Latest News
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Trumpington Park Primary School joins global Planning Learning Spaces design pilot
Mon 14 Jun 2021Trumpington Park Primary School, part of Cambridge Primary Education Trust, has signed up to an international project that could fundamentally rethink space utilisation in the classroom.
Planning Learning Spaces was published in October 2019 as a guide for anyone involved in the planning and design of learning environments. The book brought together educationalists and innovative school architects from all over the world to pool their collective expertise and inspire the design of more intelligent learning spaces.
To support this, Planning Learning Spaces in Practice was launched to help schools translate their educational vision into learning space design principles, enabling them to create new, or refurbish existing, spaces that actively support their learning goals. Schools are guided through a reflective process, building the link between curriculum and design via a structured framework. Focusing on the school’s vision, values and ethos, the process helps translate learning behaviours and activities into design principles.
Trumpington Park Primary School was invited to participate in the global pilot of this Planning Learning Spaces in Practice project. Offering a new approach to learning space design, the Planning Learning Spaces team is working with the Cambridge school to help colleagues align their physical learning environments with their educational vision, in a way that supports the children’s personalised and independent learning.
The school was heralded as state-of-the art when it opened its doors in September 2017. Entering the central hall of the school, which opens onto the galleried double-height ICT and library resource centre, it is easy to see why. However, the staff were still presented with the inevitable standardised classrooms (measuring approximately 55m2 for up to 30 children) in which to work, and school leaders were looking for innovative and cost-effective ways to transform these standard-issue rooms into inspirational learning environments.
One advantage to a new school like Trumpington Park Primary is that not all classrooms are in use for the first few years, so by joining the Planning Learning Spaces in Practice pilot project the school has the opportunity to develop its learning spaces in alignment with its educational vision. Meetings and workshops were held with the Planning Learning Spaces team to define the school’s vision, values, ethos and current practice. The school has then used the Planning Learning Spaces Design Framework to develop what it wants to do next, looking at every aspect of school life, and how this relates to the design of learning spaces.
“We started from the heart of our ethos and our values, and looked at those in terms of what we wanted to achieve in our teaching and learning, but then assessed the constraints of the current classrooms we have in being able to get that vision to work,” said Mel Shute, Headteacher at Trumpington Park Primary School. “Whilst we want to emphasise collaboration and ownership of learning, this can sometimes feel restricted by the furniture and fixed features of a space and make it harder for children to be able to do some of the things we feel are fundamental in their learning. From there, we have looked at different models to enable children to be able to work in different ways in that space.”
With social distancing in place, Mel revealed that “children have been more separated than we would want, bearing in mind that one of our key values is collaboration, and one of the key drivers of the space”, but she is focused on the expected longer-term impact: “What we anticipate, and what we have seen from small groups of children using the space at this time, is being able to have a high level of flexibility around the organisation of a space will have a huge impact on the way in which teaching and learning happens there. Now we are looking at all the different learning that can happen in that space in very different ways, and teaching children how they can have an impact on their independence and ownership within that space. Having the children as a very central part of the classroom environment will, I believe, make a significant difference to their overall development.”
She added: “You look at a classroom and you take it as it is, particularly in a new build. This project has really forced our hand to look at that space in a very different way, go in with a different pair of glasses, and this has been refreshing.”
Terry White, Project Director and co-author of Planning Learning Spaces, explained the philosophy behind the overall project. “We know the impact learning environments have on educational outcomes, yet the majority of school classrooms are over 40 years old and even new builds fail to learn the lessons of research like The Clever Classrooms report,” he said. “The project involves spending time engaging with the teachers to help the school effectively recreate their learning spaces so that they align with their vision for learning and teaching. We have developed a structured framework that enables the school to reimagine their future environments for learning.”
The Planning Learning Spaces Design Framework builds consensus throughout the teaching staff and the wider school community to support sustained change, empowering schools to be creators of a new, ongoing relationship between pedagogy and space. UK Lead Project Facilitator Bhavini Pandya works with key staff and students throughout the process to ensure all views are accounted for, and that the newly-designed spaces can be used as effectively as possible for all learning opportunities. As a former teacher herself, Bhavini understands the clear link between pedagogy and space and how this can lead to better learning outcomes.
