I cannot quite believe half term is almost upon us. We are absolutely delighted with how well the
children have settled back into school life, after the enforced break of lockdown. Given the local
infection rate and additional restrictions imposed in our area, it seems sensible to take a moment at
this point to reflect on the term so far.
Our children have undoubtedly been the stars of the show - their enthusiasm, positivity and
willingness to adapt have meant that School has felt as normal as it possibly can in these turbulent
times. The atmosphere here is upbeat, fun and purposeful - exactly as it should be; although I hope we
don’t have too many days of indoor breaks, as this is not a natural habitat for the typical Mowdenian!
They are far happier outside whatever the weather.
Accordingly, please can I ask that you ensure your child returns to School with wellies and a Mowden
outdoor coat after half term. I appreciate many children will already have these in school, but it has
become apparent that some do not, and it really is important for them to have access to these as the
weather continues to change. To confirm, we do require all children to wear Winter uniform on their
return.
We have been very grateful for the many donations of second hand uniform; thank you. We are
currently in the process of creating a much better space for this to be stored and accessed. Do please
get in touch with Amanda Miller (alm@mowdenhall.co.uk) if you require any further items of uniform,
and we will do our best to help.
I would like to convey my sincere personal thanks for all your support in my first half term as Head -
I am thoroughly enjoying my new role, and feel incredibly privileged to lead such a wonderful school.
I have enjoyed seeing you all at drop off and pick up and thank you for your continued patience at the
inevitable delays we sometimes face.
All of our staff have been working incredibly hard since the start of term. The creation of numerous
‘bubbles’ means there are significantly more weekly duties, and everyone has been fully committed to
ensuring the children continue to enjoy the best possible educational provision. I value being part of
such a talented and committed team. I hope you will agree that it is important all our staff have the
opportunity to properly switch off during their holiday. Accordingly, I would be very grateful if you
could try to keep any queries you may have during half term until after the break. If your query cannot
wait, please do feel you can contact me should you need to.
Over the holiday the school will be subject to enhanced cleaning as we want to provide the safest
possible environment for our community in the run up to Christmas. At the moment, I have (perhaps
over optimistically) not cancelled any of the usual Christmas events. As soon as plans are finalised I will
let you know. As things currently stand, we do not anticipate that we will be able to participate in
inter-school fixtures or external school trips, next half term, but we will continue to monitor.
I wish you all a restful and restorative half term break, and hope you are all able to enjoy some quality
family time, should your own working commitments allow.