Please see attached for information about Walk to School Month.

Please select a file to download:

W2SM-Poster-2020.pdf

Please see attached for more info.

Please select a file to download:

CL-General-advert-Flyer-Staffordshire.pdf

As the temperature has started to drop and we are ventilating classrooms as a risk assessment measure, it would be advisable for children to now start to return to school in Winter uniform for warmth.

We are mindful of the need to keep classroom air flow at a maximum and would ask therefore that parents consider the following:

• Sending children to school with a vest or base layer/thermal under their polo shirts etc.

where this is not possible:

• Sending children to school with a fleece jacket/jumper that they can don in class as an extra layer which will still allow freedom of movement to write and won’t be too bulky.

This is not mandatory, more so advisory, please don't feel the need to go out and buy anything special.   We are just mindful that the coming months, with windows and at times doors open, could prove to be cold for children and staff.

We are conscious of balancing the Covid-19 risk with the risk of the cold temperatures that may come over the next few months and will take a sensible approach to managing this.

Thanks

Miss Parker

School Photograph Orders

Our school photographers came in and took portraits of our students on Fri 18 September 2020. Please don’t forget to order with your early bird discount code CTKN4N as it runs out on Friday 02/10/2020

If you did not receive a proof of your child then click here and our photographers will search for any photos and let you know.  You could also copy the following web address into your browser if you prefer.

www.ordermyphotos.co.uk/proofs/index.asp?eventcode=491326

Sorry if it appears that this is another moan, but please do read and adhere to the information below to make everybody in the school feel safe and comfortable at arrivals and dismissals.  

In the mornings and at home time staff and parents are reporting that some children are running around up the banks of the field, away from parents around the playground and not being adequately supervised.   Before school and once your child has been dismissed into your care; please keep your child close to you.   Once you have collected your child; or the last child in the case of families with more than one child; we would expect that parents and children vacate the playground; keeping their children in close contact at all times.  

At school we keep children within tight bubbles within their year groups for lessons, playtimes and lunchtimes, and at before and after school club. This is a measure imposed to ensure that we can trace contact, minimise transmission and inspire confidence in the community with the return to school. When children are left to run around, coming into close contact with children and parents from other year groups; beyond those that are from their household; this renders all of this strict measures redundant and increases the risk in school to all.

Many parents are supportive of distancing measures and particular thanks to parents of Year 4 for the way that they keep their distance in the mornings and evenings.   However at times we are seeing parents drifting through the lines of children on their way out of school, coming within a metre even on occasions and this is worrying for both the children and the staff.

Also may I remind parents that children must not ride scooters or bicycles on the playground as we have a busy playground, with a range of vulnerable people, including toddlers and the elderly and we do not want anybody to be injured.   We actively encourage walking, scooting and cycling to school, but not on the school playground at any time of day.

I think many of us are naturally anxious and cautious at the moment and we have managed to stay Covid-free to date within the pupil and staff community at St Nicholas and this is something that we are keen continues.

Thank you for your help and understanding with this.

Miss J Parker

Head Teacher

Please see attached from Staffs County Council.  The quick guide for parents is of particular use.

Please select a file to download:

Quick guide for parents carers - 23.9.20.pdf

Parents carers letter - from Cllr Price and Dr Harling - 23.9.20.pdf

We have noticed some children are bringing cereal bars into school containing nuts, as well as nut and seed mix.    We have to be a nut free school as we have a high number of pupil passing through the dinner hall within any given lunchtime and one child with a nut allergy requiring an epi-pen.    Please ensure your child does not bring nuts in to school for snack time or lunchtimes.   Thank you for your support to keep every child safe.

Please see attached.

Please select a file to download:

Nursery letter - arrivals and dismissals.pdf

Now that we are back in the rhythm of school life and we have school fruit deliveries continuing, can we ask that children from now on only bring 1 piece of snack to school.    We want children to try the school fruit and vegetables where possible.   When sending another snack in from home please ensure your child can eat it independently and that is healthy and not too messy.   For ideas please see article here.

Well done Team St Nics!  Together we have travelled on foot to Paris in France! This is amazing and I know the children will be excited when we look at the map in assembly this week.  Let's see how far we can get by next week. 

Please tell one another about the challenge so that we can get more people involved.   All runs/walks can be logged here in a simple 2 minute process.  Please use miles and only enter numbers as whole numbers e.g 2 miles as 2 or in decimals 2.3 miles etc.   Please do not write unit of measure e.g miles.

Please see here.

This week is Private Fostering Week and will highlight the importance of notifying the local authority about Private Fostering arrangements. The local authority has a duty to assess and ensure the safety and well-being of the children in these arrangements, which are often not reported.

Private Fostering is when a child under the age of 16 years old or under 18 if they have a disability, is cared for by someone who is not their birth parent, person with parental responsibility or a "close relative" - step-parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, uncles or aunts. Any other family member, family friend, parent of the child’s friend, or a host family would be a private fostering arrangement, including agencies caring for a child while they study in the UK either from the UK or abroad.

The arrangement is made between a parent or person with parental responsibility and a carer, with the intention that it lasts for 28 days or more. It is not Private Fostering if the arrangement was made by a social worker or if the person looking after the child is an approved foster carer.

These arrangements may be; teenagers living with a friend or family of their boyfriend or girlfriend, children on a holiday exchange or sent to the U.K. for education or health care by their parents, children with another family due to their parent’s work or study commitments or relationship breakdown.

The Private Foster carers are responsible for safeguarding the children and their day to day care. Financial responsibility remains with the children’s parents or person with parental responsibility. Children in Private Fostering arrangements are deemed to be a Child in Need and will be supported as such.

Any person involved in making arrangements or aware of a Private Fostering arrangement, must notify the First Response team (Telephone 0800 13 13 126) immediately. Following this a referral will be made to the Safeguarding Unit for an assessment who will in turn refer to Family and Friends for their assessment to be completed within 42 days of notification. A recommendation will be made whether the arrangement is suitable or unsuitable.

In suitable arrangements, the local authority has a duty to maintain and record statutory visits to the carers and children where they will support Private Foster Carers with advice, links to other services, training and assistance to resolve family difficulties. If an arrangement is unsuitable parents or person with parental responsibility are responsible for making appropriate alternative arrangements and the local authority can serve a prohibition notice if required.

Well done Team St Nics, over the weekend lots of you were out being active and we have clocked up collectively 285 miles! 

This would get us from school to St Ives if travelling southerly,

or from St Nics to just past Edinburgh if heading northerly! 

A couple of parents now have contacted me to raise concerns about queuing for the ice cream van after school (this Friday was a particular case in point).  

The ice cream van is well within their rights to position themselves in any of the streets surrounding school, as long as within the highway restrictions and I have no jurisdiction over this.   Likewise parents are entitled to stop and buy one (I love an ice cream myself!) J.   Also I appreciate that with Autumn on the way and such small businesses having had loss of trade from lockdown, these last few warmer days are a last chance of generating income.

However on Friday images of families queuing for an ice cream that were sent in to me, appeared to be bringing adults and children in to unnecessary close contact and causing waiting children to run on neighbours gardens.

Please do maintain distance from one another in such instances, otherwise the work to maintain children in year group bubbles in school is rendered futile.

Thanks for your help.