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.

• Your views needed, annual parent survey opens 28th January

  Tue 25 Jan 2022 Clare Haines

  Survey will open Friday 28 January at 8am

  Usually each year we conduct an annual survey to find out parents' views. We weren't able to do this at this time last year as we were in the middle of a school closure due to COVID. Your views are important to us.  We would like to know your thoughts on what we do well and what we could do better. The Governing Board and Senior Leaders will  add your views to our own evaluation enabling us to identify our strengths and areas for improvement.  

   Here is what you said in 2020

  • Parent survey 2020

  The survey should take around 5 minutes to complete, please complete one per family. Click on the link below to get started:

  • Annual parent survey 2022

  The survey will close on Friday 11 February at 10am.

   

• COVID-19: More emerging cases

  Mon 24 Jan 2022 Peter Dunmall

  59 pupils and 4 members of staff have tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 10 days. There are positive cases in 27 of our 30 classes. Over the weekend, emerging cases in classes include:

  • Class RF (Mrs Watts)
  • Class 1P (Miss Tsoukala)
  • Class 1S (Miss Frances-Dottin)
  • Class 3S (Miss Thomas)
  • Class 4F (Mr Lewis)

   

  Mrs Watts, Miss Tsoukala and Miss Thomas are absent from school as a result of suspected or confirmed COVID-19.  Miss Allen is absent from school, recovering from COVID-19.

   

  All other classes have at least one confirmed case, often more, except classes RS (Mr Webb), 2F (Miss Oliver) and 5F (Mr McConnachie) where there are no recorded cases in the last 10 days.

   

  Every available member of staff is now covering classes as a result of teacher absence. Our teacher supply agencies tell us that they have no available staff for this week. If their staff become available, we have first refusal. We may be forced to merge classes to keep all pupils in school.

   

  There are 116 positive cases in pupils or staff since January. In September, for the same number of school days, there were 5 cases. Higher infection now may partly reflect more testing. Nevertheless, we must all continue to take steps to reduce the risk of infection.

   

  Parents please continue to:

  • test your child as much as you can using a lateral flow test, especially in classes where cases are rising;
    • order easy to use nasal tests for home
  • be extra cautious and alert to any changes in your child's health.
    • If you see symptoms of COVID-19, stop sending your child to school and check with a COVID test;
  • use our form to report results of lateral flow and/or PCR tests
    • Fielding COVID notification form
  • wash hands as soon as pupils arrive at home after school.

   

  In school, the government expects us to give pupils their full education face-to-face, including after-school clubs and any additional support. We continue to work under the 'amber' control measures to reduce the risk of infection spreading. 

   

  Hybrid teaching continues for those pupils who are self-isolating at home. Teachers continue to develop their own knowledge and skills. We appreciate all of the kind words and thanks that parents of pupils at home tell us.

  

• School Meal Debt

  Fri 21 Jan 2022 Office

  If your child has a school meal and they are in year 3-6, you must ensure that their school meal account is in credit at all times. Our school caterers have told us there are a number of children with a large debt.
  If you have already created an account with Feeding Hungry Minds, please check the balance to make sure it is in credit. If you haven’t created an account, you can do this through the same website.

   

  Please check your account as soon as possible.
  Thank You

• Keeping your child safe, spotting the signs of abuse

  Thu 20 Jan 2022 Clare Haines

  The government and NSPCC have teamed up together to launch the 'Stop Abuse Together' Campaign.

  The internet watchdog, Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), found that there has been a staggering ‘three-fold’ increase in online child sexual abuse over the past two years. The watchdog investigated 361,000 reports of material possibly linked to online child sexual abuse in 2021, with the greatest increase being of imagery involving seven to 10-year-olds.

  IWF warn that personal devices of young children can be an “open door”, giving predators online access to children who might be on their own, unsupervised in their bedrooms. IWF speculate that the increase in young children being targeted might be due to national lockdowns, meaning more and more young people were spending much of their time online.

  Find out more here:

  • https://stopabusetogether.campaign.gov.uk/

  

• Sharing your child's progress with you, 24 January

  Thu 20 Jan 2022 Clare Haines

  Spring term assessment data will be available on MCAS from 9am on Monday 24th January. Please log in to take a look before your parent consultation meeting on the 31st January or 7th February,

  Find out more here:

  • Assessment at Fielding
  • Spring term assessment update Years 1 - 6
  • Spring term assessment update Nursery and Reception
  • MCAS user guide

  What has your child been learning?

