Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

  Fri 09 Sep 2022

  The Albert Pye and Ravensmere Schools Federation are saddened to hear of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We will be celebrating her life with the children today and sending our thoughts and best wishes to the Royal Family at this difficult time.

  

• Uniform Bank

  Thu 19 May 2022
  

• Half Term Activities

  Tue 19 Oct 2021
  

• ALT North Suffolk Hub Space Competition

  Thu 14 Oct 2021

  Dear Parents/carers, 

   

  As part of our work with the Ogden Trust to promote Science across our ALT schools we are launching an exciting space competition to celebrate the launch of the James Webb Telescope. NASA plans to launch the telescope into orbit on the 18th December 2021 to serve as the premier deep space observatory for the next decade. It will replace the Hubble telescope which launched in 1990. 

   

  Please see the poster attached which gives more information about how the children can take part and what we would love to see the children create. The competition deadline is Monday 15th November and entries will be judged by our Governors. There will be an EYFS/KS1 first place and runner up prize and a KS2 first place and runner up prize. 

   

  Any questions, please ask your child's class teacher. 

  

• Stay and Play

  Mon 04 Oct 2021
  

• NSPCC Number Day

  Tue 04 May 2021 Mrs Remblance

  NSPCC Number Day Friday 7 May

   

  Non Uniform Day

   

  On Friday both schools will be taking part in the NSPCC number day. The NSPCC are celebrating 21 years of Number Day and want to make this year the biggest ever!

   

  Everyone in school will have the chance to enjoy number games and maths activities as well as raising awareness of the new NSPCC helpline to help children to Speak Out and Stay Safe.

   

  All children will watch a NSPCC Speak out Stay Safe assembly presented by Ant and Dec.

   

  Children can attend school on Friday in Non- School Uniform and bring a £1 donation if you would like to support this cause.

   

  We appreciate your support.

   

  Kind Regards

   

  Mrs Remblance and Miss Waddington.

  

• Home Testing Kits

  Thu 04 Mar 2021

  Dear Parents

   

  Home Testing Kits

   

  Following the information I sent yesterday I would like to remind parents that anyone with school aged children is able to access rapid lateral flow tests for home testing from the Gov.uk website.

   

  As the Government has laid out in their roadmap, secondary school and college students will now be tested twice a week, receiving three initial tests at school or college before transitioning to twice weekly home testing. Primary school children will not be regularly asymptomatically tested due to low levels of transmission between younger aged children but will continue to need to come forward for tests if they have symptoms.

   

  Home tests will be given for free to all families and households with primary, secondary school and college aged children and young people, including childcare and support bubbles, to help find more COVID-19 cases and break chains of transmission. This is in addition to the staff testing programme in place and the testing for Secondary age pupils currently underway.

   

  Schools are not expected to provide the test kits to families or administer the family testing process.

   

  I would strongly encourage parents to take part in this in order that we are to identify those positive cases and are best able to keep everyone safe.

   

  Thank you to the parent who brought this to my attention.

   

  Yours sincerely

   

  Melanie Mills

  Mrs M. Mills

  Headteacher

• Re-Opening 8th March

  Wed 03 Mar 2021

  Dear Parents

  Re-opening Plan for 8 March

  I am writing to you to explain our operational arrangements from next Monday, 8 March as we once again are able to welcome all children back to school.

   

  I would like to start by thanking our parents and carers for your fantastic support with your children’s home learning during this current lockdown. The use of Google Classrooms has been so different to the previous lockdown and we can see how much support and time parents have given to supporting your children’s learning. Children’s engagement has remained high and we do thank you sincerely for all that you have done to achieve this. We do not underestimate how difficult this has been for everyone. Thank you.

   

  The operational guidance for our return on Monday is broadly in line with the arrangements which were in place for the autumn term reopening. Please do read the content of this carefully and please do share it with your child/ren. I hope that by discussing this with your child it will help give reassurance as we prepare to come back together in class groups once again. Hopefully lots of the detail in this letter will be familiar and this will help children as they adjust to the return to full time school again from Monday.

