Archived updates/letters/information
In this section you will find all of the news, updates, letters and information regarding COVID-19 that we published during the initial lockdown period and then during the partial re-opening in June 2020. This is for reference only.
In this section you will find all of the news, updates, letters and information regarding COVID-19 that we published during the initial lockdown period and then during the partial re-opening in June 2020. This is for reference only.
Update: 8th September 2020
Dear Parents and Carers
WELCOME TO THE NEW 2020/21 ACADEMIC YEAR AT GEORGE FENTHAM ENDOWED SCHOOL
We are absolutely delighted to welcome our children back to George Fentham Endowed School at the start of this new academic year. Whilst there have been some significant changes in routines and systems, we have been determined to ensure our children feel safe and happy returning to school. Children and staff are adapting very quickly and our new arrangements to keep everyone safe are working really well.
This year we will need to find new and different ways of working together and some of the events that we would normally hold during the autumn term e.g. Meet the Teacher, Nursery Workshop for Parents/Carers, Harvest Tea, PTFA Disco etc, will not be able to go ahead in the way that they have done before. We will do our very best to keep you updated.
Please see below for COVID 19 updates and some more general updates which we hope you will find useful at the start of term.
COVID 19 UPDATES AND REMINDERS
COVID 19 Symptoms and Testing
Medicines in School
Please note copies of our medicine permission forms are available on our school website.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE PROVIDED SCHOOL WITH ANY EPI-PENS, INHALERS ETC THAT YOUR CHILD REQUIRES IN AN EMERGENCY. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THIS MEDICINE IS IN DATE.
Dietary Requirements / Food Allergies
Punctuality
Birthday Treats
Please be advised our remaining 3 inset days for 2020 / 2021 are:
Mrs J Gaughan
Head Teacher
Dear Parents and Carers
WELCOME TO THE NEW 2020/21 ACADEMIC YEAR AT GEORGE FENTHAM ENDOWED SCHOOL
We are absolutely delighted to welcome our children back to George Fentham Endowed School at the start of this new academic year. Whilst there have been some significant changes in routines and systems, we have been determined to ensure our children feel safe and happy returning to school. Children and staff are adapting very quickly and our new arrangements to keep everyone safe are working really well.
This year we will need to find new and different ways of working together and some of the events that we would normally hold during the autumn term e.g. Meet the Teacher, Nursery Workshop for Parents/Carers, Harvest Tea, PTFA Disco etc, will not be able to go ahead in the way that they have done before. We will do our very best to keep you updated.
Please see below for COVID 19 updates and some more general updates which we hope you will find useful at the start of term.
COVID 19 UPDATES AND REMINDERS
COVID 19 Symptoms and Testing
- Children must not attend school if they are showing any COVID 19 symptoms:
- High temperature This means they feel hot to touch on their chest or back (you do not need to measure their temperature).
- A new, continuous cough. This means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if they usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual).
- A loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell.
- Parents/Careers must inform school of the symptoms immediately. Your child should start self-isolation and access a COVID test.
- If a child becomes unwell with symptoms at school, he/she will be isolated and monitored and Parents/Carers will be contacted immediately to collect their child. Your child should start self-isolation and access a COVID test.
- If your child tests POSITIVE, he/she must stay at home and continue self-isolation for 10 days from the date when his/her symptoms started. After this period, he/she can return to school if 48 hours fever free and feeling well and continue with good hand hygiene. Children may be able to return to school with a mild cough, which can persist for several weeks without being infectious.
- If your child tests NEGATIVE, he/she can return to school once he/she is 48 hours fever free and feeling well. Please email the school office to confirm your child has received a negative result.
- If there are any suspected or confirmed cases at George Fentham, we have detailed procedures in place to deal with this in consultation with Solihull Council and the Health Protection Team in Public Health England.
- Parents/Carers will be immediately informed of any action they or school need to take following a confirmed case of COVID 19. This could include arrangements for children in a particular class to be sent home in order to self-isolate for 14 days.
- If someone living in the same household as your child tests positive for COVID 19 please inform school immediately for further advice.
- In line with all Government and Local Authority guidance each class has now formed its own “Bubble”. Children within their own Bubble can mix but children from different Bubbles cannot mix and must maintain social distancing at all times. We have achieved this through implementing a wide range of new measures which include:
- Staggered start times and finish times.
- Children entering and leaving through different doors.
- Staggered breaks with children staying in their Bubbles and playing in marked zones on the playground.
- Staggered lunchtimes. We now have two completely separate lunch sittings to ensure children from different Bubbles do not mix together.
- Hand washing and hand sanitising are now carefully timetabled across the day for all classes.
- Children are encouraged to use a tissue or elbow to cough or sneeze.
- Tissues should be binned and hands washed or sanitised.
- Classroom windows and classroom doors are kept open to ensure rooms are well ventilated throughout the day.
- It is recommended that all clothes are washed following a day in an educational setting.
- In line with Government and Local Authority guidance classrooms have been reorganised so that, age appropriately, children sit at desks facing forwards. Resources which are difficult to clean have been removed, this includes many soft furnishings and any resources which are shared between Bubbles are cleaned and quarantined for 72 hours before being used by another Bubble.
- We are required to limit items which are sent home and brought back into school. Therefore, from now on all of our communications, where possible, will be sent via ParentPay email or will be posted on our website. Please ensure you keep this email up-to-date.
- Please contact the school office if you require a ParentPay activation letter.
- Over the next week or two we will be assessing children’s reading and issuing them with a book from our new reading scheme. When books are completed they will be quarantined for 72 hours before they are reallocated to another child.
- We are required to remind Parents/Carers that they should not be gathering at the school gates. We understand that this can be tricky, particularly as we are a small school, however, we would ask you to observe 2 metres social distancing between your family and all other families outside school and when you come onsite to drop off or collect your child. Thank you for your support in this matter.
- Parents/Carers should only enter the school building if they have a pre-arranged appointment. Please do not approach members of staff at the start or the end of the day. Instead, we ask that you email or phone the school office and we will arrange for a member of staff to call you back.
- Should you need to drop off or collect something from school please use the outside buzzer to speak to a member of the office staff. If requested to do so, please enter the lobby area and wait at the glass window. We request that only one adult is in the lobby space at any particular time.
Medicines in School
- Please be aware that a medicine permission form must be completed and discussed with a member of the office staff if your child requires any medicine during the school day or whilst on school site for extra activities. It is extremely important that all medicine has the prescription label clearly displayed on the medicine, stating your child’s name, dose and frequency. If this information is displayed on packaging, we will need this packaging to be supplied. This arrangement will also apply for Calpol. Therefore, if your child requires Calpol during the school day, the bottle must have a label with the above details.
Please note copies of our medicine permission forms are available on our school website.
PLEASE ENSURE YOU HAVE PROVIDED SCHOOL WITH ANY EPI-PENS, INHALERS ETC THAT YOUR CHILD REQUIRES IN AN EMERGENCY. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THIS MEDICINE IS IN DATE.
Dietary Requirements / Food Allergies
- Please note it is the responsibility of Parents or Carers to advise the school office, in writing, of any dietary requirements or food allergies for each individual child. Please note this is not required for food preferences but for medical conditions such as allergies or religious beliefs. This information will be stored on the child’s record throughout school.
- For the first half of the autumn term all PE lessons will take place outside. On the day that your child has PE they should come in to school wearing their PE kit. As they will be wearing this all day please ensure they have a plain dark tracksuit or jogging bottoms and their school sweatshirt to wear if the weather is colder. More details will be sent by class teachers later this week.
