It has been a huge week in terms of producing the new home learning packs for students and we have been so impressed with the response. We would really encourage you to regularly look at our twitter accounts and websites for some great examples of students embracing their learning. It is really the theme of this letter today to celebrate some of the ‘truly great’ things that are happening in our schools and communities in this most difficult and worrying of times. It is crucial that we celebrate the achievements and efforts of students, parents, staff and wider community.

Firstly, something special has been happening at our infant schools where the staff have been busy producing a video for our youngest children. The Moss Road version is currently online and has an important message for both Moss Road pupils and for us all. The Littlemoor version is also due very soon and we look forward to this Oscar winning production.

All Academies have continued with the safe and well checks for all students. In most cases these have really been a keep in touch call which have highlighted the amazing relationships we have with all our parents and students. I did receive feedback from one parent who emailed to say ‘I cannot believe how lucky we are to have such a special group of staff looking after our daughter’. I think at this time more than ever staff really appreciate feedback like this.

As previously mentioned the new home learning packs have been produced this week and many of these have been collected at the primary schools or delivered to parents. These have been widely welcomed and utilised by students. We do continue to recognise the complexities of Home Learning and we support parents to deliver this in the way that works for their individual children. Again staff have been so impressed with the quality of work sent to them ranging from A Level students to our very youngest children. May I personally thank all staff in the Trust for their work on these Home Learning provisions and for the quality of the resources they have produced. If parents have any questions with this work please may we remind you that their class teacher or, in the case of Campsmount, their form tutor is the first point of call.

Some of the Academies have been extra creative, particularly around encouraging reading and wider learning activities. There has been numerous sporting and physical challenges set by the PE team at Campsmount and at Spa students have been encouraged to write about making a sandwich. The infants have even started a book treasure hunt around the area where books are being placed for others to find. A lucky little girl who is due to start Moss Road in September found one of these books and her Dad wrote to tell us that ‘she was so excited to find the book and what a lovely idea’.

We have also been lucky to work closely with community businesses who have supported us in many different ways. Of particular note this week has been a donation from Drax of a significant number of HP Chromebook Laptops for our students, which we will be distributing next week. This will make a difference for some of our GCSE and A Level students preparing for their examinations and coursework.

As you will be aware we continue to provide childcare for students across the Trust at Campsmount Academy. This is available for children of key workers and our most vulnerable and the numbers accessing this provision has been relatively stable during this last week. As before, if you are classed as a critical worker and need your child to access the emergency childcare provision please let us know by emailing info@legereducationtrust.com

For those in receipt of Free School Meals the Government national voucher system, through Edenred, has been rolled out locally. All families to whom this applies should now have received vouchers for the first two weeks and vouchers will be delivered shortly for the next 3 weeks, which covers the period up to the 8th May 2020. However, there continues to be some issues with this system at a national level but the staff at Campsmount have been working hard to ensure that all families are clear on the process and can access the provision. Vouchers will be received to the email address held for you at school. If you have not received your vouchers please check your clutter/spam/junk folders. If you require assistance regarding the vouchers please email meals@legereducationtrust.com. Also, if any families feel they need further support, either financially or otherwise, please contact school and we will of course make every effort to help.

The Leger Education Trust Project this week set up a facility where families can receive books, clothes, and toys completely free to support their families during this difficult time. We continue to welcome donations of high quality items which may be of use to other families. We will soon be making them available through a facebook page and have a safe practice for distribution. Any donations can be delivered to the school during opening hours in a safe, social distancing environment. Again, can I personally thank those staff that have volunteered to run this project.

We hope that you continue to Stay at Home, and support the national effort. We would also like to thank all the parents who are NHS and key workers for your bravery and commitment. We will continue to provide a weekly update for all parents and please take care.

Yours sincerely

Adam Dale
Chief Executive Officer