of the half term week, but, enjoy it, whatever you do . 

Kind regards

Miss.Harris

Week 6- Autumn term 2023

Dear parent,

How on earth is it almost half term. That time has just whizzed by...!

Reminders for next week:

1. School in action sessions for: YR 1 boys October 16th@11-12, YR 1 girls October 17th@11-12, YR 2 boys October 18^th @11-12, YR 2 girls October 19^th @11-12. Remember that mobiles MUST be switched off and we cannot bring younger siblings.
2. Yr 5 go to Magdalen Farm this week, I'm sure they'll have an amazing time.
3. You will be receiving information about our upcoming parents evenings very shortly. We will be offering both face to face and online meetings-whichever best suits your family situation.
4. Ties: lots of children are coming to school daily with no tie. These are a part of the uniform and must be worn. You can buy them from the school office too.
5.  All Clubs continue in this last week and will restart the first week back too.
6. Attendance: As part of our duty of care, we will be looking at each child's half termly attendance next week. You may well receive a letter if your child's attendance is falling below 90%- even if we know they've been ill or on holiday- it is our duty to inform you that their current rate is falling short of Government expectations.

I am really sorry to say that we have been dealing with a few situations in recent weeks where people have behaved in ways that I can only describe as unacceptable towards some of  our staff. I want to assure you that wherever there are difficulties or challenges, we will do all we can to work with you towards a suitable resolution. Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to completely satisfy everyone all of the time, but our staff will always do all they can. However, I must emphasise that we will not tolerate staff being spoken to/or talked about inappropriately, be that with bad language, raised voices, personal attacks or aggression. This applies to  both face to face communication and online via email or social media. In these situations, we will write to warn people about future behaviour and , as a last resort, use legal measures where necessary. It pains me to say this, and I know it only relates to a small minority, but I know that  you will be supportive of this in order to maintain positive environments for both children and adults. 

 It is certainly true too that a number of you face frustrations  at present with accessing support services beyond school for meeting particular learning, physical and social needs. I can assure you that we share these frustrations as we find it harder and harder to access these services. We make as many representations as we can in the case of individual pupils. It often feels that there are insufficient services and funding for addressing need- and this is a real problem. We completely support you and your children as we seek to secure the very best opportunities for them, but please understand that we are also sometimes very limited as to what we can change.

I will send the email for the week of October  30th at the end of the half term week. 

Enjoy the weekend,

Week 5 Autumn term 2023

Dear parent,

A busy week, we've had our first trip of the year out to Stonehenge, the children who went were a real credit to us. I am very grateful to the staff for organizing such trips - it takes a significant amount of work. 

Reminders;

The 'school in action' sessions begin on the  12th, Thursday, with parents of Reception boys invited in from 11-12 and then the following day, at the same time, parents of Reception girls. If you are attending, mobiles must be switched off prior to entering the building and we cannot accommodate siblings, sorry- our classrooms are too small.

It is class/sibling photos on the Thursday12th, all children must be in proper uniform, shirts/polo shirts and ties, please. No PE kit to be worn that day.

PTA disco on the 13th- again attendance is dependent on the children being trusted to manage themselves appropriately. Non-school uniform that day for a donation to the foodbank, please. If older children are walking home from the later disco, we must have consent from a parent.

Another plea for you to monitor your children at the park, I am dealing with several issues each week that unfortunately then spill over into school. It is impacting on their learning and must be addressed. I think we presume that our children are more mature than they really are, but the reality is that they cannot manage conflict when adults are not around to support them. Realistically, as the nights draw in soon, I’m sure this will naturally become less of an issue. 

Enjoy the weekend 

Miss Harris 

Week 4 Autumn term 2023

Dear parent,

I hope this email finds you all well.  A month into the school year- I'm sure the summer holidays seem a distant memory now.

Some reminders for you:

Code of conduct: Following on from my note in last week's email about children's conduct needed to for them to access trips, several of you have asked for clarification of the types of behaviours that would warrant stopping a child going. I am therefore copying these from our  children's 'code of conduct.'

