Skool Kit Delivery

As much as possible we are encouraging parents/carers to order uniform online from our website for this year’s ‘Back to School’ as we need to try and limit the amount of people in our shops during the busy Summer months.

We have free delivery codes for on-line orders placed on specific dates as follows:

26^TH – 28^TH JUNE

ENTER CODE: JUNEDEL20

27^TH JUNE – 26^TH JULY

ENTER CODE: SUMMER2020

29^TH – 31^ST JULY

ENTER CODE: JULYDEL20

5^TH – 7^TH AUGUST  

ENTER CODE: AUGDEL20

www.skoolkit.co.uk

Our aim to become 100% cashless

We use SCOPAY for our online payments, you may already have an account, if so great news, they’ve released a new mobile app.

For parents not yet using SCOPAY, did you know you can;  pay for dinner money, trips, events and clubs. Using SCOPAY allows you to top up your child’s account anywhere, anytime using a credit or debit card.

All parents have access to SCOPAY, if you have not yet registered to make online payments, please let the office know and an access code will be issued to you.

To find out more, visit www.scopay.com

Dear Parents / Carers

As previously mentioned earlier today, the staff at the academy have a comprehensive plan in place which we will continue to work on; its core purpose will be to keep our children and staff safe.

In the meantime we have a questionnaire for you to complete to support this planning and help us put appropriate safety measures in place.  We do understand that the results of this survey will be based on individual circumstances and needs. 

The link to respond to this survey is: https://forms.gle/oHsTPwLaF19ZBbme8

We want to support you and your child/children, we want to hear your feedback to enable us to work together for the benefit of our children, to plan and understand how parents / carers feel about the government’s announcement.

Please spend a few moments completing this survey as we need the results to be able to minimise the potential spread of coronavirus upon our return.

With kind regards

Mr B and the team.

Dear Parents and Carers

You will all be aware of the governments expectations on pupils returning to school, ‘possibly the 1^st June’. I wanted to reassure you that the directors and senior leaders have been working toward this for some time, however the ‘guidance’ yesterday was not as clear as we were hoping and leaves many questions unanswered.

We have taken a number of measures to keep both pupils and staff safe; if and when we return, ongoing deep cleans, restricted areas of use in school, staggered start and finish times, breaktimes etc., will be in place, however social distancing is going to prove the most difficult issue.

We have a comprehensive plan in place which we will continue to work on; its core purpose will be to keep our children and staff safe. In the meantime there will be a questionnaire coming to you; PLEASE complete it, we need the results to be able to minimise the potential spread of corona virus upon our return.

Please do not email and ask questions about the phased return, we will share the plan very early next week and all the safety measures we are taking will be explained.

Be assured, that the directors, staff and myself will not compromise on the safety of our children or staff.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Mr B and the Team.

Love Southampton is the initiative of Churches, Charities and individuals across the city in Southampton, uniting to help support those most in need during the current Coronavirus outbreak.

We are working together with the Council to focus on 5 key areas of need - older people, those with mental health needs, refugees and asylum seekers, the homeless and those in extreme poverty as well as families in crisis.

A broad range of charities and Churches have partnered with us to ensure that we can provide practical and emotional support to each of the above identified groups.

The website: lovesouthampton.org.uk is a place where people can offer help, or go to for help. A dedicated team are available to match the help to the need. We are currently signposting to the partner charities for specialist help as well as helping people get food and offering relational support for those who are lonely and struggling.

We want to highlight what we are doing in order to show that there is hope, and no-one needs to feel lost or without support. In the words of Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Southampton - "Love Southampton is helping mobilise people and strengthen initiatives, working open-handedly with other partner organisations for the common good.

We have a video: www.facebook.com/lovesoton/videos/1459412850899080 which is being shared across the city through Facebook channels so that we can reach people who need the support. This is one of 3 clips we have made, covering different problems.

24.03.2020

Doctors of the World have the NHS Covid 19 guidelines translated into 26 languages on front page of their website.

https://www.doctorsoftheworld.org.uk

23/03/2020

The Links below have the guidance for self-isolation and social distancing in the following languages:

English

Arabic

French

Mandarin

Cantonese

Polish

Welsh

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-on-social-distancing-and-for-vulnerable-people

17/03/2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

To continue to be responsible and proactive in supporting families we decided to wait until the COBRA meeting yesterday before making a final decision on parent evening this week………………..

The update from COBRA at 4.30 pm yesterday, gave a further range of ‘advice’ and remains non-committal.

I met with the Chair of Directors and the SAT (strategy) team this morning and the decision has been made that parents meetings for this week are postponed based on the info we received from COBRA until further notice.

We are looking at a range of things to implement now which will impact across the academy, as we to continue the responsible, measured and proactive good work we have already put in place. We are looking to minimize the interaction and access to the academies building.

