Headteacher's Blog
Week 3
Dear Parent,
We're well and truly back into the swing of things in the Spring term, now. The weather isn't necessarily showing itself to be very 'springlike' - let's hope that changes soon.
Reminders:
If you are intending to use our childcare club on the half term, we must know asap so that we can be sure that we have enough numbers to make it financially viable. Please contact the school office asap to book spaces.
Our new attendance 'run' initiative starts on Monday 27th. As detailed in last week's email, each class has to get to a certain % at the end of the week in order to 'earn' an immediate reward the following Monday. As I said in last week's email ,we can't do this without your support, so on the days that your child might be seeming a little reluctant to come in, remind them of this.
Clubs have started! If your child wishes they had signed up to a club and thinks it’s too late - please do speak to the office - there are spaces left in several clubs. We encourage all our pupils to get involved in the many clubs that are on offer. They are a great way for pupils to meet other pupils from different year groups. This is healthy for them to bond and to feel even more settled in our school.
Advance notice:
'Dress to Express' : as part of Children's Mental Health Week from the 3rd-9th Feb, on Feb 7th we would like to invite every child to dress in a way that tells everyone something about them- could be simply their favourite colour, a hobby, a job they'd like to do. We're asking for £1 donation to go towards MOSAIC, a, charity that specifically supports children going through bereavement/loss.
Children will also be receiving some additional pastoral lessons during that week from the pastoral team to reinforce how very important positive mental health is for all of us.
Enjoy the weekend, keep safe and warm.
Miss Harris
Week 2
Dear parent,
Having succumbed early this week to this horrible cold/flu type virus, I have every sympathy for those of you and the children who have already been hit by this. [ It's always refreshing to know that your staff can be brutally honest with you about how you look to when you're recovering-the 'walking dead' was mentioned 😉]
Reminders:
We have a cross country event for runners in Yrs 3/4/5/6 on Monday@ Budmouth. Unfortunately, Budmouth do not allow spectators, but this is an event we traditionally do really well in.
On Friday 24th,we say a very fond goodbye to Miss Heslop, one of our support staff, who has been with us since she started as an apprentice. She is off to travel the world and we wish her all the very best.
Movie night on the 24th. A reminder that being allowed to access these events is entirely dependent on children both behaving appropriately in school and also showing positive attitudes towards attendance .
Holiday club: we are running this Mon-Thur in the half term. Please book spaces with the school office asap, at the moment we definitely don't have enough numbers to run it 🙁
On that last point, you may remember when I sent you the final Ofsted report that strongly indicated that attendance was one of the biggest areas for improvement that the school needed to make, I said that we would be rolling out some new ideas to encourage children in. I am attaching one idea that has been shared already with staff and the school council. Inevitably, even though we have tried to make this as inclusive as possible, I'm sure that there will be something we haven't thought of in this, and that's why I want to stress that this is a pilot scheme and we'll review it termly.
As I put back in that original email, we can't do this without you and your support, so please, please ensure that unless your child is generally too unwell to attend school they are in- helping their class reach the target %.
As the unwanted winter illnesses creep into school, we would like to draw your attention to the Pharmacy First Service that all pharmacies offer. This NHS service allows children and adults to get quick access to healthcare advice as they can walk into a pharmacy and access the service, removing the potential delay of having to wait for a GP appointment. Please see a video available through the following link for more information about this service. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M8juhlO4O8
Enjoy the weekend, everyone
Miss Harris
Spring term week 1
Dear parent,
A week of all sorts of weather to test us, a reminder please to ensure that your children are appropriately dressed for the conditions when they come to school- even though we know for certain age children it's not 'cool' to wear a coat, it is essential that they have one.
Some reminders for the week ahead.
Clubs restart this week.
I will be sending out the next 'school in action' rota at the end of the week for you to try to arrange some time to come on in again and see your child in class.
Ofsted report: Hopefully you have all had chance to read this, the one I sent out earlier in the week[ attached again]. Please don't hesitate to email me if there is anything specific about it you'd like more information on.
'I can be'- you may remember a while ago I asked for volunteers who might be able to give up ½ hour on a Friday to come and talk to a group of children about their job. We want children to listen to a real range of jobs to know that there is a job type for everyone out there. I have had some replies but could really do with few more. It might sound a bit daunting, but the children will just want to know what a typical day looks like in your job, what if any, training you needed to do it, why you enjoy it...If you can spare us ½ hour, please do get in touch with me on:
jody.harris@firstfederation.org.uk
Half term holiday club: Although it's a few weeks away, please be aware that we can run a February half term childcare club Mon- Thur [ numbers permitting]. Please register asap with the school office if you'd like to use this. Hours will be 9-4.
