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Regents Park Community Primary School
Believe in Yourself - Anything is Possible!
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Dear Parents/ Carers,
As you are aware, the Government announced on Monday evening (January 4th 2021) that, due to increasing infection rates and concerns regarding the Coronavirus variant, all schools in England would close as part of new national lockdown measures that came in to force from Wednesday January 6th.
Gavin Williamson, the Secretary of State for Education , has stated that “schools have not suddenly become unsafe but limiting the number of children and students who attend them is essential to curb the escalating cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) throughout the country and prevent the NHS from being overwhelmed”.
The Government announced that, with schools closed, pupils should switch to "remote learning" as a measure to encourage households to stay at home as much as possible. Schools have been told to open only to children who are considered to be "vulnerable" and children whose parents are identified as being "critical workers".
As such, reluctantly Regents Park has remained closed at the start of this week whilst we have organised our provision for vulnerable and critical worker children and whilst teaching staff have planned and begun organising remote learning for children. The Government have stated that schools will remain closed until at least half term in February.
As such, below I will set out our offer in terms of remote learning and provision for critical workers and vulnerable children during the next five and a half weeks:
REMOTE LEARNING FOR ALL PUPILS AT HOME
When we talk about remote learning we are talking about learning that is taking place at a distance, with children at home and teachers providing learning and activities for children to complete supported by parents. Remote learning may involve using online resources requiring access to devices such as tablets, laptops or computers but it may also involve being given tasks to do with parental support or using texts, books and other paper-based resources.
It is essential that parents understand that it is not simply putting a child in front of a screen on an iPad or a laptop and expecting them to get on independently for a number of hours. Neither does it necessarily involve teachers being online teaching children via live video for several hours at a time.
There will be different expectations about what children can achieve depending on age and their level of educational development.
The Government have said the following about remote learning:
When teaching pupils remotely, we expect schools to:
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Parental Support
At Regents Park, we are aiming to provide high quality teaching and learning for your children during this period of lockdown so that children do not fall behind in their learning; however, we need your support, i.e. the support of ALL parents.
We need parents to:
- make sure that children are in a routine of learning everyday
- make sure children understand that the learning they are given is not optional but it is essential and needs to be completed
- make sure that children are supported when they find learning challenging and encouraged in a positive way to achieve their best
- make learning fun and enjoyable
Accessing online learning
Much of the teaching and learning that teaching staff have planned will be delivered online. All the children have access to the Entrust (formerly BGfL365) Launch page (links are on the school website). By logging in from there, children have access to a range of software and resources which teachers will direct the children to so they can complete daily learning activities. Some of the activities will be completed online, however, some of the activities may be completed on paper or with a parent.
Teaching staff have contacted you previously by phone and they will continue to do so over the next 5 weeks to make sure that you and your children can access the online learning resources. They will make sure you have the usernames and passwords to log in also.
Loaning internet devices and equipment
We have some devices such as iPads and laptops that can loaned to parents so that children can access their online learning. We are prioritising families that do not have any equipment to begin with but may be able, at a later date, to support families who have more than one child needing to access the internet but don't have enough devices to share between them.
When teaching staff contact you, please let them know how you and your children are getting on with accessing online learning. If you are having problems or need to loan devices or equipment then let the staff know or email school using the enquiry@rgntpark.bham.sch.uk email address and Mr Marlowe, our ICT manager, will get back to you.
Remember the equipment we loan to you and your families must be looked after and, as a parent, you are responsible for making sure that children are using it appropriately.
Contacting parents to check on children’s remote learning
The Government have said that schools must make regular contact with parents to check on children’s remote learning. Teaching staff will contact parents at least once per week to check on how children are doing and if there are any problems.
Parents of children in EYFS and KS1 and children who have particular needs may be contacted more frequently as these children will not be able to get online feedback from teaching staff in the same way they can in KS2.
