Welcome to the Headteacher's blog. It is used to share information and showcase the variety of learning that takes place here at Brunel.  Along with Facebook, Twitter and our newsletters, this blog will also be used for posting information on events happening in school.  I hope that you find it useful and will check back regularly.

Suzanne Cooper - Headteacher

Start times/ entrance as follows:
Reception – 9.00 KS1 playground gate

Y1 - 8.45 KS1 playground gate – keep to the right

Y2 – 8.45 KS1 playground gate – keep to the left

Y3 – 8.45 children only to enter through the main gate – keep right and enter building Y3 patio door

Y4 – 8.50 children only to enter through the main gate – keep left and enter through KS2 main doors

Y5 (Mr Arnold) – 8.50 children enter through library gate any accompanying adult to leave immediately through Callington Road gate. (One way system in operation) Children enter school from playground steps.

Y5/6 (Mr Knight) - 8.45 children enter through library gate any accompanying adult to leave immediately through Callington Road gate. (One way system in operation) Children to enter school through

Y6 patio door. Y6 – (Miss Burton) - 8.45 children enter through library gate any accompanying adult to leave immediately through Callington Road gate. (One way system in operation) Children to enter school through Y6 patio door. If you have more than one child, please drop off your older children first.

Finish times/exits  Monday to Thursday         /         Friday

Reception – 3.00 from KS1 playground                    12.55 from KS1 playground

Y1 – 3.10 from KS1 playground (keep right)            1.00 from KS1 playground

Y2 – 3.10 from KS1 playground (keep left)               1.00 from KS2 playground

If you also need to pick up children from Y3 or Y4 - on leaving KS1 playground please go through the main gate and up the drive.

If you need to pick up a child in R, Y1 or Y2 and a Y5 or Y6 child (but not Y3 or Y4) you will need to access the KS2 playground via the library gate exiting on Callington Road.

Please pick up your younger child first, we understand that you cannot be in two places at once!

LKS2 finish times/exits Monday to Thursday     /     Friday

Y3 – 3.15 from main drive (keep right)                       1.05 from main drive (keep right)

Y4 – 3.20 from main drive (keep left)                          1.10 from main drive (keep left)

If you also need to pick up a child from R, Y1 or Y2, please pick up your younger child first, we understand that you cannot be in two places at once!

If you also need to pick up a Y5 Y6 child please continue up the drive, taking the path around the Y6 patio area, meet your child on the KS2 playground and leave via the Callington Road gate.

UKS2 finish times/exits Monday to Thursday      /     Friday


Y5 – 3.20 from KS2 playground (enter from library exit Callington Road)      1.15 on Friday

Y5/6 – 3.15 from KS2 playground (enter from library exit Callington Road)  1.15 on Friday

Y6 - 3.15 from KS2 playground (enter from library exit Callington Road)        1.10 on Friday

Please pick up your younger child first, we understand that you cannot be in two places at once! P.E. kit will not be required for the for the time being but children will need their trainers in school every day. We will let you know in advance when full kit will be required. Please can parents keep to prompt start and finish times and ensure social distancing at all times. May we also request that you avoid visiting the school office or reception and direct any enquiries via telephone or email.

Dear Parents, Carers and Staff,

As we reach the end of this extremely unusual term, I would just like to take this opportunity to express my thanks and admiration for how brilliantly everyone in our Brunel community has worked together in the face of the difficulties that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused.

I think you can be incredibly proud of all you have achieved for our Brunel children over the past one and a half terms, both at home and at school. Parents, Carers, Teachers, TAs, Admin, Kitchen and Cleaning staff have all shown considerable flexibility and creativity in altering routines and changing ‘career’, sometimes daily.

I’m aware of some of the issues that have presented as children have tried to continue with their education at home or at school, and there have been many successes too. I am constantly amazed by the variety of the learning and the resourcefulness of the adults. By persevering and continuing to work in partnership together, we have adapted to each challenge as it has arisen. There are many things that we have learned, the most important being that the health and wellbeing of us all is top priority and not to be taken for granted.

There is a constant media narrative at the moment of the ‘failed children’ and of how this generation will suffer because of the schooling they have missed. I and many others do not believe this to be true. There is not just one chance to learn. Education is life long and it’s never too late. We will be working extremely hard to ensure that any gaps in learning are filled as soon as possible. Brunel staff are some of the most committed and creative practitioners out there!

We are all desperate to get back to normality but it seems that we could be on this journey for a while. We will be working to the new guidelines in September but there still remains much uncertainty. I will be in touch over the holiday to advise you of any new developments if and as they occur. I am aware of anxieties concerning new school hours and would like to reassure working parents that we are not envisaging any problems with children being dropped off and collected before and after the usual school hours. We are hoping to reinstate Kid’s Club as a paying provision, but in order to be able to socially distance, will again ask that parents limit using it whenever possible.

I would just like to end by once again thanking everyone for your support, cooperation and generosity throughout this challenging time, we are a brilliant Brunel community. I hope you all have a safe, enjoyable and relaxing holiday in the circumstances and look forward to seeing you again in the new term.