Enjoy the weekend
Miss Harris
Week 14
Dear parent,
One week to go. I'm not going to lie, a little bit of hysteria is setting in. Primary schools are a truly unique place to work when it's Christmas and even an old 'grinch' like me can't fail to occasionally smile.
Our Christmas performances to you as the audience are next week, a final reminder that:
The timings will be for morning performances a 9.30 start and for afternoon performances 1.45 start. We will admit you 15 mins prior to the shows starting.
Monday 16th pm- Yr 3
Tuesday 17th pm- Yr 5
Wednesday 18th am- Yr 4 Christmas lunch day
Thursday 19th am- Yr 2 pm Yr 1
Friday 20th 9.30- EYFS
Each child is allocated 2 seats at these, there is no tickets system as such. When you come to see the Christmas events that your child is doing, we will mark you off against your child's name. Please understand that although we'd love more of you to come, our fire regulations explicitly allow us to hold a certain number of adults in our hall at any one time. So there is no scope for deviation from this. If you are a 'split' family, and the school are aware of this, then we have already factored this into the numbers and essentially two adults from each 'side' of the family can then come. Siblings will have watched their plays either the week prior or just before the actual day , and if you are bringing a very young child, they will need to sit on your lap, and discretely be taken out if they begin to disturb the performance.
After school club, Chattichicks, is running until the Thursday [ inclusive], if you need childcare still.
School finishes by 2pm on Friday, so A-M's will be released at 1.50 and N-Z at 1.55 .
It really only remains for me to wish you and your families the very best Christmas. I know that it is not necessarily always the easiest time of the year, both financially and emotionally, but let's remember that to see it through the eyes of a child, it should still be as magical a time as possible.
Have a wonderful break, and we'll see you on the 6th January.
Miss Harris
Week 13
Dear parent,
Thank you to all those of you who completed the Ofsted surveys, we've had a challenging - but positive - two days and I will let you know when I receive the full report and share it with you. It definitely won't be until the New Year.
Two weeks to go, and we are at the precarious point whereby children are getting very over excited about Christmas and the adults are over tired, always a tricky combination to manage 🙂
However, there is no doubt that it is quite simply a fun time of the year to be in a primary school, but for those children for whom routine is very important, these last two weeks may well throw them a little, we will prepare them as much as possible for change.
Can I remind you that if you can spare a present to put in the boxes in the front foyer, we'd be very appreciative.
Reminders for the last two weeks:
Reminder once again about Christmas performance days.
The timings will be for morning performances a 9.30 start and for afternoon performances 1.45 start
Monday 16th pm- Yr 3
Tuesday 17th pm- Yr 5
Wednesday 18th am- Yr 4 Christmas lunch day
Thursday 19th am- Yr 2 pm Yr 1
Friday 20th 9.30- EYFS
Each child is allocated 2 seats at these, there is no tickets system as such. When you come to see the Christmas events that your child is doing, we will mark you off against your child's name. Please understand that although we'd love more of you to come, our fire regulations explicitly allow us to hold a certain number of adults in our hall at any one time. So there is no scope for deviation from this. If you are a 'split' family, and the school are aware of this, then we have already factored this into the numbers and essentially two adults from each 'side' of the family can then come. Siblings will watch their plays the week prior, and if you are bringing a very young child, they will need to sit on your lap, and discretely be taken out if they begin to disturb the performance.
We will be collating House points next week for the winning house to wear their home clothes on Wednesday. Again, the winning house will be notified by parentmail.
It's Christmas Jumper Day next Thursday, if your child would like to wear one, can we respectfully ask for a donation to the food bank box in the front foyer .
Next Friday 13th, children can wear home clothes for the day, for the Christmas disco.
Week 12
Dear parent,
Another busy week, we've just started rehearsing for our various Christmas events, so I am already being 'subjected' to endless Christmas songs.....the joys of working in a primary school 😉
Reminders for next week and beyond:
School in action sessions for Yr 1 boys on Tuesday@10.30 , Yr1 girls on Wednesday @ 2 , Reception boys on Wednesday @ 2 and Reception girls on Thursday@ 2
Last week of clubs will be this week of the 2nd. Do use Chattichicks, the paid facility ,if you still need childcare for the last few weeks of term. No child care provision on the last day, the 20th, and we all finish @2pm that day.
A reminder once again about Christmas performance days.