Also, parents may be contacted more frequently where it is seen that children are not engaging with their learning as often as they should be.
We expect parents to be available when we call and support and engage with the staff that are in contact with them.
Live teaching online
Like many schools, we are aiming, where possible, to deliver some of the teaching we deliver live online from Monday 18th January. This will be an exciting opportunity for children and teachers to check in with each other. Teachers will be able to explain to children what it is they need to do that day and deliver some explanation about the learning if necessary. They will be able to ask questions and check on how children are learning and adapt activities for children if necessary. I’m sure the children will be excited to see their teachers and it will help engage and motivate them.
Staff have been having some training on using Microsoft Teams to deliver this live teaching. Children can access Teams from the Entrust/ BGfL365 Launch page. However, all children, but particularly younger children and those children who struggle more, will need support from parents with logging on and setting up the device or equipment to access Teams and the live teaching. Parents will also need to support their children during the sessions and make sure they are actively engaged.
Teaching staff will contact parents next week (beginning 11th January) to discuss this further and to let you know when children will need to be online. Again, we expect parent support to make sure that children are online on time and that they have a quiet space to work in.
Live teaching sessions will be kept short and will be staggered at different times for different age groups as children will not be able to stay engaged for long periods and it may be that other children are sharing devices in some families. However, some children may have more than one session in a day.
We will review how successful and effective this form of teaching online will be. I will say again, that for it to be successful, children will need support from parents.
Also school cannot be held account for technical issues which may arise if equipment isn’t working or if there are issues with connection to the internet. However, if you let school know, we will try as best we can to work with you to help resolve these issues.
SUPPORT IN SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN OF CRITICAL WORKERS AND VULNERABLE (CW/V) CHILDREN
In addition to the remote learning we are offering, the Government have said schools should provide support in school for children whose parents are critical workers and children who are identified as being vulnerable.
At Regents Park we are particularly keen to support those children we have identified as being most in need, either because they have specific learning needs and will struggle to access learning at home or because they are currently living in difficult circumstances at home such as temporary accommodation or are receiving support from local children’s services. These vulnerable children will be our priority and we are encouraging as many of them as possible to come in to school during lockdown so that we can support them.
We will, however, support those families where parents are critical workers and they have no alternative but to send their children into school whilst they are working. It should be said, however, that the Government are encouraging as many people as possible to stay home including children in order to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. As teaching staff will be working full time on providing remote learning, we will have limited capacity for pupils in school other than those that are vulnerable. If you are a critical worker and can support your children at home or find alternative arrangements for them, then we would encourage you to do so.
If you meet the criteria for being classified a critical worker and would like to discuss the possibility of your child attending school during lockdown then please either speak to teaching staff when they call you or write an email to enquiry@rgntpark.bham.sch.uk and a member of SLT will call to speak to you about your request.
Arrangements for CW/V children in school
Critical worker and vulnerable (CW/V) children that attend school will be expected to complete the same work that teachers are planning for remote learning.
Children will be arranged in bubbles in phase groups, e.g. KS1, LKS2, UKS2, etc. The size of the bubbles will be no greater than 15 pupils and will be supervised by support staff such as teaching assistants. Some non-class based teachers will provide other timetabled activities, some of which will take place outdoors, e.g. PE on the AstroTurf, outdoor learning in the Forest School, etc.
Children will not need to wear school uniform during this lockdown period but must come suitably dressed with warm clothing for when they are outdoors.
The school day will begin at 9.00am and finish at 3.00pm. Parents should drop children off and collect from Dixon Road. If children have not arrived on time, there may be no one available to let them in as the office staff may not always be working on-site so it is important that children are dropped off and picked up on time.
All children should bring packed lunch with them every day – children who are eligible for Free School Meals will be receiving vouchers again to cover this period. Lunchtimes will be supervised by Lunchtime Supervisors and children will have a 40-minute lunchbreak to eat and then spend time in the playground. However, they will not mix with other bubbles during the school day.
