Changes to measures and guidance for managing COVID-19 in education and childcare settings from Friday 1 April

On Tuesday 29 March, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid, set out the next steps for living with COVID-19 in England from Friday 1 April.

Free COVID-19 tests will continue to be available for specific groups, including eligible patients and NHS staff, once the universal testing offer ends on Friday 1 April.

Updated guidance will advise:

This is your last chance to book your place at the discos being held tomorrow in the Village Hall to raise money for the DEC Ukraine appeal.

Little Explorers, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 – 4.30pm to 5.30pm
Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 – 6pm to 7.30pm

Tuck shop and drinks available to buy on the night.

Please send £3 per child into the school office in a named envelope by Friday morning at the latest as the lists will be given to the parents organising the discos at lunchtime. Their name will then be added to the list to be ticked off on the night. There will be no admission on the night if their name is not on the list.

It’s with great sadness to tell everyone that Michelle will be leaving Pre-School for a very deserved rest after 18 years of being Deputy Manager at Pre-School, starting at Burwarton Pre-school in 2004 joining Wende and moving to Ditton in 2014.

Over the years Michelle has had a major part to play in Pre-School’s success, through her vision to provide the very best Early Years’ experience to all the children that have attended. Her practice, knowledge, commitment and love of children has a real positive impact on all of the children that have attended over the years.

Michelle is going to be missed very much by all the staff, especially Wende and of course all the children, therefore as Michelle has taught many children over many years, we thought the children who remember her in Brown Clee and maybe some parents would like to send her their best wishes, therefore any cards or notes can be left at Brown Clee School’s office, put in Little Explorers Post box or by emailing littleexplorers.ditton@gmail.com

Michelle’s last day will be Tuesday 5th April.

Thank you.

Wende

Don’t forget about the Discos to fundraise for the DEC Ukraine Appeal being held next Friday 1st April at Ditton Priors Village Hall. The KS1 Disco for Fireflies and Grasshoppers is from 4.30pm to 5.30pm and the KS2 disco for Dragonflies and Scorpions is 6pm to 7.30pm. There will be a tuck shop available on the night. The cost is £3 per child, please can you make your payment in cash in an envelope clearly marked with your child’s name to the school office.

All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult, although they can accompany a school friend as long as the adult who brings them is staying.

The organisers of the KS2 Disco are also looking for help on the night and if you are able to help please let Kat Shotton know (her details are on the poster) or speak to the school office.

We have a girls’ football competition this week  – which requires players to wear shin pads. A lot of our players do not have shin pads. If anyone has any spare or do not mind lending a pair (to be returned), it would be very much appreciated!

The tournament is on the afternoon of Thursday 17th March, so any pairs brought in before then would be fantastic.

We have received so many cakes that we have sent some across to Pre-School at Little Explorers!

We will also be providing some whole cakes to parents at the end of the day, and also in Well Done Assembly tomorrow!

Don’t forget to send in donations and cakes to help support the Ukrainian refugees tomorrow – as well as wear one thing blue and/or yellow with your uniform!  We want to show our compassion

We have been notified that our SIAMs Inspection is being held on Wednesday this week (9th March).

SIAMS stands for the Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools. All Church of England Schools receive a Section 48 Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) in addition to the regular Section 5 Ofsted inspection.  These inspections take place on a five year cycle.

The Inspection focuses on one key question: How effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels (including governors), in enabling pupils and adults to flourish?

This question is evaluated through seven strands:

• Strand 1: Vision and Leadership
• Strand 2: Wisdom, Knowledge and Skills
• Strand 3: Character Development: Hope, Aspiration and Courageous Advocacy
• Strand 4: Community and Living Well Together
• Strand 5: Dignity and Respect
• Strand 6: The impact of collective worship
• Strand 7: The effectiveness of religious education

We are very proud of being a Church of England school and feel that we have got lots to celebrate. As parents, you are important partners in helping us to help children flourish. A group of parents are meeting with the Inspector on the day to share their thoughts – unfortunately we are limited on numbers for this group, however, if you wish your comments to be included, please feel free to send in a report, either by email or letter.

Please could we remind parents and carers of the importance of booking school dinners a minimum of 48 hours in advance via ParentPay. This allows the school kitchen to ensure that enough food has been cooked and the children are served their preferred meal. It is possible to book meals up until the end of this term. If you do not have the ParentPay Activation code for your child, please contact the school office who will arrange for this to be sent to you.

Thank you in advance for your co-operation.

We hope you had a restful and relaxing half term, even with the rather windy, wet weather!  There are many signs of Spring around – lambs, daffodils, blossom, longer and lighter days – that all signify hope of brighter days ahead!

We are looking forwards to welcoming the children back on Wednesday to another busy, happy term full of learning and thought it would be helpful to share some information and reminders:-

Covid19: As the government has now updated it’s guidance we have reviewed our Covid19 Risk Assessment and as a result there are the following changes:-

• There is no longer a need for a one way system at drop-off or collection.  We are still asking children to access school independently from the gate at the main entrance, as before, as this has worked very successfully in allowing a smooth start to the day.  At the end of the day, parents access and leave the infant playground from this gate – the top-gate will now be locked.
• There is no longer a legal requirement for people with COVID19 to self-isolate, however if you have any of the main symptoms of COVID19 or a positive test result, the public health advice is to stay at home and avoid contact with other people.  The new government guidance can be found here: COVID19: People with Covid19 and their contacts.
• If your child has symptoms of Covid or has tested positive then they need to stay at home and follow the following guidance:-If you are unable to access LFTs to carry out the day 5 and 6 tests, then we ask that children stay at home for 5 days to mitigate infection, and they can return on day 6 if they are well and no longer have symptoms.
• Again, we ask for your understanding and support – it is tricky – and all we can do as a school is follow the guidance given and be consistent. We appreciate that the symptoms of Covid19 are very similar to other ailments, and also that LFTS are no longer being freely available.
• Visitors to school: We can now remove the need to restrict visits to essential visits only. However we ask that all visitors, including parents and governors, only do so if they are clear of Covid19 symptoms and are not living in the same household as someone who has tested positive for Covid19.

Well Done Assemblies: We will continue to hold our Friday Well Done Assemblies in the school hall, and as from Friday 11th March we are delighted to be able to welcome parents, family and friends back to join us celebrate the achievements of the week. Please note the above requirements for visitors to school.

Ukraine: I am sure that many of you will be following the events in Ukraine, and we are aware that children may well have their own questions or concerns. The Diocese of Hereford have shared this prayer reflection video so that we can share our thoughts and prayer for the people of Ukraine…

We are also looking into how we can support Ukrainian children and families who have had to leave their homes – we would prefer to be able to support practically, as we support our school charity, Karibuni Children – and it is early days at the moment, but we will keep you informed.

Please note that this Friday’s Football Club is cancelled.  Apologies for any inconvenience.