Headteacher News
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome back after the summer break. It’s been really lovely seeing the children return, and they are settling so well to their new classes. A special welcome to those who are new to Tetherdown. I hope you will enjoy being involved in our community and make some great connections with families over the coming weeks.
It’s always a good time to revisit our expectations as we start a new academic year and thank you to those parents and carers who have recently joined us for Meet n Greets with your child’s class teacher(s). Your support is vital to our success, and we look forward to building positive relationships over the course of the year to ensure your child can Be the Best they can Be. Our values, outlined here, describe how we will work with all members of our community to ensure successful outcomes for all:
Lead with kindness,
Feel the laughter,
Inspire achievement,
Nurture friendships,
Share the magic...
Exceed expectations!
I hope that every parent and carer ascribes to our values.
Unfortunately, some staff have faced real concern regarding the issue of communication, which is already beginning to cause increasing levels of anxiety across the school. Sadly, some parents are actually being quite rude in their email and verbal communication to staff. Class Teachers and Admin staff have felt threatened as they manage an increasing number of challenging telephone conversations. This kind of behaviour will not be tolerated. We are here to help and will always do our very best to support you. If you have a concern, please raise this respectfully and with compassion for those involved. I know life is challenging for many of us. Please, let’s be supportive and understanding of one another. There will always be a solution and a way forward which we can work out together.
I would like to remind all parents and carers that school STARTS at 8.50am – not 8.55, not 9.00, not anytime after this. Gates are open for children to enter the playgrounds in plenty of time. The gates will close at 8.55am. Children arriving late should report to the office so that we can track their attendance. This causes severe disruption to the smooth running of the school office but more importantly if your child arrives late, they will often feel anxious about joining their class when all their friends are settled – your child won’t know what the expectations are for the morning. They are playing catch up and this impacts on their learning – every time they are late to school.
On a more positive note I would like to thank all those parents who have signed up to The School Fund. Your very kind donations are very much appreciated. You will remember at the end of the summer term we asked you to consider making a regular monthly donation so that the school can continue to provide an exciting and stimulating education for every child. You can find details on how to donate in our Funding letter also available on our website under Parents/School Communications/Key letters & Presentations, and quickly set up your donations, here, too for ease:
Please click one of the links below to set up of your monthly Direct Debit donation:
You may be aware that we have some wonderful mature fruit trees in our grounds; apple, quince, damson and crab apple. We would like to welcome you in to school on Saturday, 24th September between 10am-12noon when we will open the gates on the lower playground allowing you to pick as much of this fruit as you wish. All we would ask is that you make a small voluntary donation back to the school for your produce. We have set up a voluntary ParentPay payment item for your fruit donation. Please note due to works taking place school toilets will be unavailable to use. If you would like to sign up for fruit picking click here.
Finally, please hold these dates in your diary:
- Friday, 23rd September from 8:50am-9:30am - Parent Coffee and Taster Morning in the Hall.
- Friday, 7th October from 2:45pm-3:30pm - Y1-6 Open Afternoon and Olive Dining Taster session in the Hall.
- Tuesday, 11th and Wednesday 19th October from 4pm- 7:30pm - Y1-6 Online autumn term Parent Consultations and SEND Open Door. Information about how to register for our consultations via School Interviews will be sent out in due course.
We are really looking forward to working with you. If you should have any questions regarding events or activities please remember to check our school website before ringing the school. Should you have a concern regarding your child we ask that you follow these lines of communication:
Class Teacher > Phase Leader > Senior Leadership Team > Headteacher. A copy of our staff list and their roles can be viewed on our website staff page.
Thank you for your continuing support.
Kind regards
Tony Woodward
Headteacher