The timings will be for morning performances a 9.30 start and for afternoon performances 1.45 start
Monday 16th pm- Yr 3
Tuesday 17th pm- Yr 5
Wednesday 18th am- Yr 4 Christmas lunch day
Thursday 19th am- Yr 2 pm Yr 1
Friday 20th 9.30- EYFS
'I can be...' A few years ago, we ran an initiative called 'I can be' to try to begin to encourage children in Upper Key Stage 2 to think about the range of jobs and careers open to them. This involved parents volunteering to come in, once a week, over the term, just to talk to the children about their job, what a typical day might look like, what skills or qualities they need and the member of staff [ me..] would do some follow up activities linked to this. I want to resurrect this and it's really important to me that we get a range of trades and jobs- I want every child [ not just the naturally bright ones for whom things come easy..] to think that THEY could do that job. So, if you'd like to help with this, the commitment literally would be one Friday afternoon for about an hour in the Spring term, could you email me back with your job and what dates might best suit you? We owe it to our children to give them the opportunities before they start secondary education to consider what they might like to do in the grown-up world!
Emails: Now that we are part of First Federation MAT, our email addresses have changed. Up until now, we have been able to use both, but from this weekend, we can only now use our First Federation ones, the Chickerell ones cease to exist. [ apart from the office one and Chickadees]. This weekend, there will be a time period when , to allow this complete migration to happen, we will not be able to receive or send emails - please be aware of this if you normally email the class teacher or myself on the weekends.
New addresses of teaching , pre school and main pastoral staff:
lorraine.llewellyn@firstfederation.org.uk
kirsteen.mitchell@firstfederation.org.uk
karen.wait@firstfederation.org.uk
mollie.waller@firstfederation.org.uk
emma.goles@firstfederation.org.uk
sarah.saunders@firstfederation.org.uk
claire.chappell@firstfederation.org.uk
louisa.jeffery@firstfederation.org.uk
leyla.arezoo@firstfederation.org.uk
serena-jane.warren@firstfederation.org.uk
simon.broom@firstfederation.org.uk
wendy.simmonds@firstfederation.org.uk
karen.cecil@firstfederation.org.uk
stephanie.king@firstfederation.org.uk
fiona.bedford@firstfederation.org.uk
ellis.clark@firstfederation.org. uk
jennifer.lamming@firstfederation.org.uk
clare.smith@firstfederation.org.uk
laura.ingram-richards@firstfederation.org.uk
emma.penn@firstfederation.org.uk
jody.harris@firstfederation.org.uk
Attendance: being part of First Federation Mat, every week, I get an update as to where our overall attendance sits in comparison with the other 28 schools in the MAT. It has really saddened me to see that over the last 4 weeks, we have been in the bottom 7 consistently. With the level of pastoral care and support that we offer as a school, this means that something still is not working for some of our families for this statistic to be repeating. With this in mind, I will be rolling out in the next few weeks a new plan to encourage children in, that hopefully will then raise this figure to get us at least nearer the half way level. I really do need everyone's support with this, since inevitably, low attendance will begin to impact on the children's academic progress.
Enjoy the weekend, keep warm...
Miss Harris
Week 11
Dear parent,
The weeks are rushing by! Thank you again to all those of you who have been to see your 'child in action' in our school in action sessions so far. I know how tricky it can be to get time off work, and your time is very appreciated.
Reminders for the week ahead [ and beyond]:
Yr 2 girls School In Action on Monday .
The last week of clubs will be December 2nd- so the last club before Christmas will be the Thursday 6th. A new clubs list will be published just after Christmas. If you still require childcare, Chattichicks will be open until the penultimate day of term, the 19th.
A reminder too that we also now have breakfast club opening earlier, 7.30, so if you are planning a day's Christmas shopping, why not make use of our wraparound care at both ends of the day and book your child in so you can enjoy a longer time out.
Thank you to those of you who have already donated to our Christmas present boxes in the front office, if anyone else would like to, we'd very much appreciate this. We are going to add one more box to this, for the Afghan children- who can't/don't celebrate Christmas per se, but they can accept gifts as long as they're not wrapped up in Christmas paper ...gifts such as socks, books, colouring pens, colouring books, simple jigsaws, games. Life at the camp is quite bleak, so anything we can do to make their holiday period a little brighter would be very appreciated.
Advance notice that we break up at 2pm on the last day of term, the 20th.
Enjoy the weekend, keep warm and dry!
Miss Harris
Week 10
Dear parent,
A huge thank you to all of you who committed to a parent consultation this week. It is vital that you have a good understanding of how your child is doing, academically, socially and emotionally. If there is any significant issue from these that you need to discuss further, please either contact me to arrange a time to meet ,or ask for an additional appointment with the class teacher.
