Keep up to date with all the news happening in the school at the moment. Articles are added during the week. Parents are encouraged to check regularly. Our weekly bulletin, emailed directly to parents, summarises content for the week.

• Coronavirus, COVID-19: Risk of partial school closure increases

  Wed 18 Mar 2020 Peter Dunmall

  We are committed to staying open for as long as possible or until the government tells us to close. Our staff team shares this ambition. However, 27 members of staff from our team of 102, including 10 teachers are not able to work. This means we are just about able to remain fully open because we have reorganised teaching arrangements today.

   

  School staff who are pregnant or have an underlying chronic medical condition have been sent home based on the government's expectations and advice from Ealing Council:

  • Guidance on social distancing and protecting vulnerable adults, 16 March 2020

  School staff who are vulnerable stayed at home very reluctantly, several having cried. According to current guidance, these colleagues, may not be able to return to work for several months.

   

  Rebecca Preston, Chair of Governors; Clare Haines, Deputy Head and I met this morning. We recognise the importance of school staying open to give pupils a sense of stability and normality whilst enabling parents to continue to work. We know that many of our parents hold vital roles, including in the NHS. We want to avoid full closure for as long as possible. We agreed that we might need to partially close the school to some pupils while the rest of the school remains open. If needed, we will close parts of the school by whole age group. 

   

  Our ability to operate is reduced because we have fewer members of staff able to work. There are fewer agency (supply) staff because they may also be vulnerable adults and are no longer working. To remain open:

  • we will combine classes in each age group because pupil numbers are falling each day and to allow us to redeploy teachers to other age groups;
  • pupils may not be taught by their usual teacher;
  • our curriculum offer will be reduced or adjusted, usual timetables are suspended;
  • there is greater emphasis on repeating and over-learning rather than new content so that absent pupils do not get left behind;
  • we may close to age group(s) at short-notice. Where families have children in more than one age group, some pupils may be in school while others are not.

   

  Any decision to close the school, partially or fully, is not taken lightly. I seek views and options from Mrs Haines and other senior leaders before making a recommendation to the local authority and Rebecca Preston to close.

   

  We will publish any closure on Latest News, Twitter (@fieldingprimary), by email to your contact email address(es) and by notification to MyChildAtSchool (MCAS) app on your mobile phone.

   

  Parents should prepare contingency plans for day-care in the event that the school closes or partially closes at short-notice.

• Coronavirus, COVID-19: Social distancing

  Tue 17 Mar 2020 Peter Dunmall

  Yesterday the government announced new social distancing measures along-side their intention to keep schools open. Although closures are likely to be considered at a later stage, Fielding will remain open at this time.  Key points relevant to schools:

  • Stay at home for 14 days if pupils or anyone they live with has a new cough or temperature;
  • Social distancing including avoiding large gatherings and gatherings in smaller public places; avoiding gathering with family and friends.

  Public Health England, Guidance on social distancing, 16 March 2020

   

  There is new advice for schools at this time. This is a fluid situation and the guidance changes daily:

  DfE, PHE, COVID-19: guidance for education settings, updated 16 March 2020

   

  Stay at home for 14 days if pupils or anyone they live with has a new cough or temperature

  It is for parents to decide if a pupils needs to stay at home:

  • If you decide to keep your child at home because they or someone they live with has a new continuous cough and/or temperature, they stay away from school for 14 days.
  • For those families who told us they were self-isolating on Monday, the period of isolation is now 14 days. We do not expect you to return to school early.
  • We will record and authorise all absences for those who stay at home.
  • If a parent decides to return their child to school early, I have no way of stopping them returning to school. I rely on the good sense and good will of our families.
  • If a pupil of member of staff becomes unwell at school, showing a new continuous cough and/or high temperature, we will send them home. While a pupil awaits collection, they will be isolated from others.

   

  Learning and teaching

  We are experiencing much higher than typical absence from school. Some parents are telling us that they are self-isolating. This affects pupils in all age-groups. This means:

  • We are slowing down the amount of new learning so that we reduce the amount needed to catch-up when pupils return to school.
  • We are increasing the amount of repetition and over-learning so that pupils do not fall behind.
  • We are not setting work for home when pupils are absent because we are continuing to teach in school.
  • Over the length of a key-stage and primary education, pupils will cover all curriculum content ready for High School.

   

  Social distancing and school limitations

  Our overarching approach is to focus on our core functions: learning and teaching during the day; childcare and clubs before and after-school, unless providers cancel their club. We are cancelling all other non-essential activities. This means:

  • We will continue to teach pupils in classes because we have no way of reducing the number of pupils to a room. Class sizes in Years 3-6 may increase to cover staff absence while we remain open.
  • We will continue our dining arrangements because we cannot start our service earlier or end it later without lunch becoming breakfast for some or tea for others.
  • We will open the field at break and lunchtimes to increase the amount of space available to pupils.
  • All assemblies for pupils are cancelled to cut the amount of time that pupils gather in large groups.
  • All performance assemblies are cancelled for classes and year groups to cut the gathering of pupils and parents in school.
  • All sports and music events involving pupils from other schools, performance to parents or competition are cancelled. Specialist clubs, choir and music tuition continues.
  • All off-site visits are cancelled to cut the amount of contact that pupils have with others outside of school.
  • All parent and pupil learning together activities are cancelled, for example, Rocket Readers, Homework Club for the younger pupils, Phonics Wednesdays, Number Crunchers, Stay and Play, to cut the gathering of pupils and parents in school.
  • All PTFA events are cancelled until the end of the school year to cut the gathering of friends and family.
  • Residential trips remain under consideration at this time while we research options and cancellation arrangements with our providers.

