Letters

Breakfast Club Limited Re-Opening

Breakfast Club 2020/21

I am writing to tell you that we have now agreed a plan to allow a limited re-opening of the St Oswald’s School Breakfast Club.

We need to maintain the bubbles that we have created in school, and to manage this, we need to limit the numbers we can welcome to 8 per year group (Y1-Y6). This is usually enough for each year group, but we are aware that this may mean that sometimes there will be more demand than we can accommodate. Therefore, all bookings for breakfast club will need to be made through the Weduc Payments module of our school app. The price will still be £3 per day per pupil and you must pay this on line at the time of booking. There will be no opportunity for cash payments.

The Breakfast Club will be situated over 2 buildings. Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be situated in the junior hall as before. Entrance will be via the hall door on Mill Lane. Years 1 and 2 will be situated in the Infant Dining Hall. Entrance will be via the dor opposite Nursery accessed via the gate on Montague Road. Unfortunately, we are not yet able to offer places for Reception children, but this will be reviewed.

Pupils will only be allowed to arrive between 7.45 to 8.15. Any children arriving after 8.15, even if booked on, will not be able to attend breakfast club that day and will not be entitled to a refund. This is due to the entrances being used for general purpose for the whole school soon afterwards.

Restrictions mean that we will need to ask all children to remain seated during their time in breakfast club within their year group bubble. They will be served with their choice of cereal, toast, yoghurts and fruit juices at their places. There will still be some table based activities taking place as well.

We know this is a valuable provision for our families. We will monitor the service and make any changes that are necessary as we move forward.

Thank you for your patience as we try to get closer to normal.

Mr Strom
Business Manager

Download: Breakfast Club Letter – September 2020 [PDF]

Covid Back to School Letter

Dear Parent or Carer,

As we start our new school year you will notice there are many changes in how we are operating as a school.  We are following government guidance and putting in several controls to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19.  You can see a full copy of our Covid-19 risk assessment on our website. We will regularly review our risk assessment as guidance from the government is updated.

Whilst the government have indicated that the prevalence of coronavirus (COVID-19) has decreased the NHS Test and Trace system is up and running is important that our whole school community work together to protect each other.

We have organised our school to keep children in clear and consistent ‘bubbles’. This will help us as a school to limit the number of contacts children have with different people whilst still delivering an effective curriculum.  We have considered the age of our children and their curriculum needs as well as the logistics of our school site in order to determine the size of our ‘bubbles’. Every school will have had to do this, and each school will determine the best way to do this for their school community.

Since the lockdown started in March, each of us will have had different experiences and we ask that everyone in our school community is respectful of each other and their individual feelings. If you are dropping off or picking your child up from school, we ask that you respect other people and comply with social distancing guidance. We ask if it is possible that you walk your child to school to reduce congestion at the school gate.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you and your children can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

  • wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
  • use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
  • wash your hands as soon as you get home
  • cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
  • put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

 Symptoms of COVID 19

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

  • new continuous cough and/or
  • high temperature and/or
  • a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

It is important that outside of school we all follow the government guidance around Covid-19, particularly the Stay at Home guidance below and do not bring your child into school.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

If you do keep your child off school due to Covid-19 symptoms please ensure that you let us know this when you register your child’s absence.

As a school if your child is off school we will provide school work, so they can keep up their studies.

If your child presents Covid-19 symptoms in school we will take your child to a safe area in school and contact you immediately to pick them up.  Please make sure that your emergency contact details are up to date and correct.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/or by phoning 111.

It is vitally important that anyone who presents with Covid-19 symptoms get tested as soon as possible. 

If someone from within school is confirmed with Covid-19 we will get in touch with the parents and carers of any children who have been in close contact with this person.  This is likely to be children from their class or ‘bubble’ or if they have been in close contact through other groups such as after school or breakfast club.  These children will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days.   Other members of the household do not need to self-isolate, unless your child also develops symptoms.  Full details and instructions will be provided at the time.  We will also send information to our wider school community as a reminder to our families of what actions you can take to reduce the spread of the virus.

All families returning from overseas must inform school. As you know there are restrictions in place regarding travel from some foreign countries and some people returning to the UK may need to isolate for 14 days as soon as they arrive, depending on where they have travelled from.

Any pupils returning from countries that are subject to restrictions should not return to school for 14 days and should isolate at home. This is a vitally important measure to help control and contain COVID-19.

The list of countries requiring isolation for 14 days is constantly changing so please regularly check the latest version here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors

These arrangements will not affect attendance and there will be no fines for non-attendance.

I would like to close by reminding all of us that we have a role to play to ensure that our children and school community remain safe.

Thank you for your continued support and patience.

Yours Sincerely,

Mrs M Walsh
Headteacher

Covid Back to School Letter [PDF]

New Term Letter

Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome back to the new term, I hope that you all had a lovely break with your children and you are refreshed and ready for the new academic year. A special welcome to all those parents who are new to the School, I hope that your children will have a very happy time and love coming to St Oswald’s.

