My apologies, the last thing you probably want is to read anything else related to the Coronavirus, but my intention is to try and take some positives from the current situation we are in. It is during difficult times like this that I am even more thankful for the excellent relationship Birchwood Primary School has with our local community. On a daily basis we have received thanks from parents and family members for our approach to communication and our plans to support children’s learning. We are in an unprecedented situation and are often having to be very reactive to the ever changing situation. These kind messages of support and thanks mean a lot to staff and myself.
We have also been overwhelmed by the offers of support from stakeholders in our community. We have had offers to come in and support our admin team with photocopying and putting together learning packs to go home to children, offers to support our library so that children can take home new books and we have also been given donations of soap to ensure that we have plenty in school so that children, staff and visitors can continue to wash their hands regularly. It is lovely to see our community pulling together like this and we are very grateful for all your support. In the difficult times ahead, it is nice to think that the more vulnerable citizens in our community will also receive the help and care that they may need. Thank you.
We know how important schools are to our families. Birchwood does not just provide an education for the children in our area, but they are also an essential provider of child care, supporting parents to be able to go out to work. We now have no choice but to close the school to most of our children from today, but we will continue to support families as much as we can. We will be open to children of ‘critical workers’ and those with certain needs. For all other children we will be providing learning from a distance via the school website and other learning resources.
Our number one priority in school was to continue to provide a safe and purposeful learning environment for all our children and staff and aim to minimise any disruption this could have on children’s learning. Although the closure of schools will obviously bring a level of disruption, we have been very busy ensuring that our children have access to learning opportunities at home and that our teachers are able to direct learning and track children’s progress. We have already had lots of positive reports from children in school that they are really enjoying some of the new resources available to them.
Finally, our staff at Birchwood over the last couple of weeks have demonstrated yet again what a fantastic team we are. We have had to make a number of adjustments to our school’s normal provision and I could not be prouder of how staff have pulled together to support each other and myself. I often talk about our staff going above and beyond for the children in our school and again it is very clear that our children really do come first and that we are all determined to do the best for them.
A massive thank you to all. Stay safe, be kind and continue to follow our one school rule ‘Consideration and Respect’.
Mr Coleman