The National Literacy Trust have produced a poster to support with reading over the summer holidays.

Their website has lots of brilliant links for reading.

Reading Top tips guide for parents

We have created a visual timetable for all pupils, in all year groups, for September 2020.

Our school day will look different for the first half term as we focus on our ‘Rainbow Curriculum’ and basic skills.

Class 1 visual timetable September 2020

Class 2 visual timetable September 2020

Class 3 visual timetable September 2020

Class 4 visual timetable September 2020

From our Mental Health Support Team:

Following the sudden closure of schools due to Covid-19, we have all had to adapt to some form of home schooling, social distancing and restrictions on everyday life.

Now, the prospect of school’s re-opening, albeit on a phased return, may cause us all to experience a variety of emotions.

A way of normalising this is to think of this experience as similar to preparing children and young people returning to school following the summer holidays or half-term breaks. Routines may have changed; relationships with peers may look or feel different and we will all need to adjust to the new normal.

The following information aims to support you as parents/carers in preparing your children or young people for the return to school following an extended break.

Preparing your child to return to school PDF

We are pleased to share that we are now part of a Mental Health Support Team (MHST) which is attached to our Education Setting. The MHST offer early help to children and young people who are struggling with mild to moderate mental health difficulties such as anxiety and/or low mood. We have attached a leaflet that explains the role of the Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP) within the team and the support they can offer.

As well as working directly with children and young people, the team offer advice and guidance to staff members, parents and other professionals.

If you feel your child would benefit from support from the MHST or you would like additional information about the team, please contact Miss Dobson (Mental Health Lead) or Mrs Jackson to discuss further.

Education Mental Health Practitioner leaflet

Please find below an important letter from Mrs Jackson regarding our initial planning for September 2020.

We have taken the decision to keep the children from Reception to Y5 in the same classes in September with the same class teacher. This will give our pupils, many of whom have not seen us for a long time, the opportunity to see a familiar face when they return, as well as have some closure on the current year. This plan is for the first half term. After the week off for October half term, the children will move to their new class.

Transition letter September 2020

We would like to inform you all that we have everything in place for wider reopening and so we will be welcoming our Year 6 pupils back on Monday 15th June.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming back further pupils, alongside our key worker pupils.

We will be contacting our Year 6 parents/carers via email today to gather final numbers for Monday 15th June. We would ask that you respond to this as soon as possible. Please note, this email will be sent from a new ‘Teacher Contact’ email address: teachers@towlaw.durham.sch.uk .

Earlier this morning (Wednesday 27th May), we received guidance from Durham County Council which stated that they believe 15th June is a ‘more realistic timeline for all schools to work towards for expanding their numbers subject to Government scientific advice and individual school risk assessments.’

Therefore, we now hope to invite our Year 6 pupils back first from 15th June.

Durham County Council state that they have made this decision based on the fact that ‘the publication of the SAGE papers, delay in Contact Tracing implementation, and infection rate data showing the North East as the highest in the country, do not provide the clear higher level assurances that DCC, school communities and parents have been seeking.’