Author: Mr Roundtree

Our message today focuses on two simple things: eating and sleeping…

Eating

Have you had a change in circumstances – a loss of job or a reduction in earnings? If so, your child might now be entitled to free school meals. Find out if you’re now entitled.

If you’re finding it difficult to access food because of money problems, self-isolation, or whatever the reason, you might be able to access emergency food support. Check out Leeds Food Aid Network and Leeds Money Information Centre.

Don’t feel awkward – ask us and we’ll try to help you access the help you need right now.

Sleeping

Has your child (or you) experienced sleep problems during lockdown?

Perhaps with your child, read The Good-Night Guide for Children – full of facts about sleep and its importance to us all. Did you know, for example, that when we sleep, we go through sleep cycles that last about 90 minutes and after each cycle, we come to a point of partial awakening? (And it’s at that point that we’re likely to wake up.)

We continue our messages this week with another message that supports our home learners in terms of Living and Learning.

Last week, our Living and Learning statement was ‘I see things from other people’s point of view’. This statement linked with the British value of mutual respect and tolerance. It promotes empathy and understanding.

We got some great feedback from some parents and carers about the ideas and resources we presented, including this, in reference to the Sesame Street clip (we’ve edited the comment to make sure it’s anonymous):

‘[My child] has had a few negative comments about her skin (this was addressed). But she says every day she wants to look like all her friends – she wants white skin and straight hair. We explain about skin colour etc and how lucky [she is]. But she still wants to have white skin. This video clicked with her. She understood that everyone is the same even though they may look different.’

Whilst really encouraging, the comment made us sad to note the negative comments had been made in the first place. Imagine the impact if we all took on board the simple message of the Sesame Street clip: ‘we’re different, we’re the same’.

If you didn’t find time to think about last week’s Living and Learning theme with your child, please do.

As well as he three book list recommendations from last week, we’ve one extra book list that you might want to check out, from Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books:

• Seven Stories: ‘Black stories matter’
• The Guardian: ‘No reader is too young to start’: anti-racist books for all children and teens’
• The Daily Express: ‘Children’s books about race: The best books to teach your children about race’
• Quarto Knows: ‘Anti-racist books for kids’

Yesterday, the Department for Education published guidance ‘to provide information on how primary schools can use flexibility to welcome back additional pupils this term’. The guidance states: ‘It is up to schools to decide which pupils to prioritise, based on their knowledge of their children and communities’.

Welcoming back additional pupils

‘It is up to schools to decide which pupils to prioritise…’ That’s good – that’s what we’ve been trying to do since the government announced that schools should begin to open more widely for pupils.

We’ve been planning carefully to manage increasing numbers in a safe way: while responding the the government’s goal for children in Early Years, Year 1 and Year 6 to return, we’ve also welcomed back more children of key workers, and we’ve also invited individuals from other year groups who might be considered vulnerable in some way.

Regrettably, because we’d already decided which additional pupils to prioritise ahead of yesterday’s guidance, our schools are already close to capacity. If you’re at home with your child and are really struggling in some way, please do get in touch.

A word of caution…

The guidance published yesterday states primary schools with extra capacity can welcome back pupils from any year groups. This is despite education secretary Gavin Williamson telling Parliament last week he was working on a ‘priority’ list for schools of which pupils to welcome back first. This is an example of the confusing messages coming from government.

The current situation means that plans and messages often change. However, please be cautious about the messages coming from government just now:

• they sometimes change, they sometimes get dropped (as appears to be the case with Gavin Williamson’s priority list), and they sometimes don’t match reality
• they don’t appear to stem from working closely with school leaders – certainly, we don’t hear things before you do
• there is a danger that they create false hope and mislead parents as to what is deliverable

The government has previously announced initiatives that haven’t quite lived up to the message: free laptops for disadvantaged home learners haven’t been delivered yet; free school meal vouchers didn’t work like they should leaving families not able to pay for their food at supermarket checkouts; and – one affecting us all – the prime minister’s ambition for all pupils to return for the last few weeks of the school year. Most recently, the prime minister has announced a ‘summer catch-up scheme‘ – let’s hope this is realistic, well-thought-through, and can actually happen.

We start the week with another message that supports our home learners in terms of Living and Learning. I know the difference between laughing at and laughing with someone… is our statement this week.

There’s an important difference between laughing at and laughing with someone. We’ll get on better with others if we know that laughing at someone is unkind and hurtful. The statement links with the British value of mutual respect and tolerance.

Firstly, for older children, read this article to find out what actually happens when we laugh. Laughing and smiling helps your body as well as your mind feel better and healthier but not when this is directed at someone else.

Look at and use these questions to discuss these contrasting photos with your child.

• What do you think is happening in this photograph?
• Have you ever been in a situation like this?
• What do you think this person is/these people are feeling like?
• If you feel like that, what would your face look like?  And your body?
• If you’re feeling like this, what might you do?
• If you’re feeling like this, how does your body feel on the inside?
• What do you think a person who felt like that would do?

Finally, consider the following with your friends and family at the moment:

• What makes you smile and laugh?
• How could you make someone laugh?
• How would that person feel when they are laughing?

For parents and carers, you might like to read Michael Rosen’s article, The trick to making children laugh. And with your child, enjoy his poems, which  can help to bring a smile or a laugh to your face.

Our final message of the week comes from Miss Beatson, St James’ CE Primary’s Head of School.

We’re now at the end of the second week back in school. We’ve managed to open three ‘bubbles’ (groups which are separated from the others) and we’ll start a fourth bubble next week. At this point, following current government guidelines, we’ll be close to full capacity and unable to have any more children in school for the time being.

Staff are doing a fantastic job under challenging circumstances. They’ve worked incredibly hard:

• making school as safe as possible
• supporting our children’s wellbeing
• teaching lessons within the new constraints of the classroom
• continuing to provide good quality home learning online for our children who are still at home

School at the moment does feel quiet and different. We’re all missing each and every one of you who can’t join us right now.

Nevertheless, the children in school have been very good at following and respecting the new rules and they’ve taken so well to the ‘new normal’.

To further support learning at home, we’ve bought all children in Reception to Year 5 a bundle of textbooks and more information about how to collect these will be communicated next week. We hope this will further support the online learning or ‘re-motivate’ some of the children who may have been struggling to engage in learning in recent weeks.

As Mr Roundtree mentioned in his daily message on Wednesday, we still don’t know what the school picture looks like for September and we understand it can be an anxious time for parents with so much uncertainty. We’ll be working very hard to put safe plans in place and follow the government advice and guidelines and obviously communicate the plans to you as soon as we can.

For those families who are already coming into school or who will be starting school next week, here are a few reminders about the expectations in order to keep our school community as safe as possible:

• stick to the allocated drop off and pick up times for your child
• only one parent is to drop off and pick up
• if any new medication is to be given in school, please inform the office prior to your child coming into school
• it should be someone from the household collecting your child
• water bottles must be brought into school

If your child is back at school, please make sure you read the last two pages of this document – it’s important information about what we need from you and your child to keep everyone safe at school.

If your child is returning soon, please make sure you read the whole document, so you can be prepared with every detail, from snacks to sun-cream (although not much of that is needed at the moment!).

Have a good weekend, despite the weather.