Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Letter regarding Wider Opening of Schools

  Fri 22 May 2020

  Friday 22nd May

  Letter to Parents/Carers regarding Wider Opening of the School Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health.

   

  After my message to you last week following the Prime Minister’s announcement regarding the intention for a wider opening of schools from June 1st, I am writing again to you now to explain what we have been doing and our current position.

   

  As you know, we have been communicating regularly with parents/carers to try to support you with the wellbeing and learning of your child at home. We recognise that for some parents this has been a difficult time, and it continues to present challenges for different reasons. As a school we are committed to supporting our Oaklands families, and moving forward we want to be able to continue to work with you to keep our Oaklands children safe and well.

   

  The Government plans detailed a ‘road map’ for easing of the lockdown, with a phased opening of schools being part of this plan. The scientific evidence underpinning the government's decision to reopen schools to more pupils from 1st June is due to be published today, the prime minister's office has confirmed. However, there remains concern over this step from MPs themselves, families up and down the country and teaching Unions. As you will be aware it is contrary to what other nations in the UK are doing.

   

  Our City Mayor, Peter Soulsby, has said ‘In Leicester, I do not expect all schools to extend their opening on 1st June or on any other particular date - nor will I be pressing them to do so. I believe schools should only extend their opening when school leaders and governors are convinced that all that is possible has been done to make them safe for children, families and staff. Council officers are helping to advise and support this process’.

   

  We are still waiting for the Government to publish specific guidance relating to special schools and children with complex needs. Meanwhile, we have been reading the breadth of guidance and advice that is available to us to try and determine the most effective and safe way for us to invite back more children.

   

  As previously detailed, I am very concerned that our children will find it incredibly difficult coming back to Oaklands currently, when the school is very different to normal. The different class groups, staffing, classrooms and restrictions within the building ie not using shared areas such as soft play, sensory rooms, means that it is a very different experience being on site at the moment.

   

  Nevertheless, our intention is to have a few more children on site in June, possibly from Monday 8th. We have carried out detailed risk assessments for each child to determine who to allocate places to. We will be contacting families directly today. If you have not heard from us, it is likely that we will not be able to offer your child a place until there is further easing of the lockdown, and this is likely to mean that they will not return to Oaklands until the end of August.

   

  For parents of Year 6 children, we intend to have 2 days with only the Year 6’s on site. These will be specific days for your children to come back to Oaklands, to reconnect with us & their peers and to prepare for moving on. The curriculum on those two days will be specific to transition. We are working closely with our secondary school colleagues to make arrangements for this, so we can do some virtual links and remote integration work where children see classrooms, teachers and start building understanding of the change that will happen in the Autumn term. All Year 6 parents will receive a phone call at the beginning of week beginning 1st June about this, inviting your child to attend. The transition day dates are Friday 26th June and Friday 3rd July.

   

  All of the above plans are provisional, on the understanding that we are awaiting feedback from the Local Authority regarding our Risk Assessment, and this also needs the approval of the Governing body. We will also need to ensure that we have certainty our plans continue to be consistent with any further Government updates.

   

  For those children who are not invited back in to school, we will continue to keep in touch with you at least once a week by phone, and provide home learning resources to support your child. Our family support worker, Dhrupti Champaneri, also remains available for you to contact with any issues that you may require help with on 07514 985590.

   

  Please continue to stay safe and keep in touch.

   

  Regards

  Sarah

  Sarah Osborne

  (Headteacher)

• Home Learning Ideas and Mental Health Awareness Week

  Mon 18 May 2020

   For this week's home learning ideas (week 7)  please look in the curriculum section of our website. 

  This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme is kindness. We have put a couple of stories in the home learning section that might help your child during this difficult time and a resource pack in the parent well being section.

• Letter to Parents/Carers- Oaklands Update from the Headteacher

  Wed 13 May 2020

   

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  Coronavirus Update

   

  I know that you will have read information in the media about the Government’s intention for wider opening of schools on June 1^st, so I wanted to update you about how this affects Oaklands School and our children.

   

  As a special school, we are advised in the Government guidance that we ‘should work towards a phased return informed by risk assessments’

   

  I recognise that there are mixed feelings about any re-opening of the school. Whilst some parents would welcome a return to ‘normality’, and may be urged to get back to work, others are understandably hesitant to send children in to school when the Covid 19 virus is an ongoing threat. I must tell you, that if the school does re-open to some children before the summer holidays, unfortunately, this would not be a return to normal routine. With daily changes to the staff team, the way in which the school would need to be organised to support social distancing, and potentially children being in different classes, the school would feel very different.

   

  We are in the process of creating a detailed Risk Assessment that responds to the Government guidance, details of which we will share with you if the school is able to re-open to more children. However, as you can appreciate, the need for social distancing would prove extremely difficult in our school, and we would also be working with a much reduced staff team. I have been liaising closely with the other Leicester special school Headteachers and the Local Authority to ensure that we will all respond most effectively to keep our children and staff safe. There are a number of difficulties & questions that the Government guidance to date presents. I will keep you updated and our school leadership team will continue to discuss the most appropriate course of action.

   

  I want to reassure you that if you are anxious about sending your child back in to school, and the school does open more widely before the end of the summer term, you are welcome to keep them at home still. We will keep you updated with all our preparations for making sure the school is as safe as possible, so you can make an informed decision. However, parents will not be fined if you do not send your child to school. If your child is clinically extremely vulnerable, or living with someone who is in this group, Government advice states that they should not come back to school and should continue home learning.

   

  In the meantime, the school is still open only for vulnerable pupils with a social worker and the children of critical workers. 

   

  We would like to thank you for your continued support in helping your child to play, learn and remain safe at home. We will of course continue to support you with home learning activities, and meal vouchers for those eligible. Please do continue to stay in touch with us about how your child is getting on.

   

  The team and I are doing everything we can, and working as quickly as we can, to get further information to you. We appreciate your patience and support. Together, we will beat this virus far more quickly, and we can return to normal as soon as possible.

   

  Stay safe

  Regards

  Sarah Osborne

  Headteacher

• Home Learning Ideas

  Mon 11 May 2020
   For this week's home learning ideas (week 6)  please look in the curriculum section of our website.

• Oak National Academy - Online Class

  Mon 04 May 2020

  The Oak National Academy have released a section aimed specifically at children with SEND.  Go to their website 

   

  https://www.thenational.academy/online-classroom 

   

  and click on the Specialist icon in the top right hand corner. There you will find sections filled with learning activities linked to:

  • Communication and Language
  • Creative Arts
  • Independent Living
  • Numeracy
  • Therapies

  

• Home Learning Ideas

  Mon 04 May 2020
   For this week's home learning ideas (week 5) and more website links please look in the curriculum section of our website.