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

Well done to this weeks super stars!

In class 3, Ryan has moved up two reading levels. Well done Ryan, we are so proud of you!

In Class 4, Cameron impressed the entire school during our Safeguarding Assembly this week when he was able to talk about disabilities and how children can be included in activities in school and at home.

We are very impressed Cameron.

Well done Connie in Class 2 for an excellent attitude towards her learning, fabulous handwriting and excellent hula hooping skills.

Today we had the pleasure of taking part in the amazing Hoopstarz session that we have all been waiting for. The weather was glorious as we learned to negotiate space in our hoop spacecrafts, how to spin out hoops and how to move them around our waist! We even made a hoop hut – which we had to move through without knocking over. All of the children had the biggest smiles and worked their socks off 🙂

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.

Today’s Assembly was all about Disability Awareness, linking to UNCRC Article 23.

It was great to look at the word disability and what it means – especially sharing stories of children and teachers in our school with disabilities that can be seen as well as those that cannot be seen.

Disability Awareness Assembly

Check out Theo’s story which we looked at after sharing our own:

Coping with visual impairment – Theo’s Story – BBC Teach

Thank you to Mrs Aspinall for organising a fantastic PE treat this week.  Everyone enjoyed practicing their hula hooping skills. Some people even managed special tricks! Working as a team we made hula hoop huts too. Everyone received a certificate for being a Hoopstar!

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

Class 3 and 4 had an amazing day this week learning all about their history topics. Richard, the history bloke brought in lots of amazing artefacts for the children to try on and explore. Richard is looking forward to coming back to show the younger children Toys from the past in the new academic year.

In Class 3 we became Ancient Roman soldiers.

In Class 4 the new topic is A Child’s War.

So proud of all our super stars this week!

Well done to Ava in Class 3 who has jumped up two reading levels!

Well done Jay in Class 1 for excellent work since returning to school after the Easter Holidays

Excellent knowledge about animals Tyler, especially snakes!

Wonderful enthusiasm about our new Cornerstones Curriculum – well done Brooke.

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