As we end the penultimate week of the term we can reflect on the challenges and be proud of making it through the past few weeks. We have had several staff absent due to Covid since we returned after Christmas with yesterday (Thursday 3rd February) being the first day with all staff in. At some points we had as many as four teachers off on the same day. Add to that the current recruitment taking place, it is a great testament to the staff, who step up and do more than legally required – not every school has that. It is also a great testament to the children and you, their parents, for the support you give. When I talk of partnerships and collaboration, this is exactly what makes that positive difference – thank you.

With the drop in positive cases (which I very much believe is genuine and not the case of people following very poor campaigns not to report), I am pleased to announce that we will be ending the use of bubbles from next week. We will continue with what should be normal hygiene routines and sensible behaviours, but children will be able to mix across classes and year groups. We will, next week, return to worship for several year groups together in the Worship Hall, but we will wait until after the half-term break to return to whole school worship.

Again, thank you for you continued support, respect and empathy.

Building Relationships, Improving Behaviour and Creating Stronger Communities

I started listening to the High Performance podcasts recently and as I work through from the beginning, I have just this week listened to one with Frank Lampard who at the time of recording was the Chelsea Football Club Manager. It is totally coincidental but he was appointed as the first team manager of Everton this week and many will be aware, Everton are the team I support. That aside, there are always great pieces of learning from the podcasts and developmental ideas. In this podcast, Frank Lampard talked about responsibility in what he does and the need to be positive, setting the scene and inspiring others. He explained that by not doing so, he would have to accept he would lose people.

For me that relates to both the Avanti Way and Restorative Practice. It is also harmonious in the way I think and hope that I act and my colleagues at school. Life is hard and there are huge challenges. The way we deal with those challenges, like the way we choose to respond (The Avanti Way), sets the tone and the impact on others. As the adults, we need to be the positive role models for our children and they in turn will be positive. As Frank Lampard mentioned, the negative attitudes, comments and behaviours do lose people; it may be that people stop listening, stop believing and stop engaging. So let’s all be positive but still (where appropriate to do so) connect, engage and share our experiences. Even a less than favourable experience can be shared in a way that is not negative with the aim of making the world a better place.

We currently have £270.85  owed for lunches, a drop from last week’s £324.04. This amount is still much higher than it should be and every effort to reduce it would be greatly appreciated.

Please ensure payments are made to avoid the need for children to be picked up for the duration of lunch next week.

It was positive to hear of the 5 star Food Hygiene rating received this week from the annual inspection. I have been watching, listening and asking more so than normal during lunchtimes these past few weeks having heard of complaints of various kinds.

For those that have misinformation from WhatsApp, meals here at Krishna Avanti Primary School are cooked on-site and taste great. There is spread for the jackets and rolls. The pasta is not burnt and the dishes are not ‘disgusting’. We do appreciate that people have different tastes and whilst not a Michelin Star restaurant with a la-carte menu, to receive complaints that spread is not given when we see in person it is given; and the word ‘disgusting’ used for the very same meal we have complimented as being a great addition having just eaten it; and the claim that meals are cooked off-site and brought in when they are not – are somewhat disappointing.

Those that know what we do for the children, how much we care and how much we continually seek to improve, you will know that we will challenge any drop in standards and expectations, should there be any. The standards have actually improved, in my opinion. When I asked a child only yesterday how her lunch was, she replied, “It’s really nice – you are missing out”. My meal was lovely too as it happens, albeit not the same option as hers.

This year we are going to take part in The Soccer Aid Schools Challenge. We will be designing an obstacle course, raising money to help UNICEF’s work for children around  the world. This is an important fundraiser for us following our connection with UNICEF and being a Rights Respecting School.

It will be a bit of a challenge, but we will aim to raise £1000 and we need your children’s help. If they want to start thinking about it now, we will need an obstacle course for us to take on. There will be other events too, yet to be decided.

Soccer Aid for UNICEF helps children around the world to get the best start in life. Being able to play when we’re young affects how we think, learn, share and explore the world as we grow older.

Sadly around the world disease, hunger, conflict, poverty and disaster are disrupting play for millions of kids. But Soccer Aid for UNICEF supports children in those situations to get back to the play-filled childhoods they deserve. By taking part you can change the lives of children around the world.

 We will share more soon and some possible dates. 

We are looking forward to connecting with you all next Monday or Tuesday for this Term’s Parents’ Evening. It will be a remote meeting and you should have received the instructions which allow you to invite your partner also, should they be in a different location.

I trust having the books at home last night was useful and thank you to all that returned them, as expected, today. Those that did not return them today, it may well be that we will explore other ways for you to see your child’s work prior to the Summer Term Parents’ Evening.

I am extremely pleased to share that we now have only 7 confirmed cases of Covid amongst our children and all staff are back. Today we removed the need to remain in bubbles at breaks. Next week we will, as mentioned earlier, remove the bubbles and most restrictions for worship.

We will however remain with limited physical meetings with parents, so unless essential to meet in person, please refrain from entering the building. Our meetings will remain remote, where possible – I do not see a circumstance where they can not be remote.

The children will continue to enter the building and their classrooms from 07:40 as this saves a great deal of time and eases congestion in cloakrooms.

A huge thank you to you all for supporting us during these difficult times. We do have a small number that are not back to being 100% in terms of energy and we will continue to be sensitive to their situation and adapt our plans so they can attend school and engage as much as possible.

Thank you very much for your continued support. 

Yours sincerely   

Mr Kite

Principal

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