Parent Forum – 05/10/20

Present – Shelley Harries, Andrea Waddington, Vicky Judd, Paula Davies-Ball, Katie Armitage, Eni Hansen-Magnusson, Liz Britton, Bec Turner, Kaarina Ruta, Claire Venn

Discussion Points:

• Parents and staff introduced themselves and the purpose of the parent forum was discussed for those parents who were attending for the first time.
• Music lessons – a parent raised a question about music lessons and when they would restart. SH explained that most lessons had restarted and others would restart soon. Pupils are being taught in class groups to avoid mixing with pupils from other contact groups.
• Safety issues – parents raised concerns about safety issues in relation to the traffic when dropping off and picking up pupils, particularly when accessing the small road leading down to the beach. AW shared these concerns and discussed the need to have staggered start and finish times for pupils in order to minimise contact between class groups. Ideas were put forward about how to reduce this safety issue including closing off the lane to traffic during drop off and pick up times. AW said that she would highlight this issue to parents again through the weekly newsletter and would encourage parents to park away from the school if possible and if using this small road, not to leave the area until all classes had entered the school site.
• Wet days – parents discussed the drop off and pick up procedures on wet days and how some pupils got very wet on a particularly wet day recently. SH and AW explained that the gates would be open 5 minutes earlier on a wet day. Also, a rubbing matting had been installed on the field to avoid walking through wet grass.
• School meals – some parents were concerned that their children had not been able to have the meal that they had chosen when they arrived at the canteen at lunch time. AW and SH explained the lunch ordering process and that pupils should always have their choice of meal when they get to the canteen. This will be passed onto the kitchen staff.
• Sports provision – one parent questioned how we would provide PE lessons during the winter months when the weather was wet. AW and SH explained that we cannot do indoor PE at the moment due to the need to clean the hall between classes. We will endeavour to have two outdoor PE lessons per week, however, when weather does not allow for this we will take advantage of any dry spells to complete activities such as the daily mile and will complete some low level PE activities (such as yoga) within classrooms.