Coronavirus - update
We’re closely following the advice coming from the Department for Education about coronavirus.
They’ve set up a helpline to answer questions about COVID-19 related to education – we’ve called the helpline a couple of times and been reassured that what we’re doing in school matches their advice. You can contact the helpline, too:
- Phone: 0800 046 8687
- Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
- Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)
The advice remains that no school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19 case unless directed to do so by Public Health England. This would only be the case if a child or staff member tested positive to the virus. (If a parent were to test positive, we’d ask the child to stay at home to self-isolate. This is the advice from the government.)
The government is not advising schools to cancel or postpone any events, whether this be swimming sessions, school trips, concerts or PTA events. As before, we’ll continue to follow government advice.
Everyone knows that personal hygiene is the most important way we can tackle COVID-19. We’ve done lots in school to promote this message – please do the same at home. For example, make sure your child coughs or sneezes into a tissue, or into their elbow sleeve (the ‘vampire method’, which we’ve promoted for many years).
Training days, 2020-21
We know many of you like to plan well in advance and that sorting out our school dates helps with this.
The training days for 2020-21 are all confirmed:
- Friday 23 October
- Monday 04 January
- Friday 14 May (This is the day after the Year 6 SATs – a welcome day off to celebrate their hard work!)
- Monday 26 July
- Tuesday 27 July
Open sessions
Our school is proud of the open sessions we have throughout the year that allow you to learn more about how to support your child. We want to continue with these as much as we can, whilst also paying due regard to government advice about coronavirus.
If there are sessions scheduled, please assume these are still happening. This includes and open session such as a Relax and Read or Stay and Play session in Early Years.
If you have any symptoms of the virus, you should not attend.
If you’ve been advised to self-isolate, you should not attend.
Obviously, it’s always your choice as to whether you attend these sorts of events. If you do attend, all we ask is that you follow as much of the advice about good hygiene as you can: wash your hands if this is available (come in early to do this), or use a hand sanitiser; also, make sure you cough or sneeze into a tissue.
More information from the NHS about the virus, including its symptoms, can be found here:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
How many children have been asked to change or undress in a video chat?
You might be surprised and concerned to read it’s almost 1 in 10 children.
A survey of 40,000 children found that nearly 1 in 10 pupils who video chat with people they haven’t met have been asked to change or undress, and more than 1 in 20 pupils who livestream have been asked to change or undress.
Parents and professionals are often aware of issues around teens being coerced or tricked into getting undressed or revealing themselves online. (Read more about this.)
However, what do we need to say to the youngest pupils, and why?
For young primary pupils, check out this video, song and poster to help communicate the message of never getting undressed in front of a phone, iPad or computer.
A common tactic of sexual predators is to trick young children into getting changed or undressed on camera by playing a ‘game’ or issuing a ‘challenge’, for example, to see how fast they can get changed into different clothes or into a swimming costume. This might happen over video chat or a livestreaming app; videos are often taken and then circulated. Children often don’t even know this has happened.
Research has shown that 98% of publicly available livestreamed child sexual abuse images involved children aged 13 and under; 28% were aged 10 and under.
World Book Day 2020
This week, we’ve been celebrating World Book Day by sharing stories for ten minutes each day. Yesterday, lots of children brought in their favourite book to share with the class. Foundation had a great time dressing up as a favourite book character, whilst KS1 and KS2 visited Scholes Primary School to watch a Hobgoblin performance of Wind in the Willows.
Sports Relief
Sports Relief is on Friday 13 March 2020. To recognise this, each class will be taking part in a sporting challenge.
Foundation: dance challenge
Y1-4: skipping challenge
Y5/6: netball shooting challenge
Children are invited to come to school in a sports kit. Voluntary donations for Sports Relief are welcomed.
Reading for pleasure, for life
Today is World Book Day – it’s a great time to celebrate the powers of reading. We all agree that reading is important, but do you realise just how many great benefits regular reading for pleasure has?
The Reading Agency outlines the powerful impact reading can have for your child, for you and for society.
The benefits of reading for pleasure for your child (and you!):
- Reading for pleasure is more important for children’s cognitive development – their brain power – than their parents’ level of education.
- Reading for pleasure is a more powerful factor in life achievement than socio-economic background.
- 16-year-olds who choose to read books for pleasure outside of school are more likely to secure managerial or professional jobs in later life.
- Having books in the home is associated with both reading enjoyment and confidence. Of children who report having fewer than 10 books in their homes, 42% say they do not like reading and only 32% say they are ‘very confident’ readers. For children who report having over 200 books at home, only 12% say they do not like reading and 73% consider themselves ‘very confident’ readers.
- Children who read books often at age 10, and more than once a week at age 16, gain higher results in maths, vocabulary and spelling tests at age 16 than those who read less regularly.
- Reading extensively and for pleasure at home can increase literacy skills at a greater rate than through formal lessons at school.
- Incomes are higher in countries where more adults reach the highest levels of literacy proficiency and fewer adults are at the lowest levels of literacy.
- An online poll reveals that regular readers for pleasure report fewer feelings of stress and depression than non-readers, and stronger feelings of relaxation from reading than from watching television or engaging with technology intensive activities.
- Studies have shown that those who read for pleasure have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations.
- Reading for pleasure is associated with better sleeping patterns.
- Adults who read for just 30 minutes a week are 20% more likely to report greater life satisfaction.
We’re often asked how you can support your child more at home. We think one of the best ways to help is to make sure you build into the daily routine some time for reading. For many families, this is a bedtime story every night just before lights out.
Happy reading!
The new, national multiplication tables check
The government is introducing a new, statutory multiplication tables ‘check’ (MTC) for the first time, in June this year. Children in Year 4 will take this check.
The purpose of the check is to determine whether pupils can fluently recall their times tables up to 12, which is essential for future success in mathematics. It will also help your child’s school to identify pupils who may need additional support.
Read more about the check in this leaflet from the Standards and Testing Agency.
Coronavirus - update
The government’s coronavirus action plan has been launched. This document sets out what the UK as a whole has done to tackle the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and what it plans to do next.
Current advice remains in place: No school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19 case unless advised to do so by Public Health England.
Personal hygiene is the most important way to tackle COVID-19, especially washing hands more; and the catch it, bin it, kill it strategy for those with coughs and sneezes.
Supporting your child to stay safe
We continue to try and keep you updated as much as possible with how you can keep your child safe in many situations.
The posts and information about Fortnite and screen time have proved popular for parents – it seems online safety is an area that parents would like lots of support.
Here is our next factsheet with some hints and tips about how you can support your child stay safe during using WhatsApp. The guidance around WhatsApp recommends that users should be 16 years old. We know that a lot of our children use WhatsApp so decided it would be helpful to support you in monitoring your child’s use of the app.
As always, if you’ve any questions, comments or concerns, please chat to someone in school.