Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
In addition to the remote learning resources offered by the school, via Office 365 Teams and the school website, online learning resources for children of all ages can be found on the BBC Bitesize website.
this is designed to supplement and support work already on offer and to ease challenges for those families who share technology devices.
TV - programming for primary school pupils will be on CBBC between 09:00 and 12.00 every weekday. Programmes for secondary school pupils will be on BBC Two, between 13:00 and 15:00.
Red Button - the Bitesize Daily lessons will also be shown on the Red Button service on TV.
iPlayer - all episodes will be available on catch-up, on demand on iPlayer.
Dear parents and carers
Hello to you all. I issue this update to keep you abreast of developments at school and externally following the rapid partial closure of schools on Monday evening. Updates will be regular.
Please read all the information as there is much to share.
Outline of events this week
I think that we would all agree that, whilst it appears to be necessary to do so, only opening schools to those whose parents are deemed Critical Key Workers and Vulnerable (under the DfE definitions) is not what anyone wants. We desperately hope to re-open our school gates to everyone as soon as possible. It certainly seems that the concept of ‘last to close, first to open’, will be greatly received by all the school community. It is widely shared that mid February is the goal, however this is down to government to decide.
Access to school:
‘Whilst schools are not unsafe they may be vectors for transmission in communities’ – ‘those who can stay at home, must stay at home’ (Prime Minister, Boris Johnson)
Please do not request or use school if there is an alternative. Save lives, stay at home.
I have already sent communication out as to who can register for access to school under key worker status, and those that are known to fall into the vulnerable children group have been contacted directly. Information about key workers can viewed under earlier notices and the guidance to schools is available on the Gov UK website.
At this time, we have had much greater demand on places at school than in previous lockdowns – access quadrupling since the first lockdown. With this in mind, I remind parents and carers to ensure that they only use school as stipulated by the Department for Education and the Prime Minister’s directive and remember the overarching message – ‘those that can stay at home, should stay at home’. This means that if there is an adult at home who can care for the child, regardless of circumstance, they should not come to school.
An abuse of the system will not only overwhelm the school, as we work hard to provide online learning and on site learning at the same time, but will significantly increase the risk of Covid cases rising in school. The risk of closing bubbles that are relied upon by NHS staff and other critical workers increases as pupil numbers rise, and has a generally unrecognised impact of decreasing the capacity of staff to deliver remote learning as they juggle online and face to face teaching.
Remote learning:
The school has in place two key methods of accessing learning.
The primary method is through that of Office 365 (we often refer to this as ‘Teams’), which provides opportunities to communicate face to face with teachers and teaching assistants as well as share and respond to work completed. Guidance for this has been given repeatedly and is available on the school website at all times.
Visit the school website Covid 19 page, of click:
Ashgate Primary School Remote Learning 7 point commitment
*As the school only has two telephone lines, staff may contact you via a private number which will show as, similar to, No caller ID – Withheld Number or similar. )Do not assume it is a cold caller)
The second method for remote learning is via the school website Class Pages, where generic year group activities are readily available. These can supplement work shared on Office 365 Teams or act as a stop gap for those who have login challenges.
Remote learning does not just mean what we send to you
In addition to our provision, I am pleased to announce that the BBC have been working in collaboration with school leaders to set up daily lessons via the BBC programme schedule. These are called ‘Lockdown Lessons’ and are available on the ‘BBC Red button’ and ‘on demand’ facility. Lessons will be available from 9am. As we know more, will share this with you. This should alleviate some of the pressures for those who have limited or shared access to technology.
Challenging times for families
We do understand that remote learning is not always (if ever) easy for some families who are balancing for example, working from home, multiple childcare or other needs such as caring for ill or frail relatives. The key message is DO WHAT YOU CAN. We do not expect parents to be able to replace full time education with a qualified teacher. Every bit helps, but do not over pressurise yourself or your child.
It is also recognised that many families have very limited access to the technology needed to support children, especiall where there are demands for multiple siblings to access devices. Gavin Williamson Secretary of State for Education , has assured us that help is on the way for these families in the form of devices which can be distributed by schools. We have ordered our allocation, but we await their arrival. These will be distributed when they arrive…watch this space.
Work packs
If you are unable to access the online learning, we are offering work packs which can be collected from school. These will be available each Friday along with a school reading book which can be changed weekly. YOU MUST inform the class teacher when they call you that you require a pack and reading book.
Free school meals
Free school meal vouchers should now have been received via Wonde. The system seems a lot more straight forward than the previous Edenred system, and parents have reported ease in use. I would like to pass on my thanks to Mrs Warburton our School Business Manager who managed to set the system up and get vouchers to parents within 48 hours in many cases.
Finally
Ultimately my objective is to keep all the school community safe and provide the best possible educational opportunities during challenging times. The demands on school staff, the system and parents is unprecedented – a phrase that is at risk of being a cliché, but remains very appropriate.
