Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Tomorrow is the last day of the spring term and the last day for two of our long-standing staff members.
Mrs Skivington, finance clerk, has decided to retire from work to support her family and spend time with her grandchildren. As you will know, Mrs Skivington has been an asset to the school for many years and has supported so many parents, staff and children during that time.
We wish her well on her retirement and I would like to thank her, on behalf of all the staff, pupils and governors for her stalwart dedication to the school.
Mr Bentley will also be spending his last day at Ashgate Primary School tomorrow. He will be moving on to ventures new across the city and we wish him well. Likewise, we thank him for his commitment and dedication to the school.
Today, like many other days, the rain has fallen heavily with intervals of light or no rain at all.
The default position of the school when it comes to rain and break times is that, where reasonable, children will be allowed to play outdoors in the fresh air, even when it is raining. There are of course limits to this; we would not let the children out in torrential rainfall or when there is the risk of lightning; but as a general expectation children will play outdoors whenever possible, even if for a short duration. There are sheltered areas on all playgrounds for children who do not wish to get wet.
When it is deemed that it is suitable for children to be out in the rain, they will be discouraged from jumping in puddles and water dripping from roofs etc, but we know that children will on occasion be unable to resist this!
For this reason, it is important that children always bring a coat to school when there is even a slight chance of rain. Children may return home with a soggy sock occasionally, or a tale of being splashed by someone jumping up and down, but I aim not to deprive children for the benefits of fresh air and play when it is reasonable to do so. We also know from experience that children who have burned off excess energy, have exercised and been outdoors generally behave and work better than when cooped up indoors.
As always your support is appreciated regarding common sense approaches to school practices.
Attendance Celebrations
I am delighted to update you on the attendance awards presented to children in this term.
In total 178 attendance awards will be given out at our end of term assembly on Friday. This is an increase from 154 last term!
A total of 178 ‘good attendance’ (95%+) awards
A total of 85 ‘excellent attendance’ (100%)
All 178 pupils will receive a certificate, with those attending 100% of the time a small gift.
Likewise, the number of parents required to attend absence management meetings has reduced again
Previous warnings/referrals - 119
End of Autumn Term warnings or referrals - 69
End of Spring Term warning referrals - 29
I wish to thank the increasing number of parents and adults who work exceptionally hard (sometimes in very difficult circumstance) to get their children to school regularly.
Sadly, this does however highlight that the number of children attending Ashgate Primary school that are recorded as having poor attendance remains too high. This is worrying for the prospects of these children and still too many parents do not recognise the importance of good attendance. This is despite many efforts to share this message.
This is your child’s future
-There is a direct link between poor attendance and poor learning outcomes at our school and nationally.
-Children who have poor attendance are identified as at being at more risk of anti-social behaviours and crime in later life (repeated studies show this).
-Children who have poor attendance are more likely to be involved in misconduct in school and ‘get into trouble’, and this is seen at our school.
The clock resets for the children as of January (new)
Whilst annual figures (September to August) are the basis from which attendance is assessed legally and reported to the Department for Education, we recognise that it is important that children are given regular opportunities to have improvements recognised.
For this reason, the Spring Term attendance awards were assessed from January 9th until March 31st. Children’s attendance was reset to allow opportunity to reflect improved attendance term on term, not annualy as was once the case.
It is however important that parents understand that the legal attendance figures are based on the academic year and these awards do not reflect the legal status of attendance during this period.
Reduced persistent absence (-90%) reporting and warnings
I am also pleased to announce that since the start of term, the number of parents summoned to attendance meetings or informed of Educational Welfare Officer referrals has dropped.
Previous warnings/referrals - 119
End of Autumn Term warnings or referrals - 69
End of Spring Term warning referrals - 29
Whilst this remains too high and too many children continue to suffer as a result of missing 10% or more of their time at school, the improvement is important. This must continue if staff at the school are to support children in reaching their potential.
Why good attendance matters
We know, FACT, that there is a direct link between poor attendance at Ashgate Primary School and under performance. Year on year, term by term, group by group, poor attendance is a key factor to achieving well.