- At George Fentham Endowed School we place a very high emphasis on the importance of regular and punctual school attendance. To support us to secure good attendance for all of our pupils and to address concerns regarding any child’s poor school attendance and punctuality, we are continuing to work with Central School Attendance and Welfare Service Ltd (CSAWS). Your child may be referred to a CSAWS Attendance and Welfare Officer if his/her attendance and punctuality is causing concern. You may then be contacted by phone or letter to discuss the school's concerns and how attendance and punctuality can be improved.
Punctuality
- It is essential that your child arrives at school and is collected from school at the allocated time. The staggered start allows time for children to enter school, hang up their coats and bags and arrive safely in their classroom before another class enters school, therefore minimising any mixing of Bubbles in the corridors. We are aware that for a small number of families, who have the same drop off or collection times for siblings, this is extremely difficult. We would ask that you do your best but if this becomes a problem please contact the school office for advice.
- As in previous years, every effort is made by staff to only dismiss children to their Parents/Carers. If your child is going home with a different adult, please ensure you inform the class teacher or school office as a matter of urgency.
- It can be extremely challenging to keep track of which children are on the school bus each evening, due to some parents regularly changing arrangements, sometimes at very short notice. Last year we asked for your help to improve communication and we would like to do the same this year.
Birthday Treats
- Previously some Parents/Carers have chosen to send in invitations to give out, sweets or treats for children in the class to celebrate a birthday or other special events. Unfortunately, due to the new COVID 19 restrictions we will be unable to do this for the foreseeable future.
- Please note there has been a small increase to school meal prices from the start of this academic year to £2.20. If your child is in Years 3 to 6 and you would like him/her to have a school lunch you will need to ensure your account is in credit. Please ensure you log on to ParentPay regularly to keep your account up to date.
Please be advised our remaining 3 inset days for 2020 / 2021 are:
- Inset Day 3: Friday 23rd October 2020
- Inset Day 4: Friday 12th February 2020
- Inset Day 5: To be confirmed
- Should you have any worries or concerns regarding any aspect of your child’s education please contact school to arrange a time to talk with us at your earliest opportunity. Our experience shows that it is less worrying or stressful, and much easier to resolve, if issues are dealt with as soon as they arise. We very much look forward to working in partnership with you this year to ensure the very best for your child.
- I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the lovely comments and feedback we have had over the last six months in what has been an incredibly challenging time for us all. I am so proud of the Staff Team who have worked incredibly hard to ensure everything is in place ready for the smooth transition back to school for all children. It has been a real pleasure to see all of our children playing, laughing and learning again. We look forward to a really successful year together!
Mrs J Gaughan
Head Teacher
Update: 14th July 2020
Dear Parents and Carers
RE: Arrangements for September 2020
We hope that the information contained in this letter will help you and your child prepare for the full opening of George Fentham Endowed School from September 2020. A copy has been sent out via Parent Pay email and is also available on our school website.
Teachers 2020/21
In September we will be welcoming Mrs Hodge, our new fulltime Year 3 class teacher to George Fentham. Mrs Hodge is an experienced teacher and is very much looking forward to joining us. Mrs Briggs will be working alongside Mrs Brooker in Year 4 and providing additional cover in school.
Dear Parents and Carers
RE: Arrangements for September 2020
We hope that the information contained in this letter will help you and your child prepare for the full opening of George Fentham Endowed School from September 2020. A copy has been sent out via Parent Pay email and is also available on our school website.
Teachers 2020/21
In September we will be welcoming Mrs Hodge, our new fulltime Year 3 class teacher to George Fentham. Mrs Hodge is an experienced teacher and is very much looking forward to joining us. Mrs Briggs will be working alongside Mrs Brooker in Year 4 and providing additional cover in school.
Start Dates
Staggered Start and Finish Times and Location
From September, Government guidance allows all children to return to school fulltime. In order to do this schools are required to complete a detailed risk assessment and work through a system of controls, adopting a range of protective measures which will effectively reduce risks in school.
One of these protective measures is to minimise contact by keeping groups of children separate. In order to achieve this, we need to introduce a new system of staggered start and finish times for each class of children.
The table below shows our new system. It is critical that children and parents follow this system and arrive and leave school at the allocated times. We ask that only one adult drops off and collects their child to keep the number of adults coming on to site at a minimum.
During the first few days, staff will be available to direct and welcome you to your new drop off and collection locations.
Please ensure you use the times and location for your child’s new 2020/21 Year Group from Thursday 3rd September 2020.
From September, Government guidance allows all children to return to school fulltime. In order to do this schools are required to complete a detailed risk assessment and work through a system of controls, adopting a range of protective measures which will effectively reduce risks in school.
One of these protective measures is to minimise contact by keeping groups of children separate. In order to achieve this, we need to introduce a new system of staggered start and finish times for each class of children.
The table below shows our new system. It is critical that children and parents follow this system and arrive and leave school at the allocated times. We ask that only one adult drops off and collects their child to keep the number of adults coming on to site at a minimum.
During the first few days, staff will be available to direct and welcome you to your new drop off and collection locations.
Please ensure you use the times and location for your child’s new 2020/21 Year Group from Thursday 3rd September 2020.
Staggered Playtime and Lunchtimes
Another protective measure will be the staggering of playtimes and lunchtimes. In the morning children will go out to play either from 10:15 to 10:30 or from 10:45 to 11:00. Each class will have a designated area on the playground to play in. Children from different classes will not be able to mix.
We will be introducing a brand new lunchtime system. From September we will have two completely separate lunch sittings. Reception, Year 1 and 6 will have their lunch from 12:00 to 12:45 and Years 2,3,4, and 5 will have their lunch from 12:45 to 1:30.
Each class will have their own designated tables and space in the hall and on the playground to ensure children from different classes do not mix. Tables will be disinfected between sittings.
Staff will be available to support and guide children through these arrangements so that our new routines and systems are quickly embedded.
We would like to ask for your help in the following ways:
Arrangements Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September 2020
In order to support your child with their successful return to school, we would like the children to have the opportunity to come back together as a whole class and spend time with the class teacher that they know well, in a classroom which is familiar to them. Therefore, for the first two days when children arrive, instead of going to their new class, they will go back to their previous classes. During these two days, staff will focus on welcoming your child back into school, ensuring that they feel safe and happy, introduce new expectations and systems and prepare them for transition to their next class.
Arrangements from Monday 7th September 2020
From Monday 7th September children will continue coming into school and leaving school as they have done in the previous week but will go straight to their new 2020 /2021 classrooms and new teachers.
Reception Children in September 2020
When Reception children come in on Thursday 3rd September, at 8:50, they will go back to their Nursery class for two mornings with Mrs Durkin and Mrs Holder. Parents will need to collect the children at 12:00 in the normal way from Nursery.
From Monday 7th September, we will be implementing our Reception transition programme. This will mean that 15 children will attend on Monday morning and stay for lunch before being collected at 1:30. The other 15 children will do the same on Tuesday.
On Wednesday all children will attend in the morning, stay for lunch and be collected at 1:30.
From Thursday 10th September all Reception children will attend fulltime.
A separate letter will be sent to all parents regarding Reception and Nursery Induction, including further details of induction for brand new children joining Reception and Nursery from September 2020.
Medicines in School
All medicines kept in school must be collected at the end of term from the school office. These will need to be returned to school at the start of term with a new Consent to Administer Medicines Form. This can be found on the school website. Please choose the “About Us” tab, then click on “Statutory Information”, go to our school policies list and find our Administering Medicines In School Policy. The consent form is an appendix at the end of the policy. Please ensure you complete the prescribed medicines and not the over-the-counter medicines form. This must be returned to school with the medicine for your child. Please ensure the medicine you send in has all of the information required printed on the label. We will require this medicine on the first day that your child attends.