As a staff, we are working to try and embed the principle of 'positive noticing'- whereby we deliberately and consistently comment when a child is simply doing the 'right thing'- maybe that's as basic as acknowledging a child who has settled in their seat quickly, with no fuss , after breaktime. It is simple, practical, and highly effective. Being 'positively noticed' by others builds self-esteem, supports behaviour and promotes good mental health. We know that children who are 'positively noticed' by their teachers, parents/carers are happier, more resilient, and secure. Can we ask then that you support us with this at home and make sure that you try to notice when your child is doing the right thing, or has done exactly as they were told and acknowledge that. It is particularly beneficial for those children, who I think, 'fly under the radar' because they are quite quiet and always try to do the right thing, however it is equally important to notice when a child who might normally struggle to manage themselves also does the 'right thing'.
Notices for next week:
School in action sessions for Yr 3 boys on Tuesday @11, Yr 3 girls on Wednesday @11 and Yr 2 boys on Thursday @11
All clubs back on as normal
Safeguarding reminder: As adults , our one overriding job is to try to ensure that children are as safe as possible at all times. Safeguarding extends to outside of school too, and we all have a duty to flag up/report something that makes you feel uncomfortable about how a child is being treated, it may be that they're being spoken to at home unnecessarily harshly, or they seem to be out a lot, unsupervised, or they seem always hungry when they come to play with your child- anything that makes you question their care. You can report these concerns anonymously via the Dorset Safeguarding Service, the MASH team, on 01202 228866. Any concerns can be treated confidentially. Alternatively, you can tell myself, Mrs Ingram Richards or Mrs Llewellyn- we are all designated safeguarding leads within the school.
Christmas events dates reminder:
Christmas [ groan.......]: Provisional dates for productions: Because you have been asking what dates were arranged in order to book time off work, we have allocated the following:
Monday 16th pm- Yr 3
Tuesday 17th pm- Yr 5
Wednesday 18th am- Yr 4 Christmas lunch day
Thursday 19th am- Yr 2 pm Yr 1
Friday 20th 9.30- EYFS
Enjoy the weekend, everyone
Miss Harris
Week 9
Dear parent,
Although it has been lovely to see everyone, unfortunately, we have been hit with a sickness bug from day one of the new half term. Can I remind you that if you child has been physically sick, they must be off for 48 hours after their last bout of sickness to avoid it spreading.
Reminders for next week:
1. It is our parent consultation week, at the moment over 70% of you have booked a slot. I know some of you have already met with class teachers for the 'PLP' reviews, so another consultation may not have been needed or necessary for you.
2. School in action sessions for Yr 5 girls, Monday @ 11.15, Yr 4 boys Tuesday @11, Yr 4 girls Thursday @11. Yr 6 rearranged for boys @ 9.45 on Thursday and girls @ 10.45 on Thursday.
3. I have arranged some specialist assemblies this week for the children on tolerance for displaced people/refugees, since unfortunately, the Afghans in the camp are still experiencing significant hostility when out and about.
Clubs and Parent consultations: Certain clubs will be cancelled to allow for this- these are:
YR 2/3/4 /5/6 football clubs
Apprentice club
Singing stars
Art club
Rising stars
All other clubs will still run.
Extension to our wraparound care offer reminder: We are now able to offer breakfast club from 7.30am, instead of 7.45am and, on Friday, we will now extend the after school club until 5.30pm, as opposed to 5pm. There will be no cost/fee increase for this.
Christmas [ groan.......]: Provisional dates for productions: Because you have been asking what dates were arranged in order to book time off work, we have allocated the following:
Monday 16th pm- Yr 3
Tuesday 17th pm- Yr 5
Wednesday 18th am- Yr 4 Christmas lunch day
Thursday 19th am- Yr 2 pm Yr 1
Friday 20th 9.30- EYFS 10.45 Chickadees
And, continuing along that theme, last year many of you donated a Christmas present, so that myself and the pastoral team could make up some present 'hampers' for those families who might have been struggling. These were really, really appreciated and we'd very much like to do that again. So, if you can, can you donate a present and label it with one of the following:
EYFS boy or girl
Key stage 1 boy or girl
Key stage 2 boy or girl
..then we can match presents to children accordingly
Enjoy the weekend- the Welsh rugby team are in action and I'm very much hoping to be able to hand back the 'wooden spoon'...
Miss Harris
Week 8
Dear parent,
Again, I want to wish you a restful half term, I hope you manage to enjoy some quality family time.
Some reminders for the first week back, beginning the 4th:
School in action sessions restart straight after half term. We have Yr 6 boys on Friday 14th @9.45 and Yr 6 girls on the same day, Friday 14th @10.40. Please note that these dates have changed from the original list due a certain 'event' that the YR 6 staff would like you to see on the 14th. We also have Yr 5 boys on Thursday 7th @11.
Parent consultations will take place the week of November 11th. The booking system will be live by the start of the half term and as usual, you can attend virtually or in person- whatever suits your lifestyle.
