Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
On Monday 29th January, PCSO Stadler visited the school to speak to the children. This is part of an ongoing commitment by the school and the Police to work within and as a part of the local community.
Children were given guidance and advice on how to contact the Police in an emergency and what roles individuals played in keeping everyone safe from harm.
PCSO Stadler also provided information on online safety, including social media and what can happen if online access is abused. With the rise of use of social media in young children and our drive on e-safety each term, this was very useful.
Visit the school gallery: Children > Gallery for pictures of this and other events in school.
School Closure Notice for Local Elections /Polling
Ashgate Primary School has been informed that it has been selected as the location of the Ward Polling Station for the listed polling day.
The returning officer had been requested to locate a different venue this year; however, no other council building or private venue suitable was secured by Derby City Council. The use of the school as a venue in the future is to be reviewed again but for now, as the school is a public building and will be open to the public on this day, it will be closed to pupils.
The school will be closed to pupils on the following day:
The closure will be used by staff for training and planning purposes, in the manner normally associated with In Service Training (INSET). The focus will on White Rose Mathematics planning and reviews; staff will be in attendance as the school site.
As a school, we recognise that these closures are inconvenient to many families; however, I reiterate that schools do not have the power to prevent the building being used for this purpose.
Yours sincerely
Peter Seargent
Headteacher
As you may already be aware, Miss Donnelly and Mrs Patrick both depart on Friday for their week supporting our link school in India. During this period they will be working with the teachers and pupils across Kolkata, supporting their teaching practice, sharing and developing joint projects with the children and preparing work and resources for children at Ashgate Primary School to use on their return.
Their work and progress towards the project can be followed on the school website. Subject to wifi connection, which can be challenging on occasions in Kolkata, they will post daily updates on their work and progress towards the project.
We do hope that you will take time to follow the website information, doing so will ensure that the activities to follow at our school will be more productive and meaningful.
Visit the school Home Page > About us > International Exchange
May I remind all parents and carers that the school takes detailed records for attendance which are shared with relevant agencies.
It is important that your child attends school regularly and arrives punctually. If this is not the routine, you place your child's academic wellbeing at risk and you place them in a vulnerable position to underperform.
Poor attendance is not tolerated at Ashgate Primary School and parents should expect that the full force available to the school, including fixed term penalties (fines) are applied where appropriate. Please respond to any letter or invite for interview with the headteacher to avoid receiving penalties and court action.
As always, thank you to those parents and carers who already ensure that their children attend regularly.
Following yesterday's termly assembly on E Safety with pupils, I link below a report published today by the Children's Commissioner on the social and emotional impact of social media on children pre secondary school.
This is an interesting read which confirms that risks extend beyond the 'stranger danger' risks we commonly share with pupils and highlights the amount of social pressures placed on children to conform, like, be liked and share social media information.
As a school, I have shared on several occasions the age limits published under terms and conditions for social media sites. In their simplest forms, no social media sites allow access below the age of 13 to any platform, and the reasons for this are included within the report.
I advise that parents read this report and consider how they can support the school in supporting children. The report link is given below.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-42563173
Happy New Year to you all.
In light of the common trend for pupils, during the Christmas period, to have electronic devices bought that have access to the internet, today saw our termly assembly focussing on E (electronic) Safety.
The focus lay very much on the need to be mindful of the fact that people can pose online as children in order to foster inappropriate friendships, and what children should do if they are concerned that someone is making contact with them.
As adults, we too can often need support ourselves on how to keep our children safe online. With this in mind, I once again draw your attention to the resources available on this website and others.
To view our support materials, click on Parents > Useful links and Information > Cyber Safety.
Absenteeism, Persistent Absenteeism and the issuing of fines / Court Orders
Dear Parents
Several parents have approached me to question the school’s position on absenteeism. In particular queries have been raised around recent letters issued to parents informing them that they are required to attend a meeting to discuss possible actions, including the issuing of fines or Court Orders.
It is the Department of Education/Ofsted that dictate attendance below 95% is poor and that below 90% is ‘persistent absenteeism’. The reasons for this have been made clear before; good attendance is vital for the success of pupils and their wellbeing. Our own school data, as well as that issued nationally, makes clear that poor attendance results in poorer outcomes for children.
The Law
Children must attend school under the Education Act 1989 (revised). Poor attendance at school can result in one or more of the following:
Parents should understand that attendance is an issue for too many children at our school –
This impacts on outcomes for children individually and the school as a whole.
I will actively seek to enforce the necessary legal actions to address absence affairs where improvements are not seen and /or parents do not engage with or recognise the legitimate concern.
They are only children; does it really matter?
But my child has been ill and I have told you this?
Absence is absence, and impacts on a child’s learning and wellbeing, regardless of the reason. This is clear in the actions taken under national policy. Whilst I have utter respect for parents who state that absence has been a result of specific unavoidable illness, this does not negate the fact that their child has been impacted by it, or that the policy applies to all. A child, who is absent due to intermittent illness, has missed the same amount of time as a child who has been absent as a result of a parent’s failure to bring them to school for unauthorised reasons.
If a parent is subjected to a fixed penalty notice (fine), this can be appealed against on medical grounds, but it should be noted that the absence is not ignored owing to circumstance and may not be seen as ‘good reason’ in court without specific, long term, medical support and evidence.
To be clear, under policy and in reality, absence through illness has the same impact as absence for any other reason and as such is included in your child’s absence figures. This is a national requirement.
So, are you saying you want me to bring my child into school when they are ill?
No. But I do ask parents to consider carefully if absence is really necessary. We are not medical practitioners and cannot make decisions on behalf of health professionals, or indeed parents – the choice is yours.
My child always attends school, yet you say that there are ‘unauthorised absences’, how can this be?
I cannot afford a fine, how will I pay the school?
Firstly, fines are not issued by, or paid to the school – despite what you may have read on social media or in popular press. The courts issue fines and the revenue is taken by them. If you cannot pay a fine, this is a matter for the courts and is dealt with in line with any other unpaid debts to the Crown. The school has no say in this.
I will not pay the fine, what can they do to me?
Simply put, the fine increases to up to £2500. If you continue not to pay, you can get up to a 3 month prison sentence.
I did not realise this and I have received a letter re my child’s absence. What can I do?
Ashgate Primary School is here to help you when and where we can.
I wish to end by stating that it is my duty as Headteacher to address poor attendance and the duty of my Governing Body to hold me accountable for it. The vast majority of parents at Ashgate Primary School ensure their children attend in line with the expectation and I am grateful for this, as are my staff. I cannot however ignore that attendance in my school, for too many children, is below that expected. It is a stark and frightening fact that whilst we are driving up standards across the school, many are missing out on and suffering as a result. This has a negative impact on the children and the wider school.
We have always had a firm stance on attendance matters and will continue to do so and I know that the wider community supports this. Your actions are appreciated.