  • Curriculum Years 1 - 6
  • EYFS, Nursery and Reception

• How to access your parent consultation meeting

  Thu 20 Jan 2022 Clare Haines

  Bookings for parent consultation meetings opened on MCAS last Friday. See the link below for more details:

  • News article

  The meetings will take place on Microsoft Teams. Every child at school has their own Microsoft Office account. Your child's class teacher will use Teams and your child's account to see you by video conference.

   

  Before parent consultation appointments

  1. Get started with Microsoft Teams. Skip this, if you already use Teams.
     1. Use a web search to find out more about getting started with Teams on your desktop, portable or mobile device;
     2. or, follow our 'How to video' to get started on a desktop or portable device. 
  2. Use your child's school Microsoft account and login to Teams. Every child has their own account and belongs to a class 'team', managed by their class teacher. Skip this if you have already logged in using your child's account.
     1. Log into Teams to check that everything works for you at home, work or while on the move;
     2. If you've got more than one child, please check each child's account.. 

  Parent consultation appointment day

  1. Log in to Teams using your child's account for your first meeting.
  2. Join the Parent Consultation meeting in Teams from the Calendar icon or from the Posts section. 
  3. Wait in the 'lobby' for the teacher to be ready to see you and join you.
  4. Finish your meeting, leave and log-out. If needed, switch accounts for your next child and repeat, ready for your next child's teacher.

  Behind the scenes, each class teacher has one long meeting running for each morning or evening session. Parents join the meeting using their child's account and wait in a virtual 'lobby' for other parents to finish their meeting. The teacher will know you are there and join you when they are ready. 

• School attendance, COVID and letters to parents!

  Tue 18 Jan 2022 Clare Haines

  As things are slowly returning to ‘normal’ one of our duties as a school is to support your child’s good attendance at school.

   

  The Department for Education (DfE) are clear, attendance at school should be prioritised. There has been too much disruption to schooling over the last two years.

   

  DfE guidance tells us that we must:

  ‘regularly communicate expectations for attendance and punctuality and school performance through your regular channels of communication with staff, pupils and parents’

   

  ‘establish robust escalation procedures which are initiated before absence becomes a problem, for example by: sending letters to parents and carers’

  January 2022

   

  For some families our focus on attendance might be new. As a school we haven’t had a focus on attendance since the start of the pandemic, nearly two years ago. This was because of the constant changes to requirements that have impacted on school life. Now that we are entering a more stable time, every child should attend school regularly, unless they are self-isolating.

   

  This week, in line with our attendance procedures, I sent out letters to parents, reminding them about the importance of attendance at school. I got mixed reviews! Thank you to all of you who engaged in dialogue with me.

   

  We know that events come along in life, children become unwell, medical appointments need to take place. The DfE suggests good attendance is 95%, this allows for these life events. In a school year of 190 days this is around 10 days absence. Attendance that falls below 95% becomes a concern, because it can easily slip to 90%,  just another 9 days absence. This is the equivalent to 1 day in every 2 weeks.

   

  For us, attendance of:

  • 94%-95% is starting to cause a concern.
  • 96-97% is good attendance,
  • over 97% is excellent – this is our target for your child.

   

  To complicate matters, add COVID into the mix and attendance at school begins to plummet. Following public health guidance is important to slow the spread of COVID, so although COVID illness counts towards each pupils overall absence, when we look at attendance we try not to include this. Many pupils who’s attendance has fallen below 95% did not get a letter for this reason. However, if your child has had additional days off – for appointments or other authorised circumstances, I have probably flagged this to you. This is an early intervention, to raise awareness.

   

  Poor attendance at school has a negative impact on learning and friendships, our children have already had too much disruption over the last couple of years.

   

  Some things that surprised parents this week are the types of absence that count towards overall attendance figures. Any absence, authorised or not are non-attendance at school and count towards your child’s overall attendance. There are very few things that don’t count towards this overall attendance figure. If your child is not on the school premises, they are absent from school, whatever the reason.

   

  This includes:

  • Illness, even if you have followed our absence procedures, or we have asked you to collect your child
  • medical appointments (including speech and occupational therapy)
  • authorised leave for exceptional circumstances
  • being late after the registers close
  • your child not wanting to come due to anxiety
  • open days at other schools
  • religious observance
  • exclusions or suspensions
  • remote or hybrid learning at home (not waiting for a PCR test result)
  • COVID isolation (but we take this into consideration before sending out letters)
  • any unauthorised absence

   

  The following do not count towards school attendance figures:

  • isolating while waiting for a PCR result
  • authorised school activity (e.g. trips during the school day with the class, sporting events, school entrance examinations)

   

  We report your child's attendance information to you in two ways:

  • MCAS, if you click ‘more’ in the attendance box, you will be able to see your child’s uptodate attendance, this percentage includes any self-isolation for COVID
  • Annual reports, at the end of the year we report your child’s attendance to you, this will also include any absence for COVID

   

  If you have any worries or concerns about attendance at school please contact Marsha Coppin-Payne, our attendance officer or arrange to speak to your child's class teacher.

