Update 15.1.21

15th January 2021

Dear parents/carers

COVID update 15.1.21

Thank you once again for supporting your child’s learning at home. We have had some amazing art work, videos of science experiments, creative writing and so much more.

Things are developing daily behind the scenes as we are working on more ways to provide further support to you all and make things a little easier. Engagement so far is good but we will always try to improve it where we can. So far, we have met the DFE expectations of providing 3-4 hours of learning and support through paper activities, online activities and research, daily story time, daily writing and maths, support phone calls, PE, inquiry projects, emails/phone calls to disengaged families and more. Some teachers have been recording themselves teaching as they would in class and posting the lesson on Seesaw, this is something we are working on for all classes. We are also looking at providing more parent workshops, providing more activities that don’t involve screen time and at hosting a weekly Zoom meeting so children can connect with their friends and teachers regularly. We will send more information about this via email next week with an agreement for you to read and acknowledge for safeguarding purposes. We are in the process of ordering new tablets via the DFE to help with technological problems and some 4G wireless routers to help with internet connection, there are also mobile data increases available for disadvantaged families.

If you are finding things difficult then please do get in touch and I am sure we will be able to help you in some way. There is a higher expectation from the DFE for children to learn new things this time around rather than keeping learning simmering with revision like last time. The last thing we want is children falling behind if they are unable to access the learning so please do shout out to us. As always, we know and understand that all families have differing circumstances and the expectations set by the DFE are more difficult to meet for some than others. All we can do is what we are doing; providing the learning, providing/offering the support and you can only do what you can do and must not feel pressured.

In our critical worker bubbles next week, the following staff will be on duty:

Germoe – Miss Green, Miss Symons

Boskenwyn – Mrs Van Kesteren, Mrs Lawson, Mr Conway

Free school meals update

Hopefully, you will have received your gift card this week. DFE have now chosen the company who will provide the meal vouchers if a school is not able to produce food hampers. They are called Edenred so please look out for an email next week from them.

Cold Symptoms

You will have no doubt seen that the local R-rate is above 1. Please take care and stay as safe as possible. If your child has symptoms of a cold and would usually attend the critical worker bubble then please do not send them to school. Symptoms are now known to be milder in children and similar to those of a cold in many cases.

Have a lovely weekend.

Paula Blackburn