Welcome back to school!

That is the message to pupils and their parents and families from schools across Newham.

There are three key points which I have shared with our community at Bobby Moore Academy, and which are worth spreading more widely.

Firsty, school is the best place for young people to learn. Pupils have been working hard at home throughout the lockdown, supported by parents and families, which makes such a difference.

Where pupils can now make progress most effectively is in the classroom with the experts who know how to make the biggest difference in their learning - their teachers and support staff.

Secondly, school is as safe as we can make it. We know that pupils and parents have concerns and worries about the reopening of schools; extra safety measures are in place to help minimise the risks involved with being back in school.

If you’re uncertain about how it works, ask - your school will have details about their plans and risk assessments which they can share with you.

Thirdly, schools might not get everything right first time. Just as we don’t expect our pupils to always get the correct answer at the first attempt, please bear with us as we go through the reopening process.

School leaders are always seeking to act in the best interests of all pupils in their school, and there may be teething problems, unexpected or last-minute changes.

I’ve asked the parents and pupils at BMA to keep us updated with how they’re feeling about returning; we’ve already adjusted our planning several times in light of this.

As we look beyond the initial ‘welcome back’ there is a great deal to be done to make sure that no child is disadvantaged in the long term by the impact of lockdown.

Bobby Moore Academy and other schools are updating our plans as we respond to the government’s announcements on this.

We know there is a long way to go to achieve this; for now, it’s great to be back.