For further information on critical workers please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

For information regarding how you can get informal childcare for anyone under 14 from friends and family you do not live with by making a childcare bubble with another household please visit:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/making-a-childcare-bubble-with-another-household

Mrs Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

If you are calling in to the school office please ensure you are wearing a face covering and only one adult at a time please in reception areas. The office reception windows will be kept closed to reduce any possible transmission, I am sure you will understand why this is necessary.

Please click on the links below to view some ideas of Christmas decorations and treats to make with your child.

Infant School Christmas Craft Ideas

Junior School Christmas Craft Ideas

Dear Parents,

Many of you will have seen on the news that the Department for Education has offered for schools to take the last of term, Friday 18th December, as an INSET day. Each school is able to make their own decision on this.

I have decided that we will not be changing our current arrangements as I do not feel it will benefit anyone from a last minute change. Staff will not benefit from training at the end of a long and demanding term and it would mean I then had to lose one of the INSET days already planned for next year, as this is not an extra day that is being given to us. Furthermore, it would mean many working parents having to make last minute arrangements for childcare which could mean children mixing with other children outside of their bubbles and so increasing the transmission risk very near to Christmas - which I am sure we all want to avoid. So, the last day of term will remain Friday 18th December, but with a collection window of 12.25-12.45p.m. for both schools. This will allow all of the children to have their lunch before they are collected. If children have not been collected by 12.45p.m. they will be allowed to walk home (junior children only) as they would at the end of a usual school day.

Nursery will be open for the morning session only on the Friday, with those who usually stay for lunch still able to do so, and then be collected in the 12.25 -12.45p.m. window, in line with the rest of the federation.

You may remember that over the half term break, I asked anyone who displayed symptoms, or who had a positive text result, to inform the school via the school website contact form. This was to enable us to inform other contacts that they would need to isolate. The DfE have asked for a similar arrangement over the Christmas period which is as follows:

Where a pupil or staff member tests positive for Covid, having developed symptoms more than 48 hours since being in school, the school should not be contacted. Parents and Carers should follow contact tracing instructions provided by NHS test and Trace.

If a child develops symptoms up to and including Sunday 20th December and subsequently tests positive, parents are asked to inform the school so that we can identify close contacts and advise on self-isolation, as the pupil may well have been infectious whilst in school

Where a pupil is required to self-isolate due to contact with a positive case after the first 6 days following the end of term (Thursday 24th), we do not need to be informed until the first day of term to explain the absence of the pupil if they are still isolating.

Please use the contact form on the website to notify the school of any test results or symptoms, or to ask for advice, as this will be checked daily.(except for Bank Holidays). I will then contact you if necessary, as soon as I can. Please include a contact number in your message.

Obviously, I sincerely hope that I do not need to contact any of you to ask you to isolate over Christmas, but you can be assured that I will contact you if I do need to so that you are fully aware of what is happening and to keep you all safe.

Don't forget tomorrow is Christmas Jumper Day!!

With my very best wishes,

Mrs Sheila Pape

Keep washing your hands and stay safe!

Please visit the Parent Letters page 

Infant School

Junior School

Dear Parents,

As you will be aware, we came out of lockdown today and we are now under the Tier 2 system. This means that we are still not allowed to meet anyone from another household indoors but can meet up to 6 people outside. (Support bubbles are the exception to this)

I would like to point out to everyone, that should anyone be asked to isolate from the end of next week onwards, it will mean that you will have to isolate over Christmas and this may well spoil Christmas for you and your family. I am therefore asking that we all take extra care over the next few weeks to wash hands more frequently, keep contacts to a minimum and socially distance at all times so that we can continue to keep the South View Community safe and avoid having any 'bubbles' closing.

Everyone has been so supportive of what has been put in place, it would be a real shame if we had to close bubbles at this late stage of the term.