Parents should email enquiry@rgntpark.bham.sch.uk or ring (0121 464 6746) during the school day if their child is unable to attend for any reason. If a child or a family member develops symptoms, you must contact school straightaway and the household should self-isolate.
Similarly if a child or member of staff working with the bubble develops symptoms, we will contact you and it may be that the bubble will need to close and the children and staff self-isolate. Please make sure your mobile phone number is updated in school and you are contactable at all times.
FREE SCHOOL MEAL VOUCHERS
The Government have announced that there will again be support for those families who have children eligible for Free School Meals.
We will be contacting eligible families and offering vouchers that can be spent in local supermarkets. The vouchers can only be spent on food for children. We will be sending out text messages to eligible families with more information. Please make sure you have contacted school if you have recently changed your mobile phone number.
CONTACT WITH SCHOOL DURING LOCKDOWN
If you need to contact school during lockdown, the school office will be open from 8.45am until 3.15pm on Monday to Friday. Alternatively you can send an email at any time to enquiry@rgntpark.bham.sch.uk and it will be forwarded on to the relevant member of staff.
THANK YOU
Thank you everyone for your patience and understanding during what is a difficult time for everyone including children, families and staff.
We know you will be as concerned about your child’s education as you are about their health and safety and that of your family. We are committed to doing everything we can to make sure Regents Park children don’t suffer as a result of this school closure and we support you in whatever way we can.
Similarly, I am sure you will appreciate the concerns of all the staff that work in school who also have their own children and families that they are supporting and who may be vulnerable. They are balancing their commitment to you and your children whilst also having concerns about their own health and wellbeing and that of their own families.
I’m sure you appreciate everything that they do despite the stress and strain that everyone is under. There will be hiccups and frustration with the delivery of remote learning at times but we hope to work with you as parents to make sure that your children continue to get the education and support they deserve.
Please take care, stay at home as much as possible and stay safe.
Mr Beale
Dear Parents/ Carers,
School is now closed for the Christmas and New Year holiday until Monday 4th January 2021.
If your child becomes ill with COVID symptoms and/ or has a positive test, you must contact school to let us know so that we can tell staff and other parents of children who may have had contact.
If you need to contact school, please email us using the email address enquiry@rgntpark.bham.sch.uk letting us know the name of your child, the class, what the symptoms are and when the symptoms started. If your child has had a test, please tell us when the test was and when you received the test results.
You can also complete the Contact form on the school website.
Thank you and have a wonderful holiday. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Thank you again for your on-going support during what has been a difficult term, not just at school but across the whole of our local community. We were advised to make many changes to our usual procedures and routines in school and this has meant it has at times been difficult to be able to do all the things we normally do, such as assemblies, parents evenings, meetings, workshops, etc. I know this has been frustrating for you as parents sometimes but I do appreciate your patience and understanding.
COVID Guidelines in school from January - This week the recent national restrictions have ended; however, Birmingham has found itself in the highest tier of new restrictions, i.e. Tier 3. This means that there is still a lot of concern about the need to protect against the transmission of Coronavirus and that guidelines are in place to support this. We know there has recently been some good news that effective vaccines are soon to be rolled out, however, we also know that it is still likely to be many months before the impact of vaccination results in restrictions and guidelines being removed and things returning to normal.
In the meantime, we will need to carry on following the guidelines we have put in place in school to protect children, families and staff. In January, we will continue to use the staggered start and finish times, close at lunchtime for deep cleaning on Wednesday afternoons and keep children together in class bubbles at all times when working indoors, as well as continuing to make sure reasonable social distancing takes place whenever possible and that good health and hygiene procedures continue to be followed. We will still expect parents to wear face coverings when they come in to the playground to collect children.
Obviously, we will monitor how things change nationally and locally and will review our guidelines at February half term and then again at the end of term by the Easter holidays. It looks like likely we will be continuing with current practice all the way through the Spring term but when it is safe to do so we will let you know and change back to our normal procedures and routines when we can.