Useful Information
Water bottles
Water fountains in school have been turned off. Therefore, it is essential that every child has a water bottle in school which can be refilled throughout the day. Water bottles will need to be taken home and cleaned at the end of every day.
School Uniform
All children should return to school in their full school uniform, including school shoes.
PE Lessons
In line with new guidance, children will need to come in to school in their PE kits on the day that they are doing PE. More information will be sent home in September.
Please ensure your child has the following kit:
School Lunches Years 3 to 6
If you would like your child to have a school lunch, please ensure you credit your child’s Parent Pay account. School lunches cost £2:15 per day.
And Finally….
Whilst we look forward to welcoming back all of our children in September, we are very mindful that school will be different in many ways. Our absolute priority throughout the last 4 months has been to ensure the safety and well-being of our children, staff and families. This will continue next term and we will keep all of our new systems and procedures under constant review. We will inform you immediately if any changes need to be made and we will find new ways of working together.
On behalf of all of the staff, I would like to thank you for your on-going support this year and to send you our very best wishes over the summer.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
Click here to see a copy of the original letter.
Another protective measure will be the staggering of playtimes and lunchtimes. In the morning children will go out to play either from 10:15 to 10:30 or from 10:45 to 11:00. Each class will have a designated area on the playground to play in. Children from different classes will not be able to mix.
We will be introducing a brand new lunchtime system. From September we will have two completely separate lunch sittings. Reception, Year 1 and 6 will have their lunch from 12:00 to 12:45 and Years 2,3,4, and 5 will have their lunch from 12:45 to 1:30.
Each class will have their own designated tables and space in the hall and on the playground to ensure children from different classes do not mix. Tables will be disinfected between sittings.
Staff will be available to support and guide children through these arrangements so that our new routines and systems are quickly embedded.
We would like to ask for your help in the following ways:
- Please help your child to use a knife and fork and to cut their own food. Lunchtime supervisors will be unable to do this in future.
- Please ensure your child’s packed lunch contains a manageable amount of food that your child can eat easily themselves. Lunchtime supervisors will be unable to open packets, containers or cut up food.
Arrangements Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September 2020
In order to support your child with their successful return to school, we would like the children to have the opportunity to come back together as a whole class and spend time with the class teacher that they know well, in a classroom which is familiar to them. Therefore, for the first two days when children arrive, instead of going to their new class, they will go back to their previous classes. During these two days, staff will focus on welcoming your child back into school, ensuring that they feel safe and happy, introduce new expectations and systems and prepare them for transition to their next class.
Arrangements from Monday 7th September 2020
From Monday 7th September children will continue coming into school and leaving school as they have done in the previous week but will go straight to their new 2020 /2021 classrooms and new teachers.
Reception Children in September 2020
When Reception children come in on Thursday 3rd September, at 8:50, they will go back to their Nursery class for two mornings with Mrs Durkin and Mrs Holder. Parents will need to collect the children at 12:00 in the normal way from Nursery.
From Monday 7th September, we will be implementing our Reception transition programme. This will mean that 15 children will attend on Monday morning and stay for lunch before being collected at 1:30. The other 15 children will do the same on Tuesday.
On Wednesday all children will attend in the morning, stay for lunch and be collected at 1:30.
From Thursday 10th September all Reception children will attend fulltime.
A separate letter will be sent to all parents regarding Reception and Nursery Induction, including further details of induction for brand new children joining Reception and Nursery from September 2020.
Medicines in School
All medicines kept in school must be collected at the end of term from the school office. These will need to be returned to school at the start of term with a new Consent to Administer Medicines Form. This can be found on the school website. Please choose the “About Us” tab, then click on “Statutory Information”, go to our school policies list and find our Administering Medicines In School Policy. The consent form is an appendix at the end of the policy. Please ensure you complete the prescribed medicines and not the over-the-counter medicines form. This must be returned to school with the medicine for your child. Please ensure the medicine you send in has all of the information required printed on the label. We will require this medicine on the first day that your child attends.
Useful Information
Water bottles
Water fountains in school have been turned off. Therefore, it is essential that every child has a water bottle in school which can be refilled throughout the day. Water bottles will need to be taken home and cleaned at the end of every day.
School Uniform
All children should return to school in their full school uniform, including school shoes.
PE Lessons
In line with new guidance, children will need to come in to school in their PE kits on the day that they are doing PE. More information will be sent home in September.
Please ensure your child has the following kit:
- white t-shirt, black shorts and trainers
- school jumper, black leggings or joggers to wear over the top of PE kit if the weather is cold or during the rest of the school day.
School Lunches Years 3 to 6
If you would like your child to have a school lunch, please ensure you credit your child’s Parent Pay account. School lunches cost £2:15 per day.
And Finally….
Whilst we look forward to welcoming back all of our children in September, we are very mindful that school will be different in many ways. Our absolute priority throughout the last 4 months has been to ensure the safety and well-being of our children, staff and families. This will continue next term and we will keep all of our new systems and procedures under constant review. We will inform you immediately if any changes need to be made and we will find new ways of working together.
On behalf of all of the staff, I would like to thank you for your on-going support this year and to send you our very best wishes over the summer.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
Click here to see a copy of the original letter.
Update: 9th July 2020
Dear Parents and Careers
RE: End of Term Reports
We are pleased to inform you that your child’s report for 2019/20 has now been completed and is ready for collection. As explained in my previous letter, we have decided not to post reports as we have had some parents who have not received correspondence from us over lock-down and we would not want a document with your child’s personal information to go missing.
Please note reports for children currently in school and for their siblings will be sent home with your child next week. Any reports that are not collected will be securely stored and sent home with your child when he or she returns to school in September. We will only be able to give your child’s report to you, as the parent or carer, unless you email the office directly providing written consent that another adult will collect the report on your behalf.
Arrangements for the collection of reports:
· Reports will be available from the school office on Tuesday 14th, Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th July from 10:00am to 12:00pm and then again from 1:30pm and 2:30pm.
· In order to ensure the safety of our children and staff we ask that you do not come to collect reports at any other time.
· Parents are asked to enter school via the small metal gate and exit via the small wooden gate to ensure a one-way system.
· Please queue outside the main school office door observing social distancing.
· We ask that one adult at a time enters the school.
· A member of staff will hand your child’s report to you through the glass panel. This panel will provide protection for you and our staff member.
Thank you for your support in this matter.
We are currently working hard to ensure we can implement the new Government guidance for the full opening of George Fentham Endowed School from September. I will be sending out details to help you and your child prepare to return at the start of next term at the beginning of next week. This will be done via Parent Pay and details will also be published on our school website.
Yours sincerely
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
Click here to see a copy of the original letter.
Dear Parents and Careers
RE: End of Term Reports
We are pleased to inform you that your child’s report for 2019/20 has now been completed and is ready for collection. As explained in my previous letter, we have decided not to post reports as we have had some parents who have not received correspondence from us over lock-down and we would not want a document with your child’s personal information to go missing.
Please note reports for children currently in school and for their siblings will be sent home with your child next week. Any reports that are not collected will be securely stored and sent home with your child when he or she returns to school in September. We will only be able to give your child’s report to you, as the parent or carer, unless you email the office directly providing written consent that another adult will collect the report on your behalf.
Arrangements for the collection of reports:
· Reports will be available from the school office on Tuesday 14th, Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th July from 10:00am to 12:00pm and then again from 1:30pm and 2:30pm.
· In order to ensure the safety of our children and staff we ask that you do not come to collect reports at any other time.
· Parents are asked to enter school via the small metal gate and exit via the small wooden gate to ensure a one-way system.