   

  Useful links, and more information

  • School attendance guidance, DfE includes the different attendance codes we use (pg. 10-15)
  • Improving school attendance, 6 Jan 2022, DfE
  • School attendance, parent responsibility measures, DfE

  

• COVID-19 Update to testing & isolation rules

  Fri 14 Jan 2022 Clare Haines

  If your child has the main symptoms of COVID-19 you are strongly advised to book a PCR test, however  If your child has already tested positive on a LFD (LFT) test, you no longer need to get this confirmed with a PCR test.

  From Monday 17 January, any period of isolation can end on day six if they have received two negative LFD (LFT tests). These must be take 24 hours apart, day five and then on day 6. If negative isolation can end immediately.  Day '0' is the first day of symptoms or the date of positive test if no symptoms. 

   

• COVID-19: Rising cases

  Fri 14 Jan 2022 Peter Dunmall

  42 pupils and 7 members of staff have tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of this school term. There are positive cases in 20 of our 30 classes. The highest number of cases are:

  • Class 1F (Miss Travis) - 6 cases,
  • Class 4F (Mr Lewis) - 4 cases,
  • Classes 2F (Mrs Oliver), 5S (Miss Watson), 6P (Miss Abed), 6S (Mr Kausar) - 3 cases each.

   

  Another 14 classes have at least 1 case: 1P, 2H, 2P, 2S, 3H, 3S, 4H, 5F, 6H, RH, RP, RS, Nursery (both classes)

   

  Miss Allen and Mrs Keeler, who both work in Class 3H, are unwell and isolating at home with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

   

  Parents please continue to:

  • test your child as much as you can using a lateral flow test, especially in classes where cases are rising;
    • order easy to use nasal tests for home
  • be extra cautious and alert to any changes in your child's health.
    • If you see symptoms of COVID-19, stop sending your child to school and check with a COVID test;
  • use our form to report results of lateral flow and/or PCR tests
    • Fielding COVID notification form
  • wash hands as soon as pupils arrive at home after school.

   

  In school, the government expects us to give pupils their full education face-to-face, including after-school clubs and any additional support. We continue to work under the 'amber' control measures to reduce the risk of infection spreading. 

   

  Hybrid teaching continues for those pupils who are self-isolating at home. Teachers continue to develop their own knowledge and skills. We appreciate all of the kind words and thanks that parents of pupils at home tell us.

  

• PTFA News: We need your thoughts, help, support and donations

  Thu 13 Jan 2022 PTFA

  We’re exploring a number of event ideas to help the PTFA reach our committed £35,000 funding target this year. Of course, that will only be possible if they are well attended and so we’d like to hear your thoughts on attending indoor events while we continue to feel the lasting effects of COVID on society. Please complete our four question survey - we welcome all open and honest feedback and constructive/helpful ideas. The feedback will be shared later in February.  Visit: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BM9MP2B

   

  At our last PTFA meetings on 10 January, we agreed to explore some more great events for our Spring and Summer 2022 terms to help us to achieve our £35,000 target for this school year. Huge thanks to all the parents who joined and provided their ideas, input into our planning and thoughts on how we can continue to be as COVID safe as possible. To get these events up and running, we really need the help of more parents. Would you like to feel more connected to our school? Could you help make our events even better? Can you put your organisational skills or creative flair to use for a good cause? Please do step forward to get involved in these events by contacting the PTFA (fieldingPTFA@gmail.com):

  • 17 Jan – 9 Feb: Collect/Sell fancy dress for Reception Fairy Tale event
  • 21 – 25 March: Secret Gift shop
  • 15-16 May: Fielding Circus
  • Quiz night
  • Comedy night
  • Moving afternoon
  • Minecraft-a-thon

  Separately, we’re running a survey to gauge people’s appetite for indoor vs. virtual or outdoor events, depending on the event. Please do share your opinions. The secret gift shop and circus are the only events we’ve already committed to running and the others will only go ahead if we find volunteers for them. New volunteers are very welcome and we look forward to hearing from you! Survey:  https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/BM9MP2B

   

  Please share your unwanted plastic seed pots and 6-egg crates with Ellie in our kitchen garden, so we can continue to sell eggs to raise money for the PTFA and help teach our little ones about the magic of seed planting. You can leave them on the table under the shelter any day at drop off or pick up.  Our kitchen garden needs donations please