COVID Testing kits – We have been given a number of COVID testing kits which can be used for Regents Park children who have symptoms if families are unable to take them to a testing centre. The kits include everything you need to do the test at home and then you post the swab to a testing centre. If your child is showing symptoms and you would like a testing kit, please contact the school office.
Clothing for Forest School – As you know, one of our aims since children returned in September has been to give children opportunities to learn outdoors as often as possible. Each class bubble has a teaching session booked in our Forest School. The Forest School has been one of the successes of our post-lockdown recovery curriculum and we aim to continue with this whatever the weather.
As you can imagine however, the Forest School can get wet and muddy so we have asked parents to make sure that, on days when children have Forest School sessions, children come to school with appropriate clothing, i.e. a jumper/ cardigan, a warm coat and wellies or old trainers. The children should bring shoes to change into afterwards. Please check with your child when they have Forest School and be prepared for some mud when they get home!
Notifications and dates coming up:
Celebration Assemblies - Normally we would have a number of events planned for the end of the term; however, this year we have had to make a few changes. We will be having our end of term Celebration Assemblies in school on Tuesday 15th December; however, we will be having these online for the children to take part in class and can’t invite parents unfortunately.
Christmas Assembly - Year 2 are leading our Christmas Assembly this year which again will be recorded and shared online in school. This is always a popular event with parents and we’d like to be able to share it with Y2 parents so that they too can see their children perform. Providing ALL Y2 parents are happy for us to do so, we will upload a video of the assembly to the school website for a short number of days so that parents don’t miss out. Y2 parents – please let us know if you do not want your child to be on this video before we record it so we can make changes if necessary.
Christmas Parties - We will be having parties on Thursday 17th December but these will only be in the class bubbles. Unfortunately, children will not be able to bring in party food as they normally do - school will provide children with cake for the parties instead.
Christmas cards – Normally children bring in Christmas cards and post them in our Christmas post-box. Again we aren’t doing this this year. Children can still bring in cards if they wish to but only for those children and staff in their class bubbles. Please discourage them from licking envelopes – just tuck the flap inside instead.
Term finishes on Friday 18th December – We normally finish at lunchtime on the last day of term before Christmas. However, as we have the half day closure on Wednesdays, we will be finishing at the normal staggered times on Friday 18th December, i.e. at the times between 2.30pm and 3.00pm as normal.
January return date and training day – The first day back for ALL pupils will be Monday 4th January 2021. We will not be having a training day on this day. We are aware that parents are already having to make plans for children on Wednesday afternoons so instead we will be having our training day on Wednesday 6th January when school will be CLOSED for ALL pupils. This will mean parents only having to make arrangements for Wednesday morning that week.
We will continue to update parents if there are any changes but, in the meantime, we would like to thank you again for your all support. Please remember to keep up to date with more school news on our school website, school app, twitter and by text message.
Take care everybody,
Mr A Beale
Headteacher
Dear Parents/ Carers,
As you know, under normal circumstances, we have provided a Breakfast Club for pupils from 8.00am each day before school. This Breakfast Club was initially set up to support pupils that are eligible for Pupil Premium in school and make sure they get a good healthy start to the day.
Despite this, the Breakfast Club has been open to all pupils if they wanted it at no charge whether they were Pupil Premium eligible or not. However, there has been a cost to the school in providing not only the food but also the staff to run the Breakfast Club. This cost has been met by using some of our Pupil Premium funding.
Currently we have not been running the Breakfast Club due to concerns we have about how we would remain COVID secure if children from different year groups and class bubbles were mixing in the hall before school.
However, we do still have the money from our Pupil Premium funding that we had allocated to provide the Breakfast Club and so a decision was made to support those pupils who are Pupil Premium eligible and provide them with the equivalent of a week's worth of food for breakfast. We know how important it is for children to get a good breakfast in the morning and the positive impact it can have on a child's learning.