· Please queue outside the main school office door observing social distancing.
· We ask that one adult at a time enters the school.
· A member of staff will hand your child’s report to you through the glass panel. This panel will provide protection for you and our staff member.
Thank you for your support in this matter.
We are currently working hard to ensure we can implement the new Government guidance for the full opening of George Fentham Endowed School from September. I will be sending out details to help you and your child prepare to return at the start of next term at the beginning of next week. This will be done via Parent Pay and details will also be published on our school website.
Yours sincerely
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
Click here to see a copy of the original letter.
Update: 6th July 2020
Dear Parents and Carers
RE: End of Term Updates
I thought it would be helpful to provide you with some end of term updates. I hope you find this information useful.
Children in Reception, Year 1, Year 6 and Vulnerable and Key Worker Children
In line with Government guidance we have been able to welcome back children in the above year groups. It has been an absolute pleasure to have these children back in school. They have adapted quickly and easily to our new routines and systems and have really benefitted from the small group teaching. As the weeks have progressed, we have been joined by more children coming into our “Pods” and this has been lovely to see.
Children not attending School
We are incredibly disappointed that we have not been able to welcome every child back to George Fentham this term. However, we know from the engagement through our website, the discussion page and Purple Mash, that so many children have been accessing learning and working hard on the activities set each week by class teachers. We are mindful that every child will have had a very different experience over lockdown and our staff have already started to plan how best to support children when they return to school in September.
Website
This week will be the last week that we are publishing new work on our website. As we would do in school, teachers have been planning opportunities, through the website, to finish the term celebrating and revising previous learning. The work published on 6th July will, therefore, cover the last two weeks of term. We would love to see examples of the work your child has been doing at home, so please encourage your child to choose something they have enjoyed doing and bring that in to share with their class in September.
We do not underestimate how difficult it has been for parents to support children with home learning and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you have done. We would ask that you continue to support your children over the summer by encouraging them to read and engage with learning by revisiting some of the activities on their class website pages.
Year 6 Leavers
There have been many things that we have been unable to do this term including our normal celebrations with Year 6 as they finish their primary education. We have been delighted that so many
of the class have returned and are being well supported as they prepare to make the move to Secondary School. We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our Year 6 continued success in the future. They have been a super class and we hope they will go on to continue to develop all of their many gifts and talents in the months and years ahead.
2019/2020 School Reports
Class teachers have now completed written reports for all children. Having read every single one of those reports, I continue to be incredibly proud of the fantastic children we have at George Fentham School. This year, in line with Government guidance, we will not be including information on attendance or any assessment data.
We have decided not to post reports as we have had some parents who have not received recent correspondence from us and we would not want a document with personal information about your child to go missing. We will, therefore, be arranging opportunities for parents/carers to collect reports from the school office during the final week of term. Reports for children currently in school and for their siblings will be sent home with your child.
Any reports that are not collected will be securely stored and sent home with your child in September. Please note we will only be able to give your child’s report to you as the parent or carer unless you email the office directly and provide written consent that someone else will collect the report on your behalf.
Arrangements for the collection of reports will be sent out next week via Parent Pay email and will also be published on the website.
School Reading Books
Please return any school reading books you have at home. Due to the sudden lockdown we have lots of books missing from our brand new reading scheme and we would like to sort out all of our books ready for September. You can return books via the school office at anytime, there will be a collection box just inside the main door. Alternatively, please bring reading books back to school when you collect your child’s report or send them in with your child if they are currently attending school. Thank you for your help in this matter.
Medicines in School
If your child has any medicine in school e.g. inhaler, epi-pen, please ensure you collect this from the school office before the end of term and check the expiry date. Medicines will need to be sent back in at the start of term in September along with an updated administering medicines form which is available on the school website as an appendix to the Medicines in School Policy.
Staff
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff at George Fentham Endowed School for their hard work and support over the last four months. They have had to adapt quickly to move all learning online, implement brand new routines and systems to enable us to keep school open and through their day-to-day work ensure the safety and well-being of all children whilst continuing to meet their social, emotional and academic needs. Our staff have shown real resilience, positivity and determination and it is a real privilege to work with them.
September 2020
As many of you will have heard, the Government has announced guidance for every child to return to school in September. At George Fentham Endowed School we welcome and fully support this decision. With the guidance only just being published, we will need time to develop new routines and systems to ensure we are following this guidance and meeting all expectations. Realistically there is little time to do this and to then communicate our plans to you before the end of term. However, we will do our absolute best to keep you updated as soon as possible, so that you can make your own plans for September. Again, this will be done via Parent Pay email and through the school website.
Sending my very best wishes to you and your family.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
Click here to see a copy of the original letter.
Dear Parents and Carers
RE: End of Term Updates
I thought it would be helpful to provide you with some end of term updates. I hope you find this information useful.
Children in Reception, Year 1, Year 6 and Vulnerable and Key Worker Children
In line with Government guidance we have been able to welcome back children in the above year groups. It has been an absolute pleasure to have these children back in school. They have adapted quickly and easily to our new routines and systems and have really benefitted from the small group teaching. As the weeks have progressed, we have been joined by more children coming into our “Pods” and this has been lovely to see.
Children not attending School
We are incredibly disappointed that we have not been able to welcome every child back to George Fentham this term. However, we know from the engagement through our website, the discussion page and Purple Mash, that so many children have been accessing learning and working hard on the activities set each week by class teachers. We are mindful that every child will have had a very different experience over lockdown and our staff have already started to plan how best to support children when they return to school in September.
Website
This week will be the last week that we are publishing new work on our website. As we would do in school, teachers have been planning opportunities, through the website, to finish the term celebrating and revising previous learning. The work published on 6th July will, therefore, cover the last two weeks of term. We would love to see examples of the work your child has been doing at home, so please encourage your child to choose something they have enjoyed doing and bring that in to share with their class in September.
We do not underestimate how difficult it has been for parents to support children with home learning and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you have done. We would ask that you continue to support your children over the summer by encouraging them to read and engage with learning by revisiting some of the activities on their class website pages.
Year 6 Leavers
There have been many things that we have been unable to do this term including our normal celebrations with Year 6 as they finish their primary education. We have been delighted that so many
of the class have returned and are being well supported as they prepare to make the move to Secondary School. We would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our Year 6 continued success in the future. They have been a super class and we hope they will go on to continue to develop all of their many gifts and talents in the months and years ahead.
2019/2020 School Reports
Class teachers have now completed written reports for all children. Having read every single one of those reports, I continue to be incredibly proud of the fantastic children we have at George Fentham School. This year, in line with Government guidance, we will not be including information on attendance or any assessment data.
We have decided not to post reports as we have had some parents who have not received recent correspondence from us and we would not want a document with personal information about your child to go missing. We will, therefore, be arranging opportunities for parents/carers to collect reports from the school office during the final week of term. Reports for children currently in school and for their siblings will be sent home with your child.
Any reports that are not collected will be securely stored and sent home with your child in September. Please note we will only be able to give your child’s report to you as the parent or carer unless you email the office directly and provide written consent that someone else will collect the report on your behalf.
Arrangements for the collection of reports will be sent out next week via Parent Pay email and will also be published on the website.
School Reading Books
Please return any school reading books you have at home. Due to the sudden lockdown we have lots of books missing from our brand new reading scheme and we would like to sort out all of our books ready for September. You can return books via the school office at anytime, there will be a collection box just inside the main door. Alternatively, please bring reading books back to school when you collect your child’s report or send them in with your child if they are currently attending school. Thank you for your help in this matter.
