Good morning everyone. I've just got time for a quick post before the children arrive.

I really struggled to get out of bed this morning. I don't know how I ever managed 7am starts!

Is anyone anxious about starting back this week? I have to be honest, I'm not too worried, but I know a lot of people are. I have told parents I'll be very strict with illness from now on. Before Christmas the children had colds and snotty noses, but I accepted them all. I haven't said I wouldn't have them now, but I've said I'll have to consider each case individually and that parents should consider keeping unwell children at home even if they don't have classic covid symptoms. It's tough - I don't want to turn children away if it's just a cold, but then how do I know it's just a cold? I think this term is going to be the toughest yet in terms of knowing when to accept children and when to exclude them.

Are your primary schools open this week? Ours all are, so far. I see there are calls for another national lockdown, so I think we'll all have to keep an eye on the news to see what happens over the next few days.

Has anyone got any exciting plans for today? I've set out favourite toys so the children have something familiar when they come back. I find they're tired after christmas so we have an easy start to the week. I use the time to see which resources they particularly use and which ones they're bored with. I can then see which ones to leave out and which ones need packing away and swapping for something different. I've changed the book selection to fairy tales and Julia Donaldson books. I'll see which ones they're most drawn to and those will be our chosen stories for the next few weeks.

Have good days everyone. If you're not starting back today, enjoy that extra day of rest!