Regular school attendance is an important part of giving children the best possible start in life. The aim should be to attend 100% of the time, but it is recognised that some absences are likely as a result of, for example, seasonal illness. This is why the government set the standard ‘good attendance’ figure as 95%.
Pupils who miss school frequently fall behind with their work and do less well in exams. Good attendance also instils in a child the importance of commitment and routine in order to succeed in life.
Research repeatedly suggests that students who attend school regularly could also be at less risk of getting involved in antisocial behaviour or crime in later life.
It is also important to arrive at school on time. If a child arrives late to school every day, their learning begins to suffer.
School uniform policy and support
Thank you to all the parents who ensure their children attend school wearing the regulation uniform.
There are a small number of families who are not always complying with the school policy, most notably wearing of branded/coloured trainers and the wearing of earrings as opposed to studs.
With this in mind, I re confirm below the policy for school uniform*.
A note on footwear:
- It has been agreed in the past with parents that the wearing of 'training shoes' is permitted BUT these must be completely black, including the sole and not overtly branded, for example 'Nike Air all black trainers'; coloured or overtly branded footwear is not permitted.
*School uniform policy
Children are to attend school in/with the following items, in a clean and good condition:
Coats: The school encourages children to spend as much time outdoors as possible, even in inclement weather conditions. Therefore, coats that are suitable to the weather conditions are required. There are no restrictions as to type of coat worn, however it is strongly advised that they are waterproof in nature.
Jewellery
For the safety of pupils and adults working with them, we do not allow children to wear jewellery to school (except for small, plain studs for pierced ears).
Ear studs will need to be removed for PE activities. Staff are not permitted to remove or fit studs in ears, this must be done independently by the child. If this is not possible, plasters or tape, provided from home, can be applied.
Watches may be worn, however parents are advised that expensive items should not be worn, as the nature of school activities may lead to them being damaged unintentionally.
A copy of the full school uniform policy is available on the school website.
The School Uniform Swap Shop
You will recall that the school has now set up a School Uniform Swap Shop in the reception area of the school. This is done to support families and reduce the high carbon footprint produced by clothing production. All items are washed and in good condition.
I am delighted to share the Royal School for the Deaf social media feed from our recent collaboration work with them.
Click below to see some of the collaboration work
RSDD Facebook page - Language Week
Work has included joint teaching sessions where children at Ashgate have benefitted from learning elements of the British Sign Language used in every day life and children from the Royal School For the Deaf meeting and teaching children their skills.
I would like to thank Mr Paul Burrows, Headteacher Royal School for the Deaf (Derby) and Mrs Francis (Key Stage 2 Lead) who have worked together to ensure that children benefitted from what really was a worthwhile and enjoyable venture.
Dear parents
Urgent Social Media Notice – Parental moral and legal responsibilities.
It has come to light that a minority of children at the school are accessing WhatsApp to message each other and creating private chat groups. Concerns have been raised about the nature of comments posted, some of which are believed to be derogatory, inappropriate or slanderous. As the Designated Safeguarding Lead at the school, I am uncompromising in my duty of care and application of policy regarding any area of risk; this includes access to social media.
Moral duty to safeguard: I remind parents, as I often have, of the dangers of social media exchanges and the dangerous impact they can have on others. We only need to read the cases of those similar to Molly Russel, who tragically took her own life after having unsupervised access to social media posts and communication, to understand the importance of monitoring and controlling social media access.
Whilst we seek to educate and support pupils regarding the modern online world, parents have the ultimate responsibility to monitor and control access. Likewise, parents can legally be held accountable for their child’s actions and a parent’s failure to safeguard is considered an act of neglect.
Legal position: WhatsApp and similar platforms are not age appropriate for primary school children and if used this is a breach of the terms and conditions; as a parent you may be deemed as acting neglectfully in law.
THE AGE RESTRICTIONS ARE THERE TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD
I remain perplexed at the blasé approach a minority of parents have when it comes to uncontrolled and unmonitored access to social media. A prime platform for this is WhatsApp, closely followed by SnapChat.
