Over St. John's CE Primary SchoolHead Teacher Blog: Friday 11th September 2020
Date: 11th Sep 2020 @ 11:14am
Welcome Back!
It is really lovely to be back at school and see all the children again. It has been a strange few months and although we were open all the way through the lockdown with groups of children, you can’t beat a full school, hearing the chatter and laughter coming from every classroom as the children go about their business of education every day. The children have been fantastic and have settled into the new routines in school very easily.
We have welcomed some new children into our school community this week. In Hatchmere we welcome Belle, Toby-Kian, Spencer, Adelaide, Danielle, Elissa, Savannah, Tyler, Oliver-Jay, Lily-Amelia, Lucas, Poppy, Lilly, Thea and Spencer and in Blakemere we welcome Umut.
The children have already settled in well and I am sure that they will have a fantastic time at Over St. John’s.
New Normal Routines
Thank you to everyone for your patience with our new staggered drop off and pick up at the start and end of the school day. The government have advised all schools to do this to reduce the amount of people that we all come into contact with at any one time, so if there were to be a positive case, it would be much easier to trace direct contacts.
To that end, please may I remind you that it is absolutely vital that you do not arrive earlier than your given drop off or pick up time – just a couple of minutes is plenty. It is vital that you do not gather on the car park, grass area or cross at the front of school as these are all part of our one way system in and out of school. When entering school, please only use the small pedestrian gate and when leaving, please only use the car park gate because of our one way system. If you have siblings in different classes, please just go for a little walk along Delamere Street in between times. Once your child has walked through onto the playground in the morning, please leave the premises and do not stay to talk to other adults. We are all really trying to do our very best to keep everyone safe and sticking to these routines, as our risk assessment dictates, will help to do that and stop me feeling like the Wicked Witch of the West every morning and afternoon!
Playtime and Lunchtime
As per government guidance, you will be aware that different classes are not able to play with each other when outside. To help with this, we have developed three zones – one on the playground and two separate ones on the field - so that 3 classes can be outside at once. If we did not do this and only used the playground, morning play would take 2 hours and lunch time would take 3 hours! Please be aware that your child will be spending time on the field everyday whilst these restrictions are in place and suitable footwear will help, particularly as the grass can be damp sometimes. There is a rota system, so not every playtime will be on the field, but as 2 out of 3 zones are the field, the majority will be.
Fake News on Social Media about COVID-19 Testing in Schools
Public Health England has made us aware of some false stories that are circulating on social media about the procedures in schools if a child is unwell with COVID-19 symptoms.
We would like to reassure you of the steps that will be taken if a child develops symptoms of COVID-19 whilst at school:
- If a child displays symptoms at school, staff will follow government and local guidance to isolate your child with a member of staff looking after them.
- The child’s parents or carer will be contacted and asked to come and collect their child from school and advised to take them for a test.
The NHS website has details about the symptoms of COVID-19 in children and how to book a test.
Visit the NHS ‘your coronavirus test results’ webpage for information about test results and the next steps you should take once you receive your results back.
It is important that you follow the advice issued by the NHS when you book your test and await your results.
Background information:
Please see below further detail to clarify the powers contained within the Coronavirus Act.
- The vast majority of the public are abiding by the government’s public health advice if they suspect that they have coronavirus symptoms and we thank them for their efforts in stopping the spread of this terrible disease.
- The powers set out in the Coronavirus Act to impose proportionate requirements on anyone who is it suspected has coronavirus and are not complying with public health advice voluntarily are to be used only by Public Health Officials and only as a last resort.
- These powers may only be exercised if it is considered necessary and proportionate to do so in the interests of the person, for the protection of other people, or for the maintenance of public health.
- The DfE has made very clear that any child or young adult who is displaying coronavirus symptoms must not attend their educational settings and their family must follow the public health advice to self-isolate for 14 days.
- If a child is symptomatic during school hours, it is important that the parent or legal guardian is contacted with urgency and emergency contacts can be used in the same way that they would inform them of any emergency medical procedure needed while the child is attending/in the care of an educational setting.
- There must also be facilities with the school grounds where a child can self-isolate until the child is picked up i.e. the health care room. If the child’s condition deteriorates during this period, it is important the NHS is called and they will advise on the appropriate procedures.
- It is not true that Public Health Official’s have the power to screen and assess without a parent or carer present. Public Health Official’s power to screen and assess can only be exercised in the presence of an individual with responsibility for the child, the responsible adult under Schedule 21 is a person with parental responsibility for the child or a person who has custody or charge of the child for the time being within the meaning of the Children Act 1989.
- Public Health Officers will make the appropriate assessment and restrictions will be placed accordingly. Under these powers they could be asked to self-isolate with their families at home for up to 14 days to stop the spread of coronavirus if they are not voluntarily complying with the public health advice. If the individual is unable to self-isolate at home this will need to be discussed with the Public Health Officer and alternatives discussed.
- If the guardian/parent feels that restrictions imposed on the child is unfair, he or she will be able to proceed with the right to appeal to the magistrate's court.
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 regularly update the class pages with information and blogs and copies of any letters sent home are placed on here also (click on Virtual Office>Parent Zone>Letters to find these). 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. 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.
Applying for Secondary and Reception Places for September 2021
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, 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 2021. Before making your application, it is important you view the Starting Secondary School 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. Further details with regards to this can be found in the ‘Transferring to Secondary School’ information booklet in the link above.
If you have a child who is turning 4 years old between now and 31st August 2020, 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 2021, but like the secondary school place, before making your application, it is important you view the Starting School booklet. 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.
What parents need to know about trolling and online abuse: Trolling can take place on any platform. Whilst many celebrities and influencers tend to be high profile targets on social media, online trolls can direct their aggression at anyone online. They often send abusive or malicious messages, goading others to react and leaving a lasting impact, similar to bullying. That’s why National Online Safety have created a guide to help trusted adults understand exactly what trolling and online abuse is all about. Please click on the guide below.
School Dinners
School dinners cost £2.30 per day, £11.50 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 the School Money system as we do not accept cash in school anymore due to our COVID-19 Risk Assessment.
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 2020
We do not have many of these at the moment with the current restrictions that are in place!
Wednesday 23rd September: Skipping Workshops for all classes
Friday 23rd October: School closes for half term
Monday 2nd November: School reopens
Friday 18th December: School closes for Christmas – if government COVID-19 guidelines are still in place, finishing times will be as follows, but I will keep you updated:
Blakemere at 1:45pm
Linmere at 1:45pm
Oakmere at 1:50pm
Delamere at 1.55pm
Sandymere at 2pm
Hatchmere at 2.05pm
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