Dear Parents and Carers,
I am in two minds. On the one hand, I cannot believe that it is the end of our first week already, but on the other hand, what a week!

The planning, the preparation and the logistics of getting the school ready to welcome back every pupil this week was gargantuan, but we were SO ready to open the gates on Monday morning to all of Years 1 to 6 pupils.
The pupils came in brilliantly; the parents and grandparents and carers dropped off brilliantly and I saw ever so many smiles. Phew! The came pick up. Not quite so smooth on Monday. So, we changed this for Tuesday and since then, it has worked very much better. So much so that please could I reiterate that we do have set times for pick up and drop off and we would be really grateful if you kept to these times as much as possible. It is much more of an issue at pick up, and we really, really need for you to stick to the timings for your Year Groups please.

If you have more than one child in school, however, please STILL drop off and pick up all of your children at the time of your ELDEST child.

I realise that it is a big pain not being able to park in school, but, if you are deciding whether to park on a nearby road or to drive into school to drop off, there is a great deal of leeway in the drop off and pick up queues at the moment and we would really encourage you to drive into the school grounds and drop off and pick up where possible in order to alleviate the congestion in the nearby roads.

When parking on a local road, do please remember that you need to leave enough space at a junction for a car to easily fit in and see to pull out, and that you must not park on a junction.  I wish that I had a magic wand to make the situation easier, but please do bear with us – we are just trying to keep everyone as safe as possible whilst ensuring that parents and pupils feel safe coming onto school grounds.

Next week’s weather forecast promises to be warm and bright with no rain (I can see your eyebrows being raised as I type) and so I also encourage you to walk to school where possible. We will be playing outside and learning outside as much as we can and if the field is useable, we will be using it! To this end, on the days that your children come in for PE (in their PE Kit of course), please feel free to send in a spare pair of socks (and shoes) if you are able to as no one wants to have wet feet, even if it is not for long (almost all of our PE is in the afternoon). 

I have seen some fantastic learning (and hand washing) and settling (and hand washing) this week and have poked my head around the door of every classroom (often when there is handwashing happening); it is fantastic to have every seat filled and the buzz in the corridors is tremendous (the doors of the classrooms are open so that we all feel connected but the children are not using the corridors as we do not need to and is another thing that ensures that we are kept apart). Long may this continue…  We have also welcomed our Reception children into school; they have settled so very well and I am delighted with their smiles and their fascination with all that the Reception classrooms and outdoor areas have to offer.

To promote a ‘whole school feel’, we have started doing virtual assemblies where I sit in my office and speak to my computer with its black screen whilst every class listens in their classroom. Initially, it was a bit odd (I was very nervous the first time), but it did get easier. We have already held two assemblies as a school and I have spoken to lots of pupils who have told me that they are really enjoying them. I suspect that they are just trying to guess what my background will be…..

Anyway, I will stop now, but my message to you all today is: thank you for all of your support this week; it is hugely appreciated; please stick to drop off and pick up times, please park carefully and considerately and keep safe this weekend. We look forward to seeing you on Monday.

Take good care and stay safe.


Kindest regards

Ms Whitlock

We are very excited to see all pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 on Monday 7 September.  We hope that you have all had a wonderful Summer Break and have enjoyed the weather (apart from those days that saw torrential rain...) and the many beautiful aspects of our wonderful Duchy and beyond. 

As you will know from the communications sent home, we will be operating staggered Drop Offs and Pick Ups. The details are below for your information. PLEASE ensure that you stick to these timings and remember that there is NO PARKING AT SCHOOL AT ALL. There are stop and drop lanes for every Year Group, and the signage will be clear.

Please note that there are no Reception or Nursery children in school on Monday 7th September.  Please see our emails for the details.

It isn’t raining! It has been another busy week and we continue to thank you all for all of the work and pictures that you continue to send into the teachers so regularly. It is so appreciated. 