Professor Peter Barrett, author of the Clever Classrooms report, is monitoring the project to see how the learning outcomes of pupils are affected by this ‘hands on’ approach to creating their own learning environments. “The Planning Learning Spaces approach represents common sense about the positive articulation of spaces and pedagogy,” he said. “Delivering a methodology that makes this connection explicit, and ultimately driven by educational imperatives, is a really important potential contribution and I look forward to being involved in the rigorous assessment of outputs from this project.”
The Planning Learning Spaces in Practice process is suitable for schools looking to repurpose old spaces, or for those designing new buildings, and helps to ensure a successful transition into these purpose-designed learning spaces.
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School impact case studies published
Tue 08 Jun 2021The real-world benefits of being part of Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET) have been revealed in a new series of school impact case studies published on our website: https://www.cpetrust.co.uk/our-impact/.
Each School Advisory Board (SAB) Chair was interviewed in the spring term about their reflections on their school’s journey within the Trust, the resulting key educational and operational impacts, and their wider views on the value of being a member of the CPET family.
CPET Executive Principal/CEO Lesley Birch said: “I would like to thank each SAB Chair who has taken the time to speak our colleague who developed the case studies. I am proud to hear first-hand how the Trust is living and breathing its overarching vision and ethos, and offer. We are seeing clear benefits and impact of CPET’s approach on schools, teachers, professional/ administrative staff, pupils and communities.”
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Histon and Impington Junior School awarded Teaching School Hub status for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Thu 11 Feb 2021Histon and Impington Junior School, part of Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET), will be the designated Teaching School Hub for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough schools, following an announcement by the Department for Education (DfE) on 10th February.
A total of 81 new Teaching School Hubs have been selected to provide high-quality professional development to teachers and leaders in England, with a £65 million investment from the DfE over an initial three years. Each hub, all of which will be operational and helping schools from September, will have its own defined geographical patch and will be expected to be accessible to all schools within that area, serving on average around 250 schools each.
The Teaching School Hub led by Histon and Impington Junior School will help in delivering the Early Career Framework reforms as well as a reformed suite of National Professional Qualifications (NPQs), including new specialist NPQs, in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. It will also deliver Initial Teaching Training (ITT) and additional high-quality evidence-based professional development.
“We are delighted to share the good news that Histon and Impington Junior School will be the designated Teaching School Hub for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough,” explained CPET CEO/Executive Principal Lesley Birch. “We would like to thank all those involved in the Cambridge Teaching Schools Network (CTSN) and Teaching School partners across the area, as well as Cambridgeshire County and Peterborough City Councils, for supporting this application which has led to this successful outcome for the region.”
“We already have extensive experience in delivering high-quality teacher development and school improvement, but we are not complacent and are excited about building existing capacity and capability to address specific needs, gaps, and barriers of the Hub area. We will be working in partnership with over 330 schools in our region, as well as with the other designated Hubs, to do that. What, and how, we do this is to be carefully considered and it will be a gradual journey.”
In the DfE’s statement Minister of State for Schools, The Rt Hon Nick Gibb MP, said: “We know teachers are already providing the best education possible for pupils, and this is especially true while schools are closed to most pupils. These new Teaching School Hubs will further support the profession by providing the best possible training and development opportunities. It is important that teachers and school leaders feel supported in their career. The Hubs will make this substantially easier, with expert practitioners able to give experienced advice to those schools able to benefit from it.”
Chair of the Teaching Schools Council, Richard Gill, added: “The Teaching Schools Council (TSC) congratulates all 81 schools and/or Trusts which have been designated as a Teaching School Hub. They will now join the existing six ‘test and learn’ hubs that were announced in January 2020 to form a national network of excellence in teacher training and development. The work of the TSC has been instrumental in supporting this programme to date and we are proud to be the sector body that will continue to be a key partner in these reforms.”