   

  School remains open

  Some parents and members of staff have become increasingly anxious about pupils and family members who are in vulnerable groups. Some parents have told me that they do not understand why the school has not closed. Others have decided to keep pupils at home to reduce risk. This is a difficult decision because the government has sign-posted that these measures may be in place for many weeks.

   

  Rebecca Preston, Chair of Governors, and I cannot close the school unless there are health and safety reasons to do so. The coronavirus outbreak is unprecedented. The government is telling schools to remain open unless instructed to close.

   

  If too many members of staff decide that they need to stay at home for 14 days, we may become unable to cover classes or supervise pupils safely. Then we may decide to close the school because we are unable to operate safely. This will be a very difficult decision because it will be hard to know when we will be able to open again.

   

  We will publish any closure on Latest News, Twitter (@fieldingprimary), by email to your contact email address(es) and by notification to MyChildAtSchool (MCAS) app on your mobile phone.

   

  Parents should begin to make contingency arrangements for day-care in the event that the school closes, including at short-notice.

• Marathon Runner brings PTFA Reading Fund to £4,738

  Mon 16 Mar 2020

  A huge thank you to all those parents who have donated to the Recommended Reading Fund over the past nine months.  We are very grateful to have had a £742 contribution from one parent in Reception, Alejandra Almeida, who ran the Vitality Big Half Marathon two weeks ago.  Well done on completing the course and for donating the money raised. This brings the total to £4,738 - just £262 short of our £5,000 target.

  We'd also like to thank Blair Traynor, whom many of you will know for organising our Christmas and Summer Fair Raffles.  Blair donated £2,000 at the start of this campaign in June 2019.  We are incredibly grateful for his continued support.

  The book fund is due to close this week and money transferred across to the school.  This follows consultation with parents and the school management.  There is still a few days to donate (https://www.paypal.com/pools/c/8gmxwZI8ZG), however we also realise that in these uncertain times parents will have other priorities.  

  Your help and support for the PTFA has been is greatly appreciated.

• Sports competition events postponed

  Mon 16 Mar 2020 Dan Thomas

  Event organisers postpone inter-school sports events. Due to the current situation in the country regarding coronavirus, all sporting events that we were due to attend in the coming weeks have been postponed. Reasons given for postponement include, some schools withdrawing from competition, difficulties providing staff for events and the health and welfare of all those involved in the events.

   

  The following events which we were due to attend have now been postponed. No rearranged dates have been given at this point.

   

  • Years 3 & 4, Featherstone School Sport Partnership, Gymnastics on Thursday 19th March.
  • Year 5, NHEHS, Netball on Tuesday 24th March
  • Years 5 & 6, London Youth Games, Tag Rugby on Thursday 26th March
  • Years 5 & 6 Featherstone School Sport Partnership, Gymnastics on Friday 27th March.

   

  We do not currently have any information regarding sport events after the Easter break and will share that information when we have it.

• Screen time. Top tips for parents

  Mon 16 Mar 2020 Clare Haines

  Screen time tips for parents:

  • 6 top tips for parents 
  • Screen time guidance for parents and carers of younger children

  

• Coronavirus, COVID-19: Stay at home advice

  Fri 13 Mar 2020 Peter Dunmall

  We continue to follow government advice about coronavirus, COVID-19. The government's advice to everyone including schools changed on Thursday. Key changes:

  • Schools to remain open and not close unless directed to do so.
  • Pupils or staff with a high temperature or continuous cough to stay at home for 7 days.
  • Advice to schools, including about travellers returning to the UK and confirmed cases of COVID-19 has been updated.

   

  The importance of good personal hygiene, including regular hand-washing, to prevent the spread of infection continues to be stressed.

   

  The government wants schools to remain open and not close unless directed to do so.  School trips abroad are recommended to be cancelled. We will continue 'business as usual' including all off-site trips, childcare, clubs and activities. For off-site trips, parents may withdraw consent for pupils to take part. We will respect your wishes. Pupils not taking part in off-site activities will remain in school in a different class. Our Year 6 residential trip to France takes place in July. It is too soon to take any decision about this trip.

   

  The government expects pupils or staff with a high temperature or continuous cough to stay at home:

  • Public Heath England, Stay at home: guidance for people with confirmed or possible coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.
  • It is for parents to decide if pupils need to stay at home.
  • If you decide your child needs to stay at home, tell us. Absence from school will be authorised.
  • Individual members of staff will also need to decide if they need to stay at home.

