Dear Parent/Guardian,

First and foremost, I sincerely hope all members of the Froebel community are keeping well during these most challenging of times.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many parents I have recently spoken with for their positive approach to the way in which the community has collectively adjusted to this difficult and challenging way of learning. It was good to receive positive feedback as well as some helpful suggestions. Thank you.

As I have written previously and as per government guidelines, schools who can, must remain open to support key workers. As from Monday April 20th April, Froebel will revert to the original lockdown schedule timings and will be open from 9.00am through until 4.00pm daily.

We have prepared new work packs, and these will be available for pick up on Thursday and Friday of this coming week. The schedule of the pick-up times is as follows:

Pick Up Schedule
DAY TIME/CLASS TIME/CLASS TIME/CLASS TIME/CLASS
9am-10am 10am-11am 11am-12pm 12pm-1pm
Thursday
23rd April
RECEPTION Y1 Y2 Y3
Friday
24th April
Y4 Y5 Y6

Please note the following:
• All packs include clear daily guidelines and tasks to be completed.
• The packs are designed to last for 20 school days.
• Please ensure any reading books which have been read are returned to school on the same day the new packs are picked up.
• The packs have additional tasks and a broader scope of subjects with Art, Science, History and other relevant tasks been added accordingly.
• Class teachers will be contacting each parent from April 27th onwards in order to check on their class and answer any questions regarding the packs.
• Any parent who falls into the high-risk category or is unable to pick up at the designated time please contact the school and we will work with you to ensure you receive your child’s pack in a timely manner.
• When picking up the packs, I must remind parents to respect the social distancing protocols Froebel will have in place. This will assist the pickup process thereby ensuring everybody’s welfare. The packs will be cleaned and disinfected and placed upon a table outside for the parent to pick up once I have returned to the building. Once the pack has been retrieved by the parent, they must leave immediately and not engage in conversations with other parents thereby creating congestion and putting people’s health at risk. Your support in doing this is greatly appreciated.
• I have updated and added more online resources below for your perusal.

Should Froebel be open sooner than we thought, I am tentatively considering the various schedule permutations that would allow for smaller class sizes, the required social distancing and any protocols necessary to meet any new governments guidelines. In the event we were to come back before the summer break, Froebel House is seriously considering catching up classroom time
during the summer holiday to recover the key learning areas the children have collectively missed. It’s important to note this would only happen once I have a better idea of what the health and safety implications would be and what the expected protocols would look like. This is exploratory and dependent upon a number of key variables becoming known.

Finally, a big thank you to you all. We know this is not easy. We understand that teaching your children whilst managing homelife and work life is challenging and difficult. I do believe it’s important to recognise that during this home-schooling phase, that some learning days will be better than others and this is quite normal. Please don’t despair if at times your child/ren struggle to
reach their daily targets, it’s absolutely fine to calibrate the work as and when these days occur.

We really appreciate your efforts and the invaluable contribution you are making in maintaining and helping keep your child(ren) connected to their daily routines and their learning. Thank you.
Yours Sincerely,
Mr Roberts
Headteacher
__________________________________________________________________________
Online resources
Phonics
• Floppy’s Phonics Sounds and Letters
• Jolly Phonics
• Letterland Phonics
• Letters and Sounds (supplemented by closely matched and fully decodable books)
• Phonics Bug
• Phonics International
• Read Write Inc.
• Sound Discovery
• Sounds-Write

Audible
Website: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
Key stages: early years foundation stage to key stage 2
Description: all children’s audiobooks are available for free while schools are closed.
Registration: not required

Authorfy
Website: https://authorfy.com
Key stages: early years foundation stage to key stage 2
Description: access to masterclasses on texts from a range of authors, including videos
from the authors and activities linked to novels.
Registration: is required

BookTrust
Website: https://www.booktrust.org.uk/books-and-reading/bookfinder/
Key stages: early years foundation stage to key stage 2
Description: a site with recommended booklists, categorised by age range and topic, including fiction and non-fiction. Family activities are included in the ‘Home Time’ section.
Registration: not required

Classroom Secrets
Website: https://classroomsecrets.co.uk/free-home-learning-packs/
Key stages: early years foundation stage to key stage 2
Description: downloadable resource packs which cover a range of subjects, including
reading and writing.
Registration: not required

Elevenses with the World of David Walliams:
Website: https://www.worldofdavidwalliams.com/elevenses/
Key stages: key stage 2
Description: one free audio book reading is available to listen to every day.
Registration: not required

English Mastery:
Website: https://www.englishmastery.org/
Key stages: key stage 1 and key stage 2
Description: downloadable resource books providing 8 weeks of activities.
Registration: not required

Literacy Shed:
Website: https://www.literacyshedplus.com/en-gb/browse/free-resources
Key stages: key stage 1 and key stage 2
Description: downloadable resource packs with tasks based on video clips on YouTube.
Registration: not required

Love Reading 4 Kids:
Website: https://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/
Key stages: early years foundation stage to key stage 2
Description: a site with recommended booklists, categorised by age range and topic, covering fiction and non-fiction.
Registration: not required

Pobble 365:
Website: https://www.pobble365.com/
Key stages: key stage 1 and key stage 2
Description: a new image is published each day as a basis for creative writing. Story
starters, questions and drawing ideas are provided.
Registration: not required

Poetry by Heart:
Website: https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/
Key stages: key stage 2
Description: a wide selection of poetry covering different topics
Registration: not required to view poems, but it is required to access teaching resources.

Purple Mash:
Website: https://2simple.com/purple-mash/
Key stages: early years foundation stage to key stage 2
Description: free during the school closure period. Each week, a selection of daily activities is produced on different subjects, including comprehension and grammar.
Registration: is required

Storytime with Nick:
Website: https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/help-during-school-closure/
Key stages: early years foundation stage to key stage 2
Description: available from Monday 20 April. Films of well-loved stories read by Nick Cannon, a trained actor, teacher and trainer.
Registration: not required

The Children’s Poetry Archive:
Website: https://childrens.poetryarchive.org/
Key stages: early years foundation stage to key stage 2
Description: an archive of spoken poetry recordings. Children can listen to poems read
out loud.
Registration: not required

Mathematics Mastery
Website: https://www.mathematicsmastery.org/free-resources
Key stages: early years foundation stage, key stage 1 and key stage 2
Description: downloadable guidance and resource packs for parents and pupils.
Registration: not required

Nrich
Website: https://nrich.maths.org/
Key stages: early years foundation stage to key stage 2
Description: a range of activities. Some are interactive and some are to be completed offline. Activities are categorised by age range.
Registration: not required

Numberblocks
Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/help-your-child-with-maths
Key stages: early years foundation stage and key stage 1
Description: videos for numeracy development designed for children aged 0 to 6. There
are fun activities that can be applied to everyday life and play.
Registration: not required