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Histon and Impington Park Primary School build opens its doors as staff bid a “fond farewell” to Infant School site
Tue 02 Feb 2021Cambridge Primary Education Trust’s £16 million primary school build in Histon and Impington has opened its doors to children for the first time.
Following handover from contractor and designers R G Carter in December, Histon and Impington Infant School relocated from its site in New School Road to the Buxhall Farm site off Glebe Way just before the Christmas holidays, and ahead of the 6th January return date.
Originally, it was planned that 310 Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils at Histon and Impington Infant School would move over to the Buxhall Farm site – but a new national lockdown announced on the evening of 4th January meant that the Trust has had to limit this to around 95 children initially.
From September, Histon and Impington Infant School will convert to a primary school and serve up to 420 children aged 4-11 under the new name of Histon and Impington Park Primary. Meanwhile, Histon and Impington Junior School, which has already expanded on its current site in readiness to extend its intake to ages 4-11, when it too becomes a full 420-pupil primary school, will be called Histon and Impington Brook Primary from the 2020-21 school year.
“It isn’t quite the celebratory opening we were hoping for, but we are absolutely delighted to be in the new school,” said the Trust’s CEO/Executive Principal Lesley Birch. “Colleagues have moved mountains before and during the Christmas holidays to ensure the building was ready for the returning children. In the immediate term, we are thrilled to be able to support those children who are able to come into school. For those we are unable to physically see due to the new restrictions we are offering remote learning which enables us to offer a high standard of learning tasks to all our children. “Whilst everyone’s focus, and rightly so, is on the ‘here and now’, we should not lose sight of how significant this move is to give the local Histon and Impington community the enlarged high-quality primary provision it so desperately needs given the growth of our community. Our mission is to provide an outstanding education for all our pupils by offering a broad and balanced curriculum whilst working closely with the local community. Having two all-through primary schools in Histon and Impington, both with inspiring learning environments, will help to deliver that commitment as we move forward.”
Histon and Impington Infant School Headteacher Jonathan Newman added: “We are all incredibly excited about the new journey we are taking. It would have been wonderful to have had the opportunity to welcome everyone into the school and to start planning an official opening, but we will be doing that as soon as it is appropriate and possible to do so. Clearly this was not the start to the New Year at a new school that any of us wanted but we are looking forward to making new memories here. At the same time we bid a fond farewell to the Infant School site which housed many of our children’s parents, grandparents, great grandparents and possibly even great, great grandparents.”
The new school comprises 14 classrooms, a main and small hall, library, staff and breakout areas, and a food technology area and kitchen. As part of the construction, highway upgrade works were undertaken along with the creation of a new footpath and alterations to the nearby junction and a toucan crossing for students’ safety. The construction team from R G Carter will be back on site in the spring to finalise the landscaping and seeding of the new nature garden at the rear of the school, which also provides play areas and a mini wooden amphitheatre. The school also has an adjoining space which will be used for Breakfast and After-School Clubs and wraparound care facilities with the potential to provide pre-school provision for up to 52 children.
Will Robinson, Project Manager for R G Carter, explained: “It has been a pleasure to work on another exciting project with Cambridgeshire County Council to deliver this new and much-needed primary school in the local area and we look forward to the students benefitting from this amazing facility.”
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National lockdown: statement on provision in CPET schools
Tue 05 Jan 2021We are once again faced with the desperately sad news that we are having to close our schools to the majority of Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET) pupils as the country is placed in a national lockdown. All our schools are closed today (5th January 2021), but will re-open tomorrow (6th January 2021) for some children as detailed in the Government guidelines.
For those children unable to attend school due to new restrictions, we will be offering remote learning from tomorrow. As part of the offer, we will be using Microsoft Teams. Parents have received information about how to access this and each child has been given their log-in details. We will provide further communication regarding home learning and other procedures via each school.
For those in school, the protection of pupils, colleagues and their families remains our single most important priority. Throughout this pandemic we have regularly updated our Trust-wide risk assessment that is personalised for each school and shared this with Trustees and School Advisory Boards. Clearly procedures for children or adults who show Covid-19 symptoms will continue to be strict, as are quarantine guidelines.
