Tuesday 31^st March 2020

Dear Parents,

It was good to see more learning packs being collected today. Half of the year 4 packs were collected, with year 3 packs being available tomorrow:

Wednesday 1st April:  Year 3

Surnames A-E                9.00 – 10.00 a.m.    

                                                 Surnames F-J               10.00 – 11.00 a.m.  

                                                    Surnames K-P              11.00 – 12.00          

                                                     Surnames Q-T               1.00 – 2.00p.m.    

                                                     Surnames U-Z               2.00 – 3.00p.m.   

If you have children in more than one year group you can collect all of their packs on your first visit. We will only be allowing one person at a time into the office area, so be prepared to wait outside - at a distance from each other of course! If your child is already booked in to attend school this week, they will be given their pack then.

If you have missed collecting your child's pack then you can collect it on Thursday, if possible keep to the times above which apply each day, as this has helped spread out the number of visits to the school.

I mentioned yesterday that I was investigating supplying FSM vouchers ourselves as there had been no news on the national voucher scheme, however, I read in the news this morning that schools would get the information today. It has at last arrived in my emails at 5.15p.m today, so we will work on this as a priority tomorrow.

If you feel you are eligible for free school meals and have not yet registered, then it is not too late to do so. See the Latest School News section on the school website for details on how to do this and a link to the online application hub.

The school will be remaining open over the Easter holiday fortnight including the Bank Holidays. If you require your child/children to attend during this time and have not yet booked them in, please contact either school office for more details.

Sadly I write this hearing that the death toll today has risen to nearly 400 people in the last 24 hours, so keep yourselves safe, keep up with your social distancing, stay in and wash your hands frequently.

Wishing you all the very best,

Mrs Sheila Pape,

Executive Headteacher

Monday 30^th March 2020

Dear Parents,

We are now into week 2 of our lockdown and the weather seems to have turned a little colder. Snow was falling as I walked between the schools earlier today! Hopefully that will deter more people from going out and further reduce the likelihood of the virus spreading.

Today was the day year 5 parents could collect a learning pack from school, as mentioned in my update on Friday. Sadly only 16 parents collected the work for their children. Their packs are still available but will need to be collected on Thursday as tomorrow and Wednesday are allocated for year 4 and 3 respectively and as we are trying to maintain as much social distancing as possible we want to stick to the current schedule, so we haven't got a huge number of adults arriving at the same time.

As a reminder:

Tuesday 31st March:  Year 4

                                           9-10a.m.     Surnames A-E

                                           10-11a.m.   Surnames F-J

                                           11-12           Surnames K-P

                                              1-2p.m.    Surnames Q-T

                                              2-3p.m.    Surnames U-Z

Wednesday 1st April:  Year 3

                                            9-10a.m.     Surnames A-E

                                           10-11a.m.   Surnames F-J

                                           11-12           Surnames K-P

                                              1-2p.m.    Surnames Q-T

                                              2-3p.m.    Surnames U-Z

If you have children in more than one year group you can collect all of their packs on your first visit. We will only be allowing one person at a time into the office area, so be prepared to wait outside - at a distance from each other of course! If your child is already booked in to attend school this week, they will be given their pack then.

I know some of you have been enquiring about Free School Meals. As mentioned in a previous update I was awaiting information on the government's voucher system.  The last update was on 20^th March where they said:

'We are currently developing a national approach to providing support through supermarket and shop vouchers. We will provide further details shortly.'

However, as there are still no details, I am looking to source vouchers directly from local shops. I will let you know when these are available. Rest assured they will be issued for these last 2 weeks. They will only be available to families who meet the criteria and are currently registered for Free School Meals in either school This will not include infant children who receive a free meal through the universal free meal scheme.

Please don't forget if you are feeling lonely, vulnerable, anxious or struggling financially, do ring in to school and we will try to do what we can to support you. This is a tough time for everyone so don't think you are alone.