   

  Staggered starts

  At Ravensmere, we need to minimise the impact of all of our children and families arriving and leaving our school site at the same time together and in order to achieve this safely, we will continue with the staggered starts and ends to the school day which were in place last term. The times below are as near as possible to the school day and also help us to consider families with siblings and families who have children at both The Albert Pye and at Ravensmere schools.

   

  Please bring your child into school at the following times according to your surname:

  	Arrival time	Departure time
  Afternoon Class 2	8.35 – 8.45	2.45pm
  Afternoon Class 1	8.50 – 9.00	3.00pm
  Families with siblings in both classes	8.45	3.00pm

   

  Both gates at each end of the playground will continue to be locked from 9am.

   

  We ask that strictly just 1 adult per family brings your child/ren to school as we need to reduce the numbers of adults on our site as far as we can. We are restricting adults coming in to school and any visits must be made by appointment only.

   

  Arrangements for children coming into school will be the same as they were for the autumn term. Children in year 2 children will enter via the front door and will use these coat pegs; children in year 1 will enter via the lower door and will use these coat pegs; Reception children will enter via the double doors to their classroom and will use the coat peg storage next to their double doors. 

  One-way system

  We will continue to use the one-way system in place last term, because this has worked well. Parents please should enter via the main school gate and then leave via the lower end gate. This means all of our families will move around the site in the same direction. Signs are in place to remind you.

  Lunchtimes

  Organisation will continue as it was in the autumn term. Children in afternoon Class 1 will eat in the hall and children in afternoon Class 2 will eat in Class2. Once they have finished eating they will have some outdoor play time and each Class will remain in their Class Bubble and have their own identified area of the playground. The Trim Trail will be rotated and each Class will have access to it for a week at a time in rotation.

   

  Caterlink will provide all children at Ravensmere with a school lunch and there will be a hot and a cold option to choose from each day. A lunch menu will be available and meals can be ordered as before.

  Each year group will have their morning playtime at a different time so that these are staggered throughout the morning.

   

  Morning and Afternoon Clubs

  We are able to offer Morning and Afternoon Clubs for children at Ravensmere because our small school operates as one Bubble. This will be led by Mrs Reeder (Mornings) and Mrs Woods (Afternoons). The Club will only be available for children at Ravensmere so that it does not bring children together from across two schools. This will enable us to minimise the need for mixing or increasing contacts as outlined in the System of Controls which schools must follow. Bookings will be available on Parentmail from Wednesday 3 March. Please can I ask that parents only book places to support working patterns and only if there is no other support available to you. Before and After school clubs at Albert Pye will remain suspended for the next three weeks whilst we are in Step 1 of the Plan.

   

  Sports Clubs

  We will not be offering any after school sports clubs for the next three weeks. We hope that these will be able to operate again from the start of the summer term and will keep parents updated.

   

  School Uniform

  We will be reinstating our uniform policy and from Monday 8 March we ask that all children wear school uniform please. Guidance is that clothes should be laundered as you usually would do. Please do bear in mind that windows and doors will be open wherever possible to ensure good ventilation so children should wear extra layers if the weather is colder.

   

  Belongings

  As before, children should bring as little with them to school as possible. They may bring a bag and bookbag, water bottle, hat and coat. We will not be changing for PE so full kit is not needed but a change of footwear is essential please. This can be left in a bag on their peg. We will begin sharing reading books once again and children will be able to bring their reading book home. We will keep items going between home and school to a minimum and please do not let your child bring in items from home unless specifically asked to do so by their class teacher.

   

  Attendance

  Government guidance states that from Monday attendance is mandatory again and it makes clear that education is not optional. We will continue to work with children and with families to ensure a smooth return again to school but children will be expected to be in school every day.

  Laptops

  If your child was allocated a school laptop then these need to start being returned to school please. Mrs Riches in the Office will contact you and agree a date and time for you to return the laptop. I ask please that parents do not return them until you have been contacted so that we can manage this process and avoid having too many adults arriving to the Office at the same time. Please wait to hear from Mrs Riches who will be in touch.

