FROM Thursday 31st December

Durham County Council will be in Tier 4: Stay at Home

Please click on the link below to view the poster more closely.

please click here.

From Wednesday 2nd  December

Durham County Council will be in Tier 3: Very High alert.

Please click on the link below to view the poster more closely.

please click here.

As children across County Durham begin their half-term holiday, a new voucher scheme has been launched to support families who rely on free school meals.

Durham County Council announced it would step in to provide this vital support last week following the House of Commons vote against extending the national school meals scheme to cover school holiday periods.

From today (Monday), parents and carers whose children are eligible for means-tested free school meals will be able to apply for one £15 voucher per child on council’s website at www.durham.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals. After filling in a form, they will then be sent a QR code, which can be redeemed at any PayPoint or Post Office and used to buy food and drink supplies. Residents can find their nearest PayPoint at www.paypoint.com/en-gb/consumers/store-locator or Post Office branch at www.postoffice.co.uk/branch-finder.

Anyone who struggles to access the internet or does not have a device that would support the digital code can call the local authority’s County Durham Together community hub on 03000 260 260. Staff will be on hand from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, to help people with the forms or talk through other options.

The scheme will run throughout this week, but the council will ensure it is extended to cover the Christmas holidays if the Government’s position does not change.

Following investigations of a heating failure, a gas leak has been found. As a result, our Upper School will remain closed on Monday. We hope to reopen on Tuesday. Please visit your Class DoJo for any messages and activities from Year 3-6 class teachers.

‘Teach Your Monster to Read’ is free to download from Wednesday!

This is a not-for-profit app of literacy games which is approved by the government’s DfE ‘Hungry Little Minds’ campaign. If you want to play across a few devices, sign up for a free account at teachyourmonstertoread.com

For your information to know what your child might be having, or to tempt those fussy eaters!
Upper-school-menu
Lower-school-menu

Dear Parent / Carer,

As we approach the final few days before the reopening of school to all classes from Reception to Year 6 on the 3^rd September (Nursery Class will restart on Monday 7^th) can I take this opportunity to remind you of our new start and end times.

Please remember that we have had to make changes to the structure and routines of the school day to ensure we are able to open to all, and run the school across 2 sites, working within 4 distinct bubbles:

• Early years (Nursery and Reception)
• Keystage 1 (Years 1 and 2)
• Lower Keystage 2 (Years 3 and 4)
• Upper Keystage 2 (Years 5 and 6)

These new timings are as near to normal as possible and should remove the congestion of families at the start and end of each day:

Year Group	Drop Off / Start Time	Collection / End Time
Nursery	8.50am	Phase introduction times
Reception	8.50am	Phase introduction times
Year 1	8.45am	2.45pm
Year 2	8.45am	2.45pm
Year 3	8.50am (8.55am start)	3.15pm
Year 4	8.50am (8.55am start)	3.15pm
Year 5	8.45am	3.00pm
Year 6	8.45am	3.00pm

Remember that if a child becomes ill during the school day, we will ask that they are collected immediately and are taken home. If your contact details have changed please ensure you update these with the school office immediately upon reopening.

Should you wish to remind yourselves of the latest government advice for parents/carers it can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/what-parents-and-carers-need-to-know-about-earlyyears-providers-schools-and-colleges-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak/what-parents-andcarers-need-to-know-about-early-years-providers-schools-and-colleges-in-the-autumn-term

A copy of Public Health England’s leaflet ‘Returning to Primary School: what parents need to know’ can be found here: https://coronavirusresources.phe.gov.uk/schools-/resources/parents-leaflets/

Parents and carers have also asked what they can do to support their child’s education and school. The main things you can do are:

• Ask your child how they are feeling about going back to school.
• Give them as much information as possible.
• Encourage them to talk about their worries and contact the school if you require any additional arrangements to support their return.
• Highlight anything to the school in good time.
• Explain to your child what might be different at their school.
• Explain and stress good hygiene and safety arrangements.
• Encourage your child (depending on their age) to take some responsibility for personal hygiene, such as hand washing and using sanitiser, and to be aware of their surroundings.
• Reassure your child that these are to keep them, their teachers and their friends safe.

Finally, I hope you will enjoy the last few days of your Summer Holiday and we look forward to welcoming all our pupils and families back at the end of this week.

Yours sincerely

Mr M A Watson

Head Teacher

Dear Parent / Carer,

As we approach the reopening of school to all classes from Reception to Year 6 on the 3^rd September (Nursery Class will restart on Monday 7^th) I wish to revisit and share some information on routines and procedures with you.

Firstly, we have to recognise that the last few months have been very challenging for all of us and painful for many with the ongoing risk and impact of Covid-19. The running of the school is not exempt from this and therefore, we have had to make changes to the structure and routines of the school day to ensure we are able to open to all, and run the school across 2 sites, working within 4 distinct bubbles:

Early years (Nursery and Reception)

Keystage 1 (Years 1 and 2)

Lower Keystage 2 (Years 3 and 4)

Upper Keystage 2 (Years 5 and 6)

As you read the attached plan you will see that it has been necessary to stagger start and end times (within no more than 15 minutes of our usual daily timings) to increase the safety of all our staff, pupils and families.

The new timings are as near to normal as possible and should help those returning, after such a long absence, to regain a sense of normality. Although the impact of Covid-19 leaves the school far from normal and means some of our usual provision is not possible, or simply not possible at this time as you will see in the attached plan.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure we can provide as safe an environment as possible for our children to learn and play we must also be conscious to the fact that if a positive case is recorded within the school it will mean that the entire bubble will need to self isolate, staff included. Therefore please follow the guidance and routines, including timings as strictly as possible.

Remember that if a child becomes ill during the school day, we will ask that they are collected immediately and are taken home. Children who display Covid-19 type symptoms or children who live with someone who has Covid-19 will not be able to attend school. Isolation and self-isolation rules MUST be followed. If a child or an adult in their bubble is confirmed as having the virus, the whole bubble of 2 classes including the staff working with that bubble, will be sent home immediately to self-isolate in line with Government guidance.

I hope you enjoy the end of your Summer Holiday and look forward to welcoming all our pupils and families back in the coming weeks.

Yours sincerely

Mr M A Watson

Head Teacher

PLEASE CLICK HERE for : Reopening plan and revised start and end times