Welcome back to the spring term, and a Happy New Year to everyone. I hope that you all enjoyed the festive season, and that the Christmas holidays were not blighted by too many bugs, coughs and sneezes.

We are aware that there is still a lot of illness circulating, so in school we are encouraging the pupils to wash their hands more frequently than normal, and have provided ample tissues to be used once and thrown away in an attempt to limit the spread of germs. Do please check school and NHS guidance about the time required before a child can return to school after an illness.

The children have come back with plenty of new outdoor clothing that they received as Christmas presents, with unicorn hats being a popular favourite this year it would seem! Please can families make sure that all clothing is clearly named so that, if misplaced, it can be quickly returned to the owner. Equally, please do not allow your child to bring valuable items or electronic gadgets into school, as they can provide a distraction to learning and great upset if lost or damaged.

Finally, all families should have received the new plan for home learning this week. The intention is to help children focus on reinforcing core numeracy and literacy skills to benefit their work and progress in school. Teachers will set tasks for children to work on each week, and the programme will develop over the course of the term.

With my very best wishes for a peaceful and prosperous 2018.

Mr R Cunningham

Headteacher