We had a lovely long morning this morning with all but a few Year 3 pupils, who, if they are not in one of our Educare bubbles, came back to see their friends, their teachers and the outside of the school for a day before the Summer Holiday. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves completing some art work, telling each other stories, taking part in a fire pit activity and completing some very high energy (but still socially distanced) races. The teachers were just as excited to see them all and we are REALLY looking forward to seeing the Year 4s to do the same thing next Friday.  

You will have also received a letter from us regarding the teachers next year. Most of you will know who all of the teachers are, but do please take a look at the transition videos that all of the teachers have done when they arrive on the website next week (we will let you know when they are live). We have done this to (hopefully) continue to reassure you as parents and carers that we cannot wait to see all of the pupils back in school in September and that we are ready! Now that the teachers know where they will be based, they will be thinking carefully about the logistics of the classrooms and how best to ensure that everyone is safe, but also has an exciting and welcoming space to learn. 
You may have read the Government guidance for Parents and Carers regarding the proposed return to school in September, but if you have not, the idea is for ALL pupils to come back from the very beginning of next term, full time. I will be writing to you next week to confirm our plans as best we can, given that the outlook may change before September, but please be reassured that we WILL be asking all pupils to return to school on Monday 7 September (it is slightly different for new into Reception Children as we need to meet parents first). We hope too to be able to provide BridgeKids wraparound care, both before and after school, for working parents who need it. 
 
Two rather exciting Wadebridge based things: There is still time for you to design a cover for the ’Concern Wadebridge’ Rainbow Book, or to submit drawings, paintings, poetry or writing. We have been asked to submit everything by the end of the day on the 14 July. We have also heard about a very exciting whole community ‘Drive in Church Service’ for all of Wadebridge and the surrounding area on Sunday 19 July. The organisers have asked if they can play the ‘Happy Video’ during this service. I am hoping that as anyone who submitted a video snippet gave permission at the time for it to be on both our website and Facebook that you are happy for it to be broadcast during the service, but do let me know if this is not the case. I look forward to hopefully seeing lots of you there!

One other exciting thing has happened this week; a group of six Year 6 pupils were brave enough to record interviews for BBC Radio Cornwall, talking about their transition from Primary to Secondary school. They sounded WONDERFUL this morning. If you would like to have a listen (and it IS worth it as they sound so grown up!) please go to the BBC Sounds App and download or stream the Breakfast Show from this morning, Friday 10 July, and listen to the segment that starts at about 8.22am (just after the weather, coincidentally). We are genuinely welling up at the thought of them all leaving as they have had to forego SO much that the Year 6s normally do and we are so VERY proud of how they have coped, both with the situation that we are in and with their almost entirely virtual transition so far.  

Another reminder that the very last day of this term will be Tuesday 21 July at the end of the school day (normal times, not early). We have another very busy transition week next week and we look forward to seeing Year Rs, 1s and 2s at the various points. Phew!

I hope that you have a lovely weekend, and that you can enjoy the sunshine.
Ms Whitlock

Dear Parents and Carers,

Who would have thought than when I wrote my last blog that just a couple of hours later we would be crowned GOLD MEDAL WINNERS of the first Cornwall Virtual Games??
I cannot tell you how pleased and how proud I was to read that we had won against every other primary school in the Duchy.  The best thing about it was that, as well as every teacher and pupil in school taking part, hundreds of entries came in from home as well. This really did make the difference and we are so, so pleased that so many of you sent in entries. Thank you very much.  

We welcomed back lots of additional Nursery children this week, and many Year 5s. Almost the entire year group in fact, which was very exciting…and lovely to see! The Nursery children came in with big smiles and bright enthusiasm, as did the new Year 5s, and those Year 5s who were already in school were delighted to see their friends.