Your support is appreciated as we work together to do all we can, and we thank you in turn for your efforts. At times like this it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel; regardless, it is there and normality will resume at some stage.
I will keep you updated regularly.
Thank you.
Mr Seargent
Free School Meal Vouchers: Update as promised– Good News.
During the initial lockdown free school meal vouchers were provided by a company called Edenred, as directed by the Department for Education. The contract with them has been terminated by the Department for Education and therefore schools are required to source a new provider independently if they are to issue vouchers and not food parcels. DfE now only issue support and guidance to schools on the provision on food parcels, hence the messages this morning as we awaited clarity.
I am pleased to confirm that those entitled to Free School Meals will soon be issued vouchers, via an alternative provider (Wonde). Vouchers have been ordered today and we await their issue direct to you.
This is done primarily to support families unable to travel during lockdown or who are advised to limit movement
Next steps
You will shortly receive a text message from a company called Wonde. Do not ignore this text as it contains information that you must respond to in order to receive your voucher.
We are confident that the vouchers will be issued very soon, however, this is managed by the company, not the school. Any delay will be a result of the high demand as schools apply for vouchers during lockdown at short notice.
In the meantime, we will meet the requirement for free school meals via ‘grab bags’ for tomorrow and until we are secure in the knowledge that vouchers have been issued.
We will keep you updated with any developments.
To answer parent enquiries
*Update from contact with Derby City Council – Entitlement.
I have had it confirmed form the People Services Directorate, that the requirement from the Department of Education / Gov UK is that families are provided with free school meal resources, and that this is not the same as an entitlement to ‘vouchers’. Members of Parliament and the media often use the phrase and imply that there is an entitlement to vouchers – this is not accurate; it is the provision that is the entitlement. I understand why parents may not be aware of the distinction. Schools can manage free school meals entitlement via other means where necessary or appropriate, including food hampers and packed lunches. These are often required by schools as a substitute when they await confirmation or set up of voucher systems, or where it is felt they better provide solutions for families.
Please be patient and respectful towards my office staff who are working very hard and at short notice to establish a system to meet need after receiving notice of lockdown at the same time that you did.
I thank you for your cooperation.
Your understanding is appreciated.
At this time, the Department for Education have not issued access or guidance on how issue Free School Vouchers. If/when they become available they will be provided as a matter of urgency.
I have already contacted Derby City Council to clarify how/when or if this will be happening. I await their response and until I receive a response, the matter is out of my hands.
In the mean time I have no alternative but to offer 'grab bag meals' until this matter has been addressed.
You have my assurances that if and when school meal vouchers are made available, you will receive them.
Registering for Critical Worker status
PLEASE READ VERY CAREFULLY IN ORDER TO KEEP YOU, YOUR CHILD AND THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY SAFE
Children who can be cared for at home, must be cared for at home. This is appropriate for all families, including key workers. Access to school should be deemed a last resort for critical workers - not a ‘go to’ provision; this is in order to keep the community safe
Gov UK state that those children whose parents are deemed ‘critical to the Covid 19 response’ have an entitlement to send their child to school during lockdown. In order to manage this safely and effectively Ashgate Primary School is asking parents to register key worker status if they are of the view that their work is critical to Covid 19 response. A list of examples of these roles are listed at the end of this document.
Important note:
REMEMBER – the lockdown is aimed to reduce transition of Covid 19; the greater number of pupils that attend, the greater the risk of bubbles being placed in isolation and key workers, such as doctors and nurses, not being able to fulfil their role. The school cap on access is targeted at no more than 20% of the school population at any one time inclusive of those deemed as vulnerable pupils (see school priority list below).
School will be open between 0830 and 1600 for those approved as critical workers. In recognition of those who may be subject to shift patterns, collection and drop off can be at any time between these periods but multiple entry and exit is not permitted.
Care will take the form of a mixture of formal teaching of core subjects (in line with that offered in remote learning) and creative, wellbeing activities.
How to register
You are to call the school office (initially on Tuesday 5th January 2021 to support establishment of a staffing ration structure) between 0845 and 1500, to register your request for critical worker consideration. After the 5thJanuary you can still register by calling the school office during working hours. Do not arrive before registering.
Be ready with the following information:
You will also be asked if you are either:
Contact the school via telephone on 01332 343928 (lines may be busy so please be patient)
If your registration as critical worker is initially declined, we will contact you, otherwise you should bring your child to school as of Wednesday 6th January 2021. Be prepared to provide evidence of your role via means of, for example, identification badge, contract, payslip or business/employee time sheet. Only when this is approved will you formally be authorised to access school provision.
Government stated list of those who may be considered as Critical to the Covid 19 Response:
Health and social care
This includes, but is not limited to, doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
Education and childcare
This includes:
Key public services
This includes:
Local and national government
This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of:
Food and other necessary goods
This includes those involved in food:
Public safety and national security
This includes:
Transport and border
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response and EU transition, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass and those constructing or supporting the operation of critical transport and border infrastructure through which supply chains pass.