It may have been a long time since some children were in full time school but, the children came in today and it’s like they have never been away. They are truly fabulous.

Thank you for the cooperation with the new systems of dropping off and picking up, these are essential to prevent too many adults gathering around school. Please try to stick with your allocated times, this would be greatly appreciated.

After the change in government guidance to schools about face covering, school will now be asking all adults to wear masks when on school premises, including our outside spaces. School staff will be allowed to wear face coverings’ when meeting other adults around the buildings and on the yards. Staff will not be wearing masks around the children, and children do not need masks in school.

As stated previously, we are limiting the number of belongings that children bring in from home to avoid cross contamination, so we have asked that PE kits come into school on a Monday and are left in school until Friday when it can go home to be washed. Packed lunches should be brought to school in disposable bags or disposable containers. Stationary resources will be provided for all children, but if you wish to bring in your own it should only be essentials that would fit in their tray and left in school for the whole week like your PE kit. Water bottles should be brought in each day and taken home each night to be cleaned. Can I also make a plea that school bags be as small as possible, we struggle to accommodate large bags and they are not necessary.

Just a few other things to make the term start smoothly, can I ask that all uniforms are clearly labelled with your child’s name as lost property, as you can imagine with so many children, this can be a big problem. Additionally school footwear must be plain black with no stripes, ticks etc. Children who have no school shoes will be asked to wear black pumps. Children’s hair, whether boys or girls must be tied back if long, this is for hygiene reasons and prevents the spread of head lice.

Thank you for your support and I look forward to a happy and successful year for us all.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs M Walsh
Headteacher

New Term Letter [PDF]

Change of Pickup and Drop Off Arrangements

RE: Change of pick up and drop off arrangements KS2

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to all families who have worked with us and tried to follow the guidelines we set for social distanced arrival and pick up. I realise that the situation is difficult, but school is following the guidelines set by government and the LA; we are trying our best and hope you can be patient and cooperative.

Unfortunately, there are still issues with large gatherings, no distancing, lack of respect for the local residents’ homes and the dangerous driving of cars, particularly down Montague Road.

I make a plea for parents to NOT drive down Montague and turn around in the road; there will be an accident if this continues and God forbid, a child will be seriously hurt. The safest method of drop off and pick up is walking, park and walk if necessary, but do not take a chance with the safety of our children. I am working with the local councillors to try and make the road an access only for residents and hope that can happen before we have a tragedy.

Also, I would like to remind you that St Oswald’s premises requires masks or face coverings. We will not be allowing anyone into our buildings without masks. For the safety and comfort of other people, everybody must adhere to these rules.

After evaluation of the problems at pick up and drop off, I have made some adjustments and hope that these will work to reduce the congestion in the streets around school.

Our Nursery, Reception and Key stage 1 arrangements will not change. Key stage 2 will be adapted to the following arrangements:

The arrival times and pick-ups will remain the same and we urge you to stick as closely to those times as possible, but the staff on the gates will allow the children in as soon as they arrive and they will go straight into classes. Hopefully, this will mean that there will be no gathering in the streets around school.

Home time arrangements

Year 3 parents will be allowed into the area inside the gate. Children will stay in the rooms and be let out from there. I ask that you leave as soon as possible.

At home time, the main junior yard will be opened for Y4 and Y6 parents. It will be partitioned off, so that staff can be distanced. As soon as the children are collected, please exit the yard Year 5 parents are asked to stand in the school grounds and not on the road, and the children will be dismissed from the hall.

Packed lunches

From 7th September, children are allowed to bring their lunches in their own boxes. These must go home each evening for cleaning. May I remind you that chocolate and any type of crisps are not allowed in school. I hope that these new arrangements will alleviate some of the problems, if not I will have to make more changes to the times of the school day for year groups. I really hope we can get back to a new normal as soon as possible, fingers crossed.

Thank you for your cooperation

Regards,

Mrs Walsh
Headteacher

Download: Change of Pickup and Drop Off Arrangements Letter

School Reopening Letter

Dear Parent or Carer,

As we start our new school year you will notice there are many changes in how we are operating as a school. We are following government guidance and putting in several controls to minimise the risk of transmission of Covid-19. You can see a full copy of our Covid-19 risk assessment on our website. We will regularly review our risk assessment as guidance from the government is updated.

Whilst the government have indicated that the prevalence of coronavirus (COVID-19) has decreased the NHS Test and Trace system is up and running is important that our whole school community work together to protect each other. We have organised our school to keep children in clear and consistent ‘bubbles’. This will help us as a school to limit the number of contacts children have with different people whilst still delivering an effective curriculum. We have considered the age of our children and their curriculum needs as well as the logistics of our school site in order to determine the size of our ‘bubbles’. Every school will have had to do this, and each school will determine the best way to do this for their school community.

