Pre-Prep Reflections 20 March 2026
Dear parents,
What a difference the sun has made to everyone’s spirits this week! On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of accompanying Year 1 to their swimming lesson at Exeter School and seeing the amazing progress they have made since the start of the year. This afternoon, we were delighted to welcome Mrs Handley, one of the Year 3 teachers at the junior school, who came over to help in Mrs Goodwill’s art lessons and meet the children in Years 1 and 2.
Interviews
Yesterday, we concluded the second round of interviews for a new part-time co-deputy head role. We had a very strong field and the post has now been offered and accepted to an excellent candidate. I look forward to sharing further details with you shortly. My thanks go to Mrs Van and Mr Evans for coming over from the junior school to help me with the interviews, and to the Reception children for taking part in interview lessons once again.
Red Nose Day
Today, the children looked fabulous in their own clothes for Red Nose Day. All week we have been talking to the children about the Comic Relief charity that their donations support, and sharing jokes across the school. Thanks to your generous donations, which raised a grand total of £135.70 for Comic Relief.
Ready for Anything practice
You may remember that I mentioned Martyn’s Law in one of my newsletters last term. This is a new legal requirement for all schools to create, rehearse and inform visitors of a ‘ready for anything’ lockdown procedure, in case of emergencies. Our school policy has now been finalised and we will be having a soft ‘walk through’ of a partial lockdown next week with the children, starting with an introduction in assembly. We will then take the children outside, sound the siren and practice ‘invacuating’ – i.e. coming back inside, gathering in the hall and securing the building. The aim is for the children to remain calm and reassured, so they know exactly what to do when they hear this siren, which is different from the fire alarm sound.
Meningitis B information
Many of you may also have seen the very sad news of the meningococcal disease outbreak linked to Kent and might have some questions about the meningitis and the MenB vaccination for your child. For more information, the UKHSA is regularly updating this link. We have also provided some additional information and links available in the section below this letter.
Next week
Please note that Mrs Landy will be out of school all day on Monday to complete paediatric first aid training. Please contact your child’s class teacher or me with any messages that would normally go to the school office. On Wednesday afternoon, all parents are welcome to ‘drop in’ to your child’s classroom at the slightly earlier time of 3pm to have a look through some of their work with them.
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the sunshine!
