Mental Health Week 1

 

This week is Mental Health awareness Week (10^th -16^th  May), children and families in County Durham are being encouraged to talk more about mental health. The theme is around “nature” and the Emotional Health and Resilience team for Growing Healthy County Durham led by Claire Birks and with Durham’s digital lead Hayley Agnew are working with the community over our social media pages and sharing with schools (sharing presentations) to help children and young people talk more about their feelings, focusing on nature and our surroundings.

The Emotional Health and Resilience Team, said: “It is so important the community in County Durham, as in all communities across the county, can talk about mental health so that talking about emotional health is normalised no one is embarrassed about how they feel as this is as important as our physical health and no more has this been tested throughout the pandemic.

We know taking in nature and getting outside promotes good mental health and physical health and has been so important over the last year or so. So this week, and at all times in our work, we are promoting the importance of connecting, being active, taking notice, keep learning and giving.

The team are posting each day on social media and are running a competition for our children around sharing pictures that focus on nature that could brighten  up someone’s day this encourages talking about the images and appreciating the things around us and generally talking.

Many Thanks From the Emotional Health and Resilience Team

Mon 10^th May-Thur 13^th May- KS1/KS2 SATs (Teacher Assessment)

 

Fri 14th May- Archery Taster Day

 

Tue 18th May-Class Bubble School Photographs

 

Fri 28^th May-End of Summer Half Term

 

Mon 7th June- Children return to school

 

Fri 11^th June-  New Reception Starters for Sep 2021 Parents Meeting

 

W/B Mon 7^th June- Year 1 Phonics Screening Tests and Y4 Multiplication Check (Teacher Assessment)

 

Tue 22nd June- Sports Day. (If Government Guidelines Permit)

 

 

Wed 30th June- Class Swap Day. (If Government Guidelines Permit)

 

 

 

Thur 8^th July- Class 1 Performance of Jack and the Beanstalk for parents/carers of Class 1 only. (If Government Guidelines Permit)

 

 

Fri 9^th July- Class 4’s performance of WOW! What a Year! for parents/carers of        Class 4 only. (If Government Guidelines Permit)

 

 

Fri 9^th July- Times Table Rockstar Day

 

Fri 9^th July- End of Year Reports sent out to Parents/Carers

 

Mon 12^th July- Parents Open Evening 2-5pm (If Government Guidelines Permit)

 

Thur 15^th July- Y6 Leavers assembly. (If Government Guidelines Permit)

Y6 Prom

 

 

Fri 16^th July- Outdoor Picnic with Parents/Carers and Celebration of Mrs Shaw’s Retirement. (If Government Guidelines Permit)

End of Summer Term

 

Thur 2nd Sep- Children return to school

 

Further letters/details will follow about each event

Foster Care Fortnight 10 – 23 May DOWNLOAD

Online Safety Update April 21

 

One of the side effects of lockdown has been the increased use of technology.  Most children have really benefited from this when in lockdown but unfortunately sometimes it can go wrong. The misuse of technology that some primary aged children have experienced includes, bullying, fraud and child abuse.  We now need parents to take an active role in keeping their children safe in the online world, just as they would in real life!

The best way of protecting your children is to talk with them about how they use technology, find out about the apps, websites and games they use and make sure they can share any worries they have with you.  Both the net-aware and internetmatters.org websites are full of helpful advice.

As a school we take online safety very seriously and children are taught about keeping safe throughout their time in school, so they develop the skills and resilience needed to keep themselves safe on line.  We should remember that they are still children, they will make mistakes and they will need your support not only to stay safe but to grow and flourish both online and offline.

Below we have listed five useful websites to help support your child staying safe.  Please take some time to talk to your children and find out more on the websites below.  Parents and carers are also welcome to discuss issues and get support from the school – we will help.

 

Website	Comment
www.internetmatters.org	Really useful website covering parental controls, apps and all aspects of supporting parents with technology.
www.net-aware.org.uk	Great website for parents, written by the NSPCC that explains about individual apps and the safety measures they have in place for children
https://www.childline.org.uk	The website for children to get support themselves
https://www.ltai.info	Support with radicalisation
https://www.getsafeonline.org	More for parents – this site explains how to protect yourself against online fraud – which is an increasing problem.