Medicines in School
If your child has any medicine in school e.g. inhaler, epi-pen, please ensure you collect this from the school office before the end of term and check the expiry date. Medicines will need to be sent back in at the start of term in September along with an updated administering medicines form which is available on the school website as an appendix to the Medicines in School Policy.
Staff
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the staff at George Fentham Endowed School for their hard work and support over the last four months. They have had to adapt quickly to move all learning online, implement brand new routines and systems to enable us to keep school open and through their day-to-day work ensure the safety and well-being of all children whilst continuing to meet their social, emotional and academic needs. Our staff have shown real resilience, positivity and determination and it is a real privilege to work with them.
September 2020
As many of you will have heard, the Government has announced guidance for every child to return to school in September. At George Fentham Endowed School we welcome and fully support this decision. With the guidance only just being published, we will need time to develop new routines and systems to ensure we are following this guidance and meeting all expectations. Realistically there is little time to do this and to then communicate our plans to you before the end of term. However, we will do our absolute best to keep you updated as soon as possible, so that you can make your own plans for September. Again, this will be done via Parent Pay email and through the school website.
Sending my very best wishes to you and your family.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
Click here to see a copy of the original letter.
Update: 11th June 2020
Dear Parents and Carers
This week we have been delighted to welcome back children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. Whilst we have been open since 23rd March 2020 for our vulnerable and key worker children, this has been a major step and a significant amount of planning and risk assessing has gone into making this possible. Accommodating these year groups in safe “Pods” (or groups of less than 15) and ensuring these Pods do not mix with other Pods has been challenging but with the support of our staff, we have been able to achieve this. It is a joy to see more children in school again and they have immediately adapted to our new routines and systems. We are incredibly proud of them all! We are also grateful for the many positive comments that we have received from parents about this phased return.
The Government’s announcement this week confirmed, under the current guidelines, it will not be possible to have all pupils back in school before the end of the summer term. It has been suggested that schools will be given the flexibility to open for other year groups if they are able to do so. In addition, the Government has also stated that it is expecting all children to return to school from September. I think it is important to stress that, following on from these announcements, all schools are now awaiting further information and guidance from Government before they are able to consider any changes to their current provision. Once we have received this guidance and had time to review it, I will update you on our plans for September. At George Fentham the safety and well-being of our children, staff and families is our absolute priority and all decisions will be made with this in mind.
Although the Government prioritised specific year groups to return to school we believe that every child, in every class, is important and we are incredibly keen to have all of our children back learning in school as soon as it is safe to do so. Until this time, we hope that the work which we are publishing on the website each week provides opportunities for you to continue to support your child’s learning at home and we would like to thank you for all that you are doing.
Please continue to check the website over the summer term for further updates. We will also be writing separately to our new Nursery and Reception parents as soon as we are able to confirm our induction arrangements for September 2020.
Sending my very best wishes to you and your family.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
Dear Parents and Carers
This week we have been delighted to welcome back children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. Whilst we have been open since 23rd March 2020 for our vulnerable and key worker children, this has been a major step and a significant amount of planning and risk assessing has gone into making this possible. Accommodating these year groups in safe “Pods” (or groups of less than 15) and ensuring these Pods do not mix with other Pods has been challenging but with the support of our staff, we have been able to achieve this. It is a joy to see more children in school again and they have immediately adapted to our new routines and systems. We are incredibly proud of them all! We are also grateful for the many positive comments that we have received from parents about this phased return.
The Government’s announcement this week confirmed, under the current guidelines, it will not be possible to have all pupils back in school before the end of the summer term. It has been suggested that schools will be given the flexibility to open for other year groups if they are able to do so. In addition, the Government has also stated that it is expecting all children to return to school from September. I think it is important to stress that, following on from these announcements, all schools are now awaiting further information and guidance from Government before they are able to consider any changes to their current provision. Once we have received this guidance and had time to review it, I will update you on our plans for September. At George Fentham the safety and well-being of our children, staff and families is our absolute priority and all decisions will be made with this in mind.
Although the Government prioritised specific year groups to return to school we believe that every child, in every class, is important and we are incredibly keen to have all of our children back learning in school as soon as it is safe to do so. Until this time, we hope that the work which we are publishing on the website each week provides opportunities for you to continue to support your child’s learning at home and we would like to thank you for all that you are doing.
Please continue to check the website over the summer term for further updates. We will also be writing separately to our new Nursery and Reception parents as soon as we are able to confirm our induction arrangements for September 2020.
Sending my very best wishes to you and your family.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
Update: Monday 8th June 2020
We look forward to welcoming back to school those children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 who have been allocated places in one of our "Pods". Individual arrangements have been confirmed in the letters that were sent out on 2nd June to those families who had confirmed "YES" on our declaration form.
The system for our vulnerable and key worker children will continue with Parents / Carers being required to complete our request form to book places on a fortnightly basis. Due to an increase in demand for places if we do not receive your form we will assume you do not require a place for your child.
In order to keep our children and staff safe, new children will only be admitted into a Pod if there is a space. Any Parent / Carer interested in sending their Reception, Year 1 or Year 6 child back to school after 8th June must email the school office. If we are able to offer your child a place you will be notified and allocated a place from the following Monday.
Our teachers will continue to provide resources to support learning at home. Please see the class links below for further details which will be updated at the start of each week. As all staff are now teaching their allocated Pod, there will be a significant reduction in the amount of time they can plan work for home learning. We will, however, do our absolute best to continue to support all of our children at this very challenging time.
Sending you and your family our very best wishes.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
We look forward to welcoming back to school those children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 who have been allocated places in one of our "Pods". Individual arrangements have been confirmed in the letters that were sent out on 2nd June to those families who had confirmed "YES" on our declaration form.
The system for our vulnerable and key worker children will continue with Parents / Carers being required to complete our request form to book places on a fortnightly basis. Due to an increase in demand for places if we do not receive your form we will assume you do not require a place for your child.
In order to keep our children and staff safe, new children will only be admitted into a Pod if there is a space. Any Parent / Carer interested in sending their Reception, Year 1 or Year 6 child back to school after 8th June must email the school office. If we are able to offer your child a place you will be notified and allocated a place from the following Monday.
Our teachers will continue to provide resources to support learning at home. Please see the class links below for further details which will be updated at the start of each week. As all staff are now teaching their allocated Pod, there will be a significant reduction in the amount of time they can plan work for home learning. We will, however, do our absolute best to continue to support all of our children at this very challenging time.
Sending you and your family our very best wishes.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
A letter from Mrs Gaughan (21/05/2020)
Dear Parents and Carers
RE: Phased Re-Opening of George Fentham Endowed School to Specific Groups of Children
in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6
Further to my letter published on our school website dated 17th May, I am now able to provide you with details regarding the complex plans we are currently developing to welcome more children back to George Fentham Endowed School. At the time of writing, we are still awaiting further Government announcements and Local Authority guidance as to whether or not we can open to specified groups of children during the week beginning 8th June 2020. All of our plans follow published Government advice which has been applied to our own unique school setting. I hope that this information will assist you in making your decision regarding sending your child back to school.
The Government has asked schools to prepare for the phased re-opening to children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. However, it is now recognised that not all schools will be able to open to all identified groups due to the restrictions around spacing, number of classrooms available and staff ratios. Years 2, 3, 4 & 5 children are not included at this stage, although there are plans that these children will potentially be able to return to school before the end of term. We will, of course, keep you updated and will continue to publish work on our school website to support learning.
If you are already listed as a Key Worker or your child is classed as vulnerable and has been attending school throughout the lockdown, he/she will still be able to attend under current arrangements, regardless of which year group he/she is in.
