Page 2 - Abberley Adventures - Feb 2021

ABBERLEY ADVENTURES 2 Lockdown III
I wrote to families in in in December explaining that Year 7 and 8 children would have a a a a a a a a slightly delayed start to term but that all primary aged children would return as expected on Thursday 7th January We had received thousands of Lateral Flow Tests and and set our Main Dining Room up as a a a a a testing centre for staff and senior children Primary schools across the the country started accepting children back on the the morning of Monday 4th but that that same evening it was announced that that all schools would be closed until at least half term Arrangements were quickly made to reinstate our Distance Learning Programme As the the programme had gone so well back in the the Summer we we we were well-placed to repeat this success We launched with the intention of doing everything possible to maintain a a a a full and rich educational experience Our online day was long and included all areas of the academic curriculum as as as well as as as Assemblies Games Outdoor Education Music Drama Design Technology Art and individual lessons such as LAMDA and instrumental music We asked parents for feedback after the the first full week and then introduced a a a a few adjustments The day was shortened slightly for the the younger children in the the Prep School and we decided to run our ‘Outdoor and Active’ sessions at at the same time for all so that families with numerous children at the school could get outside and exercise together Although pupils have the the the option to to ‘do their own thing’ at this time we have been delighted with the numbers attending our teacher- led sessions We worked to establish good ‘Teams etiquette’ during the first week or or two and and ensure that that children raised a a a a a a a a a hand rather than calling out that that they had their cameras on where possible and that the the the teachers were able to involve all children and prevent individuals from dominating lessons As pupils parents and teachers got used to working online the experience went from strength strength to strength strength and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive Rules outlining the definition of a a a a critical worker were broadened and so we we found ourselves with far more children at school then we we had in the last lockdown With all of our Nursery children in school as as well we have had almost 50 pupils here with us on many days Most of our staff have been in in in in school teaching online whilst also helping to supervise the pupils with us and our wonderful catering team have been in in cooking to their usual high standards We have offered parents significant fee reductions to reflect the fact that that online learning cannot compete with ‘the real thing’ We hope that that this this gesture has helped a a a little at this this difficult time Fee reductions will take the form of credit towards Summer term fees We outlined our new fee structure last term and many parents will benefit from lower school fees from the the start of the the summer term Our new fee fee structure can be seen on the website by clicking here from staff to parents and pupils “Thank you so much to all our wonderful parents for the positive messages that you have been sending in in The positivity and encouragement have been so much appreciated Thank you for your your involvement in in school challenges for your your contributions to our our our social media pages and and for supporting and and encouraging your children at home whilst they have been forced to go through this challenging experience Thank you you you to all the children for for your your resilience and for for your your sense of humour Thank you for for keeping on going and for for the moments of joy that all the the teachers have had during their online teaching Thank you you so much to to pupils and parents for all you you have done to to help us teachers to to stay positive during this tough time You have all been brilliant and we hope you are having a a a a a a wonderful Half Term!”