Month: May 2020

Confirmation of plans for Monday 1st June 2020

Dear Parents and CarersAs you are aware, we have been working on plans to meet the government’s ambitions of re-opening schools in a phased way from Monday 1st June 2020. We have followed the government guidance that gives priority for places within the school: 

  • children with an EHCP
  • children who have one parent/carer who is a key worker
  • children who have a Social Worker supporting their family

In addition, at our school we have been considering those children whose families are receiving support through an Early Help Plan or another external agency.

Those families who are waiting for support or who have had support in the past also are entitled to send their children to school.

In our plan to re-open, we have included these children as well those whose families who responded to our request to provide information regarding a change to key worker demands. 

As well as following government guidelines, we have carried out extensive risk assessments which have been reviewed by our governing body and our Local Authority Advisor. We have considered classroom measurements, access to the school building and access to toilet facilities as part of the decision making process. 

As always, the well-being of our school family has been central to our decisions.

I am writing to you today to inform you from of Monday 1st June, Yapton C. of E. Primary School will not be able to re-open for children in Early Years, Year 1 or Year 6 who do not meet the requirements in the categories above, which were set by the government.

We appreciate this decision may be welcomed by some families who have already contacted us sharing their concerns. However, for other families who were looking forward to our school re-opening we know this may be frustrating. 

We will carry out a whole school review every three weeks unless directed differently by the government. Any changes to our plans will then be communicated with you.

We will continue to provide Family Learning and will co-ordinate this so that the children in school and those are at home are following the same learning plans. It is important that we share with you that the children attending school will not be in classes within their normal teacher. Each group of children (which will include siblings) will work, play and eat together as a separate unit. They will not be interacting with other group ensuring we are minimising any potential spread of infection as much as we possibly can.

A separate letter will be sent to those families of the children who will be in school setting out the main measures we will put in place from 1st June.

If you have any further questions or your circumstances change, please contact us using office2@yaptonschool.org

Thank you for your patience.

Take care

Mrs Huggett

Additional information 21.05.2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

I am writing to clarify the criteria set out indicating ‘families with at least one key worker’ in our previous letters. Due to high demand for key worker places, we have only been able to allocate spaces to families where if the child was not in school the key worker would not be able to carry out there essential role.Also, the INSET that was originally planned for Monday 1st June has now been moved to Monday 6th July.

Take care

Mrs Hugget

Message to Parents 22.05.2020

Dear Parents and Carers,I realise that you will have received a lot of information from our school already this week. I would like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your patience and understanding as we have worked to progress to the next phase on the 1st June 2020. In normal times….. whatever that normal may have been, I would be wishing everybody a happy half term. We are going to provide family learning for next week. This will be available on the website, over the weekend, ready for Monday because I am aware that many of you are still working and felt that this may be useful to you. If you feel that your family would benefit from having a break and having a half term, then please feel free to do so and enjoy your time together. As you know, our school will still be open for those children and families that need it and we will continue with our virtual messages to you all on youtube and twitter. 

Monday – Mrs Huggett’s Monday message. 

Tuesday – Our Big Question of the week linked to a virtual assembly. 

Wednesday – Praise and Prayer with Mrs Groves.

Thursday – Art with Mrs Green.

Friday – Feel Good Friday with Mrs Cummings. 

Look out for another story shared by one of our school grown ups too.I would like to respond to some of the questions that I have received from parents regarding how our school is going to effectively meet the learning needs of your children after such a long time away from school. We have plans in place to sensitively engage your children in their learning, whilst carefully managing and supporting their mental health and wellbeing. Our focus at Yapton C. of E. Primary School is indeed that every child does matter and they are, of course, their own amazing individuals with a variety of strengths and needs. Please do not worry about what may be considered to be a period of time where there has been a lack of lessons, because we will address this when the time comes.As always, please contact us using our office@yaptonschool.org email address if you need any support or wish to continue sharing the amazing work and activities that you have been doing. 