Based on Government guidelines we are now in the process of completing a very detailed and comprehensive risk assessment. It is important to say that whilst it is not possible to eliminate all risk, the following measures are being implemented to reduce any potential risk to a minimum:
· Different year groups will enter and exit the building through different doors or at staggered times.
· A one-way system will be implemented and parents will be advised not to congregate together.
· Visitors will not be allowed into school unless it is by prior agreement with a senior member of staff.
· Lunch and break times will be timetabled for groups of children at different times of the day.
· School will continue to be thoroughly cleaned and extra cleaning will take place.
· Children will be regularly encouraged and timetabled to wash their hands with soap throughout the school day.
· Good respiratory hygiene will be implemented and encouraged.
· Classrooms will be completely re-organised to follow all advice on social distancing.
Whilst we will do our very best to reduce the risk as far as possible, we cannot guarantee that children will comply with social distancing at all times during the day.
· Wherever possible desks will be spaced 2 metres apart, but this will depend on the available space in each classroom and the number of children attending.
· Where children are working at individual desks, they will have their own resources e.g. pencil, ruler, pens so that there is no need for equipment to be shared.
· Resources will not be shared between school and home e.g. reading books.
· Where possible the outdoor areas will be used regularly by small groups of children.
· Resources that the children will be able to use will be strictly limited and those that are used will be cleaned at the end of the day. All soft furnishings, including soft toys, will be removed.
· Movement around school for all children will be limited.
· Class sizes will not exceed 15 children per class.
· Each year group will be organised into two “pods”. Each pod will have a designated classroom and a Teacher or Teaching Assistant.
Please note that this might not be their previous classroom or their previous Teacher or Teaching Assistant.
· Children within each pod will not mix with children from any other pods and, as much as possible, will only have contact with the adult allocated to their pod. However, some staffing changes may need to be made based on staff availability and timetabling challenges.
· Our curriculum will be designed to support children back into school routines and classroom learning and will initially focus on ensuring the children feel safe and anxiety free. We will not be teaching our normal planned summer term curriculum.
· Whilst there is currently no requirement for staff to wear PPE, we will have equipment available for staff if a child becomes ill or requires first aid.
As you can see there are many things to consider to ensure the safety and welfare of children and staff as we move into this next phase. Guidance and advice is updated on a daily basis and we anticipate this will continue over the next few weeks. Our plans, therefore, will be kept under review and modified in light of this.
We recognise that some families will be eager for their children to return to school. For others it will be essential in order for parents and carers to return to work. Other families may not be able to or may choose not to send their children into school for a variety of reasons. Please note that if your child is clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable or lives with someone who falls in to these groups, medical advice must be sought and followed at all times. Please contact the school office if you would like to discuss this further. We respect the needs and wishes of all of our families but please be assured that the safety and well-being of all of our children and staff is our absolute priority as we continue to develop our plans.
Please note, we have been informed that there will be no attendance fines or penalty notices if you decide that you do not wish to send your child to school next half term.
To help us with the next stage of our planning we would like to gauge numbers. Could I therefore ask parents of Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to complete the feedback form on our school website.
PLEASE GO TO OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE AND USE THE CORONAVIRUS UPDATE TAB AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE TO ACCESS THE FEEDBACK FORM ENTITLED ‘INITIAL PHASED RETURN DECLARATION FORM’ AT www.georgefenthamschool.co.uk/initial-phased-return-declaration-form.html
Please respond by Thursday 28th May 2020. If we do not receive feedback from you by this date we will make the assumption, for planning purposes, that you will not be sending your child back to school at this time. Once this feedback has been analysed I will write to you during the week beginning 1st June to confirm which year groups we are able to bring back, the start date and further information to make this transition as successful as possible. A copy of this letter is on our website and is also being posted out to our families in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.
Once school begins to re-open you will need to contact the school office if you decide, at a later date, to send your child back. This is so that we can allocate your child into a “pod” and ensure we do not go over the maximum number of children in each classroom or the maximum number of 15 as advised by the Government. It is critical that this process is adhered to in order to minimise any further risk to children and staff already working in school.
Thank you for your support in this matter.
Sending my very best wishes to you and your families.
Yours sincerely
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
To read a copy of the original letter, please click here.
Dear Parents and Carers
RE: Phased Re-Opening of George Fentham Endowed School to Specific Groups of Children
in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6
Further to my letter published on our school website dated 17th May, I am now able to provide you with details regarding the complex plans we are currently developing to welcome more children back to George Fentham Endowed School. At the time of writing, we are still awaiting further Government announcements and Local Authority guidance as to whether or not we can open to specified groups of children during the week beginning 8th June 2020. All of our plans follow published Government advice which has been applied to our own unique school setting. I hope that this information will assist you in making your decision regarding sending your child back to school.
The Government has asked schools to prepare for the phased re-opening to children in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. However, it is now recognised that not all schools will be able to open to all identified groups due to the restrictions around spacing, number of classrooms available and staff ratios. Years 2, 3, 4 & 5 children are not included at this stage, although there are plans that these children will potentially be able to return to school before the end of term. We will, of course, keep you updated and will continue to publish work on our school website to support learning.
If you are already listed as a Key Worker or your child is classed as vulnerable and has been attending school throughout the lockdown, he/she will still be able to attend under current arrangements, regardless of which year group he/she is in.
Based on Government guidelines we are now in the process of completing a very detailed and comprehensive risk assessment. It is important to say that whilst it is not possible to eliminate all risk, the following measures are being implemented to reduce any potential risk to a minimum:
· Different year groups will enter and exit the building through different doors or at staggered times.
· A one-way system will be implemented and parents will be advised not to congregate together.
· Visitors will not be allowed into school unless it is by prior agreement with a senior member of staff.
· Lunch and break times will be timetabled for groups of children at different times of the day.
· School will continue to be thoroughly cleaned and extra cleaning will take place.
· Children will be regularly encouraged and timetabled to wash their hands with soap throughout the school day.
· Good respiratory hygiene will be implemented and encouraged.
· Classrooms will be completely re-organised to follow all advice on social distancing.
Whilst we will do our very best to reduce the risk as far as possible, we cannot guarantee that children will comply with social distancing at all times during the day.
· Wherever possible desks will be spaced 2 metres apart, but this will depend on the available space in each classroom and the number of children attending.
· Where children are working at individual desks, they will have their own resources e.g. pencil, ruler, pens so that there is no need for equipment to be shared.
· Resources will not be shared between school and home e.g. reading books.
· Where possible the outdoor areas will be used regularly by small groups of children.
· Resources that the children will be able to use will be strictly limited and those that are used will be cleaned at the end of the day. All soft furnishings, including soft toys, will be removed.
· Movement around school for all children will be limited.
· Class sizes will not exceed 15 children per class.
· Each year group will be organised into two “pods”. Each pod will have a designated classroom and a Teacher or Teaching Assistant.
Please note that this might not be their previous classroom or their previous Teacher or Teaching Assistant.
· Children within each pod will not mix with children from any other pods and, as much as possible, will only have contact with the adult allocated to their pod. However, some staffing changes may need to be made based on staff availability and timetabling challenges.
· Our curriculum will be designed to support children back into school routines and classroom learning and will initially focus on ensuring the children feel safe and anxiety free. We will not be teaching our normal planned summer term curriculum.
· Whilst there is currently no requirement for staff to wear PPE, we will have equipment available for staff if a child becomes ill or requires first aid.
As you can see there are many things to consider to ensure the safety and welfare of children and staff as we move into this next phase. Guidance and advice is updated on a daily basis and we anticipate this will continue over the next few weeks. Our plans, therefore, will be kept under review and modified in light of this.
