This is where you will find all of the information that will keep you up to date with our latest events!

• From Mrs Forde

  Fri 17 Jul 2020

  Dear Parents/ Carers

   

  We hope you are well?

  As you would expect we are busy preparing for the end of the academic year and saying good bye to the children who are in school, alongside planning for September when we looking forward to welcoming all of the children into their new year groups. More detailed information has been sent home explaining the routines for September, as well as a letter from the Local Authority- please contact us if you haven't received this. 

  There is still lots to plan and we would like to thank you in advance for your patience and flexibility- we may need to make some adaptations to routines and systems once we see how they work with all of the children in school.

   

  Farewell to our Year 6 children

  It has been wonderful to welcome groups of year 6 children into school for their transition project over the last few weeks. They have been super as it hasn't been the end of their time at Earlsdon Primary that anyone imagined. They have been incredible year 6 role models,  supportive junior leaders and wonderful ambassadors for our school at sporting events, robotics competitions and on a range of trips and visits including their residential experience at Dol y Moch. We are very proud of everything that they have achieved and wish them every happiness as they embrace all of the new challenges and adventures at their secondary schools.

   

  PTA Pre-Loved uniform sale- Monday 20th July 1pm-3pm

  The PTA have kindly offered to set up a uniform sale for families on Monday afternoon at the front of the school by the library. Please come along and stock up on the uniform you need for September. If you are passing school the PTA will also have a book collection box to gather any reading books that you have had at home during the last few months.

   

  Breakfast and After school club

  Information was sent home this week to all families who use breakfast and/ or after school club, explaining the provisional plans for the Autumn term. To prevent children from different year groups mixing, we are planning to run OSC in the year group classrooms in the first instance. As a result OSC will look and feel very different for the children and we are trying to establish new staff rotas to support this. Please ensure you return the registration forms by Tuesday 21st July to support our planning and to help us ensure that we have adequate staff for each OSC year group bubble.

   

  School reading books and class text

  If you are able to pass by school between 1pm-3pm on Monday afternoon, we would be very grateful if you could drop any school reading books that you have into the book return box next to the PTA pre-loved uniform sale. 

  If however, this isn't a convenient day or time for you, please gather together the school books and safely store them until September. We are hoping that all books will be returned at the beginning of the new term so that we have enough to use as class text and for all of the children to access as they progress through the reading scheme. There will be additional pressures on on the availability of reading books in the Autumn term as we have to set aside the books that are returned for 72 hours before they can go back onto the book shelves- we are keen to ensure that they are all returned so that we don't face book shortages! Thank you for your support.

   

  'Meet the teacher' online sessions

  Thank you to the children and families who were able to access the online transition meetings that were offered this week. We hope the children (and new reception parents) found the sessions useful and we look forward to seeing you all back in school from the beginning of September. If you were unable to attend the online session, the year group PowerPoint presentations are available to access on the school website. 

  An additional email will be sent out over the next few days, outlining the transition day for your child (either 2nd or 3rd September), prior to all of the children returning on Friday 4th September- please look out for this email.

   

  Thank you for your ongoing support during these challenging months.

  We hope you have a relaxing summer.

   

  With best wishes

  Mrs Forde

• A video of our school for the new children starting in September.

  Fri 17 Jul 2020

  We look forward to welcoming our Reception children to school in September and have made a little video for you to share with your child. We hope this gives you a sense of what the classrooms and school is like. 

   

   

   

  https://www.earlsdonprimary.co.uk/foundation-stage/

• PTA uniform sale

  Thu 16 Jul 2020

  Dear Parents & Carers,

   

  As many of us have not had access to the pre-loved uniform rail since lockdown began and our little ones have all grown lots, we wanted to give everyone the chance to buy any uniform needed for September.

   

  We will therefore be holding a pre-loved uniform sale on Monday 20th July from 1-3pm, £1 per item. Find us by the main school gates.

  To keep everyone safe, we will select items of uniform for you in the required size.

  We will have an honesty jar for you to drop money into, so please bring lots of coins along - we will not be able to give change back!

   

  A Book Amnesty box will be available for any school reading books you have finished with. These will be safely returned to the school reading areas, ready for the children in September. 

   

  A huge thank you for all your help and support this year, it hasn't quite gone as planned, but we hope you are all well and wish you a lovely summer break,

   

  Stay safe!

   

  Earsldon Primary School PTA 

   

  

• Meet your NEW TEACHERS

  Thu 16 Jul 2020
  A big thank you to all of the parents and carers that have enabled their children to log on this week to meet their new teachers and teaching staff. For those of you that could not attend or were unable to login, we will endeavour to put up the power points on the new year group class page so that you can share the power point with your child / children. For example, if your child is in Year 5 the power point that they would need would be on the Year 6 Class Page.

