Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope that you and your family are well and that you are enjoying the holiday!  I wanted to get in touch to update on a couple of important things and to give a few reminders as the new school year approaches.

Dates and Times

Term starts for children and families on Monday 5th September, following 2 INSET days for staff on Thursday 1st and 2nd.  

Children in Years 1 to 6 start promptly on 5th September at 8:50am and this year, finish at 3:20pm (as explained before the end of last term).

Children in Reception are half days during the first 3 days, Monday to Wednesday, either AM or PM (parents were informed before the end of last term).  Reception children are full day from Thursday 8th September: 8:45am - 3:15pm (5 minutes earlier than Y1-6).

Children in Nursery begin on Thursday 8th September at 8:45am.

Building Refurbishment Update

If you have passed the school site during the last couple of weeks, you will have seen that a lot has happened during the summer!  Yesterday, I attended a meeting with the contractors and Liverpool City Council representatives.  We now have 3 high quality temporary classrooms fully installed, plumbed in and connected, in position on the infant yard.  The first phase of renovation in the school building is well under way and on target, which includes Y4, 5 and 6 classrooms, and computer suite.  This is due to be completed near to October half term, meaning that these three classes will begin the year in the temporary classrooms.  

We are aware that the start of the new school year can cause anxieties, so I would like to invite any Y4-6 children who may be nervous about the start of the year, and their parents, to come into school next Tuesday 30th August from 9:00 - 9:30am, prior to the start of term.  During this half hour, children and parents will be able to explore the new classrooms, see how they are set up and where they will spend each day for the first half term.  I hope this will help them to feel excited and confident about returning to school, rather than worried about what they may find when term begins.

As the work progresses and phase 1 completes around October, Y4,5 and 6 will return to their newly refurbished classrooms and Y2 and 3 will then move into the temporary classrooms so that Phase 2 can begin.  The contractors have been very considerate of our needs and will be explaining their work to the children as it progresses, including the many safety measures necessary to undertake such a development.  Ultimately, our children at Norman Pannell will have the standard of school building that they deserve and can feel proud of.

As a result of the temporary classrooms and ongoing works, there will be some changes to the way classes enter and exit at the beginning and end of the school day.  Instructions will be confirmed by the end of next week, prior to children's return, so please look out for further details.

Some photos of the refurbishment will be posted in latest news in the next few days.

School Uniform

As the start of term approaches, I'd like to remind parents of some important school uniform rules:

• All school shoes in the autumn term for boys and girls should be plain black.  Fully black trainers can be worn, but must not have logos or designs in any other colour.  Boots and open-toe sandals are not permitted.
• School PE kit with logo is available online from Stitch Design, however, as a cheaper option, generic plain white T-shirt and plain black shorts can be bought from other outlets.
• On specified PE days, children are permitted to wear correct Norman Pannell PE kit into school for the whole day. Other sports clothing is not permitted - if correct PE kit is not available, normal uniform should be worn and sports kit sent in separately in a bag.
• Grey trousers, pinafore or skirt must be worn.  Shirts / blouses must be plain white.
• All school jumpers, cardigans and PE hoodies must be purchased from our online provider, Stitch Design.
• Reminder: only the school tie can be purchased from the school office at £2.50.
• Stitch Design NP website: Stitch Design - Click here

I hope that you enjoy the remainder of August.  We look forward to seeing you very soon for the start of the new school year!

Kind regards,

Rob Simpson

Head Teacher