With very best wishes,

Suzanne Cooper  Headteacher

Many of us are online a lot more at the moment, and while there are many benefits to this method of communication, there are also cautions too. 

Please visit our online safety resources page for tips using various games/platforms.

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you and your families remain safe and well.

This week saw the reopening of the school to some of our Y6 pupils. Everything has gone very smoothly thanks to the hard work and planning of the staff and the cooperation of both parents and children. The children have been brilliant at following all the many new rules and routines designed to keep them safe and we hope to repeat this success with Y1 next week. For the majority of you who have children remaining at home the Learning Grids have been uploaded to the class blogs on the website. We hope you are still finding them useful.

Some parents and carers have told us that they and their children are beginning to find things a little more difficult and are starting to feel a bit fed up. Below is a link to advice on the NHS website that you may find helpful:

5 Steps to Well-being : https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/improve-mental-wellbeing/

Connect – connect with the people around you: your family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Spend time developing these relationships. Learn more in Connect for mental wellbeing.

Be active – you don't have to go to the gym. Take a walk, go cycling or play a game of football. Find an activity that you enjoy and make it a part of your life. Learn more in Get active for mental wellbeing.

Keep learning – learning new skills can give you a sense of achievement and a new confidence. So why not sign up for that cooking course, start learning to play a musical instrument, or figure out how to fix your bike? Find out more in Learn for mental wellbeing.

Give to others – even the smallest act can count, whether it's a smile, a thank you or a kind word. Larger acts, such as volunteering at your local community centre, can improve your mental wellbeing and help you build new social networks. Learn more in Give for mental wellbeing.#

Be mindful – be more aware of the present moment, including your thoughts and feelings, your body and the world around you. Some people call this awareness "mindfulness". It can positively change the way you feel about life and how you approach challenges. Learn more in Mindfulness for mental wellbeing.

Please continue to keep in touch with your class teachers and thank you for everything that you are doing to support your child at home. It is appreciated.

Best wishes

Suzanne Cooper
Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are sure that like us, you have lots of questions following the Prime Minister's announcement last night.

At the moment, for us in school, there is no change to the guidance, so we will be continuing to operate as we have over the last few weeks. We will continue to provide essential child care for key worker families as well as vulnerable children.

The message remains that it is safer to stay at home.

We appreciate this is a confusing time. Once we have received further information and reviewed the guidance on how to manage a safe, phased return we will of course keep you informed.

Please stay safe and take care

Suzanne Cooper
Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you are all remaining safe and well.  The home learning grids have been uploaded to the class blogs and are updated weekly. Thank you for your feedback so far, we have taken note of your suggestions and have adapted the activities accordingly. As I've mentioned before, the work on the grids is not compulsory, so pick and choose the activities that inspire your children and suit your individual circumstances. If you require paper copies of anything they can be collected from the reception desk. Please phone ahead so that we can have packs ready for you. If you get the chance, it is always lovely to hear from the children or see photos of how they're spending their time. You can email or send messages via Facebook, Twitter or by post.

We have recently been making phone calls to everyone. This is not to check up on home learning but rather to catch up with how things are with you all and to see if you or your children need our help with anything. We are also enjoying talking with someone other than members of our small daily work teams!

We are in school every day so do not hesitate to call or email if you need  anything. You can also visit the Health and Well-being and  Community Links pages, under the Information tab on this website, for useful resources to support you if needed.

Take care and stay safe.

Mrs S Cooper

Dear Children,

I am sorry that our school is closing for most of you today. This is to keep everyone safe and well.

Most of you will be staying at home with your families but if your parents or carers do certain jobs you may be coming back in to school on some days so that they can continue going to work.

You have all been given some ideas of work or activities to complete at home and we will be happy to hear about all the other things that you do as well.

While you’re at home or in our care classes at school, please remember the Brunel rule:

“Always be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.”

We know that you will behave and help out. It is a strange time for children and adults and we all need to look after each other, particularly at the beginning when we’re getting used to all the changes.

Hopefully, if everyone follows the rules, we will be able to welcome you all back later in the year but in the meantime please keep in touch by email or letter and take care of yourselves.

I will miss you all

Best wishes

Mrs Cooper

Dear Children,

I am sorry that our school is closing for most of you today. This is to keep everyone safe and well.

Most of you will be staying at home with your families but if your parents or carers do certain jobs you may be coming back in to school on some days so that they can continue going to work.

You have all been given some ideas of work or activities to complete at home and we will be happy to hear about all the other things that you do as well.

While you’re at home or in our care classes at school, please remember the Brunel rule:

“Always be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing.”

We know that you will behave and help out. It is a strange time for children and adults and we all need to look after each other, particularly at the beginning when we’re getting used to all the changes.

Hopefully, if everyone follows the rules, we will be able to welcome you all back later in the year but in the meantime please keep in touch by email or letter and take care of yourselves.

I will miss you all

Best wishes

Mrs Cooper .