Certain clubs will be cancelled to allow for this- these are:
YR 2/3/4 /5/6 football clubs
Apprentice club
Singing stars
Art club
Rising stars
All other clubs will still run.
Extension to our wraparound care offer: We are now able to offer breakfast club from 7.30am, instead of 7.45am and, on Friday, we will now extend the after school club until 5.30pm, as opposed to 5pm. This will start the week of November 4th. There will be no cost/fee increase for this.
Enjoy the half term week- I'm heading back to 'God's own country' for a few days...
Miss Harris
Week 7
Dear parent,
Thank you to all those of you who have so generously donated to the foodbank in the spirit of Harvest so far- it's really, really appreciated.
So, we're into the last week of the half term- how can that be? It seems to have flown by. ...
A huge well done to the new Reception children, the Afghan children and all our other new joiners who have settled so very well with us- it's a pleasure to have them 'on board'.
Notices:
All clubs run as normal this week.
There will be a non uniform day on Friday for the winners of the first round of house points collation. If your child is in the winning house, you will receive an email on the Thursday.
Advance notices:
School in action sessions restart straight after half term. We have Yr 6 boys on Monday 4th @9.45 and Yr 6 girls on Tuesday 5th @9.45. We also have Yr 5 boys on Thursday 7th @11.
Parent consultations will take place the week of November 11th. The booking system will be live by the end of the half term and as usual, you can attend virtually or in person- whatever suits your lifestyle.
Certain clubs will be cancelled to allow for this- these are:
YR 2/3/4 /5/6 football clubs
Apprentice club
Singing stars
Art club
Rising stars
All other clubs will still run.
Enjoy the half term when it gets here, I hope you get to spend some quality family time together.
Miss Harris
Week 6
Dear parent,
A busy few weeks coming up. Firstly to remind you that it is a DISCO tonight, for Yrs 1-6, tickets still available from the school office.
Then, on Wednesday 16th, 5-6pm, it is our 'bedtime stories' evening, where we invite children to come back to school in their PJs to share a book with their class adults. You can enjoy refreshments in the hall during this time and browse the Book Fair- perhaps grab a few early Christmas presents?
Other reminders:
“How do I know if I am eligible for free school meals?” Your child may be eligible for free school meals if you are in receipt of any of the following: Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the guarantee element of State Pension Credit, Child Tax Credit, Working Tax Credit run-on, Universal Credit (UC). We can provide help with your application for free school meals. Contact the school office to make us aware and we will arrange a support session
Can we encourage you, in the spirit of Harvest, to bring a donation to our foodbank box over the next two weeks? Instant coffee, teabags, tinned meat, tinned fish, tinned vegetables, pasta sauce, pasta, pot noodles, biscuits, baked beans, tomato ketchup, mayonnaise, salad cream, cooking oil, cereals, instant hot chocolate, shampoo/shower gel - these things in particular are really needed. Your support with this would be very much appreciated.
Attendance: A reminder again that children are expected to be in school all the time unless they are too unwell to attend. I will not be authorising term time holidays, birthday days out, anything that is not a truly one-off circumstance. The MAT that we are now in will be taking a very hard line on this and will be expecting you to attend formal attendance clinics/panel if your child's attendance is classed as a persistent or severe absence. Letters that I will be sending home at the start of the half term break will indicate if your child is at risk of this, and the pastoral team will them be contacting you to discuss how we need to support you to change this.
Safeguarding: As adults , our one overriding job is to try to ensure that children are as safe as possible at all times. Safeguarding extends to outside of school too, and we all have a duty to flag up/report something that makes you feel uncomfortable about how a child is being treated, it may be that they're being spoken to at home unnecessarily harshly, or they seem to be out a lot, unsupervised, or they seem always hungry when they come to play with your child- anything that makes you question their care. You can report these concerns anonymously via the Dorset Safeguarding Service, the MASH team, on 01202 228866. Any concerns can be treated confidentially. Alternatively, you can tell myself, Mrs Ingram Richards or Mrs Llewellyn- we are all designated safeguarding leads within the school.
Enjoy the weekend,
Miss Harris
Week 5
Dear parent,
I think we've seen every type of weather over the last week or so, biblical rain, warm autumn sun, blustery wind....what next?
Reminders and notices for next week:
On Monday 7th, we'd like the children to wear an item of yellow to show support for positive mental/emotional health. This is only 1 item, not non school uniform. A donation of £1 to support these charities would be very appreciated on that day.
However, on Friday 11th, for the PTA discos, children can wear their home clothes all day [ no donation required].Home clothes do still need to be appropriate though, no bare midriffs or overly short shorts and no make up.