Article 29 Revisited DOWNLOAD

Nettlesworth Primary School is concerned about protecting staff and pupils from sunburn and from skin damage that can be caused by the harmful ultra-violet rays in sunlight. Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the country. As sunburn and almost all skin cancers are caused by the sun, it is possible to prevent this happening. We believe that by encouraging sun safe behaviour at school and teaching children about the risks of sunlight, we can prevent them burning and contribute towards preventing skin cancer. We would like your help and support in this matter. We will be encouraging children to avoid sunburn and overexposure to the sun by:

• seeking the shade, particularly during the middle of the day
• wearing suitable hats or caps
• wearing clothing that protects the skin, particularly for outdoor activities and school trips
• using a high factor sunscreen (SPF 15+).

Staff will be encouraged to set an example. Some children are at greater risk of sunburn than others. Fair skinned, freckled children who burn easily are most at risk from overexposure to the sun and need to take great care when out in the sun. Teachers and support staff on playground duty or in charge of school outings will remind those most at risk of burning to cover up in the sun and use sunscreen. Staff will also encourage children to drink plenty of water. You can help by encouraging your child to bring, and wear, a hat at school, particularly on sunnier days and during sports day and any school trips. The school will remind parents of the sun safety policy from time to time (on our school website), particularly around the start of the summer term, sports days, and outings. Sunscreens provide added protection and may be useful when other measures are not available. Dermatologists recommend that a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or above will provide children in this country with adequate protection. We encourage parents to provide sunscreen for this purpose and encourage children to protect themselves from the sun. One way of doing this is to use sunscreen at the appropriate time. If a child is to use sunscreen at school, parents are asked to:

• Provide the sunscreen product for school use.

The sunscreen must be:

o Clearly marked with the child’s name.
o Replenished by the parent as needed.

The child must be able to apply his or her own sunscreen (except Reception children) and not to share it, as some children may have an allergy.

• For Reception parents:

o You are asked to apply sunscreen at home before a typical school day, this will be reapplied as necessary by staff. If it is considered necessary for teachers/staff to assist with the application of sunscreen, the sunscreen will only be applied to face, neck, arms, hands and lower legs.

Please note that we do not permit the use of aerosol sprays.

 

Many Thanks

Donna Lee

ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

World Immunisation Week

This week we are thinking about how vaccinations help children enjoy their right to survive, be healthy and thrive with a focus on Articles 6 and 24.

DOWNLOAD

19^th April 2021

 

Dear Parents/Carers,

 

 

I am writing to let you know that we will have a really sad farewell at the end of the Summer Term. I would like to inform you of Mrs Shaw’s intention to retire from her role at Nettlesworth Primary School. This has been a difficult decision but Mrs Shaw feels that now is the right time for her to retire.

 

As many of you know, she has been with our school for 19 years and it has been such a privilege to work with her as part of our team. She has had the pleasure to see many of our children over the years grow and develop during their time in primary school and the privilege to work with dedicated teachers, support staff, parents/carers and Governors. We would like to thank her from the bottom of our hearts for all she has given to the school and wish her well in her retirement.

 

Yours Sincerely

 

 

 

 

 

Donna Lee

Head Teacher

Parents Letter April 2021

 

 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for everything your family are doing to reduce the spread of coronavirus.
Please find below information you need to know to help your child attend school safely.

Have coronavirus symptoms and need a test?
If anyone in your household has symptoms you need to book a PCR (Polymerase Chain
Reaction) test as soon as possible. For more information and to book a PCR test visit
www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or call NHS test and trace free on 119.
As coronavirus symptoms in children can vary it is advised that children who are unwell
should not attend school until they are well again.

Don’t have coronavirus symptoms and need a test?
LFD (Lateral Flow Device) testing is a fast and simple way to test people who do not have
symptoms of coronavirus but may still have the virus. It involves taking a throat and nose
swab sample and processing the sample with a lateral flow device which provides a result
within 30 minutes.
Visit www.durham.gov.uk/covid19testandtrace for information on how you can book an
LFD test or how to get tests to self-test at home.
Once you have completed your LFD test you must register your results at
www.gov.uk/report-covid19-result
If you receive a positive result from your LFD test, NHS test and trace will ask you to take
PCR test to confirm the result.

LFD tests are not to be used on primary school (or younger) children if they do not have
symptoms and should only be used by the person they were issued to. If you or your
secondary aged child has been provided with home testing kits, these tests must not be
used by anyone else in the household, for example a parent or another child in the family.
LFD testing detects around 60% of cases and is useful for picking up cases in people
without symptoms, however you could be infected and test negative.

