Dear Parents
I hope that you remain well and are finding your way through these extremely unusual and challenging times. As you will have seen in the national news, schools remain closed for the majority of pupils at present and we have no information currently as to when they will reopen. As soon as we have any information about this we will inform you. We understand the challenge that this brings to households and the entire team at the school are working hard to support pupils and families as best we can.
At Drayton Park, we have been working extremely hard to ensure that pupils can continue their learning from home and teachers are providing a range of activities, tailored to individual needs, though the 'Class Dojo' system. Through this app, teachers are available during working hours (term time, Monday-Friday between 9am and 3:30pm) and are in regular contact with parents to answer questions about specific activities or support in any way with the learning. We are also receiving work back from pupils and we are really impressed with some of the creative activities going on.
We understand however, that home learning is not easy for many households, some of which will be trying to balance working from home with caring responsibilities and so we want to make clear that although we encourage pupils to complete all learning tasks, this is not always possible and that this is ok. We would encourage parents to ensure children do as many of the activities and send us as much work as possible through the 'Class Dojo' app so that teachers can help out by providing feedback and answering questions etc. If you have not yet signed up for class dojo, we strongly encourage you to do this. If you need support to sign up with this, please email the school office and they will arrange for some support to be provided. We understand that some households have varied access to the internet and computers, tablets etc. If you are finding it difficult to access any of the learning activities, or need any other support please contact your child's class teacher who will assist you.
We have set expectations with all teachers that they need to be in contact with all households at least once a week. This could be through work being sent to teachers, asking them questions through a Class Dojo message etc. If teachers do not hear from households, they will send a message to check in and see if they can be of any assistance. If households are not signed up to Class Dojo, teachers will ask learning mentors or other members of staff to make contact through phone calls or visits to see if we can be of any support with the learning.
As well as providing the learning activities as described above, the school is also providing a food hamper for any pupils eligible for free school meals which can be collected from the school office. We are aware that many households may have experienced financial changes in recent weeks and may now be receiving government benefits that they were not having previously. If this is the case, you may be now eligible for free school meals and would strongly encourage you to contact the school office who will be able to assist with this.
I know that you will appreciate that all schools have had to adapt quickly to significant changes in a very short time. We are absolutely determined to make this work as well as possible for all Drayton Park pupils and so if you need any assistance please contact your child's class teacher in the first instance. Should you require further support, please contact the school office who will arrange for a senior leader to get in touch with you.
Many thanks for your support and stay safe
Mrs McStraw
Head of School