Statement from Parents and Carers of Thurleigh Primary School

I feel so lucky that my kids went to Thurleigh school where they were nurtured & looked after by all the lovely staff . We moved to a village to bring up our children as a big part of village life is having a little school where there is a much more personal relationship between the kids , teachers & parents . The staff are able to really get to know the children individually on a much deeper level & they receive a much more one on one type of learning environment. The traditions are another reason that makes Thurleigh school so special and a firm favourite is definitely the nativity play in the church. There is something so magical about having it there and the children absolutely love it . My children will always have such fun , lovely memories of their time at Thurleigh Lower ( as it was then ) It is a sad time that so many schools are losing their identity & becoming so generic . Schools shouldn’t become a business they need to stay as the beating heart & soul of a community

I want our school to remain strong, welcoming, and supportive for all families.

I want our school to remain strong, welcoming, and supportive for all families.

Dear Parents, We understand that the school accidentally disclosed parents’ email addresses in an email sent on 7th February. This was an administrative error for which the school has taken responsibility and reported to the ICO. It has come to our attention that some of these email addresses were then used to circulate the recent parent petition. While the school has highlighted that data should not be used in this way, it is important to remember: • Parents did not unlawfully obtain these email addresses — the disclosure was the school’s error. • Simply receiving or using the information to share a school-related petition does not constitute a criminal act. • The petition itself reflects genuine concerns from the parent body and should be considered on its merits, separate from the administrative error. We also want to note that we do not appreciate the school overreaching with legal references or using them in a way that feels intended to intimidate parents and discourage participation in the petition. While we respect data protection obligations, the tone of recent communications has been disproportionate and unhelpful. We encourage all parents to: 1. Delete the original accidental email as requested by the school. 2. Respect data privacy in future communications. 3. Focus on the substance of the petition and the issues raised, rather than the method of circulation. The purpose of the petition is to ensure that the voices of families are heard regarding the recent changes in school leadership and policies. The accidental disclosure of email addresses does not invalidate the concerns raised or the support behind the petition. Thank you for keeping the discussion respectful, factual, and focused on the issues that matter to our community.

I acknowledge the school’s error in disclosing parents’ email addresses and note that it has been reported to the ICO. I have deleted the email as requested. However, I must be clear that parents did not obtain this data unlawfully — it was disclosed directly by the school. The subsequent reference to criminal offences and the suggestion that parents may be “in breach” appears to shift responsibility away from the original administrative error. I would ask that future communications reflect the fact that this situation arose from a school mistake, and that parents who simply received the email are not addressed in a manner that implies wrongdoing.

Won’t let me comment all that I want to

The decisions being made are having a damaging impact. I feel the friendly community based school seems to being eroded away being replaced by a cold unfriendly atmosphere and changes being made without consultation and any thoughts of the consequences for the families.

We live out of area & specifically sent our children to Thurleigh because of the values, ethos & practices. We are really disappointed with the changes that have been made without consultation & to the detriment of the school, community & children. It now feels that these values are secondary to ratings. The changes to the wraparound care ultimately mean that we will no longer be able to use it as having to pay for an hour when we may only require 10 mins makes it unaffordable especially when you have 3 children & due to having to pay a terms worth when that may not be required. We like many other parents valued the emergency care in times when work commitments make it hard to arrive for school finish. This unfortunately also means that my eldest child will no longer be able to attend after school clubs that she values & are of great importance to her development & wellbeing, as I would have to sit in the car for an hour with my youngest 2, this is neither practical or sustainable especially in the colder months. Valuable team members have left the school which impacts learning & continuity. These teachers are irreplaceable in my opinion, all the teachers who have daily contact with our children, who take the time to know them & help them grow not only in their learning but also as people, to lose them is a huge detriment to the school. The newsletters now focus on behaviour & attendance rather than achievements & events to celebrate our children. Whilst I appreciate that behaviour & attendance need monitoring it was never an issue before & perhaps more telling about the leadership rather than any real issue. The school has become a dictatorship rather than the community lead, parent involved, safe space it was less than a year ago & in all honesty I am no longer certain this is the best place for my children to gain their education.

The school is all off a sudden losing it’s best staff/operatives.

Couldn’t agree more.

