Executive Principal’s Blog – 27.3.20: ‘How much can change in one week?’
Since last Friday and in these unprecedented times our vibrant school family has become a virtual online learning community. After the Prime Minister’s announcement at 5.15 pm on Wednesday 18th March and only gaining the definitive Key Worker list at 6.00 am on Friday 20th March, we worked hard to put in place the staffing requirements for Monday 23rd onwards to look after the children of our 140+ declared Key Workers and our 52 students with an EHCP.
We also contacted our 100+ free school meal families and ensured that they had access to resources to provide their entitlement to meals each day. It was a phenomenal effort and I would like to thank our key leaders on the ground, and of course, all the staff who were on standby to potentially look after the 200 children who may have been in school this week.
In the end, with so many families self-isolating or working from home, student numbers attending school have been much less than we originally thought. We are however still very happy to look after the children of any Key Workers and want to thank them all for the amazing work they are doing to keep the country going in this time of real crisis.
Our thoughts are also with our staff and students who have developed flu like symptoms at this worrying time and also with those who are in the vulnerable health group who are having to rigorously self isolate for a minimum of 12 weeks. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your loved ones.
At times like this it is important to retain hope: hope in the inspiring people around us who, even on a typical day go the extra mile for others; hope in the faith that we might personally hold; or simply faith in the beauty around us – whether that be in what we see on a daily basis, or the simple acts of kindness others might do for us.
A huge thank you goes to Senior Assistant Headteacher Mr Searle for running the school this week and the team around him that have worked so hard.
I thought the picture of the daffodils might remind you, as the first flower of spring, of new beginnings and hope for the future, epitomised so eloquently in William Wordsworth’s early 19th Century poem inspired in Ullswater, in the Lake District countryside.
Above all stay safe, be sensible and keep sharing goodness with each other in these unusual times. As always do click on the link to read about the latest BMS News.
Jeremy Turner
Executive Principal