Mrs Hazelwood, who is responsible for Pupil Premium spending in school, wrote to all Pupil Premium eligible families and explained that, from this week, we would send these free breakfast food parcels home with each eligible Pupil Premium child. Mrs Hazelwood negotiated a discount with Morrison's and the parcels contain some bread, butter, fruit and a box of cereal.
This week there has been a lot of work that has gone in to organising all the breakfast food parcels and getting them out to everyone yesterday. However, we have had some feedback from parents asking why some people have got them and others haven't, why some families have got more than one parcel and also about whether it is possible to opt out of having one at all.
So to clarify:
Many thanks,
Mr A Beale
Dear Parents/ Carers,
I'd like to give you notice that we will be having a staff training day on Wednesday 25th November and, as such, we will be closed to all children on that day.
In the past we have often had training days on Mondays, usually at the start of a half term. However, to avoid disruption, we have decided that, as we are already closed on Wednesday afternoons, it would be good to choose that day for our training day.
This means that school will be open on Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th November, closed on Wednesday 25th November and then reopen again for Thursday 26th and Friday 27th November.
Thank you for your understanding,
Mr Beale
Dear Parents/ Carers,
I hope you all had an enjoyable and restful half term holiday. As you will no doubt be aware, the Prime Minister announced on Saturday that there will be a national lockdown from 5th November until 2nd December. Whilst this will undoubtedly affect many people and their working arrangements, the Government have made it clear that schools will remain open for all children. As such, the teachers and staff here at Regents Park will continue to provide the education your children need academically whilst also continuing to support their mental health and wellbeing in school. Government guidance can be read here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-national-restrictions-from-5-november#going-to-work
In terms of what happens within school from Thursday little has changed at present from what we have been doing since September. The Government and the local authority haven’t as yet issued any further guidance for schools so, please be reassured to know that we will continue to take all the precautions that we have been doing so far to keep the children and staff safe in school. These include:
We ask parents to support us by making sure that you follow the guidelines we have issued previously. I will ask again for ALL parents to wear a mask or face covering when entering the playground to collect children and to maintain at least 2m from all other parents and families.
Please note that during that during this time, the school building will be heated as normal but windows opened for good ventilation. This will mean that children will need to wear layers of clothing, i.e. a vest or T shirt under their shirt and wear a jumper or cardigan to school. All children should bring in a coat for outdoor break and lunch as we will ensure outdoor play unless it is unsafe to do so.
As school will remain open during this lockdown, remote home learning will only be provided to children if their class or year group bubble closes or they are asked to self isolate for a period of time. We hope that all children not self-isolating will be in school where they will learn best.
We will update parents if and when we are given any further guidance. In the meantime, we would like to thank you again for your all support. Please remember to keep up to date with more school news on our school website, school app, twitter and by text message.
Yours faithfully,
Mr A Beale
Headteacher
Dear Parents/ Carers,
You may have seen the news late on Friday that the Leader of Birmingham City Council has announced that families with children that are eligible for Free School Meals will receive food vouchers to support them during half term.
The Council have since contacted school to let us know that the vouchers will be sent out and distributed AFTER half term. We will organise to distribute them as soon as they send us more information.
As such, please do not try to contact school to enquire about the vouchers this week as school is closed for half term and we will not be able to help you until at least Monday 2nd November.
In the meantime, if you require any support during half term you can contact the Birmingham Children's Partnership - contact details are here: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/info/50224/birmingham_children_s_partnership/2156/birmingham_children_s_partnership_-_resources/2
Thank you,
Mr Beale
Dear Parents/ Carers,
Just a reminder that school is CLOSED this week (26th October - 30th October) for half term holiday. We reopen on Monday 2nd November.