LFD tests should not be used by anyone who has coronavirus symptoms or if your child
is self-isolating after being in close contact with a positive coronavirus case.
Self-Isolation
Anyone identified as being in close contact of a positive coronavirus case is legally
required to self-isolate at home for 10 days to ensure they don’t pass the infection on to
others, even if they don’t have symptoms.
This guidance still applies even if you have received one or more doses of a COVID-19
vaccine.
If required Durham County Council offers support to people having to self-isolate through
the County Durham Together Community Hub, details of which can be found at
www.durham.gov.uk/covid19help or by phoning 03000 260 260.

Getting to and from school
During peak times public transport can be very busy. If you can please consider using
alternative modes of transport to get to and from school. The best way is to walk, cycle or
scoot whenever possible, even once or twice a week makes a huge difference. Not only
does it give you quality time outdoors improving yours and your child’s health, but it also
reduces pollution around the school. If you do choose to travel by car consider parking
away from the school and walking a short distance to reduce congestion and making the
school gates safer for everyone.

To find out more visit www.durham.gov.uk/article/24031/Getting-to-and-from-school, or
speak to your school about the support they can give to alternative modes of transport.
Don’t forget we still need to maintain social distancing at drop off and pick up times at the
school gates. please work with us and the school to keep everyone safe by keeping more
than 2 metres apart wherever possible from people outside your household, to prevent the
spread of Covid19.
School leaders are working hard to make sure that children are safe in school and that the
risk of the virus spreading is minimised. We all have a responsibility to keep our
communities safe and we need the support of parents, grandparents and carers when they
are at the school gates.
The most recent guidance is set out in the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus-covid19/how-to-stop-the-spread-of-coronavirus-covid-19

Please keep your distance, please do not gather in groups and remember:

HANDS Wash your hands regularly and for 20 seconds.
FACE Wear a face covering in indoor settings where social distancing may be
difficult, and where you will come into contact with people you do not
normally meet.

SPACE Stay 2 metres apart from people you do not live with where possible, or 1
metre with extra precautions in place (such as wearing face coverings or
increasing ventilation indoors)

Please continue to support our schools with the excellent work they are doing to educate
your child and keep them safe.

Yours sincerely

Amanda Healy                        Jim Murray
Director of Public Health        Head of Education and Skills
Adult and Health Services Children and Young Peoples Service

Head Teacher Update April 21

12^th April 2021

 

Dear Parent / Carers,

 

 

We hope you have had a lovely Easter break and welcome back to the start of our Summer Term. We can’t wait to see all the children again tomorrow.

 

 

After school clubs

Again we have had to think carefully about how we can make this provision work alongside our wider protective measures, like keeping pupils in their ‘bubbles’ when possible. We also understand that a lot of parents/carers need access to wrap around care to help with work commitments.

Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 Teachers are going to offer their class bubble one hour after school tuition three times per week . We can then keep our bubbles together and offer extra tuition to try and help close any gaps of learning for all of our Reception-Year 6 children. These tuition sessions will be of no cost and will last one hour immediately after the class bubble finishes for the school day. This after school provision will start week beginning 19^th April on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

 

 

Class 1– 3.00pm-4.00pm -Tue, Wed, Thur

 

Class 2– 3.15pm-4.15pm -Tue, Wed, Thur

 

Class 3– 2.45pm-3.45pm-Tue, Wed, Thur

 

Class 4– 3.30pm-4.30pm- Tue, Wed, Thur

 

SIBLINGS MAY CONTINUE TO ARRIVE AT THE EARLIEST TIME AND LEAVE AT THE LATEST TIME.

 

Class Teachers will send out letters on Tuesday 13^th April 2021 so that we know which pupils will be attending these sessions.

 

Breakfast club will continue as normal. Children who attend will be served breakfast in their own classroom bubble to avoid class bubbles mixing. It will start at 8am and finish when their class bubble arrives. It will continue to cost £1 per day, which you can pay via parent pay. Parents/Carers will need to follow same arrival guidelines as attending school classes and supervisory assistants will meet at main entrance at 8am. Please could children arrive on time.

 

 

Arrival and Departure

 

The times of arrival and departure for the different year groups continue to be:

 

Class 1 Children (Reception) – 8.45am-3.00pm

 

Class 2 children (Years 1/2) – 9.00am-3.15pm

 

Class 3 children (Years 3/4) – 8.30am-2.45pm

 

Class 4 children (Years 5/6) – 9.15am-3.30pm

 

At these allocated times parents/carers will need to be waiting outside main school gate at main entrance, alongside the green fence, adhering to social distance requirements at all times. Only 1 adult should drop off/pick, up to reduce the number of people around school. Please walk, or cycle, to school whenever possible – to ease traffic congestion. Please disperse as soon as you have dropped off / collected your child – to avoid unnecessary larger gatherings.