We have prepared for this scenario. Having had to deliver remote learning during the last year, we have reviewed and reflected on what works and will continue to do so to enable us to offer a high standard of learning tasks to all our children. Clearly we have had to implement this plan at very short notice, and our staff have been working hard to do so since the formal announcement was made last night. I would like to thank them for once again stepping up and doing what they always do - putting the children first.
I would also like to thank parents and carers for their continued support and understanding in these difficult times.
Lesley Birch
CEO/Executive Principal
Cambridge Primary Education Trust
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New school names announced as expanded Histon and Impington primary provision moves a step closer
Fri 23 Oct 2020The name of a new £16 million primary school in Histon and Impington, which is set to open its doors to children initially in January 2021, has been announced by its academy trust sponsor Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET).
Histon and Impington Infant School will relocate from its current site in New School Road to the Buxhall Farm site off Glebe Way. From September 2021, it is planned that it will convert to a primary school and serve children aged 4-11, rather than the current range of 4-7 under the new name of Histon and Impington Park Primary.
Meanwhile, Histon and Impington Junior School, which has already expanded on its current site in readiness to extend its intake to ages 4-11, when it too becomes a full primary school, is to be called Histon and Impington Brook Primary.
The planning application for the new school at Buxhall Farm was approved by Cambridgeshire County Council’s Planning Committee in July 2019. A six-week consultation was held on plans for expanding education in Histon and Impington in October and November 2019 and work began on site shortly afterwards. Despite Covid-19 restrictions impacting delivery, building by R G Carter has continued in line with Government and Public Health England guidelines and will be completed on 1st December 2020.
With the new school building available, 310 Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils at Histon and Impington Infant School will move over to the Buxhall Farm site in January. Children and staff will immediately benefit from two reception classrooms, four Key Stage 1 classrooms, eight Key Stage 2 classrooms, two halls, staff administrative areas and a kitchen. An adjoining space will be used for Breakfast and After-School Clubs with the potential for wraparound care facilities for 52 children. Outside there will be allotment areas, playgrounds and sports pitches. The site currently occupied by Histon and Impington Infant School will be returned to Cambridgeshire County Council for community use.
Lesley Birch, CEO/Executive Principal of CPET, said: “We are thrilled to be able to announce the names of the two schools, which give Histon and Impington the enlarged primary provision it so desperately needs given the growth of our community. We felt it was important that the names of both Histon and Impington parishes were reflected in the names of both schools and our vision is for them both to be excellent primary schools that grow and entwine. We want them to offer common approaches, high standards and opportunities embedded in their curricular offer. Staff will be shared across the schools, with key stages and year groups deemed as one. As a Trust we are committed to providing an outstanding education for all our pupils by offering a broad and balanced curriculum whilst working closely with the local community. Our children are at the heart of everything we do, and having two all-through primary schools in Histon and Impington can only facilitate the delivery of that ethos. For our staff, as well, we are really excited about the development opportunities this brings.”
Jonathan Newman, Head of Histon and Impington Infant School (and Head of Histon and Impington Park Primary from September 2021), explained: “We are incredibly excited to be able to plan for the move to our new school, beginning in January 2021 when our current Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children will have the opportunity to access a state-of-the-art building with new, spacious facilities. Whilst this is ahead of our original timescale we feel that an earlier move to the new build will bring major benefits to our Foundation Stage pupils. CPET has a strong level of collaboration running right through its core and we will all be working hard as a collective to deliver the best possible education for children at both Histon and Impington Park Primary and Histon and Impington Brook Primary. We are aiming to have two excellent primary schools as these are required in our community.”
Helen Lorimer, Head of Histon and Impington Junior School (and Head of Histon and Impington Brook Primary from September 2021), added: “We are really looking forward to the next phase in the school’s history as an all-through primary school. It is wonderful that parents and children in the community can now benefit from two primary schools and access the quality of provision we have become known for. Our expectations are high at both schools.”