   

  Advice to schools including about travellers returning to the UK and confirmed cases of COVID-19 has been updated:

  • DfE PHE Guidance to educational settings about COVID-19
  • It is for parents to decide if pupils need to stay at home.
  • If you decide your child needs to stay at home, tell us. Absence from school will be authorised.

   

  We may experience more members of staff needing to stay at home. This may put pressure on our ability to operate normally. It has already become harder to find agency (supply) teachers to cover day-to-day teacher absence. The government wants schools to stay open. This means teaching and cover of main classes is our priority:

  • we will use agency staff wherever possible but it might not be the same person covering a class every day;
  • class sizes for Reception, Year 1 & 2 cannot be increased above 30 pupil by law;
  • class sizes for Years 3,4,5 & 6 may increase to split classes where teachers are absent. This might be longer than typical;
  • we will cover classes using our own 2 cover supervisors or 3 Higher Level Teaching Assistants. Small group and support teaching by HLTA's will be swapped in favour of covering main class teaching;
  • class based leaders' release from class will be swapped in favour of covering main class teaching;
  • teaching of PE, French and Music by specialist, non-class based teachers, will be dropped in favour of main class teaching.

   

  There is much speculation about the closure of schools in the media. I do not want to add to that speculation. I will write again if the government directs schools to close when the details and expectations of any closure are known.

   

  Our business as usual approach applies to Nursery and childcare, including during school holidays. These services remain open unless we are told to close them. We will follow the government's spirit of supporting as many people as possible financially during the coronavirus outbreak. Therefore we will refund any childcare bookings or Nursery top-up fees if we are forced to close.

   

  Like me, you will hear about different schools taking different approaches, for example, cancelling parent consultation meetings, suspending off-site trips or even banning parents from the playground at drop-off and collection. We have not been advised to do any of these things.

   

  I will write again when government advice changes.

• Hearing Dogs For The Deaf - 1st April

  Thu 12 Mar 2020

  Each year, we ask our children to choose three charities they would like to support. We choose one local, one national and one global charity to support throughout the school year. This year’s national charity that the children chose to support is Hearing Dogs for Deaf People. This charity works to train dogs to allow deaf people to access things (including live-saving alarms) that many hearing people often take for granted. The dogs that they train also work to reduce isolation and provide companionship for deaf people who are at risk from loneliness.

   

  On Wednesday 1st April, children are invited to dress up as a dog for the day to raise awareness of this charity. Children are welcome to wear their usual uniform with a dog-related accessory or something more elaborate.

   

  We are asking for a small monetary contribution on behalf of the charity, allowing it to continue its important work. Fielding is also in contact with Guinness World Records to see if we would qualify for a record attempt. As yet, Fielding has not received any more information, however, we will keep you updated if a record attempt is possible.

   

  Thank you.

• Be Digisafe - 3 reasons why its worth having that online-safety chat

  Thu 12 Mar 2020 Clare Haines
  

• Childcare Easter Holiday Club

  Thu 12 Mar 2020

  The Easter holiday is heading our way so it’s time to make plans for the children to stay happy, energised and engaged. No plan, no problem our amazing play workers are here and ready to make sure the children are all the above and so much more.

  As usual we have prepared an egg-normous range of interesting activities and trips to keep your children egg-cited. Reflecting on our previous popular and successful trips, you will be pleased to know that the Hounslow Urban Farm and Northala Fields will again be part of the programme. The Urban farm provides the perfect setting for children to interact with a variety of animals: from mini beasts to larger animals including cattle and boa constrictors. Professional and friendly staff will be present to educate and support the children throughout their journey.

  Our second week starts with a visit to Gunnersbury Museum and adventure zone. This historical treasure will provide wonderful environment for the children to learn new skills during the printing workshop and explore in free play using the parks equipment and natural resources. Then it is off to the cinema on Thursday, time to relax, escape and giggle with friends as we watch the latest movie on the big screen with popcorn. 

  For the non-trip days, there will be an abundance of exciting, cooking and messy play to keep your child happy and occupied. There will be cooking, team games, science experiments and an Easter egg hunt to name just a few. Children in Holiday club will have access to all areas of fielding for outdoor play, including the pirate ship, fielding forest, climbing frames and an opportunity to care for the chickens.

  Why not let your children enjoy the big play date, just a reminder trip days are super popular so book today to avoid disappoint.

   

  Please do be careful when booking sessions, as we are unable to cancel, swap days or refund once holiday club bookings are made. ​

• PTFA Secret Gift Shop Online Sales Closing on Sunday

  Wed 11 Mar 2020

  Give your child the chance to pick a gift for someone they love and raise funds for our wonderful school.

  Situated outside the main hall at the Wyndham Road gate between Monday 16th March to Thursday 19th March from 3.30 - 4pm for all years from Reception to Year 6.

  Special arrangements for children in after school club in the Main Hall available, and for those in Nursery - please follow the link below for more info.

  All gifts are £5 each and come individually wrapped.

  The shop was very popular last year and we only have limited stock so please book your tickets in advance at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/fieldingptfa/344737 

  After Sunday 15 March, it will be cash only on the day until stocks last.