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23 Mar It’s not goodbye, but see you later
It’s not goodbye, but see you later.
As the government announces school closures, school communities across the country will no doubt be in shock and feeling anxious about what these closures mean for the young people and families that we care so much about. School is such a solid, consistent feature of life for all in the school community and it is only natural for us all to feel some degree of apprehension with an indeterminate closure.
On Friday, we closed the school gates and said goodbye to the children prematurely. But I’m absolutely positive that this is not a goodbye, but a see you later. Over the last few days I have been asked a whole range of questions about what school closures could mean for the school and there have been many anxious questions from the Year 6 children about whether today is their last day at Coleridge Primary School. The honest answer is that we can’t possibly know. Some news sources suggest that we may not reopen before the summer and others that this could be a few months. But what I do know is that we, as a staff body and a school community, will have the children in the forefront of our minds through the next weeks and months. I also hope that school will reopen before the summer, as do our children.
There are certain landmarks in the school calendar that the children always look forward to in their school year and some of those events and activities will be cancelled, missed or are now uncertain. But whatever happens for the rest of the academic year, the children will always be Coleridge children. In Year 6, we have been preparing for SATs and I have been amazed at the hard work and dedication that the children have shown in their learning. Now SATs have been called off, it is natural to feel disappointed for the children that they will not be able to cap their achievements off in the expected fashion. But I also feel incredibly proud of everything that this cohort has achieved in their time at school and especially in their final year so far.
Our school is a truly special place and I always feel lucky to be a part of this fantastic community. We face some challenges over the next few months, but I have no doubt that the school community will work together to support each other through this time of closure. Although it does feel a bit like an ending, I am determined that it won’t be. I look forward to welcoming the children back to school in due course and to saying a proper goodbye to our fantastic Year 6’s with a celebration of all of their achievements when we can once again come together as a whole school.
This is NOT a goodbye, but see you later.
Take care of each other.
Mr Grimadell