Jonathan Lewis, Service Director for Education at Cambridgeshire County and Peterborough City Councils, said: “We have been very aware of the increasing demand for more high-quality primary school provision within the local Histon and Impington community, and with these latest developments we have addressed this head on. I want to thank all those involved for their unfaltering dedication and determination to the project, which has seen the new school building completed almost within the originally proposed timeframe, despite the challenges presented by Covid-19. I look forward to continuing our close working relationship with CPET, and I know with their support and that of the Local Authority, Histon and Impington Park Primary and Histon and Impington Brook Primary will be well placed to support their local community, and to have a real positive impact on education outcomes in Cambridgeshire.”
Applications for children starting in Reception in September 2021 are now open at Histon and Impington Park Primary and Histon and Impington Brook Primary. Each has space for 60 reception children, with parents able to express a preference for which school they would like their child to attend upon application. The deadline for applications is 15th January 2021
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Back to school update
Wed 09 Sep 2020This week we welcomed back all year groups to our five CPET schools. It has been a long road, and we have desperately missed the ‘buzz’ of day-to-day school life, but on that first day back – Monday 7th September – it was heart-warming and very emotional to hear the joy of children playing in the playground and the chatter within our classrooms again. We now look forward with huge positivity and optimism.
In preparing for the return of all pupils, we have built on the core approach we had taken for the successful phased return of Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils from early June but revisited everything within government guidance. Over the summer holidays we updated our Trust-wide risk assessment that is personalised for each school covering issues such as staffing, class sizes, social distancing, PPE, cleaning, catering, first aid, fire safety, dealing with waste, reporting incidents and behaviour.
Having agreed our Trust approach we updated parents and carers across our five schools on our plans for September. From the logistical challenges of staggered start and finish times, different breaks, lunchtime and toilet use arrangements and managing social bubbles, to quarantining, use of bikes and scooters and parental social distancing there has been lots of information to try to get across via newsletters and explanatory videos. So what are the key safety measures that parents need to know?
Since the wider reopening of schools in June we have developed a number of systems and routines to ensure the health and safety of children and adults. On arrival at school, and frequently throughout the day, children are directed to wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water. At other points in the day, they are provided with sanitiser. The school environment will continue to be ‘spot cleaned’ throughout the day. Staff have responsibility for ensuring frequent touch points, such as taps, door handles and tables, are cleaned at regular intervals.
Classrooms are laid out in a format so that children do not sit facing each other. Children have their own stationery packs and other resources which are personal to them to avoid sharing. Shared resources, such as laptops and books, are being used but cleaned after use. Reading books can be taken home as normal but are then put aside for 48 hours before re-issuing. Parents, carers and visitors are not permitted entry into school without prior appointment.
There are things we will all miss which are just not possible at the current time – large gatherings, such as assemblies, in particular. From the children’s perspective, yes, it is a different environment to one they are used to (and there is lots for us adults to continue thinking about), but the main thing is that the children are back within our school communities.
We are confident that the measures we have in place will make the return to school for children, staff and families as safe as possible. As with any new system, there may be changes and amendments we need to make once children, parents and carers return fully to the school site. We are evaluating the success of the systems from day one and each school will communicate any changes they need to make.
Clearly procedures for children or adults who show Covid-19 symptoms will continue to be strict, as are quarantine guidelines. As is the case during ‘normal’ times, the protection of pupils, colleagues and their families is the single most important priority for the Trust. Whilst we will react to whatever comes next, and provide whatever support is needed for our children now they are back as well as continuity of education in the case of a local outbreak, we continue to set high expectations in terms of school operations, curriculum, behaviour and pastoral support, and assessment and accountability. We are determined to make 2020-21 a year to remember for entirely good reasons.
Lesley Birch John Frost
CEO/Executive Principal Chair of Trustees
Cambridge Primary Education Trust
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Statement on pupils returning to CPET schools full-time in the Autumn term
Mon 27 Jul 2020On 2nd July the Department for Education (DfE) published its ‘Guidance for full opening: schools’ alongside the announcement of its plan that all pupils, in all year groups, will return to school full-time from the start of the Autumn Term.
