Inglehurst Infant School

                          Summer Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

This has been a very strange and difficult time for everyone.  To those families whose children have been at home during school days, we are very grateful for the way that you have responded to the phone calls from the teachers (which were probably not always at a convenient time for you).  The teachers have loved being able to talk with the children, even if they could not see them in school. The teachers saw some lovely work sent to the class email addresses.  

We know that many of you have been very appreciative of the support given to you by the teachers and Mrs Parker and of the help given by Edwina Osborne, our Family Support worker and Miss Thornber in the school office.

School Reports

The present situation is meaning that getting your child’s school report to you is more challenging than usual. We are working on the safest way to do this so that, hopefully, you will be able to read these soon.

Saying Goodbye to Inglehurst Infant School:

Ms Parsons

I am retiring from Inglehurst Infant School at the end of this term.  I am sorry that I will not be seeing the children to tell them in person.  This is a very strange way to end 13 years as Headteacher and 35 years within schools.  I have loved working with your wonderful Inglehurst children and with such a dedicated and talented staff.  I will miss you, and I wish you all well for the future.

I know the school will be in good hands: Ms Pochin will be the Interim Headteacher for a year and Mrs Rayner will be the Interim Deputy Headteacher (as well as Inclusion Manager).  They also have a strong management team to support them.  

 Kathryn Parsons

Year Two

The year two children will be moving on; we all are sorry not to see you before you move, but look forward to hearing about your achievements in Key Stage Two. Thank you for all the jobs you did around school and very best wishes to you from all of us.

 Hopefully, year two parents have all now contacted the Junior School office, so they can email information to you about the junior school.

Summer Holiday

The school closes to all children on Friday 10^th July and is not open during the summer break.

The Start of the Next School Year is September 1st

In a change to the published dates, we have recently heard that Leicester Schools are not opening to children until the 1^st September.  This so that any necessary preparation can be put in place, as it is thought that this may be the date from which the DFE school return measures are implemented; we don’t know what these will be yet.  We are planning to inform you of the name of your child’s next class and their teacher soon. However, we do not know whether we can open in these classes or if other measures will have to be put in place.

Free School Meals

Do you currently claim any benefits and your child will be in Reception or KS1 next year?  If you have not already done so, please go to https://freeschoolmeals.leicester.gov.uk.  Although all children from Reception upwards at our school can receive a free meal each day, the school receives extra funding (£1,345 per pupil) called the Pupil Premium Grant to help those pupils who are eligible for Free School Meals.  We spend the money on academic and personal, social and emotional support.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Please look at our school website under the tab ‘How to help your child at home’.  There is a section on mental health and wellbeing, with many resources and links to organisations to support families, including, but not solely connected to coronavirus.

National Online Safety

The charity National Online Safety have the aim of making the internet a safer place for children.  They release an online parent guide every Wednesday (#WakeUpWednesday), giving information on a particular app or aspect of the internet, such as age restrictions, parental controls and potential dangers.  Go to https://nationalonlinesafety.com/guides to access these guides.

Health Visitors and the School Nurse team

Parents and carers can continue to contact their Health Visitor, or, if your child is 5 years old or over, the School Nurse team, if you need advice or support by contacting Chat Health on 07520 615381 or by leaving a message on the School Nurse answerphone on 0116 215 3232.  NHS Healthy Together also have a local webpage https://www.healthforkids.co.uk/leicestershire. 

Contact Details

Please remember to communicate any changes to your contact details (e.g., address, telephone numbers and emergency contact numbers) to the school office immediately.  If you have not yet supplied us with an email address, please do so as soon as possible, as we will be using email as a main way of communication with our families.  Teachers will be asking you to check the pick-up list at the beginning of the year for any changes.

Medical Details and Prescribed Medication

If there are any changes to your child’s medical details, you must inform both the school office and your child’s class teacher immediately.  We ask that you bring in a copy of any appointment letters and reports from medical practitioners as soon as you receive them, so that all medical appointments can be authorised.  If you wish to discuss any changes or concerns with your child’s medical needs, please contact the school office to request an appointment with Mrs Rayner.  Please also remember that we can only help to administer prescribed medication, such as an asthma inhaler, eczema cream or epipen.  Before the class teacher can accept any medication, the appropriate forms need to be fully completed.

Online Resources available during the Summer Holidays

If you wish your children to continue learning over the summer holidays, the following online resources will be available:

• BBC Bitesize  https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize
• Oak National Academy  https://www.thenational.academy/
• Oxford Owl  https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/
• White Rose Maths home learning  https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/

     4th June 2020

Please let us know by tomorrow Friday 5^th June at 9:30 AM if you are a Critical Worker and will now be wanting a place for your child to return to school while places are closed for other families.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Firstly I would like to thank you for your patience over the possible ‘wider opening’ of the school which has not been straightforward to sort out. The uncertainty must be very difficult for you.

At the moment we can only offer places to the families of critical workers.

As you may be aware, the government documents for schools, model risk assessments etc. have been revised and added to many times. Assessing our situation and planning for what we can offer has been very difficult particularly for very young children.

Each group of children (15 at most) has to have its own staff, own room and own equipment for inside and outside, without sharing across groups. This has been termed a ‘bubble’. Surfaces are being cleared, equipment removed from rooms and tables moved apart. This has all needed organising for the children already in school and for any future returning group.

Demand for places for the children of critical workers has increased in the last few days.

At the present time we only have enough staff to open one more bubble in addition to those already open.