Finally, if your child is booked in for emergency care cover with us, and you find you do not need it, please ring to let us know. We were overstaffed today as so many children failed to turn up, so I ended up sending some staff home. However I would have preferred to have adjusted the staffing sooner to reduce adults arriving in school and moving around the community unnecessarily.

Hoping you are all keeping safe, washing your hands and staying in.

Best wishes,

Mrs Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

Friday 27^th March 2020

Dear Parents,

The end of an unusual week with still more to come. Hopefully the weather will continue to be lovely as it certainly helps make the world seem a little happier when the sun is shining.

To ensure you have enough to do with your children the staff have provided some more ideas and links which have been added to the on line learning section of the website. Please have a look!

Next week, for junior school children, there will be the opportunity for a parent/adult to collect a learning pack from the school. To ensure you don't ignore the 'stay in' advice, when you do collect your child's pack, this must be your 'exercise for the day' because as you know you should only leave the house once a day for exercise, be that a walk, cycle or run.

Furthermore to comply with the social distancing expectations, the adult should come into the school alone to collect the pack. To ensure we don't have huge numbers of people arriving together this is the collection timetable:

Monday 30th March:  Year 5

                                                9 - 10a.m.        Surnames A-E

                                                10 - 11a.m.      Surnames F-J

                                                11 - 12             Surnames K-P

                                                1 - 2p.m.         Surnames Q-T

                                                2 - 3p.m.         Surnames U-Z

Year 5 pack will also include some CGP study books which will help them revise what they have been taught so far and prepare them for year 6.

Tuesday 31st March:  Year 4

                                                9-10a.m.          Surnames A-E

                                                10-11a.m.        Surnames F-J

                                                11-12               Surnames K-P

                                                1-2p.m.            Surnames Q-T

                                                2-3p.m.            Surnames U-Z

Wednesday 1st April:  Year 3

                                                9-10a.m.          Surnames A-E

                                                10-11a.m.        Surnames F-J

                                                11-12               Surnames K-P

                                                1-2p.m.            Surnames Q-T

                                                2-3p.m.            Surnames U-Z

If you have children in more than one year group you can collect all of their packs on your first visit. We will only be allowing one person at a time into the office area, so be prepared to wait outside - at a distance from each other of course! If your child is already booked in to attend school next week, they will be given their pack then.

Similar packs will be following shortly for Years 1 and 2.

Please note: If your child is coming into school during the day, please send them in with their learning packs (and CGP books for year 5) as they will be given time to complete some of their work.

I would like to say a huge thank you to Mr Bond and the cleaning staff for all of their hard work. The cleaners have been rigorous in cleaning the school every night including tables, chairs, door handles, door plates, toilets, light switches, banisters and anywhere else the children might have touched! Laptop keyboards are also being wiped after each child. Rigorous handwashing and social distancing continue too, plus plenty of fresh air.

Make sure you stay in during the weekend and stay safe.

Best wishes

Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

Thursday 26th March 2020

Dear Parents

We are nearing the end of the strangest week, I hope you are all managing to stay safe.

Please remember if your working hours change and you are a key worker or have vulnerable children, then contact the school to alter your arrangements. Some key workers are being called back into work, again just ring up if we can provide any child care for you.

Tomorrow there will be an update on more home learning ideas to help you keep the children busy.

Breakfast club continues to be at the junior school from 8.00 - 9.00 a.m.

If arriving after 9.00 a.m. please drop your child/children off at their respective school office.

Lunch at the infant school from 12.00 -1.00 p.m.

Children should be collected from their respective school offices when you finish work.

If you are going to arrive after 9.30 a.m. please ring in and let us know what your child would like for lunch as these need to be ordered by 9.30 a.m.

Please continue to keep safe. I know this lockdown is proving very tough for some of you but if we do not continue to follow guidance the result could be horrendous.

Best wishes,

Mrs Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

Wednesday 25^th March 2020

Dear Parents,

With this beautiful weather it has enabled us to take the children outside for a significant amount of the day. The children seem to be enjoying this greatly along with all of the different activities the staff have planned for them.