I'd like to thank everyone for their hard work during the first part of the Autumn term. It must have been very difficult for the children to return after such a long absence but I have to say I have been very impressed by their enthusiasm to be back in school and, as such, the children have been working very hard to catch up. From the first day back, it was wonderful to see their smiling faces and they are obviously very happy to be back in school with their teachers and friends.
In addition, I'd like to say thank you to all the parents who have been supportive of everything we have been doing in school. Obviously, things have been very different and it has been hard not to be able to have parents in school or for staff to be able to communicate with you as normal. Most parents have been very supportive however, particularly those parents who have followed our guidelines on maintaining social distance in the playground and have taken precautions to keep everyone safe such as weraing face coverings when asked. Many parents have also been very supportive in helping children with their learning at home - please continue to do everything you can with us to help your children catch up on their learning.
I'm sure you'd also wish to join me in thanking all of the school staff who have worked so hard in school since September. Although all staff want to do their best to help every child in school, many staff were anxious about coming back to work with so many children and adults when they have their own concerns about the dangers of Coronavirus on their health and that of their own families. However, all staff have worked really hard and with the utmost dedication to make sure that the children of Regents Park make rapid progress and catch up on their learning. I'm very appreciative of everything they do and I'm sure you, as parents, are too.
I hope everyone has a really good holiday, stays safe and gets a good rest before coming back to school on Monday 2nd November.
Take care everyone,
Mr Beale
Dear Parents,
We have updated our reading scheme in school for children in EYFS and KS1. We are using the Collins Big Cat Phonics books which are decodable books and support the acquisition of early reading skills. The books are banded according to the phonics phase a child is working at.
Each week your child will bring a book home to read. Please ensure you fill in your child’s green reading journal to show they have read the book at home.
The book will need to be brought back into school the next day so children can complete their follow-up activities in class. They will then exchange it for a new one. Any book which is lost or damaged will incur a charge as we will have to replace it. Therefore, it is important that books are looked after.
Thank you for your support.
Miss Khan
AHT/English Leader
Dear Parents/ Carers,
I just want to remind parents about what we will do when children have symptoms of Coronavirus.
Firstly a reminder about the symptoms. According to the NHS website, the main symptoms of coronavirus are:
Most people with coronavirus have at least 1 of these symptoms.
If a child in school has at least one of these symptoms, we will contact parents and ask you to collect the child and any siblings as soon as possible.
Parents should arrange for the child with symptoms to be tested as soon as possible and for the child to self-isolate for 10 days.
The siblings and all other members of the household should also self-isolate for 14 days.
Unfortunately, we are not allowed to let any of the children return earlier even if the symptoms disappear quickly, unless the child with symptoms has a negative test.
The problem we have, of course, is that a cough and a high temperature can also be symptoms of flu or a cold.
Many parents ring in to school every day when children are not well and tell us that their child is not in school because they have a cough or a high temperature. When they do then we have to take every precaution to protect the other children and staff that are in school and, although this may be frustrating to parents, this will mean asking children and their siblings to self-isolate at home, either for 10 days for those with symptoms or 14 days for those who have had contact with someone with symptoms.
I would ask parents to be very clear when contacting school and telling us that your child is ill. You may be asked:
As we are staff working in a school however, the most important question is:
If you feel your child has a cough and a temperature you should contact the NHS 111 service for more accurate help in diagnosing what your child's symptoms are and making a decision about what to do next.
Again, if you have told us that your child is displaying symptoms, we will ask that the child is tested and self-isolates for 10 days and that siblings also self-isolate for 14 days from when the child developed symptoms.
We would urge anyone who is showing symptoms of Coronavirus to get tested as soon as possible and to update us about the result, preferably by showing us the test result you receive by text or email.
To protect all the other children and staff in school, we will always use caution when we are told a child is ill with Coronavirus symptoms or when we feel a child is displaying symptoms in school. Hopefully all parents will understand this and work with school to make sure that everyone in school is kept safe.
Thank you.