Please remember to:

• Wear face masks if entering the school
• Socially distance whilst on the school site
• Keep your children by your side so they aren't mixing with other children outside of their school family bubble
• Leave the site immediately
• Keep children off who have symptoms
• Ring school for advice if you are unsure of what to do regarding your child feeling unwell
• We will authorise siblings being kept at home, if another sibling has been sent home to isolate, so that we can reduce possible transmission. Work will be set for them during this isolation period. I know many of you have chosen to do this.

So, please keep safe and hopefully we can all enjoy our Christmas break, Covid free.

With best wishes,

Mrs Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

Dear Parents,

Thank you so much for your continued support with our Covid procedures. Although we are approaching the lifting of the lockdown on December 2nd, it is still essential that we all carry on following the advice. In school our use of hand gel and handwashing procedures are rigorous and I ask that you also ensure that your child/children wash their hands before leaving home and also when they arrive home. This helps reduce possible virus transmission.

The children are working well in their 'school families' which is great and they really are respecting these new expectations.

Some children have been seen to arrive at school before half past 8, and they then mix on the playground. This is not ideal as we keep the school families separate all day, so mixing in this way is undoing the good work being carried out in school. Please send your child to school within the arrival window so that they can come straight into school and so avoid mixing unnecessarily.

If you are dropping off at the infant school, please do stand behind the YELLOW lines to allow a suitable distance between you and the adult welcoming the children into school. Remember until 2nd December, lockdown rules still apply so children should not be out playing with other households unless they are part of your support bubble.

As I write this, we still have no confirmed cases within the Federation and I want to keep it this way - as I am sure you do too!

As you will be aware, Christmas in school is not going to be the same as usual as we are restricted by what we can and can't do. What we are determined to do is ensure the children still have the opportunity to enjoy Christmas in school in some way.

However, we are not able to allow the sending of Christmas cards due to the cards being an ideal way of the virus being transmitted, instead we will be providing the children with the opportunity to send messages in other ways.

Parents are also very kind at this time of year and often buy or make presents for the staff. In the current climate we would prefer that this did not happen as again, it is another way of the virus being transmitted. It has been a tough year financially for many, so please use your money for your family instead or, if you so wish, donate to the Save the Children Charity.

Please don't think we are being ungrateful, but I don't think it is right to allow staff to receive gifts when the children aren't being allowed to bring in cards.

Christmas Activities:

• Thursday 10th December       Christmas videos of productions uploaded (providing we can  meet all of the legal obligations required of us to do this)

• Friday 11th December            Christmas Jumper Day (no money to be sent in - see letter on  website)

• Monday 14th December        Christmas Movie afternoon

• Tuesday 15th December         Christmas Dinner day at Infant School

• Tuesday 15th December         A Christmas Craft activity will then be sent home which the children will have made

• Wednesday 16th December   Christmas Dinner day at Junior school

• Thursday 17th December       Class parties across the whole Federation - children can come into school in their party outfit.

Due to social distancing, we cannot have the usual arrangements for Christmas Dinner. Instead, the children will have their Christmas dinner in their own classroom, and celebrate this with the adults who usually work with them.

Please remember that you should collect your child and then leave the site immediately. There are still adults stopping to talk to other adults - this is not allowed - you should be socially distanced at all times and leave with your child, who again should not be mixing with other children. Some parents have expressed concern over other parents letting their children run around and not respecting the lockdown rules. This is law and we should all be following these rules. Now that we are confirmed as being in Tier 2 as from 2nd December, the rules are different and you can meet in a group of 6 outside but this does not include school grounds.

We all want to keep the children, our families and staff safe so please keep your children next to you and leave the site straight away. Thank you.

Finally, please look out for the Christmas Dinner letter which needs to be returned to ensure your child gets their free Christmas Dinner on the date stated above.

With my very best wishes

Stay Safe

Mrs Sheila Pape

Executive Headteacher

If your child is eligible for benefits-related free school meals and they are not attending school because they are self-isolating please go to:

https://www.southview-jun.hants.sch.uk/school-dinners/

to order a school lunch.