Dear Parents/Carers

The end of the summer term has almost arrived and I would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support over what has been another ‘unusual’ year. I don’t need to tell you about the difficulties we continue to face living with Covid and the recent extreme heat.  I want to pay tribute to the whole staff here at The Ridge, who have gone above and beyond with their dedication and flexibility to keep the children learning, especially when Covid made us very short staffed! As always, everyone has worked tirelessly for our school: it is a privilege to work with such a talented and hard working team.                       

We will soon be saying “Goodbye” to our Year 6 pupils. It has been a pleasure to be part of their lives and we wish them all, every happiness in the future; we look forward to hearing of their achievements in the years to come. We also wish to thank Miss Carrington and Mrs Priest for their service to The Ridge. Both of them have made a special contribution to our school and we wish them well in the future. We send best wishes to Miss Carrington on the occasion of her marriage over the summer and look forward to hearing the news of Mrs Rouse’s baby, due shortly.

We hope that you all have a restful summer and we look forward to welcoming you back in the Autumn, for another exciting year at The Ridge!

Mrs D A Hudson              
Headteacher

Please see below some reminders. We will distribute this information again at the start of the Autumn Term.

End of this Term

Please remember that we close early tomorrow. The collection arrangements will be:

• Reception      - 1.50pm - 2.00pm
• Years 1 and 2 - 1.50pm
• Years 3 and 5 - 1.55pm
• Years 4 and 6 - 2.00pm

New Year Reminders

• School re-opens for the children on Tuesday 6^th September and the gates will be open between 8.40am and 8.47am when all children should arrive at school.
• Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be taken to the classroom as we do currently and parents/carers will leave the site following the one-way system.
• Children in Years 3 to 6 will line up at the cones on the playground and be sent to their classrooms as groups, as currently. Parents/carers of Key Stage 2 children are asked not to come onto the playground unless to bring a younger sibling or need to speak to Mrs Hudson or Mrs Hadley.

Attendance and Punctuality

• At 8.47am the gates will be shut and anyone arriving after this time will need to enter via the small gate and report to the school office so that we can record their attendance and punctuality appropriately.
• Nationally there is an increased focus on attendance and punctuality and this will is reflected in our expectations. The children are expected to be in their classrooms, ready to learn at 8.50am. If children are frequently arriving in school after this time, we will need to meet with parents or carers to discuss the support we can offer.
• Please remember that if your child is unwell and unable to attend school, you need to phone the school office before 9.15am, and on every day of their absence. This helps us to meet our safeguarding responsibilities and know that your child is safe.
• If your child needs leave of absence, please complete a form from the school office. Our Attendance Policy outlines the limited range of reasons, where leave may be authorised. If you find yourselves needing leave which is likely to be unauthorised (e.g. a holiday in term time), please be ‘up front’ with your reason. It puts children in a very difficult position if they feel the need to lie because the reason given to staff is not accurate.

Uniform and PE Kit

You will be advised of the days when PE is timetabled. On these days, the children will come to school in their PE kit and school sweatshirt or cardigan. Please see below for a list of required PE kit, In addition, the children will need a pump bag, which will be kept in school containing pumps and a plain blue jogging top/track suit top. All children should have spare underwear (pants and socks) kept in their pump bag. This will help in the case of any ‘accidents’ or where clothing gets wet.

Please support us with our uniform code and make sure that children have the correct footwear.

• Please ensure that all children have sensible school shoes: when buying new school shoes, please can we ask that you avoid ‘trainer type’ shoes. Trainers should only be worn on PE days.
• Hair styles are appropriate and hair bands and clips should be simple and not ‘over adorned’.
• Children must not wear nail varnish or jewellery to school with the exception of a wristwatch (not a smart watch or internet enabled device) and a simple, plain pair of studs, if their ears are pierced.
• Please can we ask that if you are considering having your child’s ears pierced, you arrange for this to be done at the start of the holiday so that the earrings can be removed for P.E. when your child returns to school in September. Thank you for your support in this matter.
• Please label all items of uniform so that it can be quickly reunited with its owner if it is lost.

Our School Uniform

Winter Uniform

• White button up shirt or blouse (not polo style)
• Navy Blue School tie (obtainable from the School Office)
• Grey pinafore dress, skirt or school trousers
• The Ridge Primary School ‘Kingfisher Blue’ Sweatshirt / Cardigan  (obtainable from the School Office)
• Navy blue, white or grey socks or tights
• Flat black/navy/grey school shoes (not trainer style)

Summer Uniform *

• Yellow gingham or striped dress
• The Ridge Primary School Sweatshirt/Cardigan
• The Ridge Primary School Yellow Polo Shirt
• White or grey socks or tights
• Sandals may be worn, with socks, but must be suitable for school (no trainers, beach/jelly shoes)

* Summer Uniform is optional and may be worn from the beginning of the Summer Term (usually April) to the Autumn Half-Term (usually end of October).  For the rest of the year, the children wear the standard winter uniform.

P.E. Kit

Worn to school on PE days with school sweatshirt or cardigan

• Plain white tee or polo shirt
• Blue shorts or P.E. skirt
• In colder weather, blue joggers may be worn
• Trainers

Kept in a pump bag at school

• Pumps
• Plain blue jogging top/track suit top
• Change of underwear (pants and socks)

Departure from School

• Children in Reception will be collected from their classroom from 3.05pm - 3.15 pm
• Year 1 - 3.10pm from the Ruby Garden
• Year 2 - 3.10pm from the main door
• Year 3 - 3.15pm from the main door
• Year 4 - 3.20 pm from the main door
• Year 5 - 3.15 pm from the playground door at the top of the ramp
• Year 6 - 3.20 pm from the playground door at the top of the ramp

Staffing Arrangements for September                    

Teacher                                                                                Teaching Assistant
Reception              Mrs Melia                                                  Mrs Hyde                           
Year 1                   Miss Syner                                                 Miss Sloan                                                          
Year 2                   Mrs Masters and Mrs Collett                   Miss Zulfiqar
Year 3                   Mrs Norgate                                              Mrs Warren
Year 4                   Mrs Jarrott and Mrs Hemus                     Miss Thompson
Year 5                   Miss Wesson                                              Miss Thompson and Mrs Evans
Year 6                   Miss Howarth                                             Mrs Evans          

*Mrs Kirby will be supporting pupils with additional needs.