1.            Disrupting the learning of others repeatedly;

2. ·         Violence towards another child;

3. ·         Violence towards an adult;

4. ·         Bullying persistently (physical, emotional, verbal and e-bullying);

5. ·         Rudeness towards others repeatedly;

6. ·         Inappropriate language;

7. ·         Refusing  reasonable requests repeatedly;

8. ·         Vandalism;

9. ·         Theft;

10. ·         Bringing offensive weapons into school; which could put themselves and others at risk.

This is not an exhaustive list, but should give you an indication of what a child would need to do to be excluded from a trip. Thankfully, this so very rarely happens in our school, in fact I cannot remember the last time I had to do this.

Parent/class whatsapp groups: I know I've mentioned this before, but please can we be very careful what we write on these group chats? I regularly get to see messages on them that I feel are disrespectful [ sometimes downright rude] to the class teachers, and unfortunately, often the class teachers end up seeing them too  -  which as you can imagine then creates  a lot of upset . If you have a genuine concern that needs addressing, please contact the class teacher or one of the senior team, [emails below,] since committing things to social media mean that they are 'out there' forever...

j.harris@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

l.llewellyn@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

e.penn@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

'Giraffe': One of the safety procedures that we are required to have is a protocol for a' lockdown' situation- if, for example an intruder tries to enter the school.  As a head of primary age children, I am very reticent to practice a formal 'drill' for such a situation that may well make children overly anxious and scared - fire drills are far easier to explain to a child. So, with that in mind, we are making more of a game of this initially and when children hear the code word- giraffe- they are racing against a timer to see how quickly they can get to sit under their tables, as the adults close all doors and blinds. So, if they come home and tell you that they were hiding under tables- that is correct!

Collection after clubs: It's wonderful to see so many children at clubs again, but as we had last year, we are having some near 'misses' with people driving into the car park to collect their children, and children trying to run to get to the car.  Can I ask that we are all far more considerate about this and only use the car park if absolutely necessary, otherwise I may have to resort to locking the gates between 3.30-4 to ensure that we keep these children safe.

October childcare: We are  unable to offer any childcare provision in the October half term, sincere apologies, I simply do not have the staff  capacity to run it this time round. 

Enjoy the weekend.

Miss Harris

Week 3 Autumn Term 2023

Dear parent,

Well, the weather certainly changed this week. Thank you for ensuring that your children were appropriately dressed for the conditions. Let's see what next week brings- snow?!

Some reminders for you below:

1. 'School in action' rota attached: Can I strongly suggest that if your working pattern allows that you come in to your child's lesson. It really will give you an insight into a typical experience of  your child here, and may well put your mind at ease as to how they are coping with school life. Protocols around these visits are that: mobile phones must be switched off, no younger siblings can be brought in, and being prompt for the sessions is a must!
2. Attendance reminders around illness- do please read  the text underneath with regards to this carefully.
3. Reading at home: without doubt, one of the most  important ,positive things we can do to increase a child's ability to do well at school is to listen to children read/read to them/with them at home. Secure reading skills enables a child to access all other areas of the curriculum effectively. Reading at bedtime also is the best way of calming and settling children. I know home lives are often ridiculously busy, but if we can make an effort to do this regularly, then your children will really reap the rewards.
4. The 'Golden Lock' will continue next week, do encourage children to keep cycling or scootering to school.
5. Trips: we are just about to start our programme of school trips and , as I will be saying to the children today in assembly, their participation in these will be entirely dependant on their behaviour and ability to manage themselves. They will not be allowed to attend if I, or the staff leading the trip, have any doubt about this.

 RE: Guidance on Attendance in light of ongoing Covid-19 cases

 I am sharing with you some  updates provided by the Department for Education (DfE) regarding the importance of your child's school attendance, especially in light of  COVID19 cases still occurring. We understand that these unprecedented times may have left some parents feeling uncertain about when it's appropriate for their child to attend school. We want to reassure you by offering a clinical and public health perspective on this matter: 

For illnesses other than confirmed  COVID :

For mild respiratory illnesses, such as a minor cough, runny nose, or sore throat, it is generally appropriate for parents to send their children to school. It is also generally appropriate to send your child to school if they feel tired, have a slight headache or a stomach ache. However, if your child has a temperature of 38°C or above, it's then appropriate to keep them at home. We encourage you to refer to the NHS 'Is my child too ill for school?' guidance, which provides further information and guidance: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

I hope that helps.

