Easter Update

Dear Parents and Carers,

We hope that this email finds you well and feeling as positive as can be expected at the end of what has been a very strange week for everyone in the country. Bradway Primary School, as you know, has been closed and we have been operating as a childcare facility for Key Workers, following a similar sort of curriculum to the one that is being set by the teaching team on Twitter each day.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful feedback about the work being set on Twitter so far. We’ve had such lovely comments such as:

‘I just want to say thanks to all the staff. My kids have found the transition really difficult and overwhelming and I really appreciate your help and support’ x 

‘Thank you for all that you are doing throughout all this. Everyone in the community really appreciates it and the comms through twitter makes us still feel as close as we all can be to a bit of normality. Thank you.’

‘The YouTube video has been really well received - some amazing things being said about you all on WhatsApp - overwhelming love and gratitude towards you and the school. I think it shows human strength and resilience by how quickly people are adapting to this very new, strange way of living and working and at such a rapid pace.’

‘From what I’ve seen locally the Bradway children are being a complete credit to the school. They’re displaying painted rainbows in their windows, creating chalk drawings outside one another’s homes and delivering postcards. There’s evidence of this everywhere in the community. If they come across one another on their daily exercise they are all keeping far apart but waving happily and playing their part in all this.’ 

It looks like there has been lots going on at home with all sorts of fascinating creative learning happening as well as plenty of the ever important reading, writing and Maths. We’ve had Science experiments, P4C, lots of physical activity and some brilliant art work, just to name a few. Please feel free to use Twitter to respond to school staff with pictures showing what you have been up to.


Curriculum communications over the two week Easter period
Easter ‘Holiday’ Tweets:
There will be one tweet per day (Monday to Friday), however, this will be just one activity that you could try in the day. 
We will try to offer you something to focus on/a starting point for each day. The activity should be something more relaxed and fun for the holiday.

Although Easter was originally a holiday before the virus turned up, staff have agreed that the concept of ‘holiday’ and ‘term time’ no longer apply in the same way currently. Many parents are telling us that the Twitter communications are becoming something of a lifeline for them and their child and that they really welcome the interaction. Philosophically speaking, you and your child(ren) might like to have a think about what the two concepts of ‘holiday’ and ‘work’ now mean to you asking questions like ‘is not going to school the same as being on holiday?’ ‘Can work ever be like a holiday?’ or ‘Can a holiday ever be like work?’ 

Other school Twitter accounts to look out for, apart from your child’s year group one, are:

@bradwaystockley 
@bradwaysport
@BradwaysGotTalent
@bradway_music
@mrdstones
@bradwaybooks
@bradwayp4c

Even if you don’t have a twitter account you are able to see the activities for each year group by going on the school website (www.bradway.sheffield.sch.uk) and select your child’s year group. You will be able to see the twitter feed there. 

We will be sending out a new questionnaire regarding child care needs for critical workers in the second week of the “holidays” to establish the requirements for the period beginning 13.04.2020.

I would like to say a massive thank you to you all, our wonderful community of parents. We are all ‘Team Bradway’ and by taking collective responsibility for the welfare of our community we will prevail, whatever hardships come our way. All of our staff send you the warmest possible wishes, and we look forward to seeing what you have been up to via Twitter. 

Please take care and be kind.

Paul Stockley