It cannot be emphasised enough that if parents are of the view ‘my child wouldn’t do that’, or ‘it is unfair on them not to use it as their friends do’, then you are wilfully placing your child at risk, and by knowingly allowing access to non-age appropriate online platforms, acting neglectfully in the eyes of the law.
The school has a catalogue of support materials for parents and links to advice and guidance on the school website: Visit www.ashgate.derby.sch.uk. Click the Parent Link and Useful Links and Information or:
www.ashgate.derby.sch.uk/useful-links-and-information/
https://www.ashgate.derby.sch.uk/information-support-for-parents/
The STEPS Social Communication and Autism Team are really excited to share a range of resources FOR PARENTS to help celebrate World Autism Acceptance Week. We feel it is so important that young people understand their diagnosis and we are passionate about Autistic people being understood by the people around them – World Autism Acceptance Week is a great opportunity to make this happen!
Adverse Weather Forecast:
March 10th 2023
After evaluating the current weather forecast for Friday, I confirm that the school is not planning to close tomorrow. There may however be some adaptations to the school day if pupil to adult ratios are impacted.
This is subject to change should the forecast or conditions alter significantly. If there is a change in the plan you will be informed by the school as soon as possible. Assume that if no contact is made school remains open.
Current situation: The most recent forecast for Derby city includes a yellow weather warning for snow/sleet and ice for Friday morning, with clear skies and sunshine after approximately 11am.
Parental assessment
It is the responsibility of parents to assess if it is safe to travel to and from school from their local area. If you feel it is unsafe you should contact the school direct. It will then be for the headteacher to decide, using all available information, if the absence is reasonable and therefore can be authorised.
Please remember that even an absence that is 'authorised' will impact on their record as the school is open. Absence, by definition, is non attendance at school when it is open to pupils, regardless of reason or authorisation. This is a national expectation/regulation and not one set by the school.
Next Week's Year 5 / 6 Visit to the Multi Faith Centre
If you have not paid or returned your child’s consent slip, they will not be able to go on the Multi Faith Centre trip. Verbal consent via phone will be accepted.
Assumed consent through payment.
A number of parents have paid for next week’s visit to the centre via Scopay, but not as yet returned their consent slip.
It is logical to assume that unless parents tell us otherwise, payment for the visit via Scopay is indicative of consent for your child to attend the trip. It is reasonable to assume that parents who pay for a trip consent for their child to go on it.
Trousers, not skirts.
Trousers / leggings are to be worn - not skirts or dresses. Jogging bottoms or other leggings are acceptable.
This was not shared with the school in the original information issued.
Questions / points raised by parents:
Does my child need to bring their own head covering?
A small number of parents have asked questions regarding type of head coverings for the visit. The centre has not specified a specific head covering and they are not required for all aspects of the visit as the centre visit is multi-faith.
Children are free to bring a suitable head covering of their choice, which could be a cap or other hat. Putting up a coat hood will also be acceptable.
I don’t want my child to take part in a religious act of faith or worship.
No children are asked to take part in a religious act of faith or worship. Ashgate Primary School is not a ‘faith school’ of any form and does not affiliate itself with any religion. Other than ‘acts of collective worship that are broadly of a Christian nature’, (Section 70 of the 1998 Act), the school does not practice, promote or affiliate itself with any specific faith or religion.
The visit is purely educational. Children at Ashgate Primary School visit other places of religious worship, including St Barnabus Church and Ashbourne Road Church and it is the case and understood that these visits, as with a visit to the Multi Faith Centre, are not for the purpose of worship.
Parents are well aware that the school actively supports children using bicycles to travel to school and this is underpinned by our Every Child a Rider programme, which is built into our Physical Education programme.
Active travel and bike security
Following a spate of bicycle thefts in the area, including at school, parents are STRONGLY advised to lock up their child's bike if it is left on school premises.
The responsibility to secure bicycles is that of the parent/carers. Whilst the school site is secured and the gates locked in the area where bicycles are stored, it is not a guarantee that thieves will not take the drastic step of scaling the fence to steal a bicycle.