Enjoy the weekend, what ever the weather. [Without tempting fate, Wales rugby  team are 2 out of 2 wins in the World Cup, could be on for a third on Sunday= Happy Headteacher 😉]

Kind regards

Miss Harris

Week 2 Autumn Term 2023/2024

Dear Parent,

Week 2, slightly less warm for us all- thank goodness. It has made being in the classrooms more bearable...

A reminder that clubs start next week, the office will inform you if your child has a place at the club/s you've requested. Please can we ask that if you child cannot attend a club at any point, do inform the office, otherwise we spend time running round looking for them!

'Golden Lock': To encourage children to bike/scooter to school, we are running a 'Golden Lock' competition, starting next week. If your child finds a 'Golden Lock'  attached to their bike/scooter, then  they bring it to me and they can exchange it for 50 house points plus a free prize that they can chose from my secret stash...

Two attachments to this week's email that may be of use to you. Firstly, the information about the 'preloved' clothes sales happening at Willowbed this weekend - really helpful  in the current financial climate. And secondly, some flyers for children's martial arts classes- a fabulous way to develop children's self confidence .

Safeguarding: Last week, we had several instances where children were dismissed from school, but then ran away from their parents and in two cases, actually ran out of the carpark and along Rashley Road. This is obviously very concerning from a safety point of view, even with the new traffic calming measures, please can you impress on your children how important it is to stay with you, especially the youngest ones.

Multi Academy Trust: You may remember from last term that I informed you that the Governors had made the decision to ask to join a multi academy trust, namely First Federation Trust, in order to  both secure the school's future both in terms of the financial viability and  to have access to excellent school improvement. What happens now is that the National Board of Headteachers will 'hear ' our case to determine if this is the right move for us. This will take place in October and you will be given the chance to give your views on this via  a specific email address that I will give you nearer the time. You will also be invited to a meeting to hear more detail of this proposal too.

Enjoy the weekend

Miss Harris

Week 1 Autumn term 2023/2024

Dear parent,

A belated welcome back to those of you I've not seen this week. The children have settled really well- inevitably there are a few wobbles- there's bound to be-but on the whole, we're right back into the swing of things!

Clubs: If you haven't done so already, you will receive the list for this whole term's clubs . Get your responses to the school office asap, spaces do fill up very quickly.

School in action sessions: These proved really helpful last year for you to come and see what your child does in  a typical lesson, so we will be restarting these within the next few weeks. I'll email you all the dates soon, so that you may make any necessary arrangements to  be able to come in.

Contacting school: If you wish to talk to your child's teacher, please email them - they will put their email addresses on a separate newsletter to you shortly - to arrange an appointment or phone call. If, after that, any issue or concern is still unresolved, please contact myself, Mrs Llewellyn [ Deputy Head] or Mrs Penn [ Assistant Head/SENDCO] to assist you.

j.harris@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

l.llewellyn@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

e.penn@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

For anything that is 'operational' in nature, to do with uniform, lunches,  medicine, trips, pick ups etc- please email or ring the school office     01305783876 office@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk

Hot Lunches: A reminder that these MUST be booked  a week in advance. Please be aware that we don't have 'spare' meals, if your child does not have  a hot meal, you will need to provide a lunch box.

Calpol: We will always administer prescribed medicine, but we do have Calpol on site at all times if you wish us to give your child some if they are feeling a bit under the weather.

Uniform: The weather is set to be cooler next week, so I will be expecting to see shirts with ties- proper autumn uniform. Of course school dresses may still be worn, but now ties must be worn with shirts or polo shirts. Can I also reiterate about hair colour - I've seen pink and green hair this week that needs to be washed out. No nail varnish either. 

At the risk of sounding like Miss Trunchbull, please can I urge you to be clear about the timings to enter the school at the end of the day pick up. It is children with surnames A-M first, then N-Z. If we try to 'sneak' in - or even blatantly ignore this and stroll in - it makes the area very congested and this isn't fair on the children and staff trying to look for you. A reminder too that Yrs 4/5/6 can use the side gates to walk out of  to make this congestion less.

I will continue to use this weekly email to update you of any upcoming events .

Kind regards

Miss Harris