Utilities, communication and financial services
This includes:
Priority list for access to Ashgate Primary School (in order or) which will be applied to support safe pupil ratio:
Vulnerable children:
Children whose parents are identified as critical to the Covid 19 response where they are either:
Priority will be given to: Emergency / health care service practitioners / public safety / social care/ teachers and support staff
Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND),
Children of those where one parent is identified as critical to the Covid 19 response
Dear parents
Following the announcement this evening, I contact you to clarify the next steps to be undertaken by school in order to secure effective compliance with the Prime Minister’s Statement. I would like to thank you in advance for your patience and understanding during another significant change to the current situation.
Please do not send your children to school tomorrow
Owing to the extraordinary short notice, Ashgate Primary School, like a number of other schools will be closed to all tomorrow (Tuesday 5th January 2021), reopening to those to be identified as critical workers and identified as vulnerable on Wednesday 6th January.
Whilst I acknowledge this will be a short term challenge for some families who are likely to fall into the critical worker category, it is essential that the switch to remote learning and limited access to school be managed effectively, professionally and with due recognition of the need to make it safe, manageable and sustainable. It is not possible to do this in less than 12 hours and during the night.
Next steps:
What is deemed a critical worker?
As of Dec 2020, Gov UK identified the following roles as ‘critical worker’:
Education and childcare
This includes:
Key public services
This includes:
Local and national government
This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of:
Food and other necessary goods
This includes those involved in food:
Public safety and national security
This includes:
Transport and border
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the coronavirus (COVID-19) response and EU transition, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass and those constructing or supporting the operation of critical transport and border infrastructure through which supply chains pass.
Utilities, communication and financial services
This includes:
Important: School will only be open to the families of critical workers during the working hours of those individuals. For example, staff working part time would only have access to school on those working days. Consideration and flexibility would be given to those completing, for example NHS shift work patterns. This will be managed on a case by case basis.
Those who will have access to school as they fall into the ‘vulnerable children’ category will be contacted individually by a member of the school pastoral team.
Remote Learning
All staff will be present at school tomorrow to support the transition to remote learning which will be made available via Office 365 Teams as of Wednesday. You will be contacted with further support (via means of re issue of guidance already shared) and guidance on how this works. Many families are well versed and experienced in the use of Office 365 Teams, however I do know that this will be new to many. We will support you if this is new to you.
Additional information on resetting passwords for online learning will be shared to support families.
In the meantime, learning resources are already published on the school website under ‘Class Pages’ for those struggling to access Office 365 or who are awaiting materials to be uploaded on the system.
Important change: Our system for remote learning does allow face to face contact with staff and the option to upload work for review.
Please keep an eye out for further notices.
If you are unable to access online learning, we will be providing printed work packs which will be collectable as soon as they are ready.
To all Parents/Carers,
At the time of writing I can confirm that school will reopen on MONDAY as planned. Although there have been calls for primary schools to close, this has not been enacted by government.
So, what do we know?
Calls by teacher/support unions to close schools independently, or staff not to attend school premises.
Two main teaching unions have called for staff to not attend school under concerns related to health and safety laws; legally they do have to right to refuse to attend work if they deem it 'unsafe' (doing so would result in remote learning being enforced for children affected).
At time of writing, I am not aware of any teaching staff at Ashgate Primary School intending to refuse to work on premises. I cannot guarantee this will always be the case.
Parents should therefore send their children to school unless:
What happens if schools are instructed to close at a later date?
If we are instructed to close then two key elements come into play - Remote Learning and Key Worker Provision:
Some year groups have already experienced the newer version of Remote Learning via Microsoft Teams as a result of their bubbles closing last term. If we do close then Remote Learning will commence the day following any announcement. It will be provided in line with guidance issued last term (including user name and passwords). Details are also available on the school website on how to use the system.
If any individual has difficulties logging into the system (some parents have lost passwords or found software challenges), there are generic work activities for children on the school website 'Class Pages' - all are age relevant and parents can use these if required.
When we know more about if/when schools are closing the school office will be in touch explaining the eligibility criteria, timings and how to sign up. I am informed that at this moment the Department for Education (DfE) is currently reviewing which jobs qualify as essential workers. Please check the lists if and when they are issued.
The question of schools being safe?
I am neither a politician enforcing guidance or a health practitioner; therefore cannot offer concrete guarantees that children will not be at risk of Covid 19 - this has always been my position and one that is realistic and reasonable. What I can say with confidence is that guidance issued is followed at Ashgate Primary School, it is underpinned and strengthened by all staff. The Prime Minister on Sunday morning made a clear statement that he believes schools 'are safe'. My statement is that I believe that all that can be done, whilst schools are open to pupils, is being done to mitigate/reduce risk and that the school is acting on all guidance provided.
I will of course keep you all updated regarding any changes I am made aware of.
Mr Seargent