Thank you so much!

I would firstly like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone in Our Lady of the Assumption family.

I can honestly say that the past few months have proven beyond a doubt what an absolute privilege it is to be the Headteacher of such an amazing school.

When we started school in September, our Year 6 children stepped seamlessly into their leadership roles, whilst our new Reception children blended into school as if they had always been here. There was excitement as we began to work together into becoming Learned and Wise, our first two virtues of the year, our learning journey commenced. We began to celebrate our special ‘Year of the Word’ together.

Entering our spring term, in January, we were all hopeful and had set such high expectations for ourselves and each other. Together we explored how to become Curious and Active by taking greater responsibility for our thoughts and actions, and by the end of February, again, we had achieved so much.

But then came the sudden change; for certainties to be replaced with uncertainties as children were sent home from school, we were all left feeling deflated but at the same time hopeful that in a few weeks we could pick up where we left off. How wrong we were!

Now looking back over the last sixteen weeks, I can only thank you all for your support, patience and sheer determination. You may not realise this just yet, or you may not be in a place to appreciate it just yet, but you have done more than you will ever know. Your kind words, your encouragement, your thanks, have left staff feeling a true sense of appreciation.

You have made us all feel valued and I cannot thank you enough for that. You have spurred your children forward, helped them to keep going, and have clearly become those pop up teachers, trying your very best to teach the online lessons gifted from your class teacher. Your success has shone through the work we have received and your wonderful family photographs, thank you.

Yourselves, the children, staff and Governors have all worked exceptionally hard and supported each other through this most challenging of times.

Every child will have left a little bit of themselves behind in the hearts of the teaching staff they have worked with this year, and once again we thank you for entrusting them into our care, both in school and online!

We have been delighted to be able to welcome back some children and families since the 8th June and are so proud of how well the children have adjusted to the new routines and procedures. They are an absolute credit to our school and their families.

I would like to wish our Y6 pupils all the very best for High School. I really cannot believe it has come to the time for them to spread their wings and move on to the next stage of their lives. They really have led us well in this year which has so cruelly been cut short! I am so upset that they did not have a chance to see through the year and lead the whole school in the way that I know they were so capable of! I pray that their transition is smooth and that they can really soar when they begin their high schools. I am so proud of each and every one of them! It is so unfortunate that we have not been able to celebrate their end of time at Our Lady’s as we would normally do but I hope they have managed to enjoy their last week in school seeing their friends and teachers. We wish them every success and happiness for their futures.

We are now fast approaching the end of the Summer term and are looking at planning and preparing for the new academic year.

God’s blessings on you all.

‘Virtual’ Pop Idol & Musician of the Year 2020

Huge congratulations to all of our finalists in these competitions. Megan and Alana for Pop Idol and Claire and Reuban for Young Musician.

Mr White, head of Blackpool Music Service, informed me that the standard was particularly high this year (obviously all those hours spent practising in lockdown) and he was absolutely ‘bowled over’ by the entries.

A 3rd place in 2020 Pop Idol was won for Alana’s rendition of Lily Allen’s “Somewhere only we know” Well done Alana!

Here at Our Lady’s we are so, so proud of all our entrants. You made us all so emotional with your wonderful performances. There are certificates which have been sent by BMS for all finalists. We will endeavour to get these delivered to you - alternatively you could call in to the school office to collect them.

‘CONGRATULATIONS’ & A HUGE ‘WELL DONE’ TO YOU ALL!

SEPTEMBER 2020 INFORMATION

As you may be aware the Government have issued new guidance for schools to prepare to welcome all children back to school in September. (Issued on the 2nd July)

As with all the previous government guidance documents the Department for Education recognise;

‘There cannot be a ‘one-size-fits’ all approach… School leaders will be best placed to understand the needs of their schools and communities, and to make informed judgements about how to balance delivering a broad and balanced curriculum with the measures needed to manage risk’.

The Government expect school leaders to put in place proportionate protective measures for children and staff, which also ensure that all pupils receive a high quality education that enables them to thrive and progress.

We are being asked to minimise the number of contacts that a pupil has during the school day which supports the key aim of minimising the risk of transmission in school.

The government also expect schools to plan for the possibility of a local lockdown and how we will ensure the continuity of education.

As you can imagine the preparation and discussion needed to make decisions moving forward are both complex and challenging.

With all that in mind the Leadership team and Governing body of Our Lady’s have prepared an opening plan to be implemented in the Autumn Term. This plan is to be assessed before the end of the Autumn Term as we try to bring our school back to our new ‘normal’ as safely as we possibly can.

I think it is important to remember that we are still learning how to live with Covid-19 and the plans we have put in place are intended to minimise the risk for everyone and to hopefully sustain the provision for as long as possible. The decisions taken have been made following government guidance and with everybody’s health, safety and well-being at the centre. That has very much been mine and the Governing body’s core principle throughout this situation and will remain so.

Please see the separate documents for details about September arrangements.

NB: It has been extremely difficult to organise a safe way to open any out of school provision following the new guidance, however we will open both Breakfast and After School Club from Monday 7th September. As we are still finalising (and trying to limit) numbers of children on safety grounds. These details will be posted on the website as soon as is practicable. A text will be sent to parents regarding current places.

May I wish you and your families all the very best for a happy and safe Summer break.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you all back in September.

Miss M Haggerty