All the latest information relating to school.
18th May 2020
Dear Families
I wanted to write to you all to give you the latest update about school and our role in supporting our children and our families.
Willow Grove has been open to children of key workers and our vulnerable children since the beginning of this Coronavirus lockdown. We have had between 15 and 20 children in most days and have managed the safety of everyone in the building, staff and children alike, in the best way possible following guidance from the Local Authority, Government and Public Health England.
The Government has now asked schools to gradually increase the number of pupils they are open to and to aim to have a larger number of children in school by the end of the summer term. You will have heard the passionate discussions being had by all parties as to whether it is safe to bring larger numbers of children back into schools.
In moving forward with the Governments decision I have considered the following:
I have drawn the following conclusions:
Taking all of the above into account I have spent the last week creating a plan to move us forward. As of the 1st June:
Over the next week I will be contacting you all to talk about whether you would like your child to spend some time back in school before the Summer holidays, even if it is only for one or two days.
As parents you will be aware of the risks involved in sending your children into school and as head teacher I cannot tell you that there is no risk. It is your decision and we will support you with whatever you decide. We are working hard to make the school as safe as possible but there is still a risk for everyone. There will be no fines issued if you choose to keep your children at home and we totally understand if this is your choice.
If you would like to talk about this with me then please feel free to contact school.
Yours sincerely
Joanna Murphy
HeadteacherHello Everyone.
I thought I would just check in with you all.
The school is still very quiet and I really don't like the empty rooms and corridors. I much prefer it to be busy and noisy. I am hoping we can get back to some sort of normality soon. We are watching the Governments guidance and we are waiting for some indication as to how and when we can start to plan your children's return. I think that the return to school will be slow paced and gradual. I will work to support our Y6 children who will be leaving us in July. It is going to be important that they have the best transition possible in the current circumstances so that they can have the most successful start to Y7. I will stay in touch with you all so that you know how things are going. When I have anything to share with you, rest assured I will share it.
We are all still keeping busy in school and the teachers are speaking to all our families over the week. Our website is looking really good with all the pictures you have been sending in. Please keep sending things to us. It makes the staff smile when they see what your children are getting up to at home. Have a look at the daily challenge section of the home learning page as it is full of ideas on how to celebrate VE Day next week. Friday is the VE Day Bank Holiday but the school will remain open to key workers and some of our children. We will be celebrating the event with our children in school.
Next week we will be starting to collect food for our local food bank. It has supported many of our friends and families during this period of time and we think we could possibly help by offering them whatever we can gather together. If you do have any spare tins, cereals, chocolates or dried goods that we could send to them, then just send then into school next week and we will make sure it is passed on to the Food Bank for them to distribute across our communities in Wigan. Thank you in advance for your support with this.
I will sign off now but as ever remember we are here if you need us. Please pick up the phone and we will help in any way we can.
Enjoy your time at home with your children.
See you very soon.
Mrs Murphy
Hello Everyone.
I hope you are keeping well and that you are still socially distancing to protect your families, the NHS and all the other front line workers. I really hope that your time at home is as peaceful as it can be and that you are getting through this really difficult time in the best way you can.
Please remember that even in the sunny weather that we have been having it is so important to stay at home and be socially isolating. It is only by continuing to do this, can we hope to get some normality back sooner.
Today should have been the start of our Summer Term. My thoughts go out to our Y6 children who should be having their final term with us and who should be looking forward to their Y6 Leavers Celebration at the end of this term. As I have said before, we will celebrate their time with us in school at the first opportunity we get when the future is a little clearer for everyone.
School continues to be open to those who most need it. We are doing our very best to stay in touch with each and every one of you. The teaching staff should be contacting you every week to talk about your child’s learning and to offer ideas around learning at home and what is available. You should also still be getting support calls from Mrs Bolton, Mrs Latham, Mrs Fowler and myself. Remember to call school if you need anything else from us in between the calls.
Please have a look at our school website. There are lots of ideas on it around things to do at home with your children. If your children are reluctant to learn at home then have a look at our daily challenges. These are ideas from the staff around simple practical activities that might grab your child’s attention and imagination. Take some time to work with your child on the activities and they may just enjoy them for a little while. Whatever you are doing with your child please let us see it. Take a photo and send it to homelearning@willowgroveprimary.org.uk Then everyone can see the lovely things you are doing at home.
