Message from Chair of Governors

End of term & EMET update

Dear Highfields Parents/Carers and Staff

As we reach the end of what has been perhaps the most challenging term so far in Highfields history, I wanted to thank you for your extraordinary efforts and to ask for views on how we move forward together.

Families, you have ensured that students have attended with masks and hand sanitiser. You have been patient and calm when the school has had to respond to cases of Covid-19. Your children have adapted brilliantly to the various safety measures in school and they have been supportive and kind towards one another.

School leaders, you prepared well for the safe return of students and have made extra-ordinary efforts to balance the learning of students with their safety and the safety of the most vulnerable in our community. Thank you especially to those leaders including Mrs Rifkin who have liaised with Public Health England to coordinate our response to positive cases of Covid.

On the advice of the headteacher I reserve my biggest thank you for the wider staff body. Thank you to our cleaning, catering and site teams who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the highest of standards of hygiene have been preserved. Thank you to our support staff who have worked under significant pressure to ensure that learning could be carried out safely in our classrooms from day to day, and thank you to our teachers, who, despite all challenges, have continued to ensure that our classrooms are calm, kind, focused places for our students to learn in.

As you know, governors feel that our staff and students need strong support, now and as we face the challenges of the future. We propose that this support should come from EMET, a family of schools whose autonomy is respected but who receive all the benefits of belonging to a strong collective such as Peak 11 (now disbanding).

A survey has been emailed out to families and staff on 22 October to take your views into account. Please take a moment to respond. The deadline for responses is 5 November to allow everyone sufficient time to read the information issued. We have not included the link to the survey in the newsletter because this would then be accessible to anyone with internet access. All responses are valued and all will be treated confidentially.

Governors would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families a peaceful and safe half term and we look forward to seeing staff and students back in November.

Angeline Ellson Chair of Governors on behalf of the Full Governing Board