Dear Parents and Carers of Year 6 pupils
Re: Transition Planning in Readiness for September
I hope that this letter finds you and your family well. As lockdown restrictions begin to be cautiously eased we are planning our safe, phased return to school this term whilst planning for September too.
With the announcement by the Minister for Education, Kirsty Williams, about the Welsh Government guidance to ‘Check in, catch up, prepare for summer and September’, we can finalise our plans for Year 6 pupil transition.
As you will know the main points within the Welsh Government announcement were:
- all schools in Wales will reopen from Monday 29 June
- in each school there will be a phased approach
- it is expected that this will mean, at most, a third of pupils present at any one time
- there will be much smaller classes to ensure social distancing
- this limited in school time will be supported with distance learning to complete at home getting children and staff ready for a similar experience in September
With this in mind, we must be realistic in our expectations and it is unlikely that Year 6 students will visit St Cenydd prior to September. However, please rest assured that we will do all that we can to ease anxieties and answer any questions that you or your child may have. It is likely that we will plan a different and enhanced transition for Y7 to take place in the first days in September.
This term we will continue to liaise with all Primary Headteachers and Year 6 teachers gathering information such as learning needs, wellbeing and friendship. We are aware that some (but not all) friendship forms have been returned by parents and carers. If you have not done this, please do not worry unnecessarily. If you wish to post it directly to St Cenydd, marked for the attention of Mrs K Richards (PA to the Headteacher), then please do. We will continue to be in contact with you by email or post.
With regard to the Pupil Development Access Grant (which provides support for uniform purchases amongst other things for children who have a free school meal) we are awaiting guidance from CCBC and the Welsh Government. As such we are sorry that we are unable to answer your questions as yet. Once we have further information we will share this with all parents and carers so that those eligible can begin the process of accessing this grant. No final decisions have been made regarding school uniform for September and it is our recommendation to wait until further guidance is received before purchases are made. However, our uniform provider (TSS - Total Sporting Solutions) is now operating online and a pick up facility will shortly be available at the store.
Please find enclosed a transition activities booklet for your child to work through that includes useful information and activities relevant to St Cenydd. With September likely to be very different to the usual school experience, you will find key information about our school in this booklet and there are also activities that will help your child to prepare for September.
Later this term we will prepare another transition video with a formal welcome to the school by us. It is also our aim for you and your child to have a telephone conversation with your child’s new form tutor before the end of this academic year so that both you and your child can have a personal introduction to a key member of staff for your child.
It is important to note that the school experience in September will not be as it was before. We will prepare a detailed Frequently Asked Questions document for you covering, amongst other things, our social distancing measures, hand hygiene, school transport and school meals from CCBC, teaching and learning, uniform, cleaning and changes to school buildings. Our key priority in all of our planning, as you would rightly expect, is the safety of our pupils and staff.
We do hope that you enjoyed Miss Steer’s (Head of Year 7) tour of our school. If you have not yet had a chance to watch it, it can be found on the school website in the transition section - https://www.stcenyddcommunityschool.co.uk/2020transition.
Members of staff and current St Cenydd pupils have answered some of the questions submitted after watching the tour. These video responses will shortly be uploaded to the transition page.
You may also like to share with your child the BBC bitesize link starting secondary school. On the page there are some really informative clips that demystify some of the anxieties about taking the step from Primary to Secondary Education.
Like all schools, St Cenydd is adapting and developing to ensure that all parents and carers feel confident with pupils returning to school. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to send these on the dedicated Y6 email account year6@stcenydd.co.uk.
We very much hope that your child is excited about returning to their primary school for ‘catch up, check in, prepare’ this term, meeting with friends and saying goodbye to their teachers and staff. We are very much looking forward to meeting you and welcoming your child to our school in September.
Yours sincerely
Miss R Collins Mr L Dickinson
Headteacher Assistant Headteacher - KS3
