Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• September return

  Fri 03 Jul 2020 Mrs Rudd

  As you have heard from the news all children will be returning to school in September. The government has produced new guidelines which we received yesterday and we are currently reading through all of these to see how this will affect the children and the curriculum. Below are some of the main points of the guidelines:

  • All children will be expected to return and parents may be fined if their child does not return
  • There will be no social distancing between children in a class group
  • Each class will be kept separate from each other as far as possible
  • There will be staggered start, break and end times so that the children do not mix
  • Each class will have a separate area of the playground in which to play
  • There will be no overnight visits allowed during the autumn term
  • Breakfast and after school clubs can operate however where possible year groups should be kept apart
  • There will be no swimming lessons during the autumn term
  • Resources can be shared within a class group but if another class needs to use them they must be cleaned
  • The focus of the curriculum should be to make sure the children make up for the time lost and that any gaps in learning are covered
  • School meals will be as normal but in class groups in the hall
  • No whole school meetings; e.g. assemblies, parents meetings, workshops
  • Parents asked to not come into the school building unless it is an emergency. Only one parent to bring a child to school
  • The children must wear school uniform. Please make sure it is named so that it can be returned to your child if it gets lost. There will not be a lost property box until further notice.
  • If there is a confirmed case of Covid in school then that class will be told to isolate at home. If there is more than one case then the school may have to close for a short period to allow deep cleaning and for staff and pupils to isolate.

  These apply to the autumn term, with new guidance being released later to cover the spring and summer terms.

   

  We will publish further information on here about specific details, such as start and end times, as soon as we have sorted timetables

   

  It will be lovely to see everyone back again, you have all been missed.

   

  For information the school will open on Wednesday 2nd September for all children in Years 1 - 6. Reception will have the usual staggered start and further information about this will be sent out to Reception parents.

• Staffing Update

  Wed 01 Jul 2020 Mrs Rudd

  Sadly we have had some staffing changes over the closure period. We have said good bye to Mrs Howard who has gained full time employment at another school in Birmingham, and at the end of July we will be saying goodbye to Mr Wistow who is moving house and will be moving to a school closer to his new home.

  Mrs McHale is now on maternity leave and will return some time next year.

   

  These changes mean we are welcoming two new teachers to our team. Miss Peachey, who taught in Year 1 for a short time prior to the Covid closures, will be starting full time and Miss South will cover Mrs McHale's maternity leave for one day per week.

   

  We wish our leavers good luck in their new positions and 'Welcome to Water Mill' to our new teachers.

• Summer Holidays and September

  Fri 26 Jun 2020 Mrs Rudd

  There has been much talk in the media about what is happening in schools over the summer break and in September. So far schools have not been told very much about all this and we only know what you will have heard.

  At this moment in time there are no plans to open the school over the summer break. Birmingham Education department is looking at a few options for summer holiday schemes with a variety of providers. As soon as we have any information about any of these we will let you know, however it is very likely that you would have to pay to use one of these. We will continue to set work for the children to do at home over this period.

  The government has said that all children will be back in school in September. We are really pleased about this and can't wait to welcome everyone back. The government has said that children will not have to follow any social distancing in schools within their class groups. However they have also said that the groups should be kept apart and not mix. We are waiting for further guidance about this as it will be very difficult to keep groups apart and have a normal school day. Once again as soon as we have further guidance we will let you know.

  The children who have been in school this week have been having a wonderful time and we know from phone calls many of you are working really hard at home helping your children with their home learning packs. Well done everyone. We look forward to seeing everyone again on our transition day.

• Transition Day

  Tue 23 Jun 2020 Mrs Rudd

  On Wednesday 15th July we will be having a transition day in school. We will split classes in two and over the course of the morning each group will be invited into school for an hour to meet their new teacher and to say goodbye to this current years teacher. All parents of pupils in Reception, Years 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 will receive a text telling you a time when your child's group will be in school.

  All of Year 6 will be invited into school during the afternoon of that day and will perform their leavers assembly to parents in the playground. Details about the Year 6 visit will be shared with you shortly.

  During the visit to school the children will be given their books to take home and their end of year report (so can they please bring in a bag).

  On this day we will not be opening the school to the children who are currently attending, except for during their specified hour. This includes the children of key workers.