We therefore urgently need to know whether any more parents/carers whose jobs are on the Critical Workers list are wanting places for their child. Please let us know by tomorrow Friday 5^th June at 9:30 AM if you are a critical worker and will be wanting a place for your child to return to school while places are closed for other families. Your job must be on the critical worker list https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

We will then see if there are any places left that we can offer to the parents/carers of children in Willow, Rowan or Hawthorn classes but there are unlikely to be enough places for everyone who has said that they would like a place.

If your child is in Willow, Rowan or Hawthorn Class and you said that you would like a place when one is available, but have changed your mind, please let us know.

I am very sorry to Parents/Carers of Ashdown Class who said they would like a place as it looks extremely unlikely that we will be able to offer to open any places for your children to return at this time.

I will write again to update you when I know if we have places to offer families.

Yours sincerely,

    Kathryn Parsons

Inglehurst Infant School

Ingle Street, Leicester LE3 9FS Tel. 0116 2622479

e-mail:  office@inglehurst-inf.leicester.sch.uk

Headteacher:  Ms K. Parsons    Chair of Governors:  Mr R. Johnson

22nd May 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach June and the possibility of a wider reopening of the school, we would like to advise you that this will not start on Monday 1^st June.

When the reopening does start the children expected to return first are currently in Nursery and Reception classes. These are children from Ashdown, Hawthorn, Rowan and Willow classes. Parents and carers with children in these classes who have been in touch to advise that they would like their child to return once able to do so, do not have to do anything further.

When we have a firm date in place to allow us to begin the wider opening, we will be in touch with more detailed information.

If your child is in one of the groups that has been attending during the school closure this arrangement will continue but we will no longer be alternating weeks with the Junior School. The last day they can attend the junior school is Monday June 1^st after which the children will attend their own schools. Both schools are closed this week which would have been the half term holiday.

Best wishes to you and your families,

Kathryn Parsons

Friday 15^th May 2020

Deadline 11:00AM Monday 18^th May:

Parents and Carers of Children in the Nursery and Reception Year Groups

 Parents and carers of children in Ashdown, Rowan, Hawthorn and Willow classes need to  let the school know by the deadline of 11:00 AM on Monday 18^th May whether you will or will not  be bringing your child to school if you are offered this in June.

We are needing this information to be able to plan for the smaller groups, high level of staffing etc. Then we can see what we might be able to offer you.

Thank you.

Kathryn Parsons

 14^th May 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

Following on from my letter earlier this week, we have been studying the new information from the government about the possible wider reopening of schools.

We are now aware that, as an Infant School, we are being asked to prioritise Nursery and Reception classes to return first not Reception and Year One as we originally thought.  In our school this would be Ashdown, Hawthorn, Rowan and Willow classes. However, we are not expecting that they would each return as a whole class in their one room. We are looking at how to implement the guidance about smaller groups etc.

The earliest this might happen is the 1^st June.

If your child is in one of the groups that has been attending during the school closure this arrangement will continue.

Many of your questions might be answered using the following document

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/reopening-schools-and-other-educational-settings-from-1-june

I will send out more detailed information when more of our work is complete and we know better what we can offer families. 

In the short term nothing has changed as far as arrangements for schooling is concerned.

My best wishes to you and your families,

Kathryn Parsons

Please note:  At present our school office is only staffed on alternate weeks, the next week being 18^th May 2020, but office emails are checked frequently.

 11^th May 2020

Dear Parents and Carers,

Many of you will have heard the Prime Minister’s statement about a possible return to school for years R and 1 by 1^st June at the earliest.

I am sure that many of you will be keen to know how and when this will happen.

All I can say at the moment is that schools only heard the statement at the same time that you did and are waiting for further detailed guidance from the government. As soon as we have received further information, and been able to work on it, we will update you. There will be a lot to consider.

In the short term nothing has changed as far as arrangements for schooling is concerned.

My best wishes to you and your families,

Kathryn Parsons

Please note:  At present our school office is only staffed on alternate weeks, the next week being 18^th May 2020, but office emails are checked frequently.

30th March 2020:

We are presently working with Inglehurst Junior School to provide the required care for children (as listed below) from both schools. We are opening one building each week.

Inglehurst Junior School is open this week for children from Inglehurst Junior School and Inglehurst Infant School. Inglehurst Junior School’s phone number is 0116 262 4598

We are now closed to most children. If your job is listed as Key worker and you cannot otherwise provide safe care for your child then a place is available in school.

If your child is attending school:

• Please ensure you and your child washes his/her hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before leaving for school
• Ensure the school has the correct phone numbers (two people at least).
• If your child requires emergency medication please ensure this is with them
• If your child attending school develops symptoms or anyone in the household does please do not bring the child to school and please follow the self-isolation guidance and inform the school

If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical worker, then

educational provision will be available for them.

Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.

Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.

List of Key Workers

Health and social care:

This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care

workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and

specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of

the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and

medical and personal protective equipment.

Education and childcare:

This includes childcare, support and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education

professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.

Key public services:

This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and

workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased,

and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.

Local and national government:

This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID19 response, or delivering essential public services, such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arm’s length bodies.

Food and other necessary goods:

This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery, as well

as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary

medicines).

Public safety and national security:

This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces

personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to

the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support

staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and

other national security roles, including those overseas.

Transport:

This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes

operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through

which supply chains pass.

Utilities, communication and financial services:

This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to

workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and

water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and

primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in

the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field

engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal

services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.

If workers think they fall within the critical categories above, they should confirm with their employer

that, based on their business continuity arrangements, their specific role is necessary for the

continuation of this essential public service.