There has been a pattern of authoritarian shift in the schools dynamic, I do not believe the governors will do anything to correct this.

I am concerned that further longstanding staff may leave. We chose to move our child to this school because of the lovely nurturing feel and longstanding wonderful staff. I am nervous that some of the new rules being introduced are creating a more authoritarian feel which was one of the reasons we chose to leave our child’s last school. I felt when we joined that all these strict rules/behaviour/consequences were not required at Thurleigh as it was so small and blessed with lovely caring staff. I would hate to see the Ethos change too much.

The changes to wrap around care unfairly discriminate against working parents - finishing at five does not the reflect standard working patterns of many working families. Having to book sessions just to guarantee a slot could end up costing families hundreds of pounds, this discriminates against lower income families who do not meet the threshold for financial support. The short window that has been allowed before changes are implemented does not take into consideration changes to working contracts parents might have to make and shows a lack of understanding at how these changes will impact families. The lack of flexibility doesn’t reflect the day to day lives of families - this is a huge safe guarding concern, if I can not pick my child up for what ever reason - what happens?!

The change to wrap around care is not good a change. My child goes to afterschool on certain days and that will always be the same, but for breakfast club sometimes we don't know weather my child needs to go or not until the night before because of work hours/commitments so this will make it hard for us, do we either pay for breakfast club incase my child needs to go or we be late for work, either way we will loose money and it all adds up.

The sudden changes to wraparound care are a particular concern. These changes are going to significantly impact parents both financially and logistically, and it feels that the school is no longer working in partnership with families in the way it used to. Life does not always allow for military precision and ultimately it is the children who are going to suffer here. It feels fundamentally unsafe to have no provision for children whose parents are unexpectedly late for collection (and this will happen to most families who drive to Thurleigh at some point). Having some degree of flexibility reduces stress and keeps our children safe - I can’t understand why this isn’t the primary consideration.

She needs to go

We are both working parents who rely heavily on the school’s wraparound care provision — not just for the hours themselves, but for the flexibility it provides. The recent reduction in both hours and flexibility is causing us extreme difficulty in managing our work commitments. The situation has become so challenging that we are now having to consider removing our child from the school altogether. To receive notification of such a significant change without any prior consultation feels deeply unfair and underhanded. Decisions that have such a direct impact on families’ livelihoods should involve meaningful engagement with parents. Being informed without warning, and without time to adjust workloads or explore alternative arrangements, is incredibly distressing. We have lived in the village for over a decade and chose this school specifically because of its wraparound care provision, alongside our desire for our daughter to grow up within her local community. This change undermines one of the key reasons we committed to the school in the first place. Working parents already face considerable pressures, and this decision disproportionately affects families who depend on reliable childcare in order to remain in employment. We urge the school to reconsider these changes and to properly consult with parents before implementing decisions that have such far-reaching consequences.

I have been directly impacted by these recent changes and not for the better. Not providing full wraparound care for our child is having a clear impact to our household but also my employer and business. As a result, I now need to consider several options that thought would never need considering, these range from leaving full time employment that I’ve been in for 25years, taking our child out of this school or moving house to another area that provide us the provisions that have been promised from this labour goverment to support professional families to stay in work and not sacrifice this due to lack of child care and support. No formal consultation or discussion was had with families in the village about these changes and sending out a small survey doesn’t justify a comprehensive review of the provision being removed. This is clearly being done as a short term fix due financial issues or constraints with in the system but the long term affect and impact is huge.

The assistant head teacher seemed to be pushed out and this should not have happened he was by far the best fit for this school.

We are extremely disappointed by the sudden and dramatic changes to the wraparound care arrangements. Our older daughter greatly enjoys the school-provided clubs, including netball, drama, wellbeing and others that change each term. These opportunities are important to her development and wellbeing. However, the frequent changes to club schedules make it very difficult for us to plan appropriately for our younger daughter. Without knowing in advance which days and clubs our older daughter will be attending each term, we are unable to organise consistent after-school arrangements for our younger child. We are also concerned that, despite wraparound care running daily, there appears to be little flexibility. Not allowing a child to attend on a last-minute basis in the event of an emergency feels poorly managed and lacking in consideration for working families who may occasionally face unexpected circumstances.