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It's been such a lovely, sunny first week of the summer term and all classes have been making the most of the dry weather. The athletics track is now marked on the field and we have everything crossed that we will be able to use the field for PE lessons and lunch breaks throughout the term. The UV index is very high at the moment so please send your child to school with sun cream applied and a sun hat. Despite the sunshine, it is still bitterly cold in the wind or shade, so coats and jumpers are still very much needed.

On the subject of clothing, please help us to ensure that all children are now wearing correct uniform and plain black shoes. Details of expected uniform may be found by clicking here.

Later in the term, we will be producing a short, written report for each child to update you on their progress. Parents' evenings this term will once more take place by telephone and teachers will be contacting you to book slots. These appointments will be largely on the following dates:
Tuesday 4th May - Years 2,5&6
Wednesday 5th May - Years 2&3
Thursday 4th May - Years 4&5
Monday 10th May - Years R,3&6
Tuesday 11th May - Years R&1
Wednesday 12th May - Years 1&4
The reason for the range of dates is that we only have 2 telephone lines within the school.

Thank you all for your patience in transferring to the new School Gateway accounts. If you are continuing to have trouble, please do get in touch. For next week the lunch menu will remain the same as last term, with a new menu starting on Tuesday 4th May. Just a reminder that all staff and admin email addresses have now changed to ending in @southtawton.org.uk and mine is now [email protected]
There have been a few glitches with the transition, so if you have emailed us and we have not replied, apologies. If this is the case, please do email again to the new address.

We hope that you may have noticed that the front of the school has had rather a makeover over the Easter holiday. The front window frames and door of the Year R and 1 block have all been refurbished and painted, as has the first main door to the old building. We're hoping that this refurbishment programme will now continue with the other windows and doors around the old building.

With more than a little help from friends and family, all of the railings have been rubbed down and cleaned and the ramp and steps into the school power-washed. This paved the way for a team from the Dartmoor MAT staff to visit the school armed with paint and brushes and with many hands making light(ish) work, we managed to get all the railings re-painted.

A special thank you is also due to Penny and Bea's mum and grandma who have swept and weeded all of the KS1 playground and banks, as well as donating and planting new plants for the borders.

A very big thank you to everyone involved for all their hard work. 

I would like to say a huge thank you to the PTA who have donated 11 new Chromebooks to the school. We have also received an additional 4 from very generous donors and have another 3 on order - also from donors. We already have a class set of Chromebooks for pupils to use in the new building and are working towards building up to another class set for the children in the old building (years R, 1, 2 and 6). 

On the subject of donations, we're also extremely grateful to Aine who has used her own pocket money to purchase a set of The Treehouse books which she knows her class enjoy. What a lovely, kind gesture!

​Thank you all!

Please click here to read the latest update from Devon Count Council.

The Easter holidays have arrived and the sun is shining. We hope that you all have a lovely break and look forward to welcoming the children back into school on Monday 19th April. 

As ever, I am so proud of all our pupils, staff and families for their resilience in managing the changes that the pandemic has brought to us. As we move into the Summer Term, we have everything crossed that the worse is behind us and we can enjoy happy and productive full term in school. 

After the holidays, please start to use the 'new' school gateway accounts that you will see when you log in. The old accounts will be removed and any remaining balances will be transferred to your new ones. You will notice that dinner bookings are only available for the first week back. We are hoping that the menu will change after this and will let you know when future bookings are available.

School bus and breakfast club bookings are now available in your new accounts.

Don't forget to check out the class blog pages each week to find out more about what each class have been doing. Of special mention this week, is the video on the Class 4 blog page. We weren't able to have our traditional end of term Years 3 and 4 performance, but year 4 have made a video showcasing their learning about Australia. Click here to view.

As mentioned in many previous newsletters, the cut-through lane between Sticklepath and South Zeal can be hazardous to parents and children walking to school. I have received the following message from a parent which many of you will find interesting:

I came across this crowdfunder earlier today, set up by our local counciller, Lynn Daniels. I thought it may be of interest to the school as it specifically mentions South Tawton School and the children having a safer walking/cycling route. I know a lot of parents, including myself find walking down the lane between Sticklepath and South Zeal quite dangerous and it would definitely encourage more to walk if it were off road. Also reduce the traffic congestion around school at drop off/ pick up times.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/beacon-shared-path

The Foundation for Education Development (FED) is dedicated to promoting a long-term vision and plan for education in England, and is launching their National Consultation Report at the end of April 2021. More information is available on their website here. As part of this consultation report the FED have launched a short survey which we would like to encourage staff, parents, and students to complete. Their plan is to capture '100,000 Voices' in the next 3 weeks from across the education spectrum. Please see the message below:
 Do you want to help shape the future of our Education System? Please take 60 seconds to answer these simple questions and support The Foundation for Education Development https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/EducationSystem  or go straight to our website Fed Education – Foundation for education development. ​