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Regents Park Community Primary School
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Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Next week, many of our families will be celebrating Eid-ul-Adha. We know that Eid-ul-Adha is one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar. As such, in line with all other Birmingham schools, we are able to authorise one day of absence from school next week for those children who are Muslim.
Families will know by now on which day they will be celebrating Eid-ul-Adha, either Wednesday 28th June or Thursday 29th July 2023. School will be open as normal on these days and, as we have a large number of staff who are also celebrating Eid-ul-Adha on either one of those days, it would be helpful if parents could let us know on which day their children will be absent so that we can ensure we have adequate staffing.
Please could parents complete the online form to indicate on which day their child/ children will be absent from school (parents of non-Muslim children do not need to complete the form).
The link to the form is here: https://forms.office.com/e/ZNT7UrLTJu
Please note: We can only authorise ONE day of absence due to Religious Observance to children that are Muslim. Any further absence will be unauthorised unless it is for another authorised reason. Children that are not Muslim should attend on both days as normal.
Many thanks,
Mr Beale
Dear Parents/ Carers,
We are now into the final half of the Summer term and the weather is currently very hot and sunny which can be both a good and a bad thing! We also have lots to do during this final half term so below are a list of key dates for you as well as a reminder of other important things for you to be aware of.
Supporting and protecting children during hot weather
This weather week is predicted to be hot and sunny with temperatures above 25 degrees celcius. Whilst it's lovely to see some sunshine, it can be a cause for concern and we want to make sure we support children and protect them from any dangers associated with extreme heat and sunshine.
In school we will do everything we can to make sure children keep hydrated, don't overexert themselves and temperatures in school are managed as best as possible.
As parents, you can help the children by making sure they dress appropriately for the hot weather, e.g. wearing shorts/ skirts/ dresses and come to school with sun hats to wear outdoors (please make sure all clothing that may be taken off has your child's name and class written inside them, including jumpers and hats, etc).
Last year, all children were given small bottles of sunscreen which were donated to us. If children still have them they can bring them into school or a similar small bottle/ tube of Factor 50 sunscreen. Children should be taught to apply the cream to their exposed skin themselves although staff will help the youngest children in school. Parents should make sure children have applied cream before school and staff will then encourage them to top up just before lunchtime.
Cars around school - traffic and air pollution
We always work hard to try and reduce the amount of traffic around school by discouraging parents from driving children up to the school gates. The traffic caused by this is dangerous but it also impacts on air pollution around school.
In hot, summer weather when many children are already suffering breathing problems due to hayfever, air pollution caused by traffic makes these problems worse. It could be resolved by parking away from school and walking to the gates or, better still, by leaving the car at home and walking/ cycling/ scooting to school.
If you do have to drive to school to drop off or collect children, please do not leave your engine idling as this will also impact on the quality of air around school.
Trips abroad in school term time
We have worked hard to improve our overall school attendance this year to what it used to be before the COVID pandemic. We used to regularly have attendance that was either at or above the national average of 96.5%. Since the pandemic, our attendance has not been so good - our overall attendance for 2022-23 is currently 93.8%.
A significant issue is the impact of families taking children abroad during term time, often before or after school holidays. Whilst I understand the issues families have visiting extended family abroad and the cost that this involves, any absence will have an impact on children's learning and affect school attendance data.
I have to remind all parents that trips abroad in term time will not be authorised unless it is an absolute emergency that requires immediate travel. Booking a trip abroad in advance to visit a relative will not be authorised even if it means being absent for a few days before or after a holiday.
There are penalties which the Local Authority will issue to parents who take their children out of school during term time no matter what their previous attendance has been and unfortunately a number of these have been issued to parents of children from Regents Park this year.
We finish this term on Friday 21st July and children will be taking part in learning activities right up until the last day of term. There will also be important events that all children should take part in such as tranisition days when children meet next year's class teacher, sports days, parents afternoon, assemblies, etc. as well as reports to share with parents.
Please support school and your child's learning by not requesting to take trips abroad during term time. Thank you.
Lateness
Another issue we continue to have is the lateness of a few children into school who miss the start of lessons.
As you know, school starts at 8.40am and this is the time that we expect ALL children to arrive at school. We keep the gates open for 10 minutes in case there are any stragglers but the gates are closed at 8.50am and any child arriving after this time is marked late.
Some children often arrive just before or just after the gates close - it's important that the parents of these children are reminded that children should arrive at 8.40am.
It is also important that parents know that if your child is late, you should bring them into the office to sign them in and explain the reason for their lateness. It is often not the child's fault they are late but they have to suffer the embarrassment of walking late and having to explain to the office staff what the reasons are.
Please make sure you get your child into school by 8.40am and if you are late, please bring them to the office to get them signed in.
School uniform
As I've mentioned above, parents must make sure that children wear appropriate clothing for the weather during this half term. However, this does not mean that children do not continue to wear school uniform on PE days and on non-PE days.
On non-PE days, children are still expected to wear school uniform, i.e. white shirts, black shoes (not trainers), etc. Our school uniform colours are white, bottle green, grey and black - please do not send your child into school in any other colours.