Take Care

Kim Huggett

THINK 1st June 2020

A Message to Pupils 22.05.2020

Dear Children, I hope you have enjoyed the sunshine this week. Normally, today I would be wishing you all a happy half term however we are still in these slightly strange times whereby some of our school family is in school and some of you are at home. We are going to put some more family learning on the website for next week for you to do if you would like to. However, it is half term and it may be that your home grown ups decide that you need to have a break, that is absolutely fine. I wonder what you will be doing? On Monday, it is the later May bank holiday and traditionally dancing around the may pole would feature. Have a look on our school twitter feed to see some of our school grown ups demonstrate their may pole dancing skills. I realise things continue to be strange and here is the link to a story that I think might help you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PnnFrPaRgY&feature=youtu.be

While We Can’t Hug – YouTubeHedgehog and Tortoise want to give each other a great big hug, but they’re not allowed to touch. From the creators of the internationally adored The Hug, Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar, we are …www.youtube.com

Your school grown ups are thinking of you and missing you. Keep being amazing and take care
Mrs Huggett and all of the school grown ups.

Weekly Message for Parents 15.05.20

Dear Parents

I understand that for some of you this week will have been a tricky one in relation to the Prime Minister’s announcement on Sunday about the proposal of re opening schools for Early Years Foundation Stage, Year 1 and Year 6. Throughout the week, schools have begun to receive information and government guidance about how this may happen.  You will also have read that there has been significant union involvement regarding this. I have been in contact with our two parent governors, Mrs Tait and Mrs Signorelli David, and we would like to explain some of the key proposals that have been suggested by the government.

  • Children would be taught in small groups with a maximum of 15 children at a time within that classroom space. 
  • Children may not be taught by their own class teacher.
  • Children would remain in that group until schools received scientific guidance to support changing these routines. 
  • The government have made it clear that parents will not be fined if they make the choice to keep their child at home.

As always, the safety and well being of your children is at the centre of the decisions that we are endeavouring to make at this time. There are many risk assessments being carried out to ensure that our school community stays as safe as we can possibly make it.  At this point in time, I am not able to say for definite how we are going to accomodate this. There is still much work to be done and more guidance and evidence to be received by the school. Thank you for your continued support and engagement with the family learning, the singing, the dancing, the stories and the art lessons. Please enjoy the sunshine and fair weather this weekend and we look forward to seeing what you have been up to. I have attached a letter from Paul Wagstaff, our Director for Education.  

Please remember we are here for you. If you need to contact us for any reason, please email the office@yaptonschool.org email address and either Mrs Bayliss, Mr Hughes or I will respond to you. 

kind regards

Kim Huggett

A Message for Pupils 15.05.2020

Dear Children,

It has been another week filled with lots of news about schools. Schools and teachers have certainly made the headlines this week. I want you to know that the school grown ups are working hard to plan the best way for our school family to start to return to school. This will not be a quick process, because there are many rules and guidelines for us to think about and follow. Whilst this is all happening, please be assured that we are missing you and we are missing our school family being together. We have loved seeing all of your work and activities either on our Twitter pages or through our office email. You are amazing and we are proud that you are part of our school.Keep wearing your Yapton crowns and take care.

Mrs Huggett and all of the school grownups.

A letter to all the Year 6 children

Dear children, 
If we were living in Covid-19 free world, it would have been a bit different this week. Along with your Year 6 friends, you would have come to school and enjoyed a breakfast together.  That’s because it should have been SATS week. Year 6 children across the country would have been completing different tests over the next few days. 

In the past few weeks, you would have been working really hard in preparation for them.  We would have made sure you were feeling as confident as possible to do your best in them.

Well that isn’t the case is it this year?  Things have turned out very differently.  Some of you may be feeling happy the tests aren’t happening.  Some of you may have different feelings, including sadness, frustration and on-going confusion.

Sometimes, teachers get carried away in the lead up to SATS thinking they are the most important thing in the world!  Events over the past few weeks have taught us all there are so many more important things – especially the ones that are close to home.

Having good English and Maths knowledge and skills are important.  You’ll need to continue developing those as you continue through your schooling life.  The results from those tests would have been some numbers.  However, they wouldn’t have measured and valued so many of your other unique skills and talents.