We reviewed and reflected on this guidance and met with our Trustees to agree a course of action. We were also grateful to be able to take part in a variety of external meetings to discuss the way forward. Through conversations with the DfE, Cambridgeshire County Council, Confederation of School Trusts and other multi-academy trust leaders and school headteachers we have been able to share ideas about organisation, policies and procedures, which has been reassuring and thought-provoking.
We subsequently updated parents and carers across our five CPET schools on our plans for September at the end of term (17th July) and, as has been the case throughout this unprecedented period, the health and safety of our pupils, colleagues and their families remains the single most important priority for the Trust. As we look ahead to the Autumn Term we feel as ready as we can possibly be for the return of all children and, whilst this is something we are excited about, protecting all is paramount.
Our Trust-wide risk assessment will be updated for September, and personalised for each school, as more children and staff will be in each building. Our schools have already prepared their environments; updated their health and safety arrangements to ensure that social distancing can be adhered to; revised their cleaning arrangements; purchased PPE and additional cleaning products; and ensured that their staff are familiar with all new procedures and protocols such as increased handwashing and cleaning. We will continue to leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of health and safety.
We would like to thank everyone for working together so effectively to meet the challenges of the last five months and providing support and education to all our children. It has been a testing time for everyone, but colleagues’ hard work, commitment, dedication, resilience and ongoing good humour has been quite remarkable and appreciated. The messages of support we have had from parents and carers have been very welcome. The children who have been back in school in the Summer Term have been a delight to work with; and for those who have been home learning it has been wonderful to have them participating in ‘Classroom Teams’ and interacting with their teachers and peers as well as completing their online and paper packs. We are so proud of our children, our colleagues and our wider communities for the genuine ‘team effort’ during this unchartered territory.
We are now busy preparing for the new school year and, as always, are setting high expectations in terms of school operations, curriculum, behaviour and pastoral support, and assessment and accountability. At the same, we will also react to whatever comes next, and provide whatever support is needed for our children on their return to school as well as continuity of education in the case of a local outbreak. We are aware that some staff and children are anxious about everyone returning and we will do our best to alleviate their anxiety and fears by continuing to listen and offer assistance where needed. We are looking forward to September with huge positivity and optimism.
Lesley Birch John Frost
CEO/Executive Principal Chair of Trustees
Cambridge Primary Education Trust
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Update on phased return of children to CPET schools
Mon 15 Jun 2020In the last week we have welcomed back more children to Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET) schools via a phased return approach, as well as continuing home learning for children who have not returned and remain at home. At the highest point we had 329 children across our schools, each allocated a ‘social bubble’ with a teacher and teaching assistant overseeing that bubble.
Firstly, we would like to say a big thank you to all our amazing staff who have supported our children and families, not just over the past week, but throughout the period of lockdown. It has been an extremely difficult and challenging time for everyone but their hard work, commitment, dedication, resilience and ongoing good humour has been quite remarkable. What has also been remarkable is the messages of support we have had from parents and carers. Our children have been absolutely fantastic and we are so very proud of them all.
We have left, and will continue to leave, no stone unturned in our attempts to create a safe environment for all in our schools. The Trust, and all our schools, have developed a robust risk assessment that has been personalised for each school. All of our schools have prepared their environments and updated their health and safety arrangements to ensure that two metre social distancing can be adhered to. All schools have also revised their cleaning arrangements and purchased PPE and additional cleaning products. The Trust has co-ordinated the central purchasing of PPE and cleaning products.
All schools have ensured that their staff are familiar with all new procedures and protocols. Those children in school are receiving a focussed curriculum which includes the core subjects as well as Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) and PE. For those children who have yet to return to school, teachers have been providing work and having regular conversations with children and families.
We very much hope that we will soon be able to see larger numbers of children returning to our schools, but this will only be the case when we have further updates to the government guidelines and, as a Trust, we deem it safe to do so following ongoing risk assessments. In the meantime, and in line with current guidance, we will continue to follow our existing course until the end of the summer term. This will include immediately isolating anyone (pupil or staff member) experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 and taking action with other members of our ‘bubbles’ in line with government guidance.