On PE days, children are expected to wear their PE kit, i.e. white t-shirt, grey or black tracksuit bottoms or shorts. They may wear trainers for outdoor use but should have plimsolls in school for when they so PE indoors or they will have to do PE in bare feet. If they need to wear a top, they should wear their school jumper or sweatshirt. Children should not come to school in tracksuit tops or hoodies.
Upcoming school events:
Dear Parents/ Carers,
As I’m sure you will be aware, the Coronation of King Charles take place on Saturday May 6th. There will be a special Bank Holiday to celebrate the Coronation on Monday May 8th on which school will be CLOSED for all pupils.
To commemorate this historical occasion in school, next week we will be holding a King’s Coronation Celebration Day on Friday May 5th.
On Friday, children will be able to come to school in non-uniform. The theme will be “Red, White & Blue” so we’d like to children to wear clothes that are these colours if possible.
During the day, children will be taking part in activities to learn more about Kings Charles and what the Coronation means to people in the UK.
At lunchtime, we will be holding our own Coronation Celebration Picnic. Depending on the weather, this will either take place in the playground or indoors. The kitchen is preparing special picnic food for all children in school with drinks and an ice-lolly. We hope all children will take part (including our Nursery children whom we’d like to invite to stay for the picnic until 12.45pm on this day).
All children in Nursery, Reception, Y1 and Y2 are eligible for the picnic food free of charge. We will also provide picnic food to those children in KS2 who are eligible for Free School Meals or who have paid for school meals.
Children in KS2 who usually bring packed lunches may do so as normal on Friday or, providing parents let the office staff know by the end of Wednesday afternoon, we can provide a picnic lunch for the price of a normal school meal. Providing we are aware, we will make provision for any child who has known allergies.
Just a reminder of a few important dates below:
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Monday 1st May |
May Bank Holiday - School CLOSED to all pupils
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Tuesday 2nd May |
NEU Strike Action – School CLOSED to Nursery, Y3, Y4 & Y5 pupils (OPEN for Reception, Y1, Y2 and Y6)
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Friday 5th May |
King’s Coronation Celebration Day – Red, White & Blue Non-Uniform
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Monday 8th May |
King’s Coronation Bank Holiday - School CLOSED to all pupils
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Tuesday 9th May to Friday 12th May |
Year 6 SATs testing – Y6 children in school by 8.15am please |
Dear Parents/ Carers,
It is likely that members of the NEU teachers' union will take further strike action as expected this week on Thursday 27th April and next week on Tuesday 2nd May. Unfortunately, this means there will be further disruption on these days when school will be partially CLOSED.
On both days, school will be OPEN for all Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes as well as all classes in Year 6.
On both days, school will be CLOSED for children in Nursery, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5.
Please note that school is CLOSED for all children next week on Monday 1st May due to the May Bank Holiday.
Children in classes that are closed who are eligible for Free School Meals will be sent home with packed lunches on Wednesday 26th to cover Thursday 27th April. On Friday 28th April, these children will take home food to cover their Free School Meals on Tuesday 2nd May; this will consist of a portion of cheese, beans and a jacket potato to be cooked at home, as well as fruitloaf (food should be stored in a fridge until Tuesday).
Links to websites and suggestions and ideas for learning activities that children in Nursery, Year 3, Year 4 and Year 5 can complete at home will be shared on the Year Group pages on the school website.
I apologise for the disruption caused by the partial closure of school this week and next week. School will be OPEN as normal on Friday 28th April for ALL children and then again from Wednesday 3rd May.
Thank you for your understanding,
Mr Beale
Dear Parents/ Carers,
On behalf of everyone at Regents Park Community Primary School, I’d like to wish all of our children, parents and families a very happy Eid this weekend – Eid Mubarak to you all.
I know that Eid is a very special celebration for many of our children, families and staff. As I write this, we are still not exactly sure which day Eid will fall on for our families and staff and this makes it difficult to plan school attendance on Friday.
If Eid is tomorrow on Friday 21st April, we will not expect children (or staff) who are celebrating to attend school. Children who are celebrating Eid on Friday will be given an authorised absence. All other children who are not celebrating Eid will be expected to be in school.
If Eid doesn’t fall on Friday 21st April, we will expect all children to be in school as normal. Parents shouldn’t take children out of school to buy Eid clothes or presents or to prepare for the celebrations on Saturday. These absences will be unauthorised.
If Eid takes place on Saturday 22nd April, we will expect all children to be back in school as normal on Monday 24th April at 8.40am.
In order to celebrate Eid in school, we will allow all children to come to school wearing their Eid clothes or in non-uniform on Monday 24th April and to bring a small quantity of party food to share in the afternoon when classes will organise Eid celebrations in class. We would ask that party food is packaged (e.g. crisps, cakes, biscuits, etc – all nut-free please) rather than cooked at home so that staff can check on potential allergies for other children in the class. Also we would like to ask parents and children to make a £1 non-uniform donation to the children’s school fund- this can be sent in as cash or donated on sQuid. School fund helps to cover the cost of special events in school so that we can provide drinks and sandwiches for the party.
