6.1.21.
Dear Parents and Carers
Good afternoon everyone! I write to you to update you on the most recent events here at SHPS.
Remote learning
Remote learning is now in place and we are receiving very positive feedback from teachers regarding your child’s learning. Class dojo is working well and teachers report being able to support learning well through this. We know that not all parents and carers are confident with using computers so we thank you for trying your best to make this happen for your child.
We are reviewing our processes and currently feel that moving to Teams teaching or Zoom is not appropriate for our children at primary age though we know it is being used for other older pupils. Each school has its own preferred way of working and using class Dojo is ours as it links back to the work children are doing when they are in school. Using this tool we can have dialogue with parents and give awards to our pupils.
Please be aware that all pupils are accessing the same learning both at home and in school.
I understand there have been a few technical glitches but our team of technology experts are dealing with this and trying to resolve them as soon as we can. I would like to thank Mrs Egglestone for her strong leadership in this area. We are all on a steep learning curve and I am very proud of my teaching team who have developed their online teaching skills at a very speedy rate over the past few months. They have achieved in a few months training what we would have spread over a couple of years in different circumstances.
Computers
We were informed that we had been allocate a number of computers from the DfE but these have not been received and we are following this up. I am aware that this is very high profile in the media. We were initially given an allocation of numbers but no computers have arrived as yet.
Critical worker provision
The provision for critical workers is in place and we are running two groups- KS1 and KS2. KS1 is held in classes 1 and 2 and KS2 is held in the main hall during usual school working hours. To ensure the pupils are as safe as possible the two bubbles are not mixing. As our teachers are running home learning, the critical worker provision is being run by our team of assistants and led by a senior manager.
Lunch
Some children are accessing our packed lunch meals service. Please contact us via the website contact page if you would like to collect a packed lunch for your child on FSM.
Supporting learning
Some parents and carers have made contact regarding the learning being provided for pupils. Please do your best and do not worry if all work is not completed. It is important that your child establishes a routine and does some learning every day. Please talk to the teacher through Dojo if you are having issues. The work is provided electronically and because of its large content cannot be printed off for collection.
I am aware that BBC are now televising learning programmes and you may find some of these useful to enhance your child’s learning.
Helping your child to cope
Your children are being well supported by you to maintain positive mental health and to take this all in their stride, they will follow your example, remember little people listen in to conversations as you will know! Our pupils learn about resilience and resourcefulness in school and will demonstrate this at home.
We know our children are missing their friends and their teachers- perhaps consider setting up a friends zoom call. We also know that many of you are feeling anxious about this lockdown and are worried about your child’s learning progress in view of this being our second lockdown. This cannot be addressed at the moment and we will work with you on catch up programmes when we are able to. In the meantime we are instructed by our government that we must deliver the current national curriculum.
Future assessment
Remember, when we return to school we will, once again, assess the children and do our best to catch them up. The narrower the gap the better, so it is important that all children try to do some work whilst on lockdown. Keep on reading and doing your times tables and this will help.
Multi tasking
I am also aware that many of you are tasked with working on your own jobs from home and this is conflicting with your child’s learning needs. That is why we are sending the work as we are, so you can take your time and fit it in wherever you can. Videos can be watched over again to improve understanding. Remember, in school your child is required to learn alone for some of the time.
Self care
Try to prioritise some ‘down time’. In school your child has lunch break and playtime so they need this break. They also chat with friends and enjoy social interaction when learning, working in groups and with partners sometimes as well as independently.
Safeguarding
As always please help us by keeping a watchful eye out for any children from any school who may not be being well cared for and report your concerns to:
First Contact 03000 267 979.
Finally, I would like to thank you all for your understanding and kind messages of support. It has been a very turbulent few days where we had to respond quickly to government directives. However, we have received so many complimentary comments from you and this has helped us a lot to focus on ‘getting on with the job’ and meeting the needs of our learners and their families.
We are all here, working hard and will continue to do so throughout this period of lockdown. Please contact us if you need help via our contact page on the website or through class dojo.
Regards and good wishes
Mrs Anita Boyd
Headteacher
