News

Home learning and other support (11 May 2020) - message 1

You’ll all know that last night the Prime Minister made a speech setting out what he described as:

• ‘the shape of a plan’
• ‘the first sketch of a road map’
• ‘a sense of the way ahead’

He used all of those phrases in just one small part of his speech and I’ve bulleted them here in order to emphasise that at the moment, schools don’t have any greater detail:

• we don’t know the shape of the plan
• the map is just a sketch and sketches can be easily rubbed out or worked over
• the way ahead is just a sense – and it may not yet be a common sense shared by all

Later in his speech, there’s similar content:

• ‘at the earliest by June 1’
• ‘we believe we may be in a position to begin…’
• ‘to get primary pupils back into schools, in stages, beginning with reception, year 1 and year 6.’

Again, I’ve bulleted these three points to highlight the uncertainties we – you as parents and carers, and we as teachers -face.

• ‘at the earliest’ does not guarantee the date
• ‘we believe’ and ‘we may be’ don’t guarantee anything
• ‘in stages’ raises so many questions, such as whether this is for all pupils, all at once, or just smaller groups of Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 pupils.

There are so many questions (What if…?) that we can tag on to the points made last night.

A lot can change in just a short time at the moment: we’ve gone from front page headlines such as ‘Happy Monday!’ (The Sun) and ‘Hurrah! Lockdown freedom beckons’ (Daily Mail) to quite a different mood: ‘Ready, Steady, Slow’ and ‘Boris keeps handbrake on’ – headlines from the same two papers, respectively, and only five days apart.

We’ve 21 more days before 01 June.

This week, school leaders will examine closely the detail that we hope will be included in the document due to be published today. For the rest of the month, we’ll continue to review and reflect and plan for the best possible provision in these uncertain times. Please be assured that we’ll always act in the best interests of our pupils and our staff.

Moortown Primary and Scholes (Elmet) Primary remain open for children whose parents are key workers (including those who attend St James’) and for those who might be considered vulnerable in some way.

Nursery places for September

Letters have now been emailed out to everyone who has their child’s name on the waiting list for a Nursery place in September, including those who already have a place and will be returning. Replies need to be emailed to us by 04 June 2020.

If you haven’t received a letter, please check your email junk folder or contact stjamesoffice@spherefederation.org.

Home learning and other support (08 May 2020)

In the past week or so, there has been a lot of confusing messages about easing the lockdown, some hopeful but many others cautionary. Some of you have asked us about how and when schools might re-open, but we’ve had absolutely no information about this.

However, a Department for Education blog, published just yesterday, made this clear statement:

Schools are closed to all but the children of critical workers and vulnerable children. The Secretary of State has been clear that this will remain the case until the scientific advice says it is safe to do otherwise.

Any headlines in newspapers and the wider media are either wild speculation or unhelpful government leaks.

Schools do continue to receive daily emails from the Department for Education. As far as we can see, there’s one very clear message in every email that comes through:

It is essential that everyone washes their hands more often, using soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Hand washing with soap employs mechanical action that loosens bacteria and viruses from the skin, rinsing them into the drain. Drying hands afterwards makes the skin less hospitable to the virus. Hand sanitiser can be effective if soap is not available or the situation makes using soap less feasible (i.e. when outside) but using hand sanitiser provides none of the virus-destroying friction that rubbing your hands together and rinsing with water provides.

Remind yourself of guidance on hand washing can be found at:

The e-Bug project is led by Public Health England and has a dedicated webpage for learning resources on hand washing and respiratory hygiene.

Whatever the national message, Sphere Federation staff hope you all have a happy and healthy weekend.

Home learning and other support (07 May 2020)

Tomorrow is a bank holiday to commemorate VE Day. We’ll continue with home learning tasks, but remember that on such a day, we completely understand if you want to step back and enjoy – as much as you can – the bank holiday. (The same goes for next Friday, too – this was scheduled to be a training day at school.)

We’ve had a few parents tell us their child has reached the end of the exercise books we sent home just before schools closed. If this is the case, you can call in to school on Monday morning when Miss Beatson will be there.

Fancy getting creative?

