Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 10th September 2021
Date: 10th Sep 2021 @ 11:20am
Welcome back! It has been a real pleasure to see all the children back in school again this September, made all the more special in seeing them altogether and mixing more freely. It has been a difficult 12 months for them and it has been wonderful to see ‘normality.’ I was a little overcome as we had our first Collective Worship with everybody in the hall and the children said ‘Good Morning’ together and the singing in our singing assembly on Thursday morning was something that I would have loved to bottle and share with you all!
The new ‘soft start’ routine at the beginning of the day seems to be working well. The children are going straight to class really well and getting on with the activities that are there for them. The school day starts at 8.45am, so there is no rush to be in at 8.35am and this should help spread the traffic out at the beginning of the day. Please be mindful of local businesses and pedestrians as you park your cars for drop off and pick up as it is obviously busier at the front of school than it was last year.
If you need to pass a message on to a teacher, I am always available at the start of the day so you can do so via myself, an e mail or a phone call to the office and the class teacher will get back to you if needed. With the new start to the day, they are in class with the children in the morning, but they are always out on the playground at the end of each day if you need to catch up with them for any reason.
We have welcomed some new children into our school community. In Hatchmere, we welcomed Daisy, Esmee, Suzanne, Matilda, Tianna-Rose, Freddie, Oscar, Tyler, Archie, Lily, Elsie-Lou, Charlotte, Olivia, Beatrice, Billie and Sebastian. They have been busy getting stuck in to all that school life has to offer and have settled really well, as if they have always been here!
We also welcome Mr Partington as our new Site Maintenance Officer and Mrs Roche as a Teaching Assistant to the OSJ Team, who have quickly become very valuable additions to the staff already. I know that you will make them feel very welcome.
Communication via School and Home
For those of you who are unfamiliar with my blog, this is something to keep your eye on every Friday (or the majority of Fridays, depending on my calendar!) This is my main form of communication with you all and I provide updates as to what has been going on in school, information about forthcoming events as well as other information that I think you may find useful. In terms of communication, please continue to keep your eye on our website as teachers update the class pages with information and blogs, generally on a weekly basis. Events happening in school can be found on the calendar also. If you click on the event when looking at it on the calendar, more information is provided, should it have been added. We also send texts home as quick updates and reminders to information that has generally already been shared with you via e mail or the school website. If you think that you have not had the information in the text previously, please do check the website and letters that have been sent home.
New COVID Guidelines
As you will be aware, the government’s guidelines for schools changed during the summer. We no longer operate in bubbles and the children mix more freely. We continue with good ventilation, regular handwashing and more frequent cleaning of high touch points around school during the day. The biggest difference is with regards to isolation rules when there is a positive case. Where there is a positive case, the Department for Education guidelines are that there is no requirement for schools to notify parents of single or sporadic cases within their setting. Such notifications are not advised as there would be no further action required from parents beyond the general advice of ensuring their child takes twice weekly asymptomatic tests (secondary school pupils) and that they remain alert to any symptoms. There is also the concern that notifying parents of cases in classes inadvertently identify a person who has COVID, in breach of GDPR. Parents may also respond to such notifications by removing their child from school, which is not required.
The new guidelines around self-isolation are as follows:
Individuals are not required to self-isolate if they live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 and any of the following apply:
- they are fully vaccinated
- they are below the age of 18 years and 6 months
- they have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial
- they are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons.
If someone tests positive, they will work with NHS Test and Trace to identify close contacts, who will then be notified – schools no longer take part in contact tracing and are no longer required to send home whole classes.
This is all a very big change from how schools operated last year and a rise in cases across the community now that the measures have been relaxed is probably to be expected. However, we will continue to do all that we can within the guidelines to keep everyone safe.
Please see the attached letter below for more information on COVID guidelines with regards to isolation, displaying symptoms etc.
Applying for Secondary School Places for September 2022
If you have a child in Year 6, the application round has now opened for you to apply for a secondary school place. It is very important that you do this before the deadline which is 31st October 2021, otherwise your application will be classed as a late application and could have a severe impact on your preferred school choice. Results are available from 12.30am on 1st March 2022. Before making your application, it is important you view the Starting Secondary School booklet (this is currently last year’s booklet). To apply, you will need to create an account or log in if you have an existing online account.
As a school, we are a partner primary with both The Winsford Academy and Hartford CE High School which means that applications for children from our school are considered above some other categories, should the school be oversubscribed, however, you have the option to apply for 3 secondary schools of your choice. Further details with regards to this can be found in the ‘Transferring to Secondary School’ information booklet in the link above.
We have received details of an open afternoon at Hartford CE High School – please see the attached letter below. I will include in future blogs, any information that we receive from The Winsford Academy.
Applying for Primary School Places for September 2022
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2022, or know of a child who is, then the application round is also open for them to apply for their Reception place. The timescale is slightly different for this and you have until 15th January 2022, but like the secondary school place, before making your application, it is important you view the Starting School booklet. Results are available from 16th April 2022. To apply, you will need to create an account or log in if you have an existing online account.
#WakeUpWednesday
National Online Safety believe that all parents, carers, teachers and trusted adults should be empowered with all the information needed to have informed and age-appropriate conversations about online safety with children and so, every Wednesday, they produce practical, easy to follow guides which focus on specific risks that they think adults and children need to be aware of. I share this information with you on a Friday.
This week’s guide is about Rocket League. Something of an unexpected success after its 2015 debut, Rocket League settled into a steady if unspectacular groove of moderate audiences in the following years. Like many online video games, however, it enjoyed a significant spike in popularity over recent months as children and young people sought entertainment during lockdown. Over-consumption in fact, is one of the main issues with the game – which relies on frequent (and occasionally long) sessions of play if users want to progress up the rankings. This week’s #WakeUpWednesday guide to the game also pinpoints potential risks including in-game purchases and the possibility of scams which target naïve younger players.
School Dinners
School dinners cost £2.34 per day, £11.70 per week. Children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive free meals as part of the government’s Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) scheme. Dinner money must be paid in advance via School Spider as we do not accept cash in school.
If you are in receipt of benefits and think that you may be entitled to free school meals, please click here for more information and support and how to apply. It is very important to apply for free schools meals whatever year your child is in, even if you receive the UIFSM in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, as the school receives a sum of extra money to further help support your child and their education.
Absence During Term Time
Please may I remind you that schools are not allowed to authorise pupil holidays in term time. Any child going on holiday in term time will receive an unauthorised absence. Our registers are regularly checked by the Education Welfare Service and parents may be issued with a fine from the Local Authority for unauthorised absence, which is currently £60 per child, per parent and this rises to £120 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days.
Confirmed Dates for the Autumn Term 2021
Friday 15th October: Individual photographs
Tuesday 19th October: Annual flu vaccinations for Reception to Year 6
Tuesday 19th October: Pupil Consultation Evening from 3.15pm to 5.15pm
Thursday 21st October: Pupil Consultation Evening from 4pm to 6pm
Friday 22nd October: School closes for half term at 3pm
Tuesday 2nd November: School opens with registration at 8.45am
Tuesday 14th December: Carol Service in St. John’s Church at 1.30pm – collection from church
Thursday 16th December: Pantomime Day (further details to follow)
Friday 17th December: School closes at 2pm
Well done if you have managed to keep reading to the end of this very lengthy first blog! I hope that you all have a lovely weekend.
Take care,
Mrs E Snowdon