It was a fantastic first day of the final half term of the year at Earls Hall and one which saw the children enjoy a fun lunch time all together for the first time in over two years. Today we finally said goodbye to our staggered lunch times which had first been introduced as part of the Covid restrictions. The Foundation Stage children started their lunch at 11.45am when they were supported in the downstairs hall by the teachers and teaching assistants before being joined by a number of our Midday Assistants. At twelve, the rest of the school started lunch and had the freedom of all of our playgrounds and field to play on until the lunch break finished at one. With no designated areas restricting their movement, siblings from different year groups were able to link up whilst younger children were supported in their play by children from the older year groups as they were introduced to play resources which were unfamiliar to them. It was the start of our ‘Opal’ journey (Outdoor Play and Learning) which is an initiative which will see us revolutionise our lunch provision over the course of the next eighteen months, details of which parents will hear about via the newsletter over the coming weeks. The day also saw KS2 come together in assembly for the first time in two years where Miss Neal talked to them about child safety in the home.

Meanwhile, it was a good day for sport as our Year Six girls cricket team represented the school at the Southend inter-schools tournament. Supported by Mr Crooks, the girls improved over the course of the tournament and their bowling was particularly impressive. The girls had a brilliant day and returned to school with silver medals having narrowly missed out on first place by a mere five runs. Well done girls, we are proud of you!