The last few months have been very difficult and we know that you might be feeling unsure about September.
At IVJS we have an excellent staff who are going to make sure that all of your child’s needs are catered for when they return in September. We know that the start of the new school year is going to be difficult for some children and we are currently changing our curriculum plans to ensure that all children’s needs are met. There will be a focus on wellbeing when we return and we will be planning lots of activities outside.
Your class teacher will be having ‘handover’ meetings with your child’s new teacher during the next few weeks to make sure that there is a smooth transition to their new class. If there is any information about how your child has been during lockdown, that you think would be useful for us to know, please email your current class teacher so that they can pass it on to the new teacher.
It is going to be a very different start to the school year and we will do everything we can to look after your child and ensure that they get back to enjoying school as quickly as possible
There are a couple of points about the next school year that we are still trying to work out.
Firstly, is there a way we can have some sort of transition so that children can say goodbye to their old teacher and meet their new teacher. This may be possible with a staggered start back to school which would mean not all children would start back at the same time. Please keep this in mind when you are thinking about child care and work arrangements for the first two weeks of September.
Secondly, clubs are also causing us some worries. If we are keeping the children in class bubbles all day to limit the spread of any germs, then mixing the children in a club seems to make no sense. However, we know that many of you use our breakfast and after school clubs for child care so that you are able to work and so, we are waiting to get further advice on this as at the moment there are mixed messages. Please be prepared for clubs not to start straight away at the beginning of term.
Please remember that school life will be different in September and in the next couple of weeks we will send out more details once we have had time to digest the guidance from the government. It is important to remember, that just like you, the staff have also had personal challenges during the pandemic. We are very excited to get everyone back into school but we know that there will still be challenges ahead. By working together, we can get through this!
Classes for September:

Dear Parents / Guardians,

On the week beginning Monday 13th July, all IVJS children will be taking part in a new look Sports Day!
Pupils will be able to compete, whether they are at school or at home. We are planning to do five simple stations which involve limited equipment (details on the next page).
Children in school will compete in their bubbles forming separate teams. Children competing at home will be counted as one big team! There will be no winning house this year but a winning ‘team’.
If you will be competing in Sports Day from home, please send your best score for each event to shawkes5@bucksgfl.org.uk by 3pm on Thursday 16th July.
It would be amazing if we could get multiple scores from home for each event (parents, siblings etc.), alongside pictures and videos of you competing!

Best Wishes,

Please click the image to download the full letter from Buckinghamshire Council

​This week I would like to say a massive thank you to all of you who have been so patient with us while we started using Teams to teach small groups of children – it has been a steep learning curve for all of us!  I would also like to thank the staff who have been amazing at adjusting very quickly this week to all the changes.
Bringing in more children to school has been both lovely and frustrating.  It is wonderful to see children back in school but disappointing that we can’t fit in everyone who wants to return.  You all know me fairly well by now and I hope you can trust that we have not made any decision lightly about inviting children back to school.   I cannot wait to have everyone back in school and have some sort of normality!
At school we are busy preparing for the next academic year and feeling excited at the thought of all the children returning to us in September.  School reports are nearly finished and will be sent out to you the week beginning 6th July.  The reports are much shorter than previous years but will give you an idea of how your child was doing before we closed in March.   
Next week the government are due to publish new guidance and then we can start to let you know what is happening for September and about your child meeting their new teacher. 
Have a lovely weekend and stay safe.

Miss Digweed

Dear Year 5 Parents/Guardians,

Following the updated guidance from the government, we are looking to see how we can support more children in school.
We have space for a few Year 5 children to join an existing 'bubble'. If you feel your child falls into once of the following categories, please contact the school to discuss the possibility of them returning to school;

• Special Educational Needs
• Vulnerable/Pupil Premium
• In Exceptional Circumstances

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Spaces in school are VERY limited and we may not be able to accommodate everyone who would like a space. We will  continue to provide home learning on our website and support all our Year 5 children until the end of term.

Best wishes,

Miss Digweed

​Dear Parents/ Guardians,

Following the Government’s announcement earlier in the week we are busy looking at if it is possible for us to welcome back more children before the summer holidays.  The limiting factors to if we can increase the number of pupils in school are of course: the number of staff needed and available rooms. 