Since the lockdown started in March, each of us will have had different experiences and we ask that everyone in our school community is respectful of each other and their individual feelings. If you are dropping off or picking your child up from school, we ask that you respect other people and comply with social distancing guidance. We ask if it is possible that you walk your child to school to reduce congestion at the school gate.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you and your children can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

· wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
· use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
· wash your hands as soon as you get home
· cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
· put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

Symptoms of COVID 19

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

· new continuous cough and/or
· high temperature and/or
· a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

It is important that outside of school we all follow the government guidance around Covid-19, particularly the Stay at Home guidance below and do not bring your child into school.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possiblecoronavirus-covid-19-infection

If you do keep your child off school due to Covid-19 symptoms please ensure that you let us know this when you register your child’s absence.

As a school if your child is off school we will provide school work, so they can keep up their studies. If your child presents Covid-19 symptoms in school we will take your child to a safe area in school and contact you immediately to pick them up. Please make sure that your emergency contact details are up to date and correct.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/ or by phoning 111.

It is vitally important that anyone who presents with Covid-19 symptoms get tested as soon as possible. If someone from within school is confirmed with Covid-19 we will get in touch with the parents and carers of any children who have been in close contact with this person. This is likely to be children from their class or ‘bubble’ or if they have been in close contact through other groups such as after school or breakfast club. These children will be asked to self-isolate for 14 days. Other members of the household do not need to self-isolate, unless your child also develops symptoms. Full details and instructions will be provided at the time. We will also send information to our wider school community as a reminder to our families of what actions you can take to reduce the spread of the virus.

I would like to close by reminding all of us that we have a role to play to ensure that our children and school community remain safe.

Thank you for your continued support and patience.

Yours Sincerely,

Miss D Hay
Deputy Head

Please remember to go to the school website (September Opening Arrangements) to check entrances, exits and times for each year group/class.

Letter to Year 6

Dear Year 6,

It is with sadness and disappointment that I write to say goodbye! After such a great school journey, to finish with no mass, no leavers’ assembly, no celebrations or even goodbye hugs seems so unfair.

This year has been unprecedented, never before have we had to face a health emergency that has affected all of the world. We must concentrate on the positives that we can find, and strangely there are many. Never before has the sense of community been so strong, we have pulled together to look after each other, we have clapped for key workers and appreciated people more than we ever acknowledged before. We have looked after the vulnerable in society, our old and infirm. We stayed home and got to know our families better, we made more of an effort to keep in touch through technology and we learnt to appreciate the simple things in life.

There were no final closures, no SATs tests and no transition visits to your secondary schools. That will not matter, the whole of the UK are in the same situation, your schools will know all about you, what you are good at and what they might need to help you with. Your teachers have talked to your new schools, we have given teacher assessments on your grades ( who knows what you can do better than your teachers). All the children arriving in Y7 will be in the same situation as you, so it is a level playing field, so you should not worry.

All the staff in school who have played any part in your school journey are so proud of you, The exams for your year group did not happen, but they would have only given one piece of information about you. They do not tell how special and unique each one of you are. They do not mention how you can sing, dance, laugh, make your friends happy, that you are fantastic sons and daughters. They would not say that you are trustworthy and thoughtful and that you are kind. No matter what your test results might have been, or what your teacher assessment is, show those other qualities that make you you, and the important ones that make each one of your families’ proud.

We in school are proud of the young people you have become, we know that you are ready for secondary school, that you may be a bit nervous but trust me you are ready!!

Remember life is a journey but you are not always sure where to go but you are not alone you have your amazing families, your friends and you have all the love and support that St Oswald’s sends you away with. Remember you are fantastic, remember to be kind and respectful and always remember what you have been taught and where you started. Also, believe in yourselves, and if you need help ask, it is a sign of strength, it is the only way we find out things.

Finally, I want to send you off with my blessing and to remind you that where ever you go, God is with you and will help you make the right choices if you allow him to.

With all best wishes,

Mrs Walsh
Head Teacher

Download: Letter to Y6 [PDF]

Breakfast Club Letter

Dear Parents/Carers,

In September, we are considering reopening our Breakfast Club, initially for key workers children.

In order to adhere to the strict social distancing of our bubbles of children, we would not be able to have a mixed Breakfast Club bubble. The children who access the club would have to stay within their own year group bubble even if they are siblings. We are going to operate a weekly pre booking in system to see how many children we would be able to accommodate safely, ensuring distancing in year groups. There will be a cap on numbers allowed.

The children from each year group would be allocated a set table to eat breakfast and play table top games.
Like all Covid 19 controls, good hygiene is the best method of prevention and this will be followed rigorously.
As a general indicator for us, can I ask that if you would like to access a Breakfast Club facility in September that you indicate on the questionnaire. This will give us important information to assist in our planning.

Please fill in the Breakfast Club questionnaire here

Kind regards,

Mrs Walsh

Home Learning – 13th July

Good morning!

Here are your weekly Home Learning planners for the week ahead:

Nursery > Click here

Reception > Click here

Year 1 > Click here

Year 2 > Click here

Year 3 > Click here

Year 4 > Click here

Year 5 > Click here

Year 6 > Click here

Leave us a message or picture in the comments of any work you complete as you go! We love seeing your progress.

Thank you.