We recognise that some families will be eager for their children to return to school. For others it will be essential in order for parents and carers to return to work. Other families may not be able to or may choose not to send their children into school for a variety of reasons. Please note that if your child is clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable or lives with someone who falls in to these groups, medical advice must be sought and followed at all times. Please contact the school office if you would like to discuss this further. We respect the needs and wishes of all of our families but please be assured that the safety and well-being of all of our children and staff is our absolute priority as we continue to develop our plans.
Please note, we have been informed that there will be no attendance fines or penalty notices if you decide that you do not wish to send your child to school next half term.
To help us with the next stage of our planning we would like to gauge numbers. Could I therefore ask parents of Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 to complete the feedback form on our school website.
PLEASE GO TO OUR SCHOOL WEBSITE AND USE THE CORONAVIRUS UPDATE TAB AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE TO ACCESS THE FEEDBACK FORM ENTITLED ‘INITIAL PHASED RETURN DECLARATION FORM’ AT www.georgefenthamschool.co.uk/initial-phased-return-declaration-form.html
Please respond by Thursday 28th May 2020. If we do not receive feedback from you by this date we will make the assumption, for planning purposes, that you will not be sending your child back to school at this time. Once this feedback has been analysed I will write to you during the week beginning 1st June to confirm which year groups we are able to bring back, the start date and further information to make this transition as successful as possible. A copy of this letter is on our website and is also being posted out to our families in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.
Once school begins to re-open you will need to contact the school office if you decide, at a later date, to send your child back. This is so that we can allocate your child into a “pod” and ensure we do not go over the maximum number of children in each classroom or the maximum number of 15 as advised by the Government. It is critical that this process is adhered to in order to minimise any further risk to children and staff already working in school.
Thank you for your support in this matter.
Sending my very best wishes to you and your families.
Yours sincerely
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
To read a copy of the original letter, please click here.
A letter from Mrs Gaughan (18/05/2020)
Dear Parents and Carers,
RE: PHASED RE-OPENING OF SCHOOLS JUNE 2020
I thought it would be useful to provide you with a short update regarding the re-opening of schools to more children. This continues to be a very challenging time for us all but I would like to reassure you that the safety and well-being of our children, staff and families is our absolute key priority in all decisions we are currently making.
Documentation, information and new guidance from the Government, Solihull Local Authority and Unions regarding re-opening to specific groups of children (Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6) are issued to schools on a daily basis and are being updated at an incredible rate. As many of you will have seen, this has also been discussed and debated extensively in the news over the last few days. There is still great uncertainty and we are expecting more clarification over the coming weeks.
Please see the attached letter (Click here) from Solihull Council which states:
“The government has set an ambition for more pupils to begin to return to school from the 1st June and they have been clear about the priority order of pupils. We anticipate that many schools will need to use that first week in June to ensure they are completely ready for more pupils to attend and some schools may not be able to offer additional places until the week beginning the 8th June.”
I would like to confirm that, in line with Solihull Local Authority guidance, we will not be opening to any additional groups of children on the 1st June. We will be using that week to continue to work with all staff to make the required and very considerable changes to our school environment, curriculum and school routines in order to have everything in place for when children do return. We will provide further dates for specific groups of children to return to school as soon as we are able to do so but anticipate this would be from 8th June. Teachers will continue to ensure your child has access to learning through the website for the week beginning 1st June.
At George Fentham School we have already been working to draft extensive plans to look at how we can meet all of the expectations being placed upon us. Later this week we will be asking the parents and carers of those key year groups to indicate whether or not they will be sending their children back to school once plans are in place. To make this decision you will need as much information as possible which is why we are not asking you to make this decision just yet. We want to share with you what we know and not what we think we know to ensure that you have as much information as possible and are able to make an informed decision. Thank you for your understanding and patience at this time.
Sending my very best wishes to you and your families.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
To read a copy of the original letter, please click here.
Dear Parents and Carers,
RE: PHASED RE-OPENING OF SCHOOLS JUNE 2020
I thought it would be useful to provide you with a short update regarding the re-opening of schools to more children. This continues to be a very challenging time for us all but I would like to reassure you that the safety and well-being of our children, staff and families is our absolute key priority in all decisions we are currently making.
Documentation, information and new guidance from the Government, Solihull Local Authority and Unions regarding re-opening to specific groups of children (Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6) are issued to schools on a daily basis and are being updated at an incredible rate. As many of you will have seen, this has also been discussed and debated extensively in the news over the last few days. There is still great uncertainty and we are expecting more clarification over the coming weeks.
Please see the attached letter (Click here) from Solihull Council which states:
“The government has set an ambition for more pupils to begin to return to school from the 1st June and they have been clear about the priority order of pupils. We anticipate that many schools will need to use that first week in June to ensure they are completely ready for more pupils to attend and some schools may not be able to offer additional places until the week beginning the 8th June.”
I would like to confirm that, in line with Solihull Local Authority guidance, we will not be opening to any additional groups of children on the 1st June. We will be using that week to continue to work with all staff to make the required and very considerable changes to our school environment, curriculum and school routines in order to have everything in place for when children do return. We will provide further dates for specific groups of children to return to school as soon as we are able to do so but anticipate this would be from 8th June. Teachers will continue to ensure your child has access to learning through the website for the week beginning 1st June.
At George Fentham School we have already been working to draft extensive plans to look at how we can meet all of the expectations being placed upon us. Later this week we will be asking the parents and carers of those key year groups to indicate whether or not they will be sending their children back to school once plans are in place. To make this decision you will need as much information as possible which is why we are not asking you to make this decision just yet. We want to share with you what we know and not what we think we know to ensure that you have as much information as possible and are able to make an informed decision. Thank you for your understanding and patience at this time.
Sending my very best wishes to you and your families.
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
To read a copy of the original letter, please click here.
A letter from Mrs Gaughan (11/05/2020)
Dear Children and Parents,
I hope this message finds you and your families safe and well.
The start of term has been a real challenge for us all but I have been delighted to see how many children have been selecting work to do at home from their class pages on our school website. We have all needed to find new ways of working and I am extremely grateful to our staff for their hard work in ensuring weekly learning is well prepared and ready for you at the start of each week. Mr Bass has been publishing work for each class on our website and has been doing a fantastic job keeping this regularly updated! I would also like to say a huge thank you to all parents and carers who have spent time helping you with your learning whilst juggling many other responsibilities.
I am really enjoying reading our class discussion pages and finding out what you have all been doing. This is a lovely opportunity for you to keep in touch with your class teachers and to let us know how you are. We miss you very much and really look forward to welcoming you back to school as soon as we are able to do so.
Like many of you, I listened to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on Sunday evening when he suggested that the Government believes it may be in a position to implement a phased re-opening of schools from 1st June, starting with children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. All schools are now waiting to receive further detailed information, from the Government, about what this means and how this can be achieved safely for all children, families and staff.
Once more information becomes available, we will do all that we can to plan to open school to more children and we will share our plans with you at our earliest opportunity. In the meantime, it is worth just confirming that nothing has currently changed at George Fentham School and that we continue to remain open each day only for our vulnerable children and the children of Key Workers.
As always, please continue to check the website for any school updates and do use our class discussion pages or Purple Mash to keep in touch and to let us know if we can help you with any of the learning activities set.
Sending you all our very best wishes.
Kindest regards
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
To read a copy of the original letter, please click here.
Dear Children and Parents,
I hope this message finds you and your families safe and well.
The start of term has been a real challenge for us all but I have been delighted to see how many children have been selecting work to do at home from their class pages on our school website. We have all needed to find new ways of working and I am extremely grateful to our staff for their hard work in ensuring weekly learning is well prepared and ready for you at the start of each week. Mr Bass has been publishing work for each class on our website and has been doing a fantastic job keeping this regularly updated! I would also like to say a huge thank you to all parents and carers who have spent time helping you with your learning whilst juggling many other responsibilities.
