In the most trying and difficult of circumstances, Southill has risen to its challenges in the most spectacular and uplifting way.

Children: you have had a good go at the home learning (we’ve seen some lovely photos) and are doing your best to help out at home. It’s been great to see how resilient you are.

Those who have been in school this week have come in every day with a positive attitude and had a go at everything they’ve been asked. They’ve also worked well in a group (while remaining at least 2m apart!) and have been a pleasure to spend time with.

Parents: you have kept your children away from school (where possible) and helped us stay safe by sticking to the ‘one person at a time in the office’ rule. You’ve also encouraged, cajoled and bribed your children through a week of home learning. Fabulous work!

Teachers: you have been amazing. The daily home learning is interesting and helpfully written. You have willingly helped with our rota system and even volunteered to work in the Easter holidays! Brilliant effort!

Support staff: also amazing! You have also been happy to help on the rota and volunteered your time willingly. The office staff have been busy helping parents (even when they’re not supposed to be at school) and the cleaning staff (big ups to Mr Frampton and Mrs Wedlake) have kept everything very clean indeed – especially important at the moment. You are all stars!

The teamwork at Southill is a shining light in dark and difficult times.

Great work, everyone!

Top Tips for helping your child at home

1. Don’t try to replicate school. It’s not. Do what you can, with the time, resources and capacity you have.
2. Develop a timetable that works for you – don’t worry what others are doing. You’ll need some breaks and to spend time outside. Little and often is best for some, others prefer to get things done in the morning and save the afternoon for more relaxed things. It’s up to you!
3. Start as you mean to go on. Set the ground rules early and stick to them. Children should expect to do some learning every day. It’s not optional.
4. Balance online time with reading, practical activities and exercising. We need computers to access learning but there’s lots of other great things to do away from a screen.
5. Get outside as much as you can. It’s good for everyone’s mental health.
6. Quite often, the actual learning is not as beneficial to your child (or you) as spending some one-to-one time together. Enjoy it. It’s a definite advantage of learning at home.
7. You know your children best. Don’t be frightened to change things. You know what motivates your children and what excites them. Use this to your advantage and tailor your approach accordingly.
8. Email your child’s teacher if you have any questions. They’re working from home and will be happy to help.
9. Other parents will have found resources and have ideas to share. Keep in touch with them (but bear in mind point 2).
10. Keep it in perspective. The whole population is affected. If it all gets too much, relax with a book (or some tv) together. We need you all in one piece when we come out the other side.

Make sure you keep in touch. Good luck everyone.