Latest News | Cherry Oak School

Cherry Oak School's New Libary Designs

Wed 21 Jul 2021 Ross Ashcroft - Headteacher

We are pleased to be able to share with you the proposed designs for our new Library at Cherry Oak. Improving our pupils literacy skills are of the highest priority here at Cherry Oak. Alongside extensive training for staff with our new phonics scheme; Read Write Inc, we have also invested heavily in many new and exciting literacy resources.

The culmination of this continuing development will be our new Library. This dynamic, engaging and well resourced area will provide the perfect environment for our pupils at all levels of reading.

We hope that you and your children are as excited by these designs as we are.

End Of Academic Year Letter 2020-2021

Wed 21 Jul 2021 Ross Ashcroft - Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

The school year draws to a close and the last day of the school year is upon us. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you. Firstly, for choosing Cherry Oak School and secondly for trusting us with your child’s education and finally for all the support that you have given every member of the school’s staffing team this year. I also want to thank every child for all the warmth, memories and the learning that we have shared over the last two terms.

My appointment started with great plans to continue with the developments towards the issues raised in the recent Ofsted inspection. However, as for the last 18 months, Coronavirus forced us into another lockdown. This has had a significant impact on our plans as a school. Staff were asked to adapt, with very little notice, to online and remote learning. As you will imagine, attempting to shift weeks of carefully co-ordinated lesson planning, content and skills progression into remote learning was difficult, but as always Cherry Oak staff rose to the challenge. This was shown in February’s parent survey on remote education, with 87.6% of respondents saying the quality of home learning packs were excellent or good, and 100% saying the quality of live zoom sessions were excellent or good. However, we know that some students have flourished whilst some have found periods of lockdown and restrictions very challenging. I would like to take this opportunity to thank parents for their support in these difficult circumstances, you have done an incredible job!

With all the difficulties COVID has brought, it has also been a busy and fun year with designing and implementing a new curriculum and the achievement of the Primary Quality Mark Award in March. We have also significantly increased the school’s budget, meaning increased staffing, resources and opportunities for your children next academic year. However, next year brings new challenges, likely Ofsted visit, fundraising for new purpose built library, embedding curriculum areas across the school, new streamed ability class groups and new staff and pupils starting with us. Together, with your support, and your children as our inspiration, we can achieve anything.

Year 6’s

As the Cherry Oak door closes today, another door is opening for 13 of our year 6 pupils as they embark on the next stage of their educational journey. I would like to take this opportunity to mention those Year 6’s pupils who are coming to the end of their time at Cherry Oak. The strange end to their time at school is very difficult to take in. The lack of opportunities COVID gave us to properly celebrate their time as members of our community has been difficult. They have missed out on leavers’ assemblies, parent evenings and the informal goodbyes that mark the summer term. I would like to wish them well on the next stage of their journey at ‘big’ school. Pupils who are, kind, inquisitive, independent, curious children who love to learn. We are so proud of each one of you. I know that our new students joining us in September 2021 will bring many talents to continue the increased success and positivity that the school has enjoyed over the last year.

Uniform

Full school uniform will be in place as normal from September 2021. The uniform will be unchanged in September. Details are available on the school website.

New Staff

We will be saying goodbye to a small number of staff and welcoming increasing numbers of new members of staff to Cherry Oak in the new academic year. I know that our new staff will be both positive and productive additions to our school community. Information about staff will be available on the school website.

Arrangements for the start of term

Thursday 2nd September - Staff training day - school closed to pupils

Friday 3rd September - Staff training day - school closed to pupils

Monday 6th – All year 1-6 pupils back at school (Reception pupils will have individual transitions)

Please keep a close eye on the school website and school app which will have all updates and guidance.

I would like to wish you all a good summer and look forward to seeing you and your families in the new term.

Yours faithfully

Ross Ashcroft

Head Teacher

Important Information Regarding Friday the 16th July 2021

Thu 15 Jul 2021 Ross Ashcroft - Head Teacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the end of the academic year, we are faced with increased COVID-19 infections which are now affecting the operational running of the school.

I now find myself in a position where I need to isolate due to having close contact. Unfortunately, our Assistant Head Emma is in a similar position and also needs to isolate. It is very frustrating for this to occur so close to the end of the year, and has put enormous pressure on everyone to make sure the school runs smoothly. We have been proactive, myself and Emma have already taken a full PCR test and are hopeful we will be back in school as soon as possible.

Thankfully, Claire Kings, our Strategic Pastoral Manager and Leadership Team member has deputised today, running the school to our usual high standard. Claire has the experience and knowledge to do this well, and has done so many times in the past.

However, even with this succession planning and crisis management in place, we still find ourselves in a position where we have significant issues with the running of the school tomorrow, Friday 16th July. Currently there will be no SLT from Cherry Oak in a position to lead the school and without a member of the leadership team on site the school would not be able to open.

However, we have been in discussions with leadership members from across the federation to arrange emergency leadership support in case myself and Emma’s results do not come back in time or come back positive. Clare Scattergood, Headteacher within the federation for Victoria College, has agreed to stand in tomorrow as acting headteacher to make sure we can continue to open. Ellee Vance, middle management will also be stepping up into a more senior role tomorrow to assist the running of the school.

Even with all these measures in place, we still have a lack of staff to run at full capacity. Classes where staff numbers are low due to isolating have been asked to keep their children at home on Friday – these parents/carers have been contacted via phone today. I am also asking other parents now for your continued support, if you are able to keep your child at home tomorrow please could you do so. I understand it is late notice, but we are in an impossible situation and are doing everything we can to avoid a school closure. If you do decide to keep your child off school this absence would of course be authorised.

The planned transition into new classes tomorrow will now be postponed until next week.

Cherry Oak has managed to control cases and work within restrictions for a long time, with limited bubble closures throughout this period. Hopefully you understand this is a very rare situation we find ourselves in which could not have been avoided. We have all hands-on deck to make sure we are open and ready to receive your children in our normal, caring and nurturing manner as soon as possible.

Thank you again for your continued support.

Kind regards

Yours sincerely

Ross Ashcroft - Head Teacher