They wouldn’t have told anyone how amazing you are at everything else that makes you the special person you are.  There would be no measure of your artistic, musical or sporting talents.  They wouldn’t have shone a bright light on those of you who enjoy Science or learning about things in the past or around the world.   They wouldn’t have even given you a chance to show off your X-Box or Play Station skills!  These tests wouldn’t recognise how much your friends value you when you play with them, make them smile and laugh or offer a shoulder to lean on when they’re feeling a bit down.

We are continuing to think about you all.  We are thankful that you are staying safe and well.  This part of the school year is normally very busy for Year 6 children – especially those at Yapton C. of E. Primary School.  After the SATS tests, there should have been Bikeability Week, the residential trip to Wales, meetings with and visits to your new secondary schools, as well as spending time reflecting on coming to the end of your time at primary school both at the special Leavers’ Service at Chichester Cathedral and in your Leavers’ Assembly at school.

You may have watched or heard the message from Boris Johnson, our Prime Minister, yesterday evening.  He said it may be the case our school will be open to Year 6 children on the 1st June.  Nothing has been confirmed yet.  Whenever we have news for you about this, we will let you and your home grown-ups know.

Remember, every member of staff at Yapton C. of E. Primary School are very proud of you and we look forward to seeing you – whenever that may be.

Continue to wear your Yapton crowns!

Miss Hook, Mrs West, Mrs Green and Mr Hughes

Weekly Message to Parents 7.05.2020

Dear Parents and Carers, 

we hope that you have enjoyed this week’s Family Learning and the ideas for VE Day.As we come to the end of the week, we have heard much speculation and media hype about the situation for Schools. At the moment, this remains speculation and hype. We will let you know about any changes that we may be making, as soon as we have a clear directive from the Government and our Local Authority.Thank you for the amazing work that you have been doing at home and the kind thoughts that you have sent us.Have a fabulous Bank Holiday weekend.

Take Care

Kim Huggett

A message for the children of Yapton C of E Primary School 7.05.2020

Dear children,

I hope that you have enjoyed your Family Learning this week and have begun to look at the activity ideas for VE Day. It has been another strange week where we are not together in school. There has been lots of talk on the TV and radio this week about what may happen with schools in the very near future. As soon as we know some definite information, we will let you and your family know.Please continue to be amazing, keep safe and remember that we are still missing you if you are not in school with us.

Take Care

Mrs Huggett and all of the school grown ups at Yapton C of E Primary School

A MESSAGE FROM CLLR AMANDA WORNE

Dear Parents and Carers of all the amazing children at Yapton Primary School.


I wanted to just send you a few lines  to say how proud I feel to be part of such a great school Community. 

We are all experiencing such challenging and indeed scary times at the moment and none of us have a guide book on how to get through it. On a day to day basis we are having to deal with things the best we can and sometimes it is just a challenge to get through that day ! The thing is though we are getting through the days and each day we get through is one day closer to coming out of this the other side.

I have to say the beautiful weather was a blessing and I was fortunate enough to spend it in my garden! Not all of you may know but I am paralysed and in a wheelchair, and cannot walk unaided.In the lovely weather I got out my calipers and frame and with their assistance practiced a very robotic type of walking in my garden !  

Life is always full of ups and downs. I guess it would be a bit boring if it wasn’t and we can overcome these challenges if we can just focus on the good things we still have.  

I think many of us would agree that this pandemic has helped us appreciate the little things in life more. I certainly appreciate spending time with my family.You all have wonderful children, even if at times they dont show it (no one can be perfect all the time) who must make you so proud. You should also be proud of yourselves at this time helping keep everyone safe by following all the guidelines we have been given from the government. Following these guidelines means this will all be over for everyone that bit quicker. 

Thank you again so much for supporting the school and your community and I think that we must also take this opportunity to thank Mrs Huggett and all her staff who have been working so extremely hard to keep your children safe too. 

Warmest Regards  

Cllr Amanda Worne