Dear Parents/Carers,

Welcome and Information letter to parents, please click on the link to view.

Welcome Letter and Important Information for Parents

 

Dear Parents,

We are looking forward to the start of the new school year when school opens for all pupils on Thursday 2nd September.

Over the last two years there has been much disruption, but your unwavering support and working with the arrangements over that time has been greatly appreciated.

Following changes in Government Guidelines, we will be making changes to the beginning and end of the school day from September.

We would like pupils to arrive from 8.40am, with all children being in class for the start of the school day at 8.50am. It is essential that all children are in and ready to start the day at that time.

All children are to be dropped off at the gate in line with recent arrangements. We will also supervise the entrance of children to school once they are on the premises.

At the end of the day there will be another change.

Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes will all come out at 3.00pm (this only applies to Reception class after their induction period once the children have settled in and started full time – until that point please follow all previous guidance).

Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 will come out at 3.10pm.

Nursery Times are:

8.45 – 11.45am

12.15 – 3.15pm

This plan is to enable us to provide ‘space’ for all children and families, to enable social distancing and for our youngest children to get used to new routines.

We will monitor carefully how these new arrangements work. As ever, if there are any specific issues arising then please contact me via the school office.

 

Andre Farnell

Head Teacher

Dear Family,

The government has made funds available through its COVID Local Support Grant to support families, by offering additional help towards household costs.

In County Durham, we are again making this support available as vouchers, which you can choose to spend at ASDA, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. As an eligible family, you will receive £80 per child to help you keep the children in your household fed and warm over the coming weeks.

You will receive a link via email which will let you choose which supermarket(s) you want your vouchers for. You can either choose one supermarket or you can split your money across more than one, however, you MUST choose enough vouchers to use the full £80 all at once. Once you have checked out, you will not be able to change your choice

To help you through the process we have also attached a guide and the following information:

Order delivery time
ASDA – 3 working days
Morrisons – 3 working days
Tesco and Sainsburys – 1 working day
Working days are Monday to Friday.

Customer Contact
After an order has been placed, please allow the above timescales for delivery before contacting the Customer Care Team.  Please use the live chat on the redemption site or email if you have an issue.

After placing your order please look for an email from noreply@myglobaloptions.com which will contain your vouchers. This email can often go into your SPAM or TRASH folder so keep an eye on that too. Vouchers can be printed or shown on a mobile device.

If you have any queries or encounter a problem claiming your vouchers, please contact school as soon as possible.

Information for parents July 21

FAQ July 21

On a morning from 8am during term time only, Shildon Alive provide various breakfast items ranging from; home cooked flapjacks to sausage filled breakfast Yorkshire pud, carton of juice and a helping of daily fruit. Call in if you are in a rush or walking past.

Shildon Town Council has been in discussion with Durham County Council since early 2020 regarding the outcome of the condition survey undertaken on the Sunnydale School Site and the future of secondary education in Shildon.   At present no decision has been taken by Durham County Council and Greenfield Community College regarding the future of the Shildon site and in any event there would need to be a formal consultation process undertaken.

The Council is asking as many residents and young people as possible to complete the survey and submit to the Town Council by 15th March, 2021.

Could you please click on the link below to submit your views.

Greenfield Community College Survey (Shildon Sunnydale Campus)

 

Dear Parents & Carers,

On Thursday 4th March, we will be taking part in this year’s World Book Day Celebrations.  This year’s theme is ‘Share a Story.’

At St. John’s, we feel that reading is an extremely important part of our lives for now and in the future.  On Thursday 4th March, children can dress up as their favourite character from a book (if we aren’t back at school we would love to see your pictures) and we will be sharing our favourite books and stories with our friends and staff in school.  We don’t expect parents to go to the expense, or risk of buying a specific costume; non-uniform is fine.  Unfortunately this year we will not be encouraging children to bring their favourite book into school.

To celebrate this important event we will be digitally giving out World Book Day tokens with a value of £1.  The vouchers will be sent via parent mail to every child and can be spent in our book club magazine or at any book shop, by either printing or simply showing your phone.  We would like to encourage as many children as possible to make use of these vouchers.  The World Book Day organisation has also released a series of books for only £1 for children of all ages which are available in book shops and some supermarkets.