• Letter from Mrs Forde

  Thu 16 Jul 2020

  Dear Parents/ Carers

   

  We are planning to be fully opened in September and are looking forward to welcoming the children into their new year groups. This will mean important changes to the school day. It will also mean that we need children, staff and parents to act in a very socially responsible manner to protect our community. Government guidance advocates the reopening of schools but also stresses that minimising the contact between children will offer public health benefits and reduce the network of possible direct transmission. When the children return to school in September, they will be working within class and year group ‘bubbles’. As such, we will need to limit interaction between year groups and prevent the sharing of classrooms and social spaces.

   

  Transition

  School will look and feel very different for the children. They will be working in new learning environments and there will be new expectations, as they will have access to limited areas of school, limited resources and short periods outdoors in a zoned area of the playground.  To support the children’s transition into their new year groups, we will be welcoming them back in smaller groups during the first few days in September. This will provide the opportunity for the children to get to know their new teacher and learn about the new rules and routines, as well as supporting their emotional needs. On Wednesday 2^nd and Thursday 3^rd September, the children will return to school in groups of fifteen before returning as a whole class on Friday 4^th September. You will receive a further email to inform you of the specific transition arrangements for your child.

   

  Start and end of the school day

  In line with the latest government guidance, we will be staggering the start and finish times as this will help keep groups of children apart as they arrive and leave the premises. The approach to the drop off area will be marked to support social distancing. The children will enter school through the Y1 door where they will then follow the one-way system to their classroom. (The Year 2 children will enter school through the blue door at the front of the building.)

  Parents must not enter the school building. Once you have dropped off your son/ daughter you will be asked to follow a one-way system around the school building, across the playground and then exit through the car park.

  At the end of the day collection will also be staggered to support social distancing as outlined below:

  Year 1 – Year 4

  Parents should enter school through the main gate and approach the playground following the social distancing line markings. The children will be waiting in a socially distanced space on the playground. Please be as prompt as possible so we can ensure that all of the children are safely collected and to help us keep groups of children apart.

  Year 5 & Year 6

  To ensure that we are able to manage these very busy points within the school day as safely as possible, we would like to ask parents of year 5 and year 6 children not to enter the school site, but to meet their child in an agreed place close to the school building. The children will be escorted to the car park gate at the end of the school day and they will then walk to the agreed place to meet their adult.

   

  Start and finish times are outlined below:

   

  Year group:	Start of the day:	End of the day:
  Year 1	8.55am	3.05pm
  Year 2	8.55am	3.05pm
  Year 3	8.50am	3.15pm
  Year 4	8.45am	3.10pm
  Year 5	8.50am	3.15pm
  Year 6	8.45am	3.10pm

   

   

  We recognise that these changes may be challenging for some families, however we would like to thank you in advance for your support in helping maintain social distancing on the school site and prevent children mixing during these busy times of the day. We would also like to request that families arrive within their designated time- not too early or too late. If you do arrive earlier to drop off or collect your child, please wait in the local area rather than on the school site.

   

  School office

  The school office will be open but to support social distancing, parents and children should refrain from using the main school entrance and entering the school building. Where possible we would ask that parents ring/email the school as opposed to presenting in person.  If you wish to return any paperwork to school, please post it in the secure black box on the wall by the main entrance.

   

  What should my child bring to school?

  All children should bring a filled water bottle to school – this should be taken home and cleaned each day. They should also bring their coat and a lunch box if required. School bags/ rucksacks will not be required at this time. The children will not be using their lockers or cloakroom areas at the beginning of the new school year, so please help us to ensure that classrooms are as clutter free as possible by sending less equipment into school with your child. Routines will be regularly reviewed and we will contact you when changes are made.

   

  Lunches

  The school kitchen will be preparing lunch, which the children will collect from the canteen and eat in their classroom. We will assume that all of the Key Stage 1 children will have a school lunch, unless you inform us otherwise. If your child is in Key Stage 2, please email the office if you would like to order a school meal. If your child brings a packed lunch, please support us to maintain social distancing by ensuring your son/ daughter can independently open all of the items within their lunch box.

   

  Behaviour

  Following guidance, we have created an addendum to our behaviour policy that stresses the importance of following rules to maintain the safety of all children and adults. A copy of this is available on our website.

   

  School uniform

  We expect children to wear their school uniform and plain black school shoes. Please ensure that all items are clearly labelled. Sweatshirts and cardigans are regularly taken off and left around the school site - they can only be returned to the children if they are clearly labelled. You will receive further information about P.E kits in September.

   

  If your child becomes unwell

  If your child shows any of the key coronavirus symptoms, they must not attend school and parents should ensure that they are tested. If the outcome of the test is positive, the school must be informed.

   

  We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your understanding and flexibility. We recognise that there are many new routines for families to adapt to, but we would also like to stress that precise details might change in response to situations that arise in school and in the community.

  In addition to this information, we have attached a letter for parents from the Local Authority.

   

  We look forward to seeing you all in September.