Uniform reminders- so on the flip side of the above, on 'normal' days, children MUST be in proper uniform as indicated on our website page and in the first parentmail of the year a few weeks ago. I have seen lots of nail varnish, even false nails, this week and this is unacceptable in primary age children. Long, false nails are a real hazard in PE and other practical activities, so can you ensure that your child is not wearing them or nail varnish with immediate effect. If children deliberately choose to flout this, there will be a significant consequence.
We have individual and sibling photos on Thursday, the office will arrange this. Again, proper uniform is a must for this. No PE kit to be worn on that day, then, please.
For the disco, now that the evenings are darker, can you please make sure that children are either being picked up or are walking home with someone else- not alone. We need to safeguard any risk of them being on their own and vulnerable in a darkening evening.
We are a NUT FREE school- we have several children with severe allergies, so please avoid sending in any such products, including Nutella spread in sandwiches
Enjoy the weekend,
Miss Harris
Week 4
Dear Parent,
A few reminders and a round up of the week:
Firstly, we have welcomed another intake of Afghan children this week, we now have 15 children from the camp with us, and they are really engaging well which is so lovely to see.
Secondly, another three First Federation staff visited us this week to see what we do and how we do it- it is always lovely to show off our children and how fabulous they are in class!
Reminders
1: Do book up for childcare club at half term if you think you'll need it, we do only have 20 spaces per day. If we do not have sufficient 'take up' every day however, we will not be able to run it.
2: Safeguarding: It is absolutely vital that we know who is picking children up, if there is a change to normal arrangements, you must inform the office, we will not simply 'hand over' a child to someone we don't know or haven't' been informed about, so do alert us of this.
3: It is school photo day [ individual and siblings] on the 10th October, I am expecting to see everyone in really smart uniform that day.
4. On October 7th, we are inviting children and adults to wear 1 item of yellow to support Mental Health week.
I am attaching the first 'school in action' rota for you to try to book some time off to come and see us 'in action'. For new parents, this is a opportunity several times a year to visit your child's class and get involved in the lessons to experience what we expect of the children on a typical day.
Enjoy the weekend
Miss Harris
Week 3
Dear parent,
Another busy week for us. Thank you to all those of you who have encouraged your children to take part in an extra curricular activity, they really do allow for new friendships to be forged as well as offering new skills and experiences. They start Monday 23rd.
Attendance: Already this term, I have had over 15 holiday requests. Please understand that the fining system has changed so that the penalty for doing this is more than in previous years - you should have had a chart in your child's book bag showing this -and will increase every year you take a term time holiday. I cannot authorize a term time holiday unless it is truly a 1-off, exceptional circumstance, which the very vast majority of cases aren't- this is the government's policy , not ours. Please also note that you can now be fined for letting your children have unauthorised days off regularly too - not just in a 'block' for holiday.
Childcare club: October half term. We are able to run a club for childcare, for working parents, on the 28th, 29th, 30th and 31st of October [ Mon- Thur]. This is not a 'money making' scheme for us, we are only looking to cover staff costs, so we will be keeping it at our very low rate of £15 a day, £7.50 a half day. Please book at the school office asap to reserve your places.
Timings: A reminder as to my Thursday parentmail ,that to avoid overcrowding and overwhelming our younger pupils, PLEASE stick to the timings I call you in for at the end of the day. All parents with a surname A-M will be able to come on site first, then the N-Z 5 mins later.
Celebration of our school: Believe it or not, Chickerell Primary school has been 'open' for 150 years this year, and we really want to mark this occasion with a celebration for all pupils and staff, past and present. We intend to run a week of events in February next year, but we are looking for anyone who may have old photos of the school on any of its previous sites, or who may have old school reports that they are happy to share-we want to show our current children a little bit of this history.
Enjoy the weekend- unfortunately I think it's going to be a little damp...
Miss Harris
Week 2
Dear Parent,
The first 'full' week back and the weather has tested us a little, do make sure that your children always come to school prepared for the conditions with coats, etc. We will always try to get children out for some fresh air at break unless it is unsafe to do so.
So, following on from last week, some other reminders of protocols:
Supporting us on Facebook: We remind all of our community that the use of our own Facebook page and the 'Parents of Chickerell page [ not endorsed by the school] is to share information about our school. Our social media provides a little window into our world, for parents, carers and our community to see and share our achievements, and celebrations . We do not publicly criticise anyone; we hope for the same respect in return from our community.