   

  COVID

  The system of controls asks schools to minimise contact with individuals who are required to self-isolate by ensuring they do not come to school. Children, staff and other adults must not come to school if:

  • They have one or more Coronavirus symptoms
  • A member of their household (including someone in their support bubble or childcare bubble) has coronavirus symptoms
  • They are required to quarantine
  • They have had a positive test

  If your child develops symptoms whilst at school we will send them home and advise you to follow the guidance and to book a test.

  An adult must be available to come and collect a child immediately if school is requesting that they are sent home so please make sure there is an adult available if you are requested to collect your child.

  Staff are engaging with the asymptomatic testing programme twice weekly but children in Primary schools are not part of this testing programme.

   

  Face coverings

  Parents are strongly advised please to wear a face covering whilst on our school site. Children in Primary schools do not need to wear a face covering.

   

  We all look forward to welcoming your child back to school on Monday and very much look forward to seeing all the children once again.

   

  Yours sincerely

  Mrs M. Mills

  Headteacher

• Full school reopening autumn term

  Thu 03 Sep 2020

   

  Dear Parents

  Full school reopening autumn term

  Welcome back to the start of the autumn term. We are all pleased to be planning for our full school reopening and for welcoming all children back to all year groups from Thursday 3 September.

  It seems a long time since some of our children were in school in July and of course this is much longer for those children who were last in school before lockdown. We understand that it is likely that some children may be feeling anxious about returning following such a long break from school and I would like to reassure parents that staff are very mindful of this and all of our planning is to support a gentle reintroduction back to school aiming to settle the children back into routines.

   

  Attendance

  Government guidance has changed and from September school attendance will become mandatory again. We will continue to work with families to ensure a smooth return again to school but children will be expected to be in school every day. Whilst there may be some anxieties we also hope children are excited to be returning to their classes and friends once again. All staff are prepared to offer support for our children and please do talk to us if we can support you and your child in any way.

  In order to accommodate all children returning to school we have needed to make some changes and this letter is a reminder of some key information as that we can safely manage this as best as we can. Much of this information has already been shared with parents in my letter in July and I hope this will be a helpful reminder because the start of this term will be different to previous years.

   

  Staffing

  We welcome some new staff to Ravensmere this term, both Mrs Howard and Mrs Elbaz will be joining our staff team, giving support to a child joining our Reception class.

   

  Managing the Full Reopening Safely

  In order to achieve all children returning to our school once again, we are making some changes. The following information which will be in place from Thursday:

   

  Staggered starts

  At Ravensmere, we need to minimise the impact of all of our children and families arriving and leaving our school site at the same time together and in order to achieve this safely, we have decided to introduce a staggered start and end to the school day. We are trying to keep times as near as possible to the existing school day and also to consider families with siblings and families who have children at both The Albert Pye and at Ravensmere schools.

  Therefore, from Thursday 3 September, the following arrangements will apply:

  	Arrival time	Departure time
  Afternoon class 2	8.35 – 8.45	2.45pm
  Afternoon class 1	8.50 – 9.00	3.00pm
  Families with siblings in both classes	8.45am	3.00pm

   

  Both gates at each end of the playground will continue to be locked from 9am.

  For children joining Reception, there is a staggered start which you will have received a letter about.

   

  All Reception children start full time from Wednesday 9 September.

  We ask that strictly just 1 adult per family brings your child/ren to school as we need to reduce the numbers of adults on our site as far as we can. We are restricting adults coming in to school and any visits must be made by appointment only.

  Children will use different doors to come into school - year 2 children will enter via the front door and will use these coat pegs; year 1 will enter via the lower door and will use these coat pegs; Reception children will enter via the double doors to their classroom and will use a new coat peg unit for storage which will be in the hall.  

   

  One-way system

  We will continue to use the one-way system introduced as part of our lockdown procedures, because this has worked well for those children who have returned. Parents please should enter via the main school gate and then leave via the lower end gate. This means all of our families will move around the site in the same direction. Signs are in place to remind you.

