Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Home Learning and Update 27.03.20

  Fri 27 Mar 2020 C. Dewar-Willox

  Friday 27^th March

   

  Dear Parents,

   

  We should be breaking up today for the Easter Holidays but have decided that we are going to continue with our home learning tasks and activities through this period - we think it's important to maintain a routine. We are, gradually, adapting to a new way of working and I wanted to remind you of a few things we've launched:

  • Every Monday, our home learning area of the website will be updated with new learning challenges. Over the Easter Holidays these will be more creative and project based.
  • We've started our weekly phone calls to children, thanks for your support with those. We are keen to talk to the children, so want to keep encouraging them to talk on the phone.
  • We provide a daily update on our Facebook Page at 8am every morning with things going on within the day.
  • At 6.30pm each night there is a bedtime story on our Facebook page. Next week, we'll be adding a story for older children at 7.30pm each night.
  • We have the weekly challenge, set on a Monday on our Facebook page, and then the challenge takes place online on Friday's at 2.30pm.
  • Teachers are setting work and children are submitting work on class dojo, which is proving a great way to stay in touch.

  A lot has happened within the space of a week, and we'll continue to develop and refine our plans.

   

  Interim Reports

  In normal circumstances, we'd have sent out our interim reports by now. We'll be sending these out by email during the week commencing the 13th April.

   

  Class Dojo

  We've made a great start to using class dojo this week, but appreciate there have been some teething problems - thanks for your patience. It's clear that the children can do different things to their parents through their account, so it's worth checking that if you are struggling to upload work. If you have any issues please contact admin@holmeschool.cumbria.sch.uk

   

  Parents Quiz Night

  In the coming weeks, we will be organising an online parents' quiz night as a way of staying in touch with parents too. We know you are all doing an amazing job in really challenging circumstances, so wanted to provide you with an opportunity for a bit of fun, and a laugh, after the children have gone to bed.

   

  Childcare Hubs

  From today, following instruction from the Local Authority, our school will be closed indefinitely and will not be designated as a childcare hub. Our nearest hub for key workers will be Milnthorpe Primary School, which will be open from 8am until 6pm and will run through the Easter Holidays. Our staff will be involved in supporting this hub on a rota basis, but that will mean that there will not always be Holme staff at the hub each day - if you are using the hub, you should prepare your children for that. The Local Authority are clear, that if you are using the hub, it should be the very last resort. I will write again with final details about registering for the childcare hub as soon as I have them - please do not contact Milnthorpe directly as this is being managed centrally by the local authority.

   

  Emergency Contact Number

  For emergencies, we are available on 07503 543507 otherwise please email admin@holmeschool.cumbria.sch.uk

   

  Stay safe, and see you soon,

   

   

  Craig Dewar-Willox

  Headteacher

   

  Emergency Number: 07503 543507

   

• Home Learning

  Mon 23 Mar 2020 C Dewar-Willox

  Monday, 23 March 2020

   

  Dear Parents,

   

  Here is the latest information about how we plan to support the children to continue their learning journey at home. We are at an early stage of doing this, so it’s likely our plans will evolve over time, but we think this is a good start.

   

  Last week we sent home a suggested daily routine – we think it’s really important that you establish this routine at home to support the children through this unusual time. As such, we are going to continue setting activities through what would have been the Easter Holidays – albeit they will be slightly different.

   

  To support you with the routine I wanted to highlight three things that we will be doing, effective immediately:

   

  • Daily PE workout with Joe Wicks (on his youtube channel). Start the day, the right way…
  • Brilliant Bedtime Stories – 6.30pm every day, on our school Facebook page. What a great time to develop a love of reading in all our children – we are going to be sharing lots of stories.
  • Mr D’s Weekly Challenge – At midday every Monday, I will be on Facebook live, on the school’s Facebook page, setting a weekly challenge. This will be tested on a Friday with an online activity either on Facebook or on Zoom (more details to follow).

   

   

  Phone Calls:

  From tomorrow, staff will start phoning you, to speak to children and see how they are getting on with their work and to offer advice and support. We know that some children are shy when talking on the phone, but we are going to try to develop this skill in the coming weeks. This week, the calls will be as and when, but staff will then agree a date and time for a future call with you.

   

  Home Learning: www.holmeschool.cumbria.sch.uk/home-learning

  Each week the teachers will be posting a weekly learning overview to our school website (link above). This will include links to videos, activities to complete online, practical tasks and important times when they will invite them to a ‘conference call’ on Zoom - where they can get together as a class and have a chat/do a quiz. The overview document will contain links that explain what to do and when to do it.