  We will be providing hand sanitizer and encouraging social distancing during the visit and will clean resources, desks and chairs in between each group's visit.

  We are all looking forward to seeing everyone again.

• Latest on school opening

  Fri 19 Jun 2020 Mrs Rudd

  We have had a lovely week in school and those in school are having fun. However we are missing seeing all of our children and wish you could all be back. We have managed to shuffle things around so that we can invite more children to return and have invited children in Year 5 to join us from next week.

  We are now working on plans to try to get to see everyone before the end of term, even if it is just for a short time. If we are able to do this I will let you know as soon as possible.

• Parent Governors

  Wed 17 Jun 2020 Mrs Rudd

  We currently have two vacancies for parent governors. We will be advertising these and holding elections when everyone is back in school. However we thought we would let you know about it now so that you have time to think about nominating yourself for one of these. 
   

  Governors are a very important part of the school team. They help to make decisions about how the school will progress and improve and ensure that senior leaders are spending school money in the best way possible and are focussing upon pupil progress.

   

  You do not need any particular qualifications to be a governor. You just need to care about making sure that our children make the best possible progress and are happy and safe in school. You might have a particular skill you could bring to the governing board; for example you might work in the construction industry therefore can  offer advice about improving the school building, or you might have an understanding of HR or finance. 

  
  The most important thing is that you have some spare time to attend about six meetings a year and to read the documents for each meeting. You would be made to feel very welcome and would receive some training.

   

  Please consider putting your name forward when the nomination forms are sent out.

   

  Our Chair of Governors, Ninna Makrinov, and our current Parent Governor, Sarah Ogunsina, are both happy for you to contact them if you would like further information. Their contact details are in the governors section of our website.

• Welcome Back

  Sat 13 Jun 2020 Mrs Rudd
  Our first week back with key workers, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 went really well. The children were all very sensible and enjoyed being back in school and playing with their friends. Thank you parents, staff and pupils for everything you are doing to keep everyone safe.
  We are hoping that we will be able to have more children back soon. We are just waiting for the government to give us permission and to tell us their plans.

• Latest on return to school news

  Wed 10 Jun 2020 Mrs Rudd

  You will probably have heard that the Government has changed its mind about other year groups returning to school before the summer break. They said that they will leave it to schools to decide if more come back. This is an interesting statement as I believe few schools will have space to have more children return.

   

  At Water Mill we have 7 class rooms. If we follow the social distancing rule of 2m then we can only fit 10 children into a class room. Therefore the maximum number of children we can accept is 70 and that is assuming that all staff are available to teach.

   

  We have roughly 200 children at Water Mill and would love for you all to be back at school, however until the social distancing rules change it will not be possible to have everyone back.

   

  Schools were told to allow the children of key workers, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 children back into school. We have done this and these children have settled back into school very well. We will continue to think of ways that we could have more children in school from other year groups but it is unlikely that this will happen before the summer break.

   

  I wish that I could give you better news but I am sure that you understand that these are very difficult times for everyone. I will continue to keep you updated.

   

• Welcome Back

  Sun 07 Jun 2020 Mrs Rudd

  We are looking forward to welcoming back Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils next week. There will be lots of changes for everyone to get used to, but it will be nice to get back to a more normal week.

   

  We still have some places available for children if you change your mind about your child returning, but only a few, so get in touch soon if you want your child to return.

   

  For those of you still at home, we miss you all and cant wait till we are able to welcome you all back.

• Return of Pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6

  Wed 03 Jun 2020 Mrs Rudd

  As previously stated children in Years Reception, 1 and 6 will be returning to school next week. All parents of these children and the parents of key worker children will be receiving a letter giving further details about the return. Please read this letter carefully and the accompanying handbook information.

   

  Can all children who are returning please bring in their own water bottle to drink out of during the day. Can you also put sun screen on your child at the start of the day and send them in with a sun hat as they will be outside more than normal.

   

  School will be closed to all pupils on a Friday afternoon as a temporary measure so that deep cleaning and planning can take place.

   

  We currently have 7 children in Reception returning, 12 in Y1 and 18 in Y6. Plus the children of key workers in other year groups. If you have not yet requested a place then you need to do this immediately as we can only accommodate a few more children. Once groups are full we will not be able to admit any more children into the school.

   

  We do not know when other year groups will be returning, but will let you know as soon as we know.