Keep up to date with all the news happening in school at the moment.

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• FINAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR KEY WORKERS' CHILDREN

  Fri 20 Mar 2020

  Key Worker Children Arrangements from Monday

  We appreciate, thanks to very short notice from the government, it has been a very speedy turn around in order to check all the forms we had into school and contact all the parents/carers on the list.

   

  If you sent your form in, thank you for your patience whilst we sorted everything out.

   

  ONLY THE PARENTS/CARERS MR MAULE AND I SPOKE TO AND CONFIRMED A PLACE WITH SHOULD BE IN SCHOOL AT ALL NEXT WEEK.

   

  Thank you also for understanding that, for some of you, children needed to stay at home as there was an adult to look after them.  In this very difficult time it is essential that we keep numbers as small as possible for the safety of families, children and school staff.

   

  PLEASE NOTE – if you did not send a form in, your child is not on the list and does not have a place for Monday.  You are welcome to ring on Monday to discuss this but you will not be allowed in the building for health and safety reasons.

   

  Arrangements for those attending school

  • Children can come to school in non-uniform daily 
  • Children are to be brought to the main school office door where Mrs Withers will collect them and tick them off the list (I have to send numbers to the Local Authority daily)
  • If your child is coming to breakfast club they can arrive any time after 8am
  • If they are not coming to breakfast club they can arrive at 8:50am
  • Gates will remain open and the car park is accessible at all times
  • End of the school day – children will be handed over at Mrs Pringle’s exit door (onto the KS1 yard)
  • There will be the main gate, one back gate and the double gates beside the kitchen open in the morning and at home time
  • Afterschool club children will be handed over at the main school door
  • NO adults will be permitted onto the premises for any reason (I’m sure you will understand how important it is to maintain excellent hygiene control)
  • Packed lunches will be available for the children who are in school each day

   

  Please have a safe weekend

  Kind regards

  Mrs C.L. Withers

  Headteacher

   

• FREE SCHOOL MEALS PACKED LUNCH ARRANGEMENTS FROM MONDAY

  Fri 20 Mar 2020

  Free School Meal Packed Lunch Arrangements

  If your child is in Reception, Y1 or Y2 they are entitled to a free school packed lunch from North Tyneside Council.

   

  If you know that your child is eligible for free school meals for economic reasons, they are also entitled to a free school packed lunch.

   

  These lunches are going to be put together at a central kitchen and will consist of a sandwich, a baked snack and fruit.

   

  We will have delivery of these lunches every day.

   

  How can I collect my child/children’s school lunch?

  We will be handing out lunches to families on our lists between 11:30 and 12:30.

  This will be outside the front door of the school (main school entrance).  If it is raining, we will hand them out inside the main entrance.  Please note we have to have tight health and safety controls under the current circumstances.

   

  How does this work with social distancing?

  We will stagger the handover of lunches by the first letter of your child’s surname (if they have different surnames go by your youngest child):

  - 11:30 – Surnames A-G

  - 11:50 – Surnames H-Q

  - 12:10 – Surnames R-Z

   

  What if I don’t want or need my child’s packed lunch?

  Any lunches which are not collected by 12:30pm will be distributed to other children/families/food banks where need is greatest.

   

  What if I can’t collect my child’s packed lunch because of self-isolation?

  From 1pm teams of Fordley staff will deliver any uncollected packed lunches to families where the child is free school meals for economic reasons. 

  We will drop these off at the end of paths for you to come and collect.  We will not knock on doors for both yours and my staff’s safety.

  We cannot deliver all uncollected packed lunches so if you are available to collect a packed lunch we would expect you to do so.

   

  Can someone collect the packed lunches for me?

  Yes but we will record who is collecting them to ensure that these will genuinely get to the correct children.

   

  If you have any urgent questions around this, please ring school and we will help you.

   

  Please have a safe weekend

  Kind regards

  Mrs C.L. Withers

  Headteacher

• Coronavirus - Useful Information and Advice

  Thu 12 Mar 2020

  FRIDAY 20th MARCH - KEY WORKER LIST ANNOUNCED

   

  Good morning 😊 The government list of key workers was released overnight so I ask for your patience whilst we go through the document in detail and then put a letter on here and on our website.  Two points are very clear this morning though:

   

  “Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.”

  
  “If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.”

   

  Still send your reply slips in this morning if you think you are on the list but be mindful that it is only for children who can’t be at home (ie no one to look after them) and we will need proof from your employer that they need you to work as part of their business continuity plan.

   

  THURSDAY 19th MARCH - 1:30pm UPDATE

   

  We are still waiting for a list of 'key workers' from the government.  A letter will be coming home tonight with your child for you to complete and return the reply slip if you think you might be classed as a key worker.  Please return this tomorrow morning and then we can contact you directly about this.  We have to follow the list of key workers from the government.  We are not permitted to decide our own list.  

   

  WEDNESDAY 18th MARCH - UPDATE

   

  Important update: in the light of the recent government announcement we will be partially closed from Friday (end of the school day).  From Monday we will only be open to children of ‘key workers’ and other identified children (children who have children’s services support and those with an Education Health and Care Plan). 

   

  I do not, as yet, have a list of who is classed as a ‘key workers’.  As soon as I have clear guidance from the government and Local Authority as to who can access school from Monday, I will share that immediately.  For all other children who will be at home, please use the learning packs provided.  Class teachers will regularly update links on here fordleyschool.com/class-pages-1/ 

   

  If you need to contact school from Monday please use office@fordleyprimary.org.uk 

   

  We still hope to have our app up and running from the end of Friday.  I’ll communicate how to access that from this page. 