Also please be aware, that school may be partially closed due to NEU strike action coming up on Thursday 27th April and Tuesday 2nd May. I will confirm which classes will be affected next week when I have more information.
We hope that all our children, families and staff that are celebrating Eid have a wonderful weekend!
Mr Beale
Dear Parents/ Carers,
This week sees the start of the holy month of Ramadan, a time in the Islamic year which we know is important to many of our families. We appreciate the observance of fasting for many during the month of Ramadan and recognise that some of our older children may wish to fast whilst at school. However, it is important that parents understand the school’s responsibilities to those children who may wish to consider fasting during this time.
The school is happy to provide support for Year 5/6 pupils who wish to fast but needs to make clear its responsibilities, together with those of the parents/carers. Primary age children become very tired when they do not have regular meals and are sometimes unable to safely perform the activities expected of them during the course of a school day.
As such, we want to explain the procedures that will be followed to ensure the well-being of your child or children:
I hope that the above is clear, but please do not hesitate to contact a member of the school leadership or the school office if you have any questions.
Thank you
We have worked hard in recent years to reduce the number of cars and traffic around our school. The car-free afternoons on Dixon Road and Camelot Way we have organsied have been particularly successful and it has been good to see many parents park away from school and for families to be less reliant on using cars to travel to school.
I have to say, however, that more recently we have begun to see an increase again in cars and traffic, with cars parked on zigzag lines, pavements or double-parked causing a hazard to children and parents walking to school.
We would like to encourage more parents to leave their cars at home or at least park away from school and walk the last 5-10 minutes to the gates. This encourages children to be healthier, makes it safer around school and reduces the effects of air pollution.
As such, from next week we will be taking part again in the Big Walk & Wheel. We'd like to encourage children to either walk, cycle or scoot to school between Monday 20th March and Friday 31st March. Trips that children make on foot or by bike or scooter will be counted and we will be finding out which class has made the most - the class with the most trips will win The Golden Pedal.
When children arrive at school, they will be given a ticket by a member of staff at the gate to show they have either walked, cycled or scooted to school. Children who come by car and then park and walk/ scoot/ cycle must have travelled at least 5 minutes by foot/ bike/ scooter, i.e. they must not have parked on Arthur Street/ Camelot Way/ Dixon Road.
Bikes and scooters can be left in the scooter/ bike stands by the Nursery, in the playground or outside the school office.
The Big Walk & Wheel is a national competition being run by Sustrans to encourage children to use alternative, healthier methods of transport to get to school. The total number of trips will be recorded nationally and the school may win local and national prizes.
We hope everyone will try and take part every day; if not, even one or two non-car days will help per week. Please support your children, keep everyone safe, help encourage children to be healthy and leave your cars at home if possible.
Thank you.
Dear Parents/ Carers,
It is likely that members of the NEU teachers' union will take strike action as expected this week on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March. Unfortunately, this means there will be further disruption on these days when school will be partially CLOSED.
School will be OPEN for all Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes as well as 3SA in KS2.
School will be CLOSED for children in all other KS2 classes. Children in these classes who are eligible for Free School Meals will be sent home with packed lunches on Tuesday to cover Wednesday and Thursday - it's important that these are immediately stored in a fridge on Tuesday afternoon.
Links to websites and suggestions and ideas for learning activities that children can complete at home will be shared on the Year Group pages on the school website.
Again, I apologise for the disruption caused by the partial closure of school this week. School will be OPEN as normal on Friday 17th March for ALL children.
Thank you for your understanding,
Mr Beale
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Earlier today, a message was sent out to parents to let them know that, although it has been tradition previously, we wouldn't be asking children to come to school this Thursday 2nd March on World Book Day dressed up in costume. The reason for this is because of the concern we have that for many parents buying fancy dress costumes is extremely difficult at a time when the Cost of Living crisis is impacting on them. I appreciate however that this message was sent out late.
Having sent the mesage out, we have had contact from parents who were disappointed and have already prepared costumes for their child over the holiday.
As a compromise then, I am going to suggest that on Thursday we will have a Non-Uniform Day for World Book Day. Children will have the option, either to come dressed as their favourite book or story character or to come in non-uniform on that day. However, if your child is dressing up, please do not feel that you need to go out and buy a costume.
Many thanks,
Mr Beale
Dear Parents/ Carers
I wrote to you before the holiday to let you know about the potential NEU Strike Action taking place tomorrow on Wednesday 1st March and about possible disruption.
I can confirm that there will again be a partial closure of some KS2 classes in school tomorrow.
School will be OPEN for all Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes as well as 3SA and 6M in KS2.
School will be CLOSED for children in all other classes. Children in these classes who are eligible for Free School Meals will be sent home with a packed lunch today as before.
Again, I apologise for the disruption caused. Please be aware that more strike action is planned for Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March when there may again be a partial closure of school.
Thank you for your understanding,
Mr Beale