I am really enjoying reading our class discussion pages and finding out what you have all been doing. This is a lovely opportunity for you to keep in touch with your class teachers and to let us know how you are. We miss you very much and really look forward to welcoming you back to school as soon as we are able to do so.
Like many of you, I listened to Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement on Sunday evening when he suggested that the Government believes it may be in a position to implement a phased re-opening of schools from 1st June, starting with children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. All schools are now waiting to receive further detailed information, from the Government, about what this means and how this can be achieved safely for all children, families and staff.
Once more information becomes available, we will do all that we can to plan to open school to more children and we will share our plans with you at our earliest opportunity. In the meantime, it is worth just confirming that nothing has currently changed at George Fentham School and that we continue to remain open each day only for our vulnerable children and the children of Key Workers.
As always, please continue to check the website for any school updates and do use our class discussion pages or Purple Mash to keep in touch and to let us know if we can help you with any of the learning activities set.
Sending you all our very best wishes.
Kindest regards
Mrs J Gaughan
Headteacher
To read a copy of the original letter, please click here.
A letter from Mrs Gaughan (20/04/2020)
Dear Children and Parents
Welcome to the start of the summer term, which is very different to the start of a normal term at George Fentham Endowed School. I hope you and your families are all staying safe and well.
Over Easter your teachers have been working extremely hard to plan new learning activities based on the work you would have been doing in school over the next few weeks. We hope that this helps you to continue your learning journey, through practising your skills and increasing your knowledge. Each week teachers will be providing new challenges and resources, so please check your class pages every Monday for these updates.
As well as continuing with your learning I hope you are managing to use some of your BLP skills at this time. We all need to be resilient, collaborate well with others in our household, persevere if we find things tricky and work independently, if and when possible.
Your teachers have written to you and you will find their letters on your class page. We hope you enjoy reading them and understand how much we are missing you at George Fentham Endowed School.
All of our staff are sending you and your families their very best wishes and look forward to seeing you again as soon as possible.
Kindest regards,
Mrs J Gaughan
Head Teacher
Dear Children and Parents
Welcome to the start of the summer term, which is very different to the start of a normal term at George Fentham Endowed School. I hope you and your families are all staying safe and well.
Over Easter your teachers have been working extremely hard to plan new learning activities based on the work you would have been doing in school over the next few weeks. We hope that this helps you to continue your learning journey, through practising your skills and increasing your knowledge. Each week teachers will be providing new challenges and resources, so please check your class pages every Monday for these updates.
As well as continuing with your learning I hope you are managing to use some of your BLP skills at this time. We all need to be resilient, collaborate well with others in our household, persevere if we find things tricky and work independently, if and when possible.
Your teachers have written to you and you will find their letters on your class page. We hope you enjoy reading them and understand how much we are missing you at George Fentham Endowed School.
All of our staff are sending you and your families their very best wishes and look forward to seeing you again as soon as possible.
Kindest regards,
Mrs J Gaughan
Head Teacher
End of Spring Term Update for Parents (Please read).
On Monday 23rd March 2020, George Fentham Endowed School closed as an educational provider but remains open to support vulnerable children and children of key workers who are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home. Our short-term priority has been to implement a wide range of new procedures and systems to meet, to the very best of our ability, our duty of care to these children, their families and to all our own school staff.
The short time-frame in which schools were required to close, and the uncertainty as to the length of closure, meant that staff worked incredibly hard to ensure that all children had a pack to support them in continuing their learning journey at home. Further to this, the school website was updated to include many links to learning platforms that provide additional content for children and parents to access.
During this initially tricky time, we are extremely grateful to all those parents who have supported us, as we too find our way and develop new systems and processes in order to ensure that we can continue to provide comprehensive support and guidance. Our staff are incredibly conscientious and are currently working to provide daily on-site care for identified children and off-site on a wide range of tasks to support the school and the next phase of our children’s learning. Please do not underestimate what is being asked of our staff and the amazing way that they have risen to every challenge in these very difficult times.
Inevitably, closing all schools has led to an increase in anxiety as parents face the very challenging prospect of trying to provide home-learning activities for their children during this uncertain time. For every parent throughout the country who is feeling that they need more work or guidance from their child's school, there is equally one feeling completely overwhelmed by the fact that there is too much being expected of them. Whilst children receive planned, structured lessons in school, delivered by qualified professionals we would ask that, as parents, you do not put pressure on yourselves to try and replicate this at home. It is important to note, that while our children are at school for approximately 6 hours, they do not receive the same level of direct input during this time that working with them 1:1 at home will provide.
We would, therefore, encourage you to find a balance between continuing with some formal study and making the most of this time with your children. We hope that the packs sent home and the wide range of online educational resources, accessible through your child’s class pages on our website, have been really useful to you. We are currently working hard to develop further educational guidance and resources for you and your children, which we will publish on our website at the start of next term.
Sending you all our very best wishes from the Staff at George Fentham Endowed School.
Mrs J Gaughan
Head Teacher
On Monday 23rd March 2020, George Fentham Endowed School closed as an educational provider but remains open to support vulnerable children and children of key workers who are critical to the Covid-19 response and cannot be safely cared for at home. Our short-term priority has been to implement a wide range of new procedures and systems to meet, to the very best of our ability, our duty of care to these children, their families and to all our own school staff.
The short time-frame in which schools were required to close, and the uncertainty as to the length of closure, meant that staff worked incredibly hard to ensure that all children had a pack to support them in continuing their learning journey at home. Further to this, the school website was updated to include many links to learning platforms that provide additional content for children and parents to access.
During this initially tricky time, we are extremely grateful to all those parents who have supported us, as we too find our way and develop new systems and processes in order to ensure that we can continue to provide comprehensive support and guidance. Our staff are incredibly conscientious and are currently working to provide daily on-site care for identified children and off-site on a wide range of tasks to support the school and the next phase of our children’s learning. Please do not underestimate what is being asked of our staff and the amazing way that they have risen to every challenge in these very difficult times.
Inevitably, closing all schools has led to an increase in anxiety as parents face the very challenging prospect of trying to provide home-learning activities for their children during this uncertain time. For every parent throughout the country who is feeling that they need more work or guidance from their child's school, there is equally one feeling completely overwhelmed by the fact that there is too much being expected of them. Whilst children receive planned, structured lessons in school, delivered by qualified professionals we would ask that, as parents, you do not put pressure on yourselves to try and replicate this at home. It is important to note, that while our children are at school for approximately 6 hours, they do not receive the same level of direct input during this time that working with them 1:1 at home will provide.
We would, therefore, encourage you to find a balance between continuing with some formal study and making the most of this time with your children. We hope that the packs sent home and the wide range of online educational resources, accessible through your child’s class pages on our website, have been really useful to you. We are currently working hard to develop further educational guidance and resources for you and your children, which we will publish on our website at the start of next term.
Sending you all our very best wishes from the Staff at George Fentham Endowed School.
Mrs J Gaughan
Head Teacher
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Please click on one of the links below to be taken to the home page for your child/ren's class. Here you will find additional resources, activities and/or links to support your child during any prolonged school closure.
Nursery
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Reception
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Year 1
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Year 2
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Year 3
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Year 4
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Year 5
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Year 6
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All information contained on this website is available, free of charge, in paper format from the School Office.
© Copyright George Fentham Endowed School.
All rights reserved. Some content is licensed or used by permission of other copyright holders.
© Copyright George Fentham Endowed School.
All rights reserved. Some content is licensed or used by permission of other copyright holders.