As always, we are here to listen to any concerns that parents and carers have regarding the further opening of schools. We are mindful that the picture is ever-changing, and last week the Prime Minister announced that the government would be doing a “huge amount of catch-up for pupils over the summer”. As a Trust, we will reflect on any firm plans which are announced and update our communities thereafter.
We know that our communities are eager to know whether or not our schools will be back to ‘normal’ in September. Naturally, we all desperately miss the ‘buzz’ of day-to-day school life as we know it, but we appreciate your continued patience and understanding on this matter. It is not easy for any for us. However, the protection of our pupils, colleagues and their families is the single most important priority for the Trust.
Lesley Birch John Frost
CEO/Executive Principal Chair of Trustees
Cambridge Primary Education Trust
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Statement on re-opening of CPET schools from Monday 8th June 2020
Fri 22 May 2020On 10th May 2020, the government announced that some primary schools in England could ‘reopen’ to some year groups from 1st June 2020 “at the earliest”. In its statement it was proposed that a phased return to school would begin with pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, should infection rates and the government’s other key tests at the time allow it.
The Department for Education (DfE) published further guidance on 11th May 2020. Initially, and for mainstream settings, the focus would be on children in the following year groups:
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Nursery
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Reception (aged 4 to 5)
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Year 1 (aged 5 to 6)
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Year 6 (aged 10 to 11 – in the final year of primary schooling in two-tier systems)
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Year 10 (aged 14 to 15 – the year before GCSE or equivalent exams)
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Year 12 (aged 16 to 17 – the year before A level or equivalent exams)
Following this announcement, unions including the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), National Education Union (NEU) and NASWUT teachers’ union have all publicly responded to this plan. These groups also held a briefing with government science and medical health advisors on 15th May 2020 around the safety of ‘re-opening’ schools – and discussions have continued throughout this week.
Cambridge Primary Education Trust (CPET) clearly recognises the concerns being raised around the phased return of children into its schools after half-term, and the health and safety of our pupils, colleagues and their family members is paramount. Throughout the lockdown period, all of our schools within the Trust have remained open providing education facilities and support to those children whose parents are key workers.
The Trust has consulted with parents/carers of children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils to request who, and how many, plan to send their children into school so we can make appropriate plans going forward. We asked for returns to our questionnaire by the end of 15th May 2020. Across our Trust schools approximately 60% of parents/carers have indicated they would send their children back to school in June.
Ministers will make the final decision on whether to press ahead with its schools ‘reopening’ plan. In the meantime, we have taken the decision as a Trust (ratified by our Board of Trustees at a meeting on 18th May 2020) to prepare for the phased return of Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils from 8th June 2020, as well as continuing home learning for children who do not return and remain at home. Each school’s offer will be communicated to parents during the week of 1st June 2020.
There is clearly a lot to consider to ensure a safe environment for everyone. We have therefore enhanced our rigorous risk assessment to reflect Covid-19 and how we re-open our schools in a safe manner. This includes, but is not limited to issues such as staffing, class sizes, social distancing, PPE, cleaning, catering, first aid, fire safety, dealing with waste, reporting incidents and behaviour. We are leaving no stone unturned in our attempts to create a safe environment for all in our schools.
Once we have confirmation from the government on ‘re-opening’, our schools will write to parents/carers again during the week of 1st June 2020. Schools will outline their offer and ask parents/carers to confirm their child’s place as per the school’s offer. We will confirm arrangements as appropriate for each year group in each school.
Rest assured that the protection of pupils, colleagues and their families is the single most important priority for the Trust. Whatever the outcome, we will remain open to vulnerable children and those of key workers.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their unwavering commitment and dedication during these unprecedented times. We also wish to thank parents/carers, and children, for their amazing support.
Lesley Birch John Frost
CEO/Executive Principal Chair of Trustees
Cambridge Primary Education Trust
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