Monday’s message was about additions or alternatives to the home learning tasks your teacher sets your child. We know some tasks might end up being a bit tricky for some people, so it’s a good idea to have different things for them to get stuck into…

Your child could create a National Book Token design and win a £10 National Book Token for themselves and each of their classmates. The National Book Token people will select one child’s design to put on a gift card every week for seven weeks. When schools open up again, the young designer and their classmates will each receive a £10 National Book Token displaying the winning artwork.

Talking of which, there are plenty of competitions during the lockdown period. The list comes from Child Friendly Leeds, which has lots of guidance, activities and creative ideas for families, too.

ArtForms in Leeds has different weekly home learning ideas for you and your child to check out. In the current week (Week 7), we love the idea for older children to create their own city using nets.

…And finally, don’t forget your child could get creative alongside you in the kitchen or in the garden if you have one.

Home learning and other support (06 May 2020)

We’re keeping today’s message a happy and healthy one…

All the teachers are missing their children each day (and seeing you, the parents and carers, too). They’re busy working away on your home learning tasks, and enjoying all the emails coming in, but teachers from each school have found time over the last couple of weeks to create three very different videos, all of which were intended to put a happy and healthy smile on your faces!

By now, you’ve probably seen your child’s own school teachers, but we thought it might be nice to bring the three together for today’s message.

The Head of School at Moortown, Mrs Weekes, got her creative juices flowing and wrote a reflective poem. The teachers in the clip start off with the Reception teacher (sporting a fetching lockdown haircut) and working up to the Year 6 teacher and then Miss Rushbrooke and finally Mrs Weekes herself.

https://youtu.be/ffftYO7hIKg

Almost all the St James’ CE Primary staff feature in this one – and even pupils at Moortown and Scholes might recognise one or two familiar faces (although I’m sure nobody knows who that strange person wearing five pairs of glasses is). Can you spot another lockdown haircut?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkRfN8tEuuA&feature=youtu.be

Miss Hague kicks off this video in a very nonchalant mood. She, and plenty of others, get to show off some secret talents in the Scholes (Elmet) video. Now, maybe I’m too cynical, but there’s one clip on here that looks just too good to be true…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Svz0O97Z_Q&feature=youtu.be

We hope you like them.

What's growing?

Mr Atkins has been very busy planting some vegetables in our school allotment. Can you guess what he has planted?

There are peas, carrots, radishes, lettuces, beetroot, spring onions and potatoes! Thank you Mr Atkins for watering them and keeping them going until we are all back at school.

Home learning and other support (05 May 2020)

Yesterday’s message was mainly about additions and alternatives to the home learning tasks. Today, we’re suggesting four different ways to support you…

First… Public Health England has updated their guidance for households with possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. The guidance is for households with grandparents, parents and children living together where someone is at risk or has symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

Second… Here is the digital link for our first Families Leeds & West Yorkshire ‘lockdown’ issue.

The issue gathers together, in one place, fantastic resources and advice to help parents manage the next few weeks. (And there are also £100 Amazon vouchers to be won!)

Third… You can access online support for parents and carers during the current situation – use the code ‘north‘ when prompted. This is a service from Northpoint and Silvercloud Health.

The service has been designed by clinical experts with the aim of empowering you to think and feel better. The website includes programmes that are tailored to your needs. It contains easy to use content and interactive tools. The online space is secure and anonymous. No identifying details are required apart from a contact e-mail address.

And finally, fourth… We’re just a little into May, so this one’s not too late… Well-being charity Action for Happiness has published its Meaningful May calendar which has ideas and top tips to help us respond to the global crisis with a sense of purpose and meaning. To help have a great meeting, the charity has published new guidance for people hosting online groups, with some really good ideas.

Home learning and other support (04 May 2020)

It seems that the general mood in lockdown is one of ups and downs – we really hope there haven’t been too many downs for you and your family.

Today’s message is about additions or alternatives to the home learning tasks your teacher sets your child. We know some tasks might end up being a bit tricky for some people, so we’ve three alternatives here.