I have been informed today that the DfE have requested we stay open for Good Friday and Bank Holiday Monday. If you feel you will need cover on these days please can you ring into school by Thursday 2nd April so that I can plan staffing.

I am still waiting to hear about the vouchers for those receiving FSM. These will be made available to families who are at home and so their children are not receiving meals in school as usual.

I hope that you are all keeping well and staying safe.

Mrs Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

Stay safe.

Mrs Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

Monday 23rd March 2020

Dear Parents,

Fortunately many of you have been able to keep your children at home where it is safest for them and so we have been able to accommodate all of those working parents who are key workers and provide childcare for them.

Can I remind you that, as per government guidance, children should not be out playing with other children, everyone should be staying at home to reduce the spread of the Coronavirus.

Some children have told us they have been going out with friends and as stated on the news today, if people ignore the ‘stay at home’ advice it will result in a total lockdown for everyone.

It has been great to hear that many of you are supporting your children at home with their learning. We are working on providing further learning packs for your children which will not be reliant on internet access. We are currently ordering in study books for the year 5 children and once we have them, we will let you know how we will get them to you.

Key stage 2 teachers are considering how we can provide ‘non internet’ based work for other year groups but as you can imagine this is a huge task and therefore it will take a few days so we would appreciate your patience. Not all staff are in every day, as we have to have as few staff as possible on site, again to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. 

Key stage 1 is not quite so easy to plan for in this way as most of their learning is through key skills and therefore they need these skills to be taught to them. However if you keep up with their reading, spelling, phonics and learning times tables this will certainly help them immensely.

Please also remember that on our school website there is the Federation Calculation Policy. This shows you in detail how maths is being taught to the children, with some examples to follow. So if your child becomes ‘stuck’ you can refer them to this or support them yourself by guiding them through the modelling shown in the policy.

Those of you who are entitled to Free School Meals will probably have heard that families are going to be provided with vouchers which you can then use to buy food. We are still waiting to hear when we are to receive these vouchers and as soon as we do, I will let you know.

Please remember to stay safe and keep washing your hands, especially if you have been on public transport or out in the shops touching door handles etc. Remind children to cover their nose/mouth when they cough or sneeze and then to wash their hands. All of these things will further reduce the spread of the virus.

I will provide further updates as more information becomes available for please remember to check the website frequently.

This could be a very lonely time for many of you. The offices will be manned every day and I will be here every day, so if you are struggling with anything at all and think we may be able to help, then please give us a call. 

Stay safe.

Mrs Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

Sunday 22^nd March 2020

Dear Parent / Carer,

For those of you who have had a place CONFIRMED at school please can your child/children come into school via the office at their respective schools. (Children can be dropped off and collected at any time to reduce time in school).

Children should wear school uniform as normal.

Lunch arrangements as usual. If you usually pay for a lunch you will still need to.

Please bring a snack for mid morning and PE kit.

Children will not be receiving lessons, instead they will be taking part in many varied activities including getting them outside as much as possible.

I will provide further updates as the week goes on.

Keep handwashing and if you are at home with your children you must ensure they do not go out to play outside of your own garden and do not mix with other children/adults. This is to stop the virus spreading and is what we have been asked to do.

If we all work together it should help us get through this safely.

Best wishes,

Mrs Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined below. Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.

Please, therefore, follow these key principles:

1. If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
2. If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical worker, then educational provision will be available for them.
3. Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.
4. Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.

If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for education provision:

Health and social care

This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

Education and childcare

This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.

Key public services

This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.

Local and national government

This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.

Food and other necessary goods

This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

Public safety and national security

This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.

Transport

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.

Utilities, communication and financial services

This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.

If your school is closed then please contact your local authority, who will seek to redirect you to a local school in your area that your child, or children, can attend.

We are grateful for the work of teachers and workers in educational settings for continuing to provide for the children of the other critical workers of our country. It is an essential part of our national effort to combat this disease.