Remember you are doing a great job and we understand it is going to be difficult for you right now so use us to support you whenever you can.
I am signing off with a thought that I read on the Beacon House twitter feed. I have changed the wording a little …
Dear Parents
Don't stress about school work.
In September we will get your children back on track. We are your children's team and that is our superpower. What we can't easily fix is social and emotional trauma that prevents the brain from learning.
So right now we just need you to share your calm, share your strength and share your laughter with your children.
No kids are ahead. No kids are behind. Your children are exactly where they need to be.
With Love.
Your children's team x
Bye for now and I’ll be in touch soon.
Mrs Murphy x
Hello Everyone
I though I would take a moment to wish you all a very happy Easter weekend. I hope you are all keeping safe and well and that you are finding your time at home with families ok. I hope that so far your Easter has been peaceful.
When times are difficult for everyone as they are now, it is the acts of kindness shown by people that suddenly feel so very important. On Thursday your child will have received an Easter Egg from the Willow Grove Easter Bunny :) I wanted to say a big thank you to our very special Easter Bunny who donated all the eggs for the children this year. You know who you are. Thank you. It is this act of kindness that has reminded me of the importance of supporting each other in difficult times.
Remember to be kind, and don't forget that even when we are feeling worried, anxious or just a little bit lost there is always someone somewhere who will step up and put the smiles back on our faces. Happy Easter to you all and thank you again Easter Bunny.
I'll be in touch again soon.
Mrs Murphy
3rd April 2020
Hello everyone.
I thought I would write to say hello and to keep you up-to-date with how things are in school.
I hope you are managing to stay safe in your homes. Social distancing is very unsettling and for grown-ups and little ones alike, not to be able to see friends, family and loved ones is really hard. However, we know that for the sake of our NHS frontline workers and for our own school staff it is the best thing to do – so please make sure you are staying isolated to protect our NHS and our school. We will continue to provide the best support we can and to stay available for as long as we can but we need your help to do it so please remember to stay isolated to keep us all safe.
School is still functioning although it looks and feels very different. The building is very quiet and the few children who are in are quiet with it. There is a very eerie feel to it all. I really miss the noise and the bustle and I am looking forward to the time when our community is back together and I can hear and see children everywhere I look.
The staff are working really hard to make sure they stay in touch with everyone and you should hear from your child’s class teacher at least once a week. You should also expect a call from our Safeguarding Leads here in school. Mrs Fowler, Mrs Bolton, Mrs Latham or myself, will be calling once a week or more, to check in with you on a personal level. We might speak with your children to say hello and we will want to know if there is anything you need from us that may support you at home. If you think you need anything from us, then just speak up and we will help in whatever way we can.
The website is proving a vital way to keep in touch and the teachers are filling it with activities for our children to have a go at. As I said before – please do not feel the pressure of having to complete everything, just dip in and out as you can manage but remember, we would love to see what you are all getting up to at home so send your pictures or comments to homelearning@willowgroveprimary.org.uk and Mr Finn will upload them to our gallery then everyone can see what you are doing.
New routines will be hard to establish - just do the best you can. Remember you are more than enough for your family and you are doing a great job.
Take care of everyone and I’ll be in touch soon.
Joanna Murphy
Headteacher
3rd April 2020
Hello children it's Mrs Murphy
I wanted to say hello again and to ask how things are for you?
I hope you are all doing lots of different things at home with your families. Are you keeping fit with lots of exercise? I hope you are playing in your gardens when you can and that you are making the most of the sunny days we have been having. Have you been on our school website yet? You will find pictures in the home learning gallery of some of your friends and you can see some of the activities they have been doing at home. Why don't you have a look? You might fancy having a go yourself and sending us some pictures.
School is very quiet without you and I am missing you a lot. I can't wait for noisy dinner times and loud PE lessons again in school. We will most definitely have a big party when we can all come back to school. I am looking forward to being able to see you and to listen to what you have been getting up to.
If you want to send me a message, then you can email me at homelearning@willowgroveprimary.org.uk and I will be able to catch up with you.
Take care of yourselves and be good for your families.