We are very aware that some children have not yet been back to school though, and as I have mentioned before, we have worked really hard to try and see as many of you as we can before the 21 July. To this end, we have already invited the Year 2 pupils in after school on two days (outside only) to meet their new teachers and spend some socially distanced time with each other. We will very shortly be inviting in all of the Year 3s and Year 4s for a socially distanced morning of activities with their current teachers (Year 3 on one day, and Year 4 on another). They will also be meeting their new teachers and having a ‘very spread out’ picnic together. Year 6 are also planning an activity day on the last Monday of Term, where all Year 6s who have not yet come in, can come back and see their friends and teachers before the Summer Holiday.   

We also sent an email home yesterday to all parents explaining a really exciting project that is happening in Wadebridge. The email explains it all in better detail but, in a nutshell, ‘Concern Wadebridge’ are making a book about the positive side of the last few months in lockdown and want to hear from us about all of the lovely things that we might have drawn, painted, written, photographed, explored and shared with each other during this time. Please do not worry if you do not feel that you have anything that you want to contribute, as we completely understand that, for some people, this has been an incredibly challenging time. 

We sent an email this morning about BridgeKids not being open over the Summer Holiday. We are very sorry about this, but it is just not logistically possible. We have exhausted every single option. However, as we have been lucky enough to have received some guidance from the Government yesterday on the National Plan for opening up the school to ALL pupils from September, we are hoping to be able to offer a more wraparound care provision from that point. We will be in touch as soon as we know what this might look like.

Whilst we are thinking about the holiday, which is approaching far faster than we would like, please do remember that we now close our doors for the Summer on Tuesday 21 July at the end of the school day (normal times, not early). 
We open again to pupils on Monday 7 September 2020.  All staff are in school on Thursday 3 September and Friday 4 September in order to get the school ready for our planned September return to all pupils, but please do not come to school until Monday 7 September.

Despite the suddenly inclement weather (is it just me, or is this Friday thing?), I hope that you have a fantastic weekend and look forward to seeing lots of you next week. 

Ms Whitlock
PS GOLD MEDAL WINNERS! Whoop!

This has been the most entertaining week! I have loved seeing so many Cornwall Virtual Games pictures and videos on the school Facebook page – from teachers in school to all pupils and families outside of school – and it is clear that we have, as a school, done so much! I heard from Mr O’Dwyer just before the end of the day today that we had even won some medals for some of the events – wow! Good work to you all!  A full round up will be sent next week when all of the results are in. There will also be a collage of pictures from the week that will be on the website too – keep your eyes peeled as you may see some familiar faces (or not, depending if they are in costume…!).
I have to say, my favourite moment was when I saw Mrs Berridge this morning in a reindeer outfit. I won’t lie; it was a tad snug, the legs were mid-calf and the head didn’t *really* fit on Mrs Berridge’s Head, but, she did inform me that it was actually a costume for a 6 year old (!!), so the very fact that she could get it on, I thought, deserved recognition. Go, Mrs Berridge! The many other staff members that went the extra mile today were also fantastic to see and reminded me again of how lucky we are to have such a wonderful staff.
If you are not in school, remember; your teachers still want to hear from you, as whilst all that can be are in school now and teaching in a bubble, they are devoted to their pre-covid classes and are so keen to keep in touch.  
You will have read from Mr Massey’s letter of yesterday that some Bridge schools are hoping to welcome back the Year 5 pupils on a part-time basis. We are hoping to be one of those schools and all year 5 parents have been contacted to ask for their thoughts on this. This makes us even tighter for space and staff, so we now know that we will not be able to welcome back any of Years 2, 3 and 4 who are not already in for any great length of time this term. However, we are still working on the possibility of some face to face time with those year groups before the end of term, which you will have read is now Tuesday 21 July.
As soon as we can let you know, we will, but in the meantime, please do get in touch with any questions, queries, worries or thoughts on the home learning, the contact that we are having with you, or the new school year, as we will be more than happy to help.   
We hope that you have a lovely weekend,
Ms Whitlock