   

  This is a challenging time for everyone and I thank you in advance for understanding that we will need to follow government guidance and expectations to the letter.  Tomorrow and Friday will be normal school days for all children who are not currently self isolating.  
   

  Mr Maule and I will be available at the school office in the morning if you need to talk or seek advice.  Please take care and stay safe.

   

  Mrs Withers 
   

   

  Daily Update - Tuesday 17th March

   

  We are currently continue to follow government guidance and this means that our school remains open until we are told to close by the government.  The only reason we would have to close (or partially close) is if a significant number of our school staff team were forced to self-isolate.  We do not need to take this action right now as our staff team are in and well.  If that needs to happen, we will communicate this to you directly.

   

  The Government new key measures are:

  • Stay at home if you have possible coronavirus symptoms – a high temperature (you feel hot to touch on your chest or back) and/or a new and continuous cough (a frequently repeated cough). 
  • All other members of your household should also stay at home with you for 14 days.  This is time for you to recover, the other members of your household to be ill and also recover before returning to school or work. 
  • For all people to avoid social gatherings and crowded places such as pubs, clubs and theatres.  Schools are not to follow this guidance as the government state we are an essential service and need to stay open for as long as possible.

  In school from today we are:

  • Cancelling all upcoming events and other external events (such as science workshops, writers’ awards at Langdale, Easter service and Easter bingo).  Some of these events have been cancelled by the organiser. 
  • Stopping any assemblies in school.
  • Giving children additional afternoon breaks to ensure they have regular opportunities for fresh air.
  • Staggering lunch so that we do not have too many children in the hall at any time.
  • Continuing to carry out additional cleaning of commonly used surfaces such as door handles, tables, chairs etc
  • SEN support meetings on Thursday and Friday are cancelled and Mrs Watson will send the paperwork home in the post instead
  • Sending all children home with a pack of work today (please only use this if we close the school or if they have to self-isolate)
  • Continuing to update our school website with online learning (click Menu, then Children, then Class Pages)
  • Continuing to share any emergency updates via our website on Latest News www.fordleyschool.com and twitter @FordleyPrimary

  By the end of the week:

  • We hope to have our School App up and running and this will enable us to send messages directly to your mobile phones

   

  Please make sure that you contact us via phone or email office@fordleyprimary.org.uk if your child will be off school or if you will need your family to self-isolate for 14 days.  In most cases this will not affect your child’s attendance but we can advise you on that personally.  Our school office will be manned from 8am every morning.

   

  This is a challenging time for us all but I know we will all look out for each and every member of our Fordley Family and wider community.

   

  LATEST UPDATE (following Prime Minister's speech) - MONDAY 16th MARCH

   

  The press conference from our Prime Minister late this afternoon has made the following points very clear:

  - schools will remain open for now

  - the government is now recommending 'whole household'  isolation for 14 days should any member of the family have a high temperature or a new and persistent cough.

   

  If you would like some further advice around this, please email or ring us from 8am tomorrow morning.  However should one of your children have a high temperature or a new and persistent cough it would now be important that you follow the government recommendations of 14 days.

   

  Work will be available online under:

  MENU - CHILDREN - CLASS PAGES - ONLINE LEARNING FOR SCHOOL CLOSURE

  Packs of work are also available from the school office.

   

  Thank you for your support during this challenging time.  We will continue to share any updates here as soon as we receive them from the government.

   

  UPDATE - MONDAY 16th MARCH

   

  Due to the most recent advice from the government stating that those with a new cough or a high temperature should self-isolate for 7 days, we fully understand when families make that decision.  Please remember if your child needs to be isolated for 7 days they will need to remain at home.

   

  The following section of our school website contains online learning links for children:

   

  Children - Class Pages - Online Learning for School Closure

   

  We will continue to update these daily with new online learning options.  We also have packs of work available in school for anyone who cannot access the internet for online learning.  If you would like a pack, please arrange for one to be collected from the school office. 

   

  I will continue to update this page with any new information.

   

  Update - Thursday 12th March

   

  Current advice from North Tyneside Council and Public Health is to continue to operate as a school as normal alongside the extra hand washing that we are already doing.  We will carry on as normal until we, along with all other schools, are told by the government to close.  We will communicate this as soon as we know. We have procedures in place to prepare work for the children should we have to close.  We will communicate these with you if and when they are needed.  Please feel free to ask us for advice or information should you need it. 
   

  This page will be updated with any changes as they happen. 
   

  
  Friday 6th March 

  We receive daily updates from the DFE and Public Health England and we will share on our Latest News page any updates regarding the Coronavirus along with any action we need to take for the health and safety of our children, our staff and our families and community.  

   

  Current advice to schools, from the DFE and Public Health, can be seen on the poster below.  This is for adults and children to wash hands with soap and water or hand sanitiser at these times:

  - before leaving home

  - on arrival at school

  - after using the toilet

  - after breaks and sporting activities

  - before food preparation

  - before eating any food including snacks

  - before leaving school

  Children and adults should take at least 20 seconds to wash their hands (singing 'Happy Birthday' twice can help to time it). 

   

  Advice for schools at this time is there is no need to close unless directed to do so by Public Health England.  

   

  There is also general information for the public on this website:

  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-information-for-the-public