Children using Social Media: You may already be aware that the use of mobile phones is closely monitored in school; we have a blanket expectation that all mobile devices that belong to students are now expected to be switched off before entering school and that they are placed in and remain in the school office during the school day. This approach protects our pupils from potential distractions to learning and from unkind behaviour that can easily be created and fuelled by unpleasant social media. If your child has a mobile phone, laptop or easy access to the internet (games consoles such as Playstation or XBOX), we actively encourage you to check your child’s usage on social media and text communications between them, their peers and anyone else. Please check this regularly through each week and have full access to your child’s device. If your child is worried about being added to any social media groups, please encourage them to remove themselves and to block numbers or people that persist in adding them back into groups. Remember that as parent and bill-payer, you hold the power over your child’s access to their device/s. Through proactive parenting and support in school, together we can encourage safer and more positive online behaviour between children.
Have your financial circumstances changed recently? : Children from families who are entitled to free school meals (FSM) will receive financial help from the school for uniform, including school shoes, additional learning resources, financial support for both curriculum and residential trips along with free hot meals, provided by Local Food links. To check if you are eligible for free school meals please click on this link—it only takes two minutes! https://www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/education-and-training/schools-and-learning/atschool/free-school-meals
Free school meals for infant school children and for children whose parents receive financial support. www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk |
Correspondence with School Staff: As I put in last week's email, our staff are always available for communication with parents and carers. To help in managing expectations, we wish to be clear with parents and carers that teachers are expected to respond to correspondence from parents and carers within 48 hours when working.[ we have several teachers that work part-time, therefore some of their emails might not be responded to within 48 hours of being sent] We will always endeavour to reply to any parent or carer that contacts us. If you need to contact us with an urgent matter please call the school office.
Parking around the school: This is already an issue this term, there has been lots of inconsiderate parking over dropped kerbs, mounting pavements, and unfortunately, at least 4 parents been spotted by off duty police officers using mobiles whilst driving. If this continues, please understand that I or they will have no option but to report number plates.
We have had lots of visitors from First Federation MAT this week, who have wanted to come and see what we do and how we do it - and we have had some lovely, positive comments from them about our school. Although staff are getting used to a few different procedures, we are hoping that the changes that will be made over the year will definitely improve children's experiences further.
Enjoy your weekend- let's hope for at least 1 dry day..
Miss Harris
Miss Harris,
Headteacher
Dear parent,
A belated welcome back to all of you, it's so lovely to see the children - and you - again.
I am going to bombard you in this email - sorry- with some relevant reminders about uniform, attendance and such like, just so we are all aware of the expectations right from the get - go.
Uniform: All pupils must wear either the Chickerell sweatshirt, v-neck jumper or cardigan , or a plain maroon jumper, as some form of jumper. Children must wear the school tie with a shirt. They then can wear grey or black trousers or shorts , or grey/black skirts/pinafore of an appropriate length .The summer dress can also be worn during the warmer weather. Shorts are not really appropriate for colder weather, even with tights underneath, but if they are worn, then they too must be knee length. Shoes need to be safe, comfortable and of a dark colour, not boots. Plain black trainers are acceptable.
For PE, all pupils will have either the Chickerell logoed PE t-shirt in maroon or white, or a plain white or maroon T shirt ,they can wear this with shorts [inside PE] or tracksuit bottoms and either the Chickerell hoodies or a dark coloured jumper/tracksuit top. On the days that children have PE, they will come to school in their proper PE kit.
Long hair must be tied back for practical subjects, a small, plain headband can also be used. We are also looking to discourage an 'overuse' of hair gel and any hair style that is deemed too 'severe'- this will include hair shaved too short for fashion reasons, designs shaved into hair for fashion reasons, hair too 'pointed' and such like. Hair colour must be natural, or at least looking natural. Any colour obviously not a natural shade is forbidden. Equally, no make-up is to be worn under any circumstance, including nail varnish.
Our school champions the right of staff and students to embrace all Afro-hairstyles. We acknowledge that Afro-textured hair is an important part of our Black staff and students’ racial, ethnic, cultural, and religious identities, and requires specific styling for hair health and maintenance.
Attendance: Common sense tells us that the more a child is in school, the more they have capacity to learn. Inevitably, children will be ill, and on those days, of course, it is entirely appropriate that they stay at home to be looked after by a parent/carer. Appointments for doctors or dentists that fall in school time must be kept to a minimum- local GP's and healthcare professionals work very closely with schools in this respect. For any other absence, for weddings, holidays, family events- please be aware that unless I deem it to be a truly one off, exceptional circumstance, then it will be unauthorised which may result in a fine. Can we also respectfully ask that you are honest about reasons for absence- your children will inevitably tell us why they really have been off and we aim to encourage honesty as a key learning skill for them .