   

  Class Dojo:

  We are encouraging the children to upload their photos or work to Class Dojo, in their portfolio. Teachers will be regularly posting messages, reviewing work and giving the children encouragement. It’s a great communication tool between the children and their teachers.

   

  Kahoot!

  One of the apps that we are going to use during our ‘conference calls’ is Kahoot! A quiz app. If possible, we’d ask that you download this to a device so that the children can use them during our broadcasts. It’s a great interactive way for them to still do activities with others. During our conference calls/Facebook live sessions, we will give a ‘game-pin’ which will allow them to access our quiz.

   

   

   

  Please don’t panic about any of this technology. It’s pretty simple and we are on-hand to support. If you struggle at any point with technology, remember that we are offering a laptop loan scheme which can be initiated by emailing the school office: admin@holmeschool.cumbria.sch.uk, we only have a limited number available though, so please only request this if absolutely necessary. You will need to arrange a convenient time to collect this from school.

   

  Finally, I want to thank you for your continued support and understanding. I was appointed as substantive headteacher a month ago, and at that point, no-one would have envisaged that we’d get to a point where we needed to close schools down. It’s been a challenging few weeks for us all, but it has confirmed why I wanted to be headteacher at this very special school: we pull together, we encourage one another, and we put children first. In the most challenging of times our school motto, ‘Happy Children Succeed’ is a great guide for everything we do in this period. Children will not look back on this time and remember the specific activities that they did, they will remember how the adults in their life pulled together to make sure that they were happy, resilient and able to continue their learning journey.

   

  Keep smiling, we’re in this together and we’re here to help in any way that we can.

   

  With best wishes and stay safe,

   

   

   

  Craig Dewar-Willox

  Headteacher

   

  Emergency Number: 07503 543507

   

• Letter re: school closure

  Fri 20 Mar 2020 C. Dewar-Willox

  Friday, 20 March 2020

   

  Dear Parents,

   

  I am writing with the latest information in regard to how school will operate over the coming weeks. These are uncertain times, but I want to assure you that we will do everything we can to ease the load and to support your children to the very best of our ability.  

   

  When school finishes today, it will remain closed for the foreseeable future for the majority of children. We are putting provision in place for the children of key workers (more on this in a moment). Below, I have outlined the ways in which we aim to do this. I will be honest, I don’t have all the answers at the moment, but we will stay in touch.

   

  Please read the information below carefully and contact us with any questions.

   

  With Best Wishes,

   

  Craig Dewar-Willox

  Headteacher

   

  Staying in Touch:

  Maintaining good communication is key at a time like this. Please can I now update you with our communications procedures:

  • Non-urgent matters and enquiries, including technology support: admin@holmeschool.cumbria.sch.uk
  • Urgent/Emergency matters: 07503 543507

  The school office phone will not be answered after 4pm today.

   

  Home Learning:

  Today, children have been sent home with a book containing some initial information. This includes some recommended websites, some exploration activities, 100 things to do indoors and a recommended daily schedule. For those not in school, that information is on the website and we’ll get the books to you ASAP.

   

  We believe that a routine is vital for children during this time. It’s a great opportunity for family games and lots and lots of reading – we’ve recommended some websites with free e-books on. On the class pages section of the school website we’ve uploaded the recommended reading booklets for each year group.

   

  On Monday, the staff will be finalising plans during our virtual staff meeting and we will be sending out weekly activities on a Monday afternoon.  What you can expect from us during this time:

   

  • A range of activities provided each week, suitable to your child’s age and stage.
  • Some help videos and conference calls for children to sign in and do things together.
  • At least a 1-1 conversation each week about your child’s learning and progress.
  • Contact through class dojo, the school website and via telephone.

   

   

   

  All learning activities will be posted on the school website, in the home learning section:

   

   

  As originally stated, further details on home learning will be shared on Monday.

   

  Laptop Loans:

  Due to home-working and other factors, a number of families are struggling with not having enough/the right devices at home. We have today loaned out a number of our devices to those who identified that they needed it. If you fall into this category now, and want to borrow equipment, let us know and we will make arrangements.

   

  Wellbeing Support:

  We know some children are very anxious and that is likely to continue over the coming weeks. Part of our weekly conversations with children/parents will be to understand how a child is coping and how we can help. Mrs Burton is a trained school counsellor and already works with children – this will continue during this time (albeit remotely) and we are also aware that other children may need support too and we have plans to address any emerging needs.