We will also be having a World Book Day themed lunch, with our specially designed menu.

As part of our World Book Day celebrations the children in school will have the opportunity to be working with author Adam Bushnell the following week. Some of these sessions will be recorded and broadcast to pupils working at home (unless we are open) so everyone will have the opportunity to take part.

Be aware, as part of World Book Day, your child may be asking YOU about YOUR favourite story or book from your childhood!  Finally, why not take advantage of the cool games on the world book day website.  World Book Day Website

Once again, thank you for your ongoing support.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs N. Pallister
Deputy Headteacher

Please see the following document outlining our remote learning provision.

St. John’s C of E Primary School, Shildon

Remote education provision: information for parents

This information is intended to provide clarity and transparency to pupils and parents or carers about what to expect from remote education, in the event of a National Lockdown or if local restrictions require entire Year Groups to remain at home.

For details of what to expect where individual pupils are self-isolating, please see the final section of this page.

The remote curriculum: what is taught to pupils at home
A pupil’s first day or two of being educated remotely might look different from our standard approach, while we take all necessary actions to prepare for a longer period of remote teaching.

What should my child expect from immediate remote education in the first day or two of pupils being sent home?
Pupils will be sent home with workbooks and resources to support home learning. In the first instance, where possible, we will also aim for pupils to have paper copies of activities to complete.
The resources provided reflect those used by all pupils everyday in school to complete their work. The workbook contains instructions for all pupils and parents to follow for accessing remote learning.
Instructions provide access to our remote learning through TEAMS. Additional passwords for Purple Mash and ActiveLearn are also provided.

Following the first few days of remote education, will my child be taught broadly the same curriculum as they would if they were in school?
·       We teach the same curriculum remotely as we do in school wherever possible and appropriate. However, we have needed to make some adaptations in some subjects where specific resources used in the school would not be available in the home.
·       All of the digital platforms we use are linked closely to the curriculum we teach.

Remote teaching and study time each day

How long can I expect work set by the school to take my child each day?
We expect that remote education (including remote teaching and independent work) will take pupils broadly the following number of hours each day:

Primary school-aged pupils
Early Years (Nursery and Reception): Minimum 3 Hours
Key Stage 1 (Classes Y1 and Y2): Minimum 3 Hours
Key Stage 2 (Classes Y3 to Y6): Minimum 4 Hours

Accessing remote education

How will my child access any online remote education you are providing?
Pupils access on-line lessons through TEAMS. This is a Microsoft application accessed through Outlook.
Pupils will also have access to a Virtual Classroom where they will also be able to link in to other websites and resources to support their home learning. These other sites include:
Purple Mash: Range of curriculum Subjects
Active Learn:  Phonics
Charanga:  Music
(Please note, this is not a complete list)

If my child does not have digital or online access at home, how will you support them to access remote education?
From our previous surveys we recognise that some pupils may not have suitable online access at home. We take the following approaches to support those pupils to access remote education:
·       We will lend laptops or I-pads to pupils, parents or carers. This will be organised by school following contact from the class teacher. Parents will be kept up to date via telephone contact.
·       Parents and carers requiring support for internet connection (for example, routers, dongles or data) are to contact school via telephone for specific guidance and support.
·       Pupils can also access any printed materials needed if they do not have online access or there is a delay in setting up provision. These resources will be provided by the Teachers and can be collected from the School Office via a telephone arrangement.
·       Pupils can submit work to their teachers on-line or record it in their work book or on provided paper copies.

How will my child be taught remotely?
We will use a combination of the following approaches to teach pupils remotely: we recognise that a mixed approach will be required to ensure all pupils are able to access learning appropriate for their age and ability.
·       Recorded teaching: For example, this will be used to deliver the majority of Mathematics Lessons using White Rose mathematics, video/audio recordings made by teachers.
·       Recorded presentations: These will be used to deliver stand-alone activities such as Collective Worship.
·       Commercially available websites supporting the teaching of specific subjects or areas, including video clips or sequences.
·       On-line activities and games: These link to subject specific websites and will be used to supplement or reinforce teaching of key facts.
·       Printed paper packs produced by teachers and support staff will be used to compliment or supplement daily teaching: These will also be utilised more for pupils with additional needs (SEN). (See below)
·       Reading books pupils have at home.
·       Television programmes: predominantly those presented by the BBC.
·       Live teaching may be used where appropriate or necessary.