From tomorrow, Wednesday 18^th March the following are being put into place;

• Parents of Years 3, 4, 5 and 6- you will be asked to leave your children at the school gates. Senior staff will be on hand to ensure all children get to class.
• Parents of Nursery, Reception, Years 1 and 2, you will be asked to leave your children with the teacher at the door.
• Late arrivals- there will be a sign in sheet by the front door, you will be asked to fill in the form there rather than enter the building. A member of staff will then escort your child/children to their class and update our electronic system.
• After school- the gates will open at 3.20pm and close promptly at 3.35pm. There will be no access to the school buildings after school, and we ask that you leave the school premises immediately you collect your child.
• All after school clubs are suspended until further notice.
• SELF-ISOLATION- if you have notified us that you have already or intend to self-isolate, your child will not be allowed to return to school for 14 full days. In this instance we will not be chasing parents for evidence or take the matter any further; this is only for SELF-ISOLATION. Any other illness will be coded in the normal way.

Childcare

We are also having to take drastic action with childcare and are giving as much notice as possible; in the event that the C19 situation changes or the academy closes there will be no childcare available: I would encourage parents and carers to look for alternative care as this could happen at any time.

Yours most sincerely

Mr Barnett

Centre Director

16/03/2020

Update on C19; We start with some good news

I am very pleased to say that the ‘extended’ family member who we reported to you last week, has been given the all clear and has tested NEGATIVE-  NO Coronavirus.

Parents evenings will go ahead this week as normal, the teachers will be distancing themselves from you a little at tables, this is a precaution and nothing to worry about but we want to continue as best we can. Please only come for your appointment and leave as soon as you have met with the teacher (thanks for your support with this) If you choose not to attend, we will not be able to hold meetings with you at other times. The next parents meeting will be in July.

I like yourselves am watching very carefully and implementing advice as and when we get if from the DfE. Be assured we continue to be vigilant with hand washing, we have changed some of our handwashing soaps following concerns about pupils having sore hands.

We will keep you updated as soon as we know any more.

Kind regards

Mr Barnett

13/03/2020

UPDATE FOLLOWING ANNOUNCEMENT FROM DOWNING STREET 12th March 2020

The Coronavirus pandemic has gone beyond "containment" phase into "delay".

The current advice is that if you develop the following symptoms you, and everybody in your household, should self-isolate for 7 days: -

• a new persistent dry cough and
• a temperature/fever of over 37.8

Please inform the academy if you choose to self-isolate.

Schools are advised not to close unless specifically told to do so by Public Health England.  We are unaware of anybody in our academy community who has tested positive for Coronavirus.

This is a fast-changing situation and the academy will continue to receive daily briefings from Public Health England.  Please make sure that we have your up-to-date email/phone details so that we can contact you quickly. As previously advised please keep your eye open for parent mail messages and emails as these will be our communication method with you. You can download the parent mail app for free from the android and iOS store to ensure that you do not miss any updates from the Academy. In the event of a potential closure we will also be sending a written letter to every parent, we will also send a text message so please ensure we have your correct mobile phone number.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Government is closely monitoring the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and is taking actions at home and abroad.

ACTIONS TAKEN SO FAR BY THE ACADEMY

• • Daily briefings received from Public Health England and Southampton City Council
  • Children reminded and monitored of regular and effective hygiene routines
  • Additional time for children showing them how to wash their hands with soap and water
  • Adult visitors to the academy asked to wash hands upon arrival (alcohol-free anti bacteria gel will not be effective for any virus)
  • Additional deep cleaning of classrooms and communal areas this ongoing on a daily basis
  • Assemblies have been cancelled until further notice, these are now held in class
  • Lunchtimes have been modified and rescheduled to reduce any unnecessary interaction between classes and to enable tables and seating to be deep cleaned between sittings
  • Visitors to the academy for teaching and learning have been asked not to attend.

We will keep you informed of any updates/changes as advised by Public Health England and/or Southampton City Council.  The current advice is that no school should close in response to a suspected (or confirmed) COVID-19 case unless advised to do so by Public Health England.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

The most important action that we can all take is to follow effective normal hygiene routines to prevent and slow the spread of coronavirus:-

• • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds (singing 2 verses of Happy Birthday).  Watch the following video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5JIWmetma0&t=21s
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick
  • If you feel unwell and demonstrate the symptoms, stay at home and don't attend school
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in a bin (Catch it, Bin it, Kill it)
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home
  • If you are worried about your symptoms, please call NHS 111 - don't go directly to your GP or other health care environment

SYMPTOMS OF CORONAVIRUS 

• • a dry cough
  • a high temperature
  • shortness of breath

But these symptoms do not necessarily mean you have the illness.

The symptoms are similar to other illnesses that are much more common, such as cold and flu.

USEFUL INFORMATION SOURCES

• • Coronavirus Helpline: Phone 0800 046 8687

                                           Email DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk

• • Travel advice for those travelling overseas: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus