Welcome back to a new school year!

Dear Parents & Carers,

What a fabulous first week back! I am delighted to share how proud we are of the excellent start our children have made to the new academic year! The atmosphere in school has been calm, purposeful, and happy, with the children settling smoothly into new routines.

BEHAVIOUR

Our children have worked hard to follow our school rules:

- BE KIND
- BE RESPECTFUL
- BE SAFE,
- BE YOUR BEST

For more information on behaviour expectations at Southwark, including our school rules and learning behaviours, please visit our school website here: https://www.southwarkprimary.net/safeguarding/behaviour/)

OUR VALUES
Please be reminded about our school values. These are so important to us as a school community as they underpin everything we do. Why not remind yourselves by clicking here: https://www.southwarkprimary.net/our-school/schools-ethos-and-values/

UNIFORM
It has been wonderful to see pupils arriving smartly in their school uniforms, showing real pride in belonging to our school community. Please make sure that your child continues to wear full school uniform. (For more information about uniform expectations, please click here: https://www.southwarkprimary.net/our-school/useful-information/)

COMMUNICATION
We work hard to ensure that our communication is clear and timely. We use a number of ways to communicate with you including via Class Dojo, through the Arbor App, telephone, email or text message. Please make sure you check Class Dojo and Arbor regularly to ensure that you have the most recent information regarding your child in school. If you wish to contact a member of staff you can do this in a number of ways. The first port of call is usually your child’s class teacher. Please feel free to speak with them at the start or end of the day. If this isn’t always possible, then please feel free to message them on Class Dojo. You may also contact your child’s Assistant Headteacher (Mrs Evans for EYFS & Year 1, Mrs Hale in Year 2/3 and Mr Ince in Y456) in the same way. If you have a concern regarding SEND, please contact our SENDCO, Miss Shaw. If you have any concerns regarding the safety of your child, please speak to Mrs Wattam, one of our Designated Safeguarding Leads. If you would like to contact me, please feel free to email admin@southwarkprimary.net or contact me via the school office.

SAFETY & RESPECT IN THE COMMUNITY
I want to remind us all of the importance of being safe and respectful in the local community. This includes when travelling to and from school, as well as whilst you are on the school site. We want our school to be a safe and happy place where everyone feels valued and welcome.

Very sadly, over the last school year, a number of children from schools across Nottingham City were injured after being knocked down by cars outside different schools within the region. Not by passers-by, but by other parents who had dropped off their own children and were rushing to get away.

Please remember to…

BE TIMELY - Can people try to get to school in good time to be able to park away from the school gates, especially the zig-zag lines, and walk their children up to the school gates? This keeps the area clear from hazards, giving better visibility to everyone.

BE CONSIDERATE - Can parents/carers please park considerately; not blocking the pavement or residents driveways, and can they turn off their engines whilst waiting?

BE PATIENT - Can drivers be careful and patient as they drive away? This is when accidents have previously happened.
Thank you for your support with this.

ATTENDANCE & PUNCTUALITY
Good attendance and punctuality are vital for children’s development. Please make sure that your child is in school, every day, on time. Children are expected to be in school by 8:45am. Thank you to everyone who has been in school on time this week. Unfortunately, we have had a high number of children arriving late already. Please be aware that this is a huge priority for the school this year and we will in regular contact with parents who arrive late with their children to see how we can work together to improve this.

We have so much exciting learning taking place this half term - we can't wait to share it all with you. I'll send out a list of key dates for your diaries next week so please keep an eye out on Class Dojo for that.

Have a great weekend - thank you for your continued support.

Mr Skirton