Well I hope you are all safe after the cold, wet and windy week, what a changeable week!  It has been a great week of learning with the children doing really well and becoming so accomplished with their online and independent learning. I have started popping into lessons to see all the wonderful experiences and enjoying the videos sent for our youngest children.

The teachers are adding chances to chat to sessions this week, where the children will stay after sessions to share work, catch up and have some support. All the small group work, 1:1 sessions and breakout rooms are helping children to access and achieve so much from the learning opportunities. 

Attendance figures this week are below and I remind parents that this is tracked each week and full attendance is expected in lockdown and absence is followed up by the school and Local Authority as normal:

Early Years:

Nursery 1 is 50%

Nursery 2 is 50%

(Important to say that the children go to activities at different times and parents are learning to send in pictures of the activities that the children are getting up to; the team would like a picture/video every day; Mrs Mohammad has written to explain that this week)

Reception is 80%,

Key Stage 1: Year 1 is 79%, Year 2 is 87%

Key Stage 2: Year 3 is 93%, Year 4M is 87%, Year 4P is 92%, Year 5 is 93%, Year 6 is 90%

Congratulations to the winners in each Key Stage – Reception, Year 2, Year 3 and Year 5.

Lateral Flow Tests

You may have heard that the government are providing staff with the opportunity to undertake lateral flow tests twice a week.  In preparation we have begun testing and have had training and guidance from two wonderful parents who are trained nursing sisters, to which we are so grateful.    This will enable us to see any asymptomatic cases and act quickly to prevent spreading. 

Refunds

With the current pandemic we are sadly unable to enjoy our planned trips to Oakwood for Years 5 and 6 and to Horseshoe Lake for Key Stage 2. All families who have paid a deposit have received notification to come and complete a refund via the card machine in the office. This can be done whilst collecting learning packs or at another time when booked through the school office.

The reality is we will not be running any trips until it is safe to do so and this is likely to be in the next school year.

Critical Worker Places

I thank all the families who are keeping children at home, balancing work and parenting so well; you are reducing everyone’s chance of getting and spreading this virus. 

The children who are at school are only here if:

1. They are vulnerable children.
2. The child has been awarded an EHCP due to their SEN needs.
3. A parent/s is/are critical workers and there is no-one else at home to care for the child because employers need the staff member to work out of the home, for those times only a place is provided. A number of families have part time places and others are keeping children at home when shifts change and they are then at home during the school day.

We are required to validate anyone’s claim to a place and will remove access to it if is found that a family is falsely claiming a place for any part of the week.

If a parent is working from home on any day of the school week then a place is not provided.

From Monday the government is requiring all schools to publish details of the educational provision they have in place currently.  I have included it below and it is on the school website.  I hope you will be as delighted as I am when you see it all, every member of staff is supporting the teaching and learning of our children to ensure that the children can continue to make good progress.  But all this would not be possible without your support, together we achieve this for the children of Ash Grange; thank you.

Kindest regards and keep well

Mrs Curtis