Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Safeguarding Warning:
Inappropriate game footage
It has come to my attention that a game called Sonic Exe is either being played or watched online by pupils of primary school age.
Sonic.exe is a horror game, it is based on a creepy story about a person who played a haunted version of Sonic The Hedgehog. It is graphic in nature, includes scenes that are bloody and is designed to generate jump scares. Some children will be disturbed by it.
My initial research suggests that this is a ‘fanbased/created’ game available online.
It is strongly advised that you should ensure that your child is not accessing this game of video footage of it (through for example You Tube.)
Support:
The NSPCC provide several pages of support for parents. These pages are designed to ensure best practices are in place to protect children.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/talking-child-online-safety/
A reminder following concerns raised:
Parent to parent conversations on the school playground and out of school.
The vast majority of parents at school are very considered in their responses to other adults when on school grounds, however I ask that a minority of parents re consider the manner in which they speak to each other and manage their own confrontations. Whilst I understand that adults are often impassioned in their responses to others, particularly if there is an element of disagreement, this does traumatise young children even if they do not show it and impacts on their wellbeing.
The impact on your child and others
All adults on school site have a civil responsibility to conduct themselves appropriately and to recognise that children (including their own) are affected by it.
Parent responses and actions too often cause children stress, trauma and anxieties– not to mention that children are likely to replicate the actions of the adult.
I do not find myself having to speak to the children at the school about behaviours often, but when I do there is commonly a correlation between their behaviour and how they have seen adults conduct themselves.
Role models and long-term impact
As adults we have a moral duty to model the behaviours expected of our children through our own actions. You would not accept me or my staff behaving in a confrontational manner, as you would legitimately have a concern as to the impact it would have on children. As parents, I ask that you apply this expectation to yourselves.
Section 547 Education Act 1996 – Power to remove permissive access licence
I have in the past been both praised and criticised for directly addressing questionable and challenging parental conduct on school grounds. Due consideration and thought are given to all and any intervention, but it is important to establish what is and what is not acceptable, enforcing it where necessary.
As headteacher I have the right, under law, given to me by the Education Act 1996, to remove access to school grounds to anyone (withdrawing the commonly accepted permissive right to access school grounds by those with parental responsibility) should I feel that doing so protects others or if it is in their best interest anyone in my care.
I am mindful that I have no legal power beyond my school gates; however, I will if necessary ban parents from school grounds if I am of the view that their conduct off site could / is likely to impact on the wellbeing of children when on site.
Physical Education (including swimming) and the National Curriculum
All of the Physical Educational elements of the school curriculum, including swimming, are a compulsory requirement for the National Curriculum and are not optional. As a minimum, all children are assessed as to their ability to swim 25 meters with children who are confident swimmers beyond this expectation developing technique and learning self-saving skills.
Drowning remains one of the most common causes of accidental death in children, so being able to swim is an essential life-saving skill. It is important to remember that children who appear water confident are not always competent swimmers.
At Ashgate Primary School, children learn to swim in Years 3 and 4. As with all curriculum areas (such as English and mathematics) learning is a requirement.
Parents cannot opt their child out of swimming lessons
The exception to this would be on medical grounds which would require a certified medical diagnosis of a recognised condition preventing swimming and a doctor’s signed direction not to take part. This does not include recently having ears pierced, what the ear piecing studio advises or what you read on the internet.
Ear piercings – Important
With this in mind, parents of children in Year 3 and 4 who are scheduled/currently swimming are not to have their child’s ears pierced during term time or less than 2 weeks before a term in which their child swims.
Children with recent ear piercings will be required to swim. NHS guidance is that swimming should be avoided less that 24hrs after piercing, but ideally until healed. There is no direction not to swim by the NHS.
Your child’s ability to swim and the legal requirement to take part in the National Curriculum far exceeds a cosmetic or aesthetic desire or trend
If you have your child’s ears pierced when they are scheduled to swim you have chosen to do so in breach of this guidance. Your child will be required to swim as per National Curriculum requirement.
Other reasons why your child should learn to swim
Swimming is lots of fun for people of all ages and children especially love getting in the water and enjoying themselves.
But it is not just fun, swimming also provides lots of health benefits which can help to keep your children healthy and happy at the same time:
Another great thing about swimming is that children of any age or ability can take part and it is more accessible for children with additional needs than almost any other sport.
But health, fun, and confidence are not the only reasons why your child should learn to swim. Learning to swim also opens up the door to a range of other activities.
Attendance Update and News
I wanted to share that there are currently 23% of our pupils who have not missed a single day at school since the start of term!
This means that these children have benefitted 100% from what the school offers and, as we know statistically, are more likely to achieve well in school and be happy.
Thank you to all the parents who are supporting their child by ensuring good punctuality and attendance.
Overall school attendance:
Currently, school combined attendance is at 94% and this is improving gradually. This is still slightly below the national expectation set by the DfE but it is hoped that by the end of this term, we may hit the expectation of 95%.
Sadly however, 29% of pupils have missed 10% or more of lessons owing to absence (in other words less than 90% attendance). This means that overall attendance is impacted greatly by a specific group of families whose children are not receiving what we offer regularly enough. Again, statistically, we know that absence greater than 5% results in a significant fall in attainment and is often linked to unhappiness in school.
It is hoped that this will be greatly reduced by the end of this term following a bout of seasonal illnesses and commitment to school attendance. We are working closely with the local authority Educational Welfare department in order to support families of children with poor attendance.