The Courier

Dear Parents

I hope this edition of the Courier finds you all well and that you have enjoyed as productive a week at work and home as we have here at school.

The highlight for us has to be the Upper School sports day over at Princethorpe College on Tuesday morning, which went very smoothly and was much enjoyed by everyone. It was an enormous relief not to have to worry about potential bad weather as so often occurs at these events. It meant we could relax and enjoy watching the children compete, which they did with great verve, energy and genuine sportsmanship. It was a great shame that parents weren’t able to join us, but I can tell you without any hesitation that you would have been enormously proud of every single one of them.

Another special event this week has been the Reception Butterfly Day and it has been wonderful to see all the lovely costumes the children have been wearing. I have been sharing with the children their awe and wonder as the classroom butterflies have emerged from their cocoons over the last week or so and I know that events like this really live long in the memory for young children.

ABRSM exams have been going on throughout the last two days and these provide a wonderful focus for the children’s musical learning and we are particularly proud this time round to have so many taking exams and many at really advanced grades. Music continues to go from strength to strength here and we look forward very much to getting into the new Horton Centre next year and recommencing both choir and orchestra, soon as a restrictions on mixing groups allow it.

I wrote to you earlier today with details of all of the upcoming events for the remainder of the term and our plan is to meet these in a Covid-safe way. Please do make sure you digest the contents of that letter and I will be writing to groups of parents within the school with further details as required as each of the events comes onto the immediate horizon. I hope this letter gives you clarity on the broad approach and enables you to make your plans accordingly.

I hope you all enjoy a peaceful weekend with your families.

Best wishes

Joe Thackway
Headmaster

Earlier in the week I had the great pleasure of announcing to the school our new head boy and head girl for the next academic year, 2021 to 2022.

The children who wished to be considered for the post all had to write application letters to me which were considered very carefully and also looked at by other members of staff. This was followed up by an indicative vote by the children in the class and discussions with the form teachers of Year 5 and 6. It was really so hard to decide but in the end two outstanding candidates emerged.

• Head Boy - Rohan Somerset
• Head Girl - Evie Bierton

Many congratulations to them and also much praise for all of the other children who bravely put themselves forward and were so quick to congratulate Rohan and Evie when the announcement was made.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday evening regarding the continuation of current COVID restrictions until Monday 19 July, we have thoroughly reviewed all the events and activities in our calendar between now and the end of term.

With coronavirus cases linked to the new Delta variant significantly on the rise in the local area, we are conscious of the need to follow all government advice and guidance and for us to continue to maintain the safest possible environment in school for our pupils.

If parents or visitors were to come into school, and we hadn't put in place the required social distancing, we would not only significantly raise the risk of Covid transmission but also bring into play the risk of track and trace and the potential requirement for self-isolation, with holidays looming for many.

A number of our calendar events, as you will be aware, were realistically only going to be possible with restrictions lifted. On the photo attached to this article I have summarized the main calendar events and their status and some extra detail. Please note, these are still very much subject to change as guidance and transmission data continue to evolve.

I will be writing to specific groups of parents with more detailed arrangements in due course.

Whilst I realise that any changes will cause either inconvenience or disappointment, I hope that you understand the many constraints we are working with and our number one goal of keeping all members of the community as safe as possible: pupils, staff and parents.

In spite of the challenges over the course of this academic year, we have done so well and want to finish on a positive note, safe in the knowledge that our families and staff will be able to get away and enjoy their well-deserved summer holidays without the risk of self-isolation or, worse still, illness due to carelessness on our part.

With all best wishes and many thanks for your support throughout the year.