   

  Lunchtimes

  Children will be in their afternoon classes for lunchtimes.  They will all have the opportunity to eat their lunch and have some time in the reading garden and the larger playground space. 

  Caterlink will provide all children at Ravensmere with a school packed lunch and we are working with them to ensure a wider choice, such as pizza and pasta pots. A lunch menu will be available and meals can be ordered each morning.   If you prefer your child can still bring in a packed lunch from home. 

   

  Clubs

  Before and after school clubs (curriculum enrichment and sports clubs) will be on hold for the first half term to minimise the children and adults on site. We will review this from October half term in light of government guidance.

   

  Morning and Afternoon Clubs

  These will begin again from Monday 7 September and places can be booked on Parentmail. From this term we are making a change and the Morning Club will now be held at each school. At Ravensmere, this will be on the same basis which was in place before lockdown, and at Albert Pye we will use the middle area of the West Building. The Afternoon Club will continue to be based at Ravensmere and Mrs Norris will continue to run the walking bus as part of this.

   

  School Uniform

  We will be reinstating our uniform policy and from Thursday 3 September we ask that all children wear school uniform please. Guidance has changed and clothes no longer need to be washed every day but should be laundered as you usually would do.

   

  Belongings

  Children should bring as little with them to school as possible. They may bring a bag and bookbag, water bottle, hat and coat. We will not be changing for PE so full kit is not needed but a change of footwear is essential please. This can be left in a bag on their peg. We will begin sharing reading books once again and children will be able to bring their reading book home. This is a welcome update, but we will keep items going between home and school to a minimum.

   

  COVID

  In the system of controls there are a set of actions which schools must take to reduce risks. The prevention controls state the following:

  • Pupils, staff and adults should not come to school if they have Coronavirus symptoms
  • If your child develops symptoms whilst at school we will sent them home and advise you to follow the guidance and to book a test
  • An adult must be available to come and collect a child immediately if school is requesting that they are sent home so please make sure there is any adult available if you are requested to collect your child
  • The current Guidance states anyone with symptoms must self isolate for 10 days

  Finally

  We are all looking forward to welcoming all of our children back to school and we will work with you to make the transition back into school as successful as we can. We look forward to seeing you and your child on Thursday.

   

  Yours sincerely

   

  Mrs M. Mills

  Headteacher

• Update 13.05.20

  Wed 13 May 2020

  Dear Parents

   

  Further to the letter sent on 11.5.20. I am writing about the proposals to begin to re-open schools more widely as we move away from lockdown.

  I would like to again offer my sincere thanks for the fantastic support for Home Learning which our families have embraced whilst our full school provision has been closed. We all understand how difficult this lockdown period has been for our families and especially our children and we are truly grateful for the many examples of wonderful learning which have been shared with us. Thank you so much for this on-going support through what continues to be very difficult times.

  We all look forward to beginning to open our schools more widely and to having our children back on site again but in order to achieve this there needs to be a carefully planned approach so that we can achieve this in a way which is safe for everyone. Since Sunday evening, many other documents have been made available, with schools often receiving information at the same time that it is made available publicly. Some of the guidance we are reading poses more questions than it answers and I want to assure you that all of this information is being used to inform our risk assessment process. We will make the best possible decisions about what is workable as our way forward for each of our schools within the safest possible timescales. I want to also reassure you that prioritising the safety and well-being of our children, staff and families will be given the highest priority as we make our decisions.

  As parents I am sure that you have questions too and Active Learning Trust are designing a parent questionnaire which will be issued later this week to gather your views which we will use to inform our decision making.

  I will continue to keep you updated and share information with you as soon as I am able to but hope parents can understand that this is a complex process which needs a careful and considered way forward in order to achieve a solution which is workable and safe for everyone. I would like to reiterate that currently both schools are closed, except for the provision for key worker families and vulnerable children on The Albert Pye site. This will remain the case until I can inform you otherwise.

  I hope everyone is keeping safe and keeping well and I will write again as soon as I have further information to share with you.

  Yours sincerely

   

  Melanie Mills

  Headteacher