OAKFIELD Academy has praised Fair Frome and the Rotary Club of Frome for the support they have given pupils and families during the pandemic and beyond.
The local school for children aged between 9 and 13 years old, has thanked Fair Frome for its lockdown activity packs, its additional support for families eligible for free school meals, and its financial support to help some families pay for end-of-year trips.
And the Rotary Club of Frome has been thanked for its support of the school’s Scholarship Award, its donation of laptops, and its ongoing commitment to support future projects to support pupils in all aspects of their learning and development, where Covid has had an impact.
In an open letter from the pupils, staff and families at Oakfield Academy they said, “This letter could not thank these two charities enough for the support they have been able to offer over the past 18 months, and of course they would not be able to provide such support without the generosity of local people and businesses.
“Initially Fair Frome provided lockdown activity packs for many of the families that attend Oakfield Academy which were creative, fun and engaging. The packs included activities such as gardening packs, sporting equipment, colouring books, board games, sewing kits and much more. The activity pack offered pupils alternative opportunities alongside their school work and that the academy would have struggled to offer.
“At Christmas, they offered all our free school meal families an extra Christmas voucher and hamper to help make the celebrations the best they could be under such difficult circumstances. The school staff have told us how grateful parents were of this generous offer.
“Throughout this year they have offered support for school uniform for our families who have felt the financial impact of Covid. It has helped Oakfield keep a sense of belonging, as well as a sense of pride. These concepts have been difficult to maintain during a time where the school has been working under such different circumstances.
“At the end of this school year, Fair Frome were able to subsidise end-of-year trips, removing financial barriers for pupils who families have been affected by Covid. Every school curriculum has needed to change because of the pandemic and one of the big changes has been school trips. Oakfield wanted as many pupils as possible to have the opportunity to have a trip at the end of the school year. Fair Frome has helped many families across the year groups to attend when they wouldn’t have been able to otherwise.
“Throughout the pandemic, Fair Frome has offered food hampers and financial support to families in need, they have been able to do home deliveries as well as school deliveries. This work continues and this would not be possible if it wasn’t for the support of local businesses.
“Recently, the Rotary Club of Frome visited our academy and they have offered to support our Scholarship Award by providing trophies. This is a new way to complement our Citizenship Award. It is awarded termly to a pupil who has shown a love of learning through their work, attitude and engagement.
“The Rotary Club of Frome has also supported our Year 8 leavers’ celebration by providing Chromebooks to be awarded by the Head of Year to two pupils in recognition of their outstanding achievements over the past year.
“Next year, the Rotary Club of Frome has committed to support our Flexible Learning Group on their trip to Longleat. They are working closely with us on future projects to support our pupils in all aspects of their learning and development where Covid has had an impact. Their incredible generosity and support has been gratefully welcomed.
“We are proud to live in Frome as it has proven to be a community that offers such positive spirit, generosity and care to all those that live within it and in the surrounding areas. Even through a pandemic, we came out smiling and supporting each other!”