I will write again soon.
Mrs Murphy
25th March 2020
Hello children, it’s Mrs Murphy.
I just wanted to say hello to you all.
It feels very strange to have so few children in school and I am missing you sharing all your lovely work with me. I wonder if you are thinking of school as well?
We have been told by our Government that we have to stay at home and no one is allowed to go out to see their friends. It all feels very odd. It is time to give our town and country a big clean and the best way to do that is to stay in our houses and stay with our families.
I hope you are being good for your mums and dads. Your teachers are all thinking of you and they are wondering what you have been up to. They will be phoning you soon to have a chat and a catch up.
As soon as the people who make the rules tell me it’s ok to come back to school I will let you know.
Be happy and safe children and be good for your mums and dads. Look after the people you live with; we will see you all soon.
Mrs Murphy
25th March 2020
Dear Parents/ Carers
I wanted to write out to you all at this very challenging time in our lives.
As a school we have had to make some very difficult decisions over the last week. You have all been incredibly supportive of our actions and I wanted to personally thank you all. We will continue to do our best to support our school community in whatever way we are allowed and will continue to follow all the advice we are given from the Government, Public Health and our Local Authority. As a school we are running on a skeleton staff and we continue to be available to you over the phone if you need us. The teaching staff will be staying in contact with you and your children and you can expect regular check-in calls from school to see if there is anything else you need from us. I also wanted to publicly thank all our team at school. They have all risen to the challenge of supporting our children and families whilst managing their own lives at home.
I am mindful of our Y6 children who may be wondering about leaving us at Summer and whether we will be back at school anytime soon. Unfortunately, I don’t have the answers to that, but I can promise that as soon as we are back together as a school community we will find some way to celebrate our Y6 children’s achievements at Willow Grove.
I wanted to offer some thoughts around being at home with your children and the expectation that you are ‘home schooling’. Please do not feel the pressure of having to organise daily classes for your children. Home life can be hectic and busy enough without having to try to ‘teach’ in a formal way.
The work we send home is to offer activities that can be dipped into when you choose. Obviously your little one is missing a lot of schooling at the moment, but there is an awful lot of things you can be doing every day that will keep learning going as much as possible during this time.
Here are a few suggestions:
Most of all, have as many good times together as you can. Being active will help you to stay mentally strong whilst we all get used to living our lives differently. Enjoy learning as much as you can and remember we are here if you need us.
Stay safe and take care of each other.
Yours sincerely
Joanna Murphy
Headteacher
Will all parents please watch their emails as information regarding FSM will be coming to you later today.
If you dont have an email contact then give us a ring at school.
School information for Covid-19
On Monday 24th March The Government instigated further extreme measures to regulate the behaviours of our communities and to work to control the spread of the Coronavirus.
The guidance for schools is very clear. We are to limit the numbers of children in school wherever possible to reduce the risk to children and to staff. As a school we have worked towards that aim today. Parents and carers have been extremely supportive of our efforts to this end. Our numbers of children are now at its lowest and the staff have begun a rota of care and support.
We are still very much a working team – if not slightly spread out - and will continue to support our school community for as long as we possibly can.
Even if you are a key worker, if you are able to support your child at home then without question that is the safest place to do so. In school we are making every effort to ensure we are as safe as we can be.
The number of cases of Covid-19 has increased significantly over the weekend. Please take the time to read the Government advice on how best to keep your children and families safe. Advice can be found here.
Social distancing is extremely important and as you will be aware we could be carriers of the virus as well as be its potential victims. Sending children to school does increase their risk of exposure to Covid-19 as they will be with other children and adults. Please consider this very carefully if you are choosing to send your child to school.
Further Government advice on Social Distancing can be found here.
As a school community we continue to do whatever we can to prevent unnecessary risk to the children and staff in Willow Grove. The situation is changing rapidly as I’m sure you are aware and we will endeavour to keep our website updated for you.
We are currently taking the following steps:
This is a very worrying time for everyone in our school community. Please do not be alone with your worries. We are at the end of the phone or available via email. If you want to speak with someone then just call us at school and we will support you in any way we can or signpost you to someone who can help.
Support for your mental health can be found here.
Medical advice can be found here.
Wigan Local Council support advice can be found here.