The Hundred of Hoo Academy

Estates Update

Over the past few weeks there have been a number of incidents relating to estates services at the Primary Academy which I wanted to update you on and provide further context and information on.

Heating

As you are aware, the heating system at the academy experienced difficulties. Unfortunately this has still not been rectified; however, the temporary solution of providing additional, portable heaters throughout the school has ensured that the ambient temperature has remained, other than on the first day, at a comfortable temperature. 

With this in mind, alongside the rise in temperature generally, it is no longer necessary to provide additional jumpers for your child in school.

We are still closely working with the estates team, and the companies outsourced to deal with this, to find a final, permanent solution to this, but please do rest assured that the learning environment is warm, comfortable and well above the minimum recommended temperature of 16 degrees Celcius. 

Fallen Tree on Site

With the incredibly high winds over the weekend and the necessity to close the school site on Monday due to the fallen tree, I feel it is important to let you know that the school does have a tree plan in place and has regular reviews to ensure that any trees identified as being 'at risk' are idenitified and measures are taken. With such incredibly high winds, however, you will know that this can cause unexpected damage to very established and secure structures (such as buildings) and, sadly, trees. The tree in question, for the safety of students and staff, was felled completely.

Electricity

Another reason that the school was closed on Monday was due to having no electricity on site. UK Power Networks attended the site on Monday and managed to restore power on Monday afternoon, but we have been informed that there will be further work required as a permanent fix. We believe that this will be completed outside of operating hours of the school and will liaise with them to reduce any impact on the academy.

Communication

With any large organisation with a significant number of stakeholders, communication is perhaps the most challenging and significant element which can make or break relationships.

Over the past few weeks, I have spoken to a number of parents and carers regarding effective communication and want you to know that this is something we truly are working hard to continue to develop and improve.

Parents have mentioned that, at times, communication can feel a little 'last minute'. With the fluid nature of a school, there are times where it is necessary to share, at short notice, changes which are unexpected. 

There are also times where we wait until we have "firm" information before sharing with parents. Wherever possible, we want to share information which is definite as opposed to having share several, different messages to reduce confusion.

Having said this, there absolutely have been times where information shared could, and perhaps should, have been done so sooner and for this I do apologise; it is on these types of occassion, we are working to improve our systems and processes to reduce stress and improve clarity for all involved. I am committed to making sure that communication is the very best it can be with parents and carers and to give as much time and information, as far in advance, so that everyone feels informed and prepared.

As a reminder, can I please draw your attention to the 'important documents' section on MCAS which has a list of dates for key events, published in advance, so you have the opportunity to organise to attend any events you wish to.

NSPCC Number Day

Following on from the letter sent to parents last week, this is a reminder that it is NSPCC number day on Friday 2nd February and children are able to wear their own clothes or items with a number on!

Parent Voice Survey

Today all parents and carers will be receiving a letter from Simon Beamish, CEO, to announce the next parent voice survey which will be shared on Monday 29th January.

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts and feelings about our academy.

From the results of the last survey, over the past year I have been sharing 'You Said, We Did' sections as part of the bulletin and will take the opportunity to remind you of some of these here.

"I don't know enough about the IB to tell if it has an impact on my child's education." 

On each of the bulletins you receive as parents, we have included a PYP section which outlines what the Central Idea and Transdisciplinary Theme has been for your child each modul.

"The school does not always let us know what the children are learning throughout the year." 

With this in mind, we have introduced the modular book looks where all parents and carers are able to review English, Maths and Inquiry books. Additionally, we have introduced the 'Digital Floorbooks' in the Curriculum Page section of the bulletin as well as ensuring that parents have access to the Google Classroom, with Miss Baker running a parental 'Google Classroom' workshop earlier in the year.

"The school is a safe place for my children, but sometimes there are problems on the playground" 

This is an area that we have spent a significant amount of time and investment and continue to do so. We have revised and reorganised play leaders, changed and bought new equipment and zoning on the playground and have engaged with the PTA who are currently costing equipment for a 'quiet' area. Additionally, leaders are visiting another primary school who run a programme called OPAL which we will identify key successes from to further enhance our playtime offer for all pupils.

"We want to know more information about how well my child is doing."

Through opening the assessment module on MCAS, parents are able to see the most up-to-date information regarding their child's attainment rather than having to wait to speak to a teacher at parent consultation meetings.

"We would like more parent workshops to know how to support our children at home."

Over the past academic year, we have planned and organised workshops on personal development and Google Classroom as well as working with Paula Johnson, our resident counsellor, to provide workshops on sleep, anxiety and self-harm. Sadly, these have not always been particularly well-attnded, but they are offered on a regular basis.

"It would be nice to hear more positive feedback at times"

A small number of parents shared that they would like to hear positive feedback from the school more often. Whilst over 99% of interactions with pupils are positive ones (as seen in the proportion of positive points compared to 'neutral events') we introduced the positive postcards which I have seen many children proudly bringing out of school and sharing.

In short, as a school, we truly do listen to parents and carers and their views and opinions, but more importantly, as leaders we act on this information. We are always looking for ways to improve as we strive to provide your child with the very best opportunities to achieve academically and develop personally.

Parking

Recently, we have been made aware of a number of incidents taking place in the car park, particularly at pick-up times. Whilst I am understanding of the urge to arrive at the school early to obtain a parking space, I think it is important to reiterate the necessity of all members of the community to remain patient and respectful with each other. We do have an intentional stagger to the end of the day to try to alleviate some of the pressures, but this is somewhat negated if spaces are filled early with parents collecting for older pupils.

Another important factor is that if the road into the car park is blocked it means that buses collecting from the secondary are unable to enter the site, parents collecting pupils early are unable to do so and members of staff, or those running clubs, are also unable to gain access. Perhaps more worryingly, if there were to be an emergency, emergency vehicles would be unable to quickly enter the premises.

Parking is, without question, the topic which parents raise with me the most and as I have explained, this has been raised on multiple occasions with Medway Council by the school at planning and pre-construction of the extension. With transparency in mind, it is highly unlikely, certainly in the near future, for a significant increase in parking spaces to occur and therefore, as a community, we need to find a way to ensure that the car park is a safe, respectful place to be.

As always, we do ask that if you are able to walk to school, are able to park further away from the academy in residential areas and walk to the site or are able to car-share to reduce the impact of traffic at key points of the day, that you do so in order for us to be able to keep providing the parking facilities that we are currently able to.