Engagement and feedback

What are your expectations for my child’s engagement and the support that we as parents and carers should provide at home?
All pupils are required to engage with remote education daily. Suggested timetables are set for each day.
·       Parental support for remote learning is essential, the main focus is on setting routines for all children and enabling them to engage with the learning provided. We recognise the challenges presented by this, especially for families with multiple children across different age groups.

How will you check whether my child is engaging with their work and how will I be informed if there are concerns?
In this section, please set out briefly:
·       We will check pupils’ engagement with remote education on a daily basis through their on-line responses.
·       Access to all sites is also monitored by class teachers. We are able to see through administration systems exactly when and for how long pupils have been logged in to Purple Mash or Active Learn.
·       School will review work through Internal blogs, classroom display boards and secure emails.
·       We will undertake weekly telephone calls home to ensure additional support or issues arising can be addressed as soon as possible. This contact is a supportive process in partnership with pupils and parents however where engagement is a concern members of the Senior Leadership team will support class teachers and call parents to discuss concerns and explore ways to provide further support.

How will you assess my child’s work and progress?
Feedback can take many forms and may not always mean extensive written comments for individual children. For example, whole-class feedback or quizzes marked automatically via digital platforms are also valid and effective methods, amongst many others. Our approach to feeding back on pupil work is as follows:
·       We will use the on-line platforms to assess and provide feed back on pupils’ work.
·       Pupils will receive feedback on their work daily via comments posted on TEAMS.
·       Support for marking and self-assessment will be provided by Teachers.
·       Certain on-line activities will also support individual progress which is also monitored by the teacher.
·       Information on the timings for reviewing and assessing work provided on paper will be subject to variations in-line with safe handling guidelines and timescales linked to individual pupils, groups or class timetable.

Additional support for pupils with particular needs

How will you work with me to help my child who needs additional support from adults at home to access remote education?
We recognise that some pupils, for example some pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), may not be able to access remote education without support from adults at home. We acknowledge the difficulties this may place on families, and we will work with parents and carers to support those pupils in the following ways:
·       Support for remote education for pupils with SEND will be based on the individual needs. This work provided will be produced to support an individual with the specific learning needs identified on their support plan. This work will be overseen by the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCO).
·       Support for younger pupils, for example those in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 will differ from that provided for KS1 and KS2 pupils.

Remote education for self-isolating pupils

Where individual pupils need to self-isolate but the majority of their peer group remains in school, how remote education is provided will likely differ from the approach for whole groups. This is due to the challenges of teaching pupils both at home and in school. This will alter the balance of activities provided by class teachers but not the content.

* Lockdown Update: January 2021

In response to the current lockdown and the priority from Government of school remaining open for vulnerable pupils and key workers means that school is currently open to pupils in every class from Nursery to Year 6, with 25% of all pupils actually in school. Teachers and Teaching Assistants are balancing the delivery of face to face teaching and home learning. This has reduced the ability to deliver ‘live lessons’ but not the overall provision reported.

If my child is not in school because they are self-isolating, how will their remote education differ from the approaches described above?
We are planning to maintain the approach described above for any pupil who is self-isolating. We will work closely with each family to provide the specific support required to ensure their child receives a planned and well-sequenced curriculum with meaningful and ambitious work each day in a number of different subjects, including providing feedback.

National free school meal voucher scheme

Free school meal vouchers of the parents and carers whose children are eligible for benefits-related free school meals, are once again being provided by government. These are to cover the period between 18 January and 12 February (4 weeks).

These gift cards are worth £15 a week per eligible child. For more information please click on the links below.

Free School Meals Parent Carer FAQs

FSM Voucher Scheme – Parent Carer Userguide

What parents and carers need to know about the national free school meals voucher scheme