   

  With best wishes

   

  Mrs R Forde

   

   

• Letter from our LEA

  Thu 16 Jul 2020

  Dear Parents and Carers

   

  Returning to school in September 2020

   

  Over the past few months the circumstances around coronavirus (COVID-19) has been a challenge for everyone: children, young people, parents/carers and school staff. Normal life has been disrupted in a way that most people have never experienced before. There are still many challenges ahead, but we are slowly starting to see some parts of life return to some normality.

   

  The number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases has reduced significantly and so the government has now asked all schools to plan for all children and young people, in all year groups, to return to school from the beginning of the autumn term and so we are planning for schools to open at the start of September.  Please note, that the government will make a final decision on this on 11^th August.

   

  The safety, wellbeing and educational experience for your child is our highest priority and so schools are making detailed plans for welcoming the children back into their environment for September.

   

  Outbreak planning

   

  As part of this planning, Coventry has a city-wide approach for COVID-19 and this includes a clear plan for what happens if an individual child is showing COVID-19 symptoms, or is tested positive, and what happens if more than one pupil in a school has COVID-19 symptoms or is tested as positive.

   

  This planning also sets out specific steps of what would happen if there was an outbreak within a geographical area of Coventry or if there was a wider outbreak across Coventry. The commitment from our schools and from Coventry City Council is that if these circumstances were to arise, that there would be clear communication with you about your child’s attendance at school.  

   

  Your role as a parent - guidance

   

  The government has issued guidance for parents and carers, and so please take a few minutes to read this through: What parents and carers need to know about early years providers, schools and colleges in the autumn term

   

  Your role as a parent – self - responsibility

  As we move to re-opening of schools in September, we must consider the safety of parents as well as children.

  Schools will do all that they can to take responsibility for health and safety measures for the children in their care. Parents must help schools by taking responsibility for their own health and safety.

  We respectfully expect you to take responsibility for yourself at the school gates by social distancing and observing site specific rules.

• Reading over the holidays

  Thu 16 Jul 2020

  This website offers lots of ideas and reading activities for your child/children. 

   

  Click on the left hand tab ' children ' if you scroll down you will find the links for the Summer Challenge and much more.

   

  https://readingagency.org.uk/news/media/reading-together-day-schedule---highlights-announced.html

• Letter from Mrs Forde

  Fri 10 Jul 2020

  Dear Parents/ Carers

   

  We hope you and the children are well? 

   

  Reports and classes for next year

  Hopefully by now most families have received the children's end of year report. If you haven't received them please be reassured that they are on their way.

  We have sent an email this afternoon to inform parents of their child's new class teacher and the children should have already received a Microsoft TEAMs invitation to meet their new teachers and find out about their learning during the new academic year.

   

  Staffing update

  We will be saying farewell to Mrs Bevan who has been teaching and supporting children at Earlsdon for 20 years and to Mrs Hull who has worked at our school as a Teaching Assistant for 15 years. Both Mrs Bevan and Mrs Hull have decided to retire and are looking forward to spending more time with their families.

  Mrs Smith has made the decision to retire from her position as Deputy Headteacher, but will be continuing to work in school to support our curriculum development.

  During the Autumn term, Mrs Dooley and Miss Higgs will continue to support our school improvement in their new role as Deputy Headteachers.

  At the end of the school year we will also be saying farewell to Miss Bottrill who has accepted a teaching position in Italy, to Mrs O'Reilly who will be returning to teach in the English Department at a local secondary school and to Mr Brar who will also be leaving at the end of this term.

   

  Home Learning

  We have received lots of positive feedback this week and are delighted that the children continue to enjoy the range of activities planned for them and that families have appreciated the new planning format. Next week's home learning plans are available on the class pages of the website. We have invited the children to think about transition during their PSHE sessions in school and at home. The reflection PowerPoint, which will be used in school next week,  is also available on the class pages

   

  Summer holiday support

  As you are aware, school will close for all children on Friday 17th July. Support is available for families during the summer holiday through Coventry's Family Hubs- please see the attached flyer. If you would like someone to talk to or to ask for help or advice the phone line is free to call. For more information please access:

  www.coventry.gov.uk/familyhubs or www.coventry.gov.uk/applyearlyhelp

  Coventry City Council Homepage The main home page of Coventry City Council www.coventry.gov.uk

   

  We will be in touch next week with more information about the full opening of school to  all children in September. 

  We hope you have a good weekend and that we all have the opportunity to enjoy some summer sunshine!

   

  Best wishes

   

  Mrs Forde

• New Kids Trail

  Fri 10 Jul 2020
  Mr Wilson our dear friend is at it again. The SENA Kids Trail is back, this time it is based on Old McDonald. This time the farmer has lost a range of animals in the woods, not all farm animals as you will soon discover! Pop along to the woods opposite the Memorial Park to find the trail. Happy hunting! 

  

• Our Human Rights by the children at Earlsdon Primary

  Tue 07 Jul 2020

  The right to play

   

  The right to make up our own mind 

   

  The right to meet with new people 

   

  The right to an education