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Start of Term 5 – Update

Apr 18, 2020 | News

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Dear Parents and Carers,


I do hope that this message finds you and all of your families still safe and well, as what would have been the start of term 5 draws near on Monday, 20th April.

You will all now doubtless be aware that our government have, last night, extended lockdown for a further three weeks at least. This means that there is still no hint of schools reopening, or when lockdown restrictions may be eased. Much has been written and commented on this in the media, and it remains my view that such speculation is unhelpful. Please remain assured that our Trust, as it has done throughout this crisis, will continue to follow all relevant guidance from Public Health England, the NHS, Kent County Council, the Department for Education and our government. 

As lockdown continues I can’t reiterate enough how impressed and immensely proud we are of the resilience our young people across our schools have shown during these enforced changes, and the maturity with which they have dealt with it all. We’ve had reports of students, and even communities of families, setting up social media groups so they can attempt certain learning tasks together. We’ve also heard stories of children and families spending more time together learning new skills, with some of our students teaching their parents about topics they are covering at school. There have been examples of students helping out around the house; taking responsibility for a pet and learning new practical skills through DIY, tiling, painting, gardening and cutting the grass. There have been lots of cakes baked and new recipes tried. There has even been an attempt at a tie-dyed t-shirt!

But, most pleasingly, these have all been done together as families, and the common theme flowing through all of this feedback is that we appear to be talking more. We’re talking about our hopes and dreams, our fears, anxieties and emotions; many of which, right now, we may not have experienced before. So, if it is even possible to find positives as this horrible situation continues, it may be that we are discovering, and maybe re-discovering, who we are and what is really important to us as individuals, families, friends and as communities. Proving further that the Coronavirus will not defeat the human race. It will only serve to bring us closer together and make us stronger. 

Moving forward and into term 5 you will all now, I hope, have read my message about the continued tweaks we are making to our distance learning packages. Remember, please, if you or your child have any questions don’t hesitate to contact the specific subject teacher, their Director of Teaching and Learning or, ultimately, the appropriate Head of School. 

It has been great to have students in our schools through what would have been the Easter holidays and I thank you all, again, for continuing to observe the DfE guidelines in only seeking provision for your child if you are a key worker or your child is vulnerable, with you not able to keep them at home. For the start of next term, if you have not already done so and wish for us to make provision for your child, please can you let us know by contacting:

Throughout the Easter holidays our students have not been expected to wear school uniform, and they were delighted to find out today that I’m happy to continue this arrangement moving forward until further notice. I hope that this decision may relieve any additional pressure for those parents who, on top of long shifts as key workers and other commitments, will now not have the added worry of getting school uniform washed and ironed as this situation continues. Other than that our expectations, which you will now be used to reading, remain the same:

  • If you are reporting to The Canterbury Primary School, Breakfast Club will be open from 7.45am and the school day will start at 9am.
  • If you are reporting to The Canterbury Academy, including the sixth form, please report to the main school hall for 8.45am.
  • Students do not have to wear uniform. Their normal, casual clothes, will be fine.
  • A school meal and refreshments will be available as normal.
  • Please do not bring any PE kit unless you are specifically asked to in advance.
  • Our school days, as normal, will finish at 3pm.
  • With regret, there will be no after school clubs available at either school.

A huge thank you to all those families who were able to get involved in our ‘We’re Still Standing’ tribute to all NHS and key worker heroes, alongside anybody who may have inspired us at this time. We launched the video on our YouTube channel on Easter Sunday and the response has been overwhelming, with over 4,000 people already having viewed it! If you have not yet had the chance to see it please follow one of our social media platforms:

Or, go directly to our YouTube channel to view it on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3Aqm9CB-fKTb70CbVTTByQ/videos?disable_polymer=1
Likewise, the response to our appeal for pillow cases has been phenomenal from across Canterbury and beyond. The way that streets and communities have pulled together to get them to us has been brilliant. We already have hundreds ready to be made into disposable bags for NHS and frontline workers but, please, if you are able to donate more, or know anyone who can, and you are able to safely get them to us, we and our NHS would be incredibly grateful. 
As regards Personal Protective Equipment, Miss Khatkar, Mrs Holman, Mrs Vinn, Mr Onions and their production team of students have already made around 1,000 face visors, which continue to be distributed to hospitals across East Kent, medical practises, care homes, pharmacies and hospices. Next week, our staff and students will be meeting the ongoing demand for hundreds more and it was lovely to see their hard work and determination to provide our NHS with PPE recognised by BBC South East News on Wednesday evening, with both Ollie Scott in year 7 and Abi Holman in year 10 talking proudly about what they are doing. 

Finally, I’ll finish where I started, with last night’s announcement of lockdown being extended. This will continue to be a very tough time for many of us, and even with all of our incredible efforts in pulling together to support each other and our communities through this, I hope that we will all still recognise that, simply put, it’s ok to not be ok. It’s ok to talk about what is worrying us: it’s ok to talk about how we feel; it’s ok to ask for help and say that we might feel vulnerable. Our staff, of course, are here for you and your families and will remain so as long as our battle against COVID-19 goes on, and beyond if needed. But, I also recognise that sometimes it might be easier to talk to somebody else, so wanted to draw your attention to a service that is being offered across Kent to support families at this time. Kent County Council has launched a new 24 hour helpline called ‘Kent Together’ to support vulnerable people in Kent who need urgent help, supplies or medication. The helpline will provide a single, convenient point of contact for anyone in the county who is in urgent need of help during the Coronavirus outbreak. It is a collaboration between KCC, central Government, District, Borough and local councils, the voluntary and community sector, the NHS, emergency services and other partners to ensure help is at hand. 

If you feel vulnerable and have an urgent need that cannot be met through existing support networks, or are concerned about the welfare of someone else, you can contact the Kent Together helpline at www.kent.gov.uk/KentTogether  or by calling on 03000 41 92 92. It is a 24 hour service.

We shall all keep going, we must, as families and communities, working together. We will get through this.

My very best wishes to you all.

Jon Watson
Trust Executive Principal

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