Parents/Carers will not be allowed to enter the school building/school site or have the daily contact or conversations they are used to having with staff but we will try our best. Contact will continue to be mostly electronic via email and telephone and prior arranged appointments.  Please adhere to strict social distancing at drop off points and only arrive at school in time to drop off and collect your child.  Arriving or staying close to school outside of this time could put other staff, parents/carers and pupils at risk. Please ensure you are aware of your child’s pick up and drop off times and stick rigidly to these times to help the day run smoothly – Your child’s class teacher will collect children from the gate and they will be escorted into school to wash hands immediately.  Children and parents must wait alongside school fence and not come to the door and ring buzzer. If you are late you must ring the office to arrange an alternative drop off/pick up.

If you need to pass any medication into school please contact the office in the first instance- 0191 3710444 and we will arrange to meet you in the main entrance.

 

Staffing Update

Mrs Aspinall will be returning back to school from Maternity Leave on Monday 10^th May. Mrs Plant’s last day at school will be Friday 7^th May and would like to thank her for all of her hard work and dedication over this challenging time while covering two maternity leaves. She will be a big miss and we wish her lots of luck and success in her future work.

 

COVID-19 Information

Please remember that if your child develops any of the three key symptoms of COVID-19, you must keep them off school and book them a PCR test and you need to inform the school that they are absent due to suspected COVID-19. Whilst a lot of the time these tests end up being negative, every potential case of COVID-19 has implications for school – if we are aware that pupils are going for tests, we can begin planning for a potential bubble closure sooner. If we only find out once they have received a positive result, this understandably causes extra strain and stress which could be eased if we were aware of the possibility. In addition to this, we are required to report to the DfE on a daily basis whether we have pupils off for reasons relating to COVID-19, so it is imperative that we know if that is why your child is off so our information can be as accurate as possible.

 

COVID-19 Symptoms & Testing

It is also important to remember that if you, or your child, develop symptoms of COVID-19, it is not enough to have a lateral flow test, which many of you will be taking on a regular basis. Anyone with COVID-19 symptoms must isolate and book a PCR test whether or not you have had a negative lateral flow test.

 

Statutory KS1 and KS2 assessments

Statutory KS1 and KS2 assessments planned for summer 2021 won’t go ahead but school will still do teacher assessments. We will administer the optional Year 4  multiplication tables check and the Year 1 Phonics Screening Assessment within the 3-week period from 7 June 2021. Year 2 and Year 6 teacher assessments will take place week beginning May 10^th 2021.

The DfE has added temporary disapplications to the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – as such, it won’t be mandatory to complete the EYFS profile assessment in 2021.

 

PE Kits

Children in Class 1 and 2 will need to bring their full PE kit into school on the first day back in a PE bag or carrier bag. Please ensure that this is labelled with their name and class. The PE kits will be stored in the cloakrooms on a labelled peg in school and sent home weekly to be washed. Class 3 and 4 will come into school with their PE kits on allocated PE days to avoid moving around.

Class 3- PE days for the rest of this term are WED and THUR

Class 4- PE days for the rest of this term are WED and THUR

 

School Holidays and Term Dates 2020 – 2021

 

I am sure that many of you will have had holidays cancelled or postponed and will be considering when these can be re-booked for next year. It is really important to remember that holidays during term times can only be authorised in very exceptional circumstances. Very few holidays are ever authorised and this is likely to be even lower next year. It is going to be essential for ALL children to be in school as much as possible due to the extended closure of schools during the latter half of this year. Please also bear in mind that if you do decide to take a holiday during term time which has not been authorised, if your child is out of school for more than 7 consecutive days you can be fined – £60 per parent for each child.

Holiday	Closing Date	Date re-open for Teaching Purposes
Summer Holiday	Friday 17th July 2020	Wednesday 2nd September 2020
October Half Term	Friday 23rd October 2020	Monday 2nd November 2020
Christmas Holiday	Friday 18th December 2020	Tuesday 5th January 2021
February Half Term	Friday 12th February 2021	Monday 22nd February 2021
Easter Holiday	Friday 26th March 2021	Tuesday 13th April 2021
May Day	Friday 30th April 2021	Tuesday 4th May 2021
Summer Half Term	Friday 28th May 2021	Monday 7th June 2021
Summer Holiday	Friday 16th July 2021	Thursday 2nd September 2021

 

 

 

Once again thank you for your support in these challenging times.

 

 

Donna Lee

Head Teacher