This term has certainly had its challenges and, as we get closer to the new school year, I feel that there are going to be more challenges ahead!  As I have said previously, I am extremely grateful that I am working in such a supportive school community as this has definitely made things easier.

We are, of course, thinking about September and planning our curriculum for the new term.  Preparing a curriculum for an effective start in September is within our control. Knowing how schools will be asked to safely reopen is not. For this we are relying on Government guidance, which is currently not forthcoming. Buckinghamshire Head Teachers, Governing Bodies, teaching unions and the Local Authority are all lobbying government for early publication of guidance. Clearly, knowing what to expect as soon as possible is in all our interests.

Please be assured that whatever the new term brings, we will be doing everything that we can to meet the academic, social and emotional needs of your children; we cannot wait to have them back!

We are in the process of proofreading annual written reports and these will be sent out by post nearer the end of term.

It looks as though we might get some sunny weather this weekend so hopefully you will be able to get outside and enjoy it.
​
Stay safe,
 
J Digweed

​Dear Parents/Guardians,

Following government guidelines, we created small groups to accommodate the year 6 children who wished to return to school. These groups are kept totally separate during the day to reduce the risk of cross contamination of any germs. To maintain social distancing, we can only have a small number of children in each group and new children are unable to then join an established group.

Going forward we will not be able to accept any new year 6 children into these existing groups for the above reasons.  In addition, we are short on both staff and space to accommodate many more groups.   Therefore, we need to know immediately if you intend to send your year 6 child back to school this half term so that we can plan accordingly.
​
If you choose to send your child back to school, then please inform us by 3.30pm on Monday 15th June by emailing the school office at admin@ivervillage-jun.bucks.sch.uk or calling the school reception (please feel free to leave a voicemail if the number is engaged). Our aim is to have a final, definitive list of year 6 children; this will be the last opportunity to join a group.

​Please contact us soon as possible (by the latest Monday 15th June 3.30pm) if you choose for your year 6 child to return to school this half term.

Thank you once again for all of your support during these difficult times.
Your sincerely,

​Jill Digweed

Dear Parents and Carers,
This is Aidan in Rowling Class' mum Claire.  I hope everyone is well and coping in these strangest of times. 
Our children are going to have a very different end to their primary school life than we all expected and also different to anything any siblings may have had.  They will miss putting on a Y6 show, leavers assembly and of course their prom.
I wondered what people feel about us all trying to organise a token for them to have until we can can hopefully meet up and say goodbyes when our world becomes a bit safer?  Previous years have all had leavers hoodies with their names in the outlined year of leaving.  I also wonder if anyone would be interested in asking your child to write a message to their whole class or year group and we could put them together in a booklet or poster?  I am very aware that money is even tighter for many people at this time and this should be taken into account.
Teachers and school are extra busy making things work at this time and I was thinking that if school was in agreement we could make these arrangements between ourselves.  (Y6 parents have always arranged the hoodies and momentos).
A text will be sent with my contact details shortly for anyone who wants to contact me. Please do as soon as possible.
I'm also on Facebook.  

Thanks everyone, stay safe
Claire

Dear Parents/Guardians,

In September, the Buckinghamshire 2021 Secondary Transfer Tests are currently scheduled to take place for the current Year 5s (who will then be in Year 6). The Secondary Transfer Test is a test to determine whether or not a child is suited to a grammar school. Buckinghamshire County Council undertake the administration on behalf of the 13 grammar schools.

For pupils in Buckinghamshire primary schools, a printed copy of the Familiarisation booklet is usually given to each pupil to take home towards the end of the summer term of Year 5 but due to the fact that school may still be closed a copy of the Familiarisation booklet is available to download (see image).

Due to COVID-19 final arrangements for the tests have yet to be made. As soon as more information is available we will email parents.

Taking the test is not compulsory for children in Buckinghamshire primary schools and if parents/guardian wish to withdraw their child from testing we must have parental consent. Please email the school office should you wish to WITHDRAW your child (opt-out) from the tests by Friday 26th June.
Should you feel that your child has a disability that will affect them sitting the exam, please email and we can arrange a time for you to discuss this with a teacher.
These can then be emailed to the school: admin@ivervillage-jun.bucks.sch.uk.