I am writing to inform you that we now have a small number of parents who have chosen to self-isolate their children due to illness within the household or to protect vulnerable family members. We are not aware of any confirmed cases of coronavirus. We continue to follow the Department for Education and Health’s guidelines and remain open at the current time. We do however, anticipate that schools across the country will be closed in the near future. This is called a Forced Closure.
If you choose to self-isolate your child or following the announcement of a Forced Closure, the only children who will receive a pack of work will be our Year 6 children in preparation for the end of Key Stage Two SATs. The reason for this is that these packs have already been prepared for the Easter Holidays and we have not been informed what will happen with the SATs and therefore we are continuing to prepare our children in the normal way.
If your child is in self-isolation or in the event of a Forced Closure, we would ask that you support your child at home by using the following suggestions and advice:
Nursery
- Share books, stories, nursery rhymes and songs with your child
- Count everyday objects in the home
- Support your child’s development of independent skills such as putting on socks, shoes, coats etc.
Reception
- Revisit and practise their sound and key words which are in their word books
- Read with your child every day and share stories, nursery rhymes and songs
- Storybots is a lovely website for stories age appropriate for our younger children
- Practise counting up to 20 and using these number facts to solve problems
- Use the Numberblocks and Numberjacks website to practise number work
- General games and activities are available on primary games, Top Marks and the Cbeebies websites
- Alphablocks and Jolly Phonics websites also have general activities you can access
Year 1 – Year 6
- Refer to your child’s Planning Jigsaw for the Spring Term which was issued in January and is available on the website
- Read with your child every day
- Ask comprehension questions about what they have read
- Reinforce their times tables (website – Times Tables Rock Stars)
- Practise number bonds at an age appropriate level
- Set your child basic calculations including addition, subtraction, division and multiplication at an age appropriate level
- Practise their phonics and letter sounds
- Practise their handwriting and other fine motor skills
- Practise their spelllings using a range of different strategies
- Look in their homework books at topics they have already covered and re-create questions based on that information and learning objectives
- Your child should be encouraged to complete writing tasks using a range of different text types such as: a newspaper report, diary entry, story, instructions, fact file or reports
- Use websites to support home learning such as Parent Zone, bbc revisewise and bbc bitesize
- There are numerous websites which provide age appropriate games and activities
- A teacher resource called Twinkl has been made available free of charge to the public for the rest of this month to support home learning
- Your child could use ICT or books to research facts about a topic of their choice and could create a fact file or powerpoint presentation
- Remember that exercise and physical activity is an important part of the school timetable and therefore being out and about still constitutes learning
- If your child has a School Support Plan, you could work on the targets and activities detailed on that plan
- You could engage your child in an art or craft activity and there are lots of websites with fantastic ideas for them to get creative using a range of different media
- There are some great ideas on Pintrest for crafting and art activities
Easter Fair and Church Service
Please note that we have taken the difficult decision to cancel our annual Easter Fair and also our Easter Service and Celebration of Music event in St. Thomas’ Church Hall. Thank you to everyone who has donated Easter Eggs, please be reassured that all Easter Eggs will be donated to the Weardale Foodbank in the Church Hall. I would also like to thank those members of The Friends of Stanhope Barrington who have already put so much work into the organisation of this event. The cancellation of this fundraising event will have huge implications and we hope to be able to organise an alternative event once things return to normal.
The Weardale Foodbank
We are extremely concerned about our vulnerable families and although I appreciate that everyone is trying to look after their own families, I am informed that the donations to the foodbank have declined this week as people are hoarding food rather than donating it. Whilst this is totally understandable, I would make a plea that if you can spare anything at all, then please remember those vulnerable families in the Dale and continue to support our local foodbank.
Supporting Vulnerable Families
As you can imagine, we have been asked lots of questions about the implications of a Forced Closure. Our main concern at the moment is the health and safety of our children and families. We are also extremely concerned about those families who are receipt of free school meals and children whose main source of food is via Breakfast Club and School lunches. I have been moved by the number of staff, parents and governors who have offered to come into school to run some sort of packed lunch provision so long as they remain symptom free.
At the current time we are awaiting guidance and advice about whether we can open the school during a Forced Closure to offer such a service. There are also logistical implications in terms of sourcing food and associated costs. Once we receive further guidance on this issue I will make a further announcement. At this stage I just wanted to reassure everyone that we are thinking of contingency plans and provision of support in the event of a Forced Closure.
We understand that this is an incredibly challenging time for everyone however we know that our school is part of a wonderful community and we are confident that we will all support each other through this difficult and unprecedented period.
Thank you all for your understanding and support and I hope that everyone stays safe.
Yours sincerely,
Mr S Myers
Head Teacher