Living and learning during lockdown

Living and Learning is the name for all the teaching and learning we do around Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE). Each week in school, we have a Living and Learning statement. This week’s is I can describe and use ways to calm down. One of the Sphere Federation Health Leaders writes:

Listen to the new story Everybody worries by Jon Burgerman. The story focuses on the emotion of being anxious. Getting stressed, anxious or angry are important and useful emotions but sometimes these feelings can be overwhelming.

Different people use different ways to calm down. Talk at home about the ways people around you calm down. Your child might be aware of different relaxation or mindfulness techniques we’ve talked about at school.

Here are some techniques for your child (and you) to try. Let us know which are favourite techniques!

1. Go to a ‘quiet spot’. Turn calming down into a positive by designating a place where we can go to calm down.
2. Go outside for a walk or run
3. Take some deep breaths. Slowing down our breathing can help our body calm down.
4. Count to 10 (or 100). Try this in your head (not out loud).
5. Listen to some soothing music.
6. Think of something you’re grateful for.
7. Look at a funny picture or video.
8. Use guided meditations.
9. Loosen up – Do some stretches or yoga.
10. Sit quietly and have a drink

Writing

Another additional or alternative home learning task is for your child to get stuck into some writing. Many of you have told us that writing has been the trickiest home learning task, so teachers have reduced the number of writing tasks we’re setting. However, quite a few children are missing getting their creative juices flowing. Download this set of writing ideas – they might spark off an idea! Your child’s class teacher will still be happy to read the writing, and your child might like to share the piece with friends and family, too, of course.

Geography

One parent I spoke with last week substituted a geography home learning task with an alternative for her child: to do a jigsaw of a map of Europe with her child – good idea!

You can help your child at home by looking at online maps (like Google Maps) and finding different places (look at the lists below to judge what type of places), and then doing a quiz full of facts about them. Your child could match capitals and countries, for example. Make it harder by missing out the vowels in the words (so they have to consider the spellings a little, too: dnbrgh – Sctlnd).

Geography age-related expectations can be found in our Curriculum Statement in the Curriculum and expectations page of our website. Home-friendly ones to work on are the facts about locations:

By the end of Year 2, geography expectations include:

• I know the four countries and capital cities of the UK.
• I know the seas which surround the UK.
• I know the world’s seven continents.
• I know the world’s five oceans.

By the end of Year 4, the expectations include:

• I know the main cities of the UK (the four capitals and at least four more).
• I know some of the counties in the UK.
• I know some of the main rivers and mountains in the UK (at least three of each).
• I know some European countries and their capital cities (at least four, not including those in the UK).
• I know some of the main rivers and mountains in Europe.
• I know the position of the Equator, Northern Hemisphere, Southern Hemisphere, the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, Arctic and Antarctic Circle.

And by the end of Year 6, they include all of the above, plus:

• I know some of the main rivers, mountains and regions (eg the Yorkshire Dales, the Lake District, the Highlands of Scotland) in the UK (at least three of each).
• I know some European countries and their capital cities (at least six, not including those in the UK).
• I know some world-wide countries and some of their major cities.

Have you watched our video yet?

Have you watched our video yet?

To help cheer us up, and hopefully cheer you up, too, we made a short video for you to watch – make sure you all follow the advice in our message!

Parent / carer survey

At St James’, we’re always keen to hear your views. We hope that you let us know of any questions, comments and concerns (as well as causes for celebration!) whenever these crop up, but we like to gather your views in our annual survey, too.

We know that in the current situation, it might feel a bit strange to be asking you questions about learning when it’s you who’s currently teaching your child. You might also feel you’ve no time to respond. Because of this, we’ve tried to keep the survey short and simple this year:

• we’ve used only some of the questions that Ofsted asks
• all you need to do is click on the relevant response for each question
• there’s just one space for comments at the very end, only if you’d like to add anything or explain one of your answers

Please complete the survey

The survey should only take about five minutes, and you’ve plenty of time – the deadline is Friday 29 May 2020.

Although we can’t guarantee to meet the needs and wants of every parent / carer, we do assure you that if specific areas for improvement are highlighted by the responses from this survey, we aim to act on these.

We’re looking forward to receiving your responses.