   

  Money worries and food concerns:

  Sadly, a number of our parents have lost their jobs within the last week. I know people are worried about how they are going to cope. Well, firstly, you are not alone.

   

  Should you need it, I am able to make confidential referrals to a foodbank. The process takes a matter of hours.

   

  We will also be providing supermarket vouchers for those children who are identified as pupil premium – we are currently awaiting details from the government on this scheme. If your financial situation has changed, I’d encourage you to apply for pupil premium funding as this will strengthen our ability to support you in this time. Please email admin@holmeschool.cumbria.sch.uk for information.

   

   

   

   

   

   

  Information for Key Workers

  On Wednesday, I asked parents to email the school office if they believed they were in the category of being a key worker. Since then, we have received some further guidance. If your circumstances have changed please advise us:

   

  Holme Community School will reopen on Monday to support key workers with essential child care, only for those children who absolutely need to attend.  At this point, we are only opening for 1 week, subject to further advice from the local authority who are developing a ‘hub model’ where a smaller number of schools remain open and staff resources are shared across them.

   

  Key Points:

  • School will open at 8.00am and close at 5pm. You can pick up/drop off at any point during that time.
  • Children will need to bring a packed lunch, drinks and snacks - we aren’t sure if we’ll be able to get hold of food yet.
  • Children should wear their school uniform as normal and bring a PE kit.
  • Our childcare provision will be delivered by staff in different roles throughout school.
  • Parents must email admin@holmeschool.cumbria.sch.uk by Sunday at 5pm to confirm which days their child will be in and confirming that you meet the criteria below, including details of your role and the company you work for.

  Please note that self-isolation rules still apply – if any member of the household displays COVID-19 symptoms, all in the home must self-isolate.

  The reason for school closure is to minimise social contact and the spread of the virus. Therefore, “every child who can be cared for safely at home, should be.” Our Key Worker Childcare is to enable specific parents, who have no other alternative provision without this support, to do their part in helping keep essential services going.

  We expect parents to only use this facility when there is no alternative childcare. It is not so that parents can continue normal life, but so essential services can operate.

  If parents try and access this service when they have some form of childcare, for example, a parent working from home, then the service will be unsustainable and collapse completely.

  Please read the government guidance on the next page…

   

   

   

   

   

  Please read the following statement from the Government before emailing the school office to confirm your requirements:

  Please, follow these key principles:
  1. If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
  2. If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical worker, then educational provision will be available for them.
  3. Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.
  4. Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.
  5. Residential special schools, boarding schools and special settings continue to care for children wherever possible.

  If your work is critical to the COVID-19 response, or you work in one of the critical sectors listed below, and you cannot keep your child safe at home then your children will be prioritised for education provision:

  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 distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

  Education and childcare
  This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.

  Key public services
  This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.

  Local and national government
  This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.

  Food and other necessary goods
  This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

  Public safety and national security
  This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.

  Transport
  This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.

  Utilities, communication and financial services
  This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

  If workers think they fall within the critical categories above they should confirm with their employer that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the continuation of this essential public service.

   

   

• COVID-19 - Coronavirus

  Mon 16 Mar 2020 C.Dewar-Willox

  Dear Parents,

   

  I wanted to write to you with an update on the actions that the school is taking in regards to the outbreak of coronavirus.

   

  The situation is changing daily and I know that many of you are concerned about the outbreak and the impact on school. We are constantly taking advice from the Department for Education, Public Health England and a private health and safety consultancy firm.

   

  The government have today announced that we will move from the 'containment' to 'delay' phase of response.

   

  Effective immediately, anybody with a high temperature (37.8 degrees and above), or with a continuous cough must stay at home for seven days.

   

  Please ensure that you report all absences in the normal way to the school office.

   

  At present, schools will remain open across the UK. We are, however, preparing for the possibility of a prolonged school closure in the coming weeks and we are looking at ways to support the education of our children if this occurs.

   

  At Holme Community School, a number of staff members have underlying health conditions and as a result, to minimise the risk, I have taken the decision to cancel the parents' evenings next week. This is not a decision that I have taken lightly, but I hope you understand that at this point bringing lots of extra people in to school does not seem appropriate.

   

  We will be sending out interim reports at the end of this term as normal. Should you wish to speak to your child's class teacher, please arrange a telephone appointment via the school office.

   

  The Department for Education has launched a new helpline for staff, parents and young people and you can contact the helpline as follows:

  Phone: 0800 046 8687
  Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk
  Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)

   

  I will continue to keep you informed of any developments which impact on our school.

   

  Thank you for your support in this matter.

  Craig Dewar-Willox

  Headteacher