It is very important that all children arrive to school between 8.30-8.40am every day. We offer a 10 minute ‘soft start’ for those children who may find it overwhelming to come in at the same time as everyone else- we do not want this to be a barrier. We also offer a free breakfast club from 8.20 for children who may need more support to come in ,they can have a quiet breakfast with members of the pastoral team and then be taken to class.
If your child arrives after 8.40am, they are late and you will need to register your child at the school office. If your child is regularly late or absent, you will be asked to attend a meeting to discuss how punctuality/attendance can be improved.
Promoting and Celebrating Good Attendance and Punctuality
At Chickerell, we understand the impact good attendance and punctuality have on our children’s learning and we believe in acknowledging good attendance and punctuality to engage and motivate our children. Half termly letters of notice are sent out to those families struggling to meet 90% attendance, and, likewise, a congratulations notice is sent out to those still attaining 100%. Every term, we ‘wipe the slate clean’ and every child restarts on 100% to ensure that they keep motivated to attend regularly. Anyone on 100% at the end of every term gets 100 house points .At the end of the school year, we reward the top 10 children in each class with a bespoke ‘medal’ for their attendance.
Monitoring Attendance
Attendance and punctuality is monitored daily. If your child is not in school and we have not heard from you, we will ring or parentmail you by 9.30 to ascertain the reason for their absence . We will continue to ring or contact you until we find out where your child is - this is part of our safeguarding responsibility. We cannot be complacent where there are instances of persistently low attendance or if children are regularly late to school. Persistent absence will also be recorded on our safeguarding system, Myconcern, to build a picture of vulnerability.
Understanding types of absence
Authorised absences are mornings or afternoons away from school for a good reason such as illness, medical appointments and emergencies. An absence is classified as unauthorised if the reason is not recognised as acceptable. The Department for Education (DfE) and Local Education Authorities provide information for schools as what is acceptable and what is not. Families with regular unauthorised absence will be monitored by a Dorset Council Attendance Officer.
Examples of reasons that would not be accepted:
· A birthday
· A shopping trip/Day trips
· Brother or sister is ill so all children in the family stay off school
C Car broken down
· Not having uniform ready to wear or can’t find shoes/coat etc
· Holidays
Letting school know if your child is going to be absent.
If your child has a medical appointment or is considered too ill to attend school due to a minor illness you must:
· Contact the School Office (01305 783876) no later than 9:00am, informing them of the reason for your child’s absence and how long you expect them to be absent. Every ½ day absence from school, by law, has to be classified as either authorised or unauthorised. This is why information about the cause of absence is always asked for. We will also ask for proof of medical appointments i.e. medical appointment card, medical note from the doctor or proof of prescription.
Clubs will restart on the 23rd September, all details will follow shortly with the ones available. 'Chattichicks'- our paid facility starts with immediate effect.
Communication: who to talk to? Our staff are always happy to talk to you regarding your child's educational progress, their friendships, and their emotional well being. To ensure a clear system of communication, we ask that you always try to talk to your child's class teacher first. After that, should you need further clarification of response, then do not hesitate to speak to any of the Senior Team: all email details can be obtained from the school office.
Mr Paul Walker CEO of FIRST FEDERATION MAT
Mrs Claire Fegan Director of Partnership Hub for First Federation MAT
Miss Harris (Headteacher)
Mrs Llewellyn (Deputy Headteacher)
Mrs Saunders (Leader for Assessment)
Mrs Penn (Assistant Headteacher and Inclusion/SEN leader)
Mrs Bedford (Senior Leader for curriculum development)
Mrs Jolliffe (School Business Manager)
In addition to this, myself, Mrs Ingram- Richards and Mrs Smith(our family and nurture support workers) and Mrs Penn [ Sendco] are available on the gate from 8.20 am - 8.45 am every morning, and from 2.45pm-3.10pm every afternoon, for an informal chat about any other concern you wish to discuss. Please note the email queries@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk can also be used for communicating any non urgent concerns.
Raising funds for school- from a parent who suggested I pass this on:
'I use the Asda rewards app when I do my weekly food shop. Yesterday, I had a notification pop up offering for me to nominate a school under their “Cashpot for Schools” scheme and from that they basically donate 0.5% of what I pay to my nominated school. I selected Chickerell but thought this was a brilliant idea for raising money and perhaps you could highlight this scheme to parents? ☺️Asda add £50 to every school cashpot to get them started as well (see screenshot below)
It’s only on for 90 days, which start on 1st September!'
If anyone else shops at Asda- please, can you get involved in this? It seems like a very hassle free way of raising funds for us!
Phew- a long one today. If, this weekend, it transpires that there is anything about the first few days back that is worrying or bothering your child, do not hesitate to let us know, we can take away most barriers to anxiety if we know about them.
Enjoy the weekend
Miss Harris