from Nursery to Sixth Form
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Every week the Bulletin newsletter is sent home from the School Office highlighting important forthcoming dates and events, along with a round-up by Mrs Heywood of the week gone by. Read below recent messages from the Head's desk and previous word's from former Head Mr Bevis.
Dear Parents and Guardians
To close our final bulletin of the academic year, your children’s Headteacher has shared many words of wisdom, some lovely memories, and even the odd video! Please take some time to read them, and to also reflect on your child's final report of the year.
Dear Parents and Guardians
A shorter set of words from me this week, despite my beloved Liverpool FC winning the Premier League title (had to mention this somewhere!).
Dear Parents and Guardians
Another week comes to a close, but one where we have welcomed our Junior pupils back for the last three weeks of term. Both pupils and staff have happy stories to tell and wide smiles... as I am sure many parents do too!
Dear Parents and Guardians
It has been a bit of an unusual week.
Strange weather, an eerie return to premier league football, mysterious technology U-turns on track and trace analysis, curious rumblings from sports governing bodies referencing coaching strategies at grass roots level for children, and confusion emanating from the Department for Education….. Year 8 can come back to school if they are in a prep/middle school, but not if they are in a senior school? I understand the reasons why, Year 8 being the equivalent to Year 6 in these schools in that it is their final year, but it does not make it any easier for our parents who are in their second term as teachers trying to balance their child's curriculum content, their own work, and teenagers who want to see their friends.
Dear Parents and Guardians
I start this week's newsletter with the headline news that Mrs Margaret Heywood, Head of Senior Girls has announced her retirement at the end of this summer term. Known as Maggie in school and the wider professional and sporting community, Maggie joined Claires Court back in 1984. During her incredible career with us, she has led the PE department with great distinction, served as Deputy Head Pastoral under Paul Bevis and stepped up to headship in 2017. Her husband Peter and she chose Claires Court for their children, and both Jessica and Lara have returned as employees in recent years. As these two daughters are currently on maternity leave, and Maggie has her grandson Fox and family living with her during #lockdown as well, she has chosen now to adjust her priorities accordingly. The Principals will plan formal thanks and presentations later in the year, when we are all ‘back-in’; in the meantime, Mrs Heywood wishes everyone to treat school as ‘business as usual’, and as you can read below, Senior Girls has a very good deal going on, including of course reopening for business on Monday for Year 10.
The Principals are delighted to announce that her Deputy, Steve Richards has been appointed as her successor, already a well known face to the girls as their Deputy Head Operations.
Dear Parents and Guardians
What a wonderful feeling it has been to welcome some pupils and parents back into school. I have been lucky enough to be based at Junior Boys this week where around 100 boys and girls from Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, and children of our Key Worker parents have been enjoying the ‘actual’ school rather than the ‘virtual’ school. Moonlighting in my other role as a Junior Boys car park attendant, it has been a privilege to be part of the process of safely bringing our boys and girls into school.
Dear Parents and Guardians
Crikey, it's been hot. But I am not moaning, long may the sunshine continue into June.
While we are set to open our school gates on Monday 1 June for pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, along with children of key workers, we have also been working on our plans to reintegrate our Year 10 pupils and Year 12 students back to school at a date yet to be confirmed in June. These examination groups have crucial academic responsibilities and we want to ensure we are providing them with every opportunity to excel.
Dear Parents and Guardians
I hope you have had a safe and healthy week as we move slowly towards the ‘half term’ break next Friday.
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Dear Parents and Guardians
It is a big weekend coming up!
Everyone is waiting to see what Boris Johnson says on Sunday evening when he announces his plans for the next set of proposals to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. Whatever direction the government chooses, we at Claires Court are ready with strategies to continue distance learning where appropriate and to open the School for our families as soon as we are allowed to do so.
Dear Parents and guardians
I hope you are well and a huge thank you to all of you who have contacted me this week with feedback on your experiences of becoming a temporary support teacher while juggling so many other plates at the same time. Feedback is how we can continue to improve and develop our academic and wellbeing programme. We are sharing a short questionnaire which we ask you to complete here - we value your opinions and this will help us in our thinking to deliver the best educational experience possible.
Dear parents and guardians - welcome to our first bulletin of the term
I hope the start of term has been as smooth as can be expected during these troubled times. Herein we have words from the Heads of each division sharing their experiences of the first few days of pupil learning, and I will let you enjoy their stories in the Friday evening sunshine. We also have some reminders of what is coming up in the various challenges that have been set.
Our Year 11 pupils delivered a heartfelt assembly about their time at Claires Court to the rest of Senior Girls last Friday.
I hope you’re all keeping safe and well. As we settle into the end of our first week of remote working, we appreciate that these are difficult and testing times for families as we strive to find our best way of working within the constraints of family units with many of you adjusting to and juggling a new world of distance teaching and learning. Please keep encouraging pupils to contact subject staff if they are finding it difficult to understand or follow instructions given via Google Classroom. The staff have been impressed with your attitude to this new way of working, and the quality of work being produced so well done and keep it up!
The last day of term was an extremely emotional day for all and particularly for our Year 11 pupils. I wish to thank Mrs Ruddick, Mrs Sahota, the pupils, tutors and senior staff who worked hard to create a special day for all; an opportunity to look back, to reminisce and to enjoy each other’s company. The day culminated in a final assembly, in the company of the pupil body, where all Year 11s were presented with a silver heart necklace, provided by our PTA, which symbolises the love and affection in which they have always been regarded, and the strong relationships between themselves.
01628 327500 - School Office
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1 College Avenue, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 6AW
