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

• Important Advice for Parents/Carers about Tuesday 1st

  Sun 30 Aug 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  We are all very much looking forward to welcoming your children in to school on Tuesday. Staff have been busy this week, preparing the environment and ensuring that everyone will be able to return to Oaklands safely next week. We will be excited to see how your children have grown and changed during their time away.

   

  To ensure that we have a smooth start to the day on Tuesday, as communicated with you in the letter sent previously, we have a staggered start to the day. This will enable us to socially distance as children come on site and enter the building. 

   

  If your child travels by bus or taxi, please have your child ready for transport when it arrives in the morning, so that they arrive at Oaklands at the allocated time. 

   

  If you are a parent/carer who brings your child to school, please can I remind you that if you come by car you MUST stay in your vehicle and a member of staff will come to collect your child from you. For parents/carers with children in Willow/Cherry Classes (Frogs, Squirrels, Hedgehogs, Stoats, Robins, Dormice, Hares, Deers, Rabbits) we ask that you arrive between 8.40am and 9.00am please. For those parents/carers who are bringing children in Chestnut Pathway (Badgers, Owls, Beavers), please do not arrive at school before 9.10am, please, to avoid congestion in the car park.

   

  Please do be patient in the car park on the first day back. We are unsure what the volume of traffic will be like on our own site and on Whitehall Road with other schools around us returning on Tuesday too. It will be essential that we work together to keep everyone safe.

   

  Please can I remind you to complete the Health Screening form that was sent out to you by post, and send it with your child on their first day back. However, to ensure that we minimize risk of infection from the outside environment, we remind you not to send in a book bag. The transport escort will pass over any items you need to send in such as PE kit, nappies and packed lunch.

   

  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Our team look forward to seeing the children again next week and will contact you to let you know how they have settled.

   

  Have a lovely bank holiday weekend,

  Regards

  Sarah

  (This advice has also been sent to parents/carers via Weduc)

• Further Guidance & Advice About Returning to School

  Sun 23 Aug 2020

  Returning to School for The Autumn Term

  The Local Authority have issued further guidance & advice for parents/Carers about all children returning to school which can be found on the Leicester City website here. This includes up to date information about Shielding in Leicester and other frequently asked questions.

   

  Back to School Toolkit

  Widgit have produced some symbol materials to support the wider opening of schools some of which might be useful for parents/Carers to use at home. The symbols can be found here.

   

   

• Guidance for Return to School

  Tue 18 Aug 2020

  The following Guidance has been sent to all parents via post with a letter from the Headteacher. Our comprehensive Risk Assessment for the return of all children to Oaklands on Tuesday 1st September can be found on the website here.

   

  Guidance for Parents/Carers about the New Academic Year

   

  When will children be able to return to school?

  We plan to open the school to all children on Tuesday 1^st September, following Government Guidance.

   

  What will the transport arrangements be for my child?

  We have been liaising closely with LA transport team to ensure that children are safe at all times from leaving your house to returning at the end of the day. We have arranged for staggered start and finish times to the school day:

  If your child is in Willow or Cherry Pathways (Frogs, Hedgehogs, Stoats, Robins or Squirrels, Dormice, Hares, Deer, Rabbits) they will be collected to arrive for an 8.45am-9am start and leave at 2.30pm

   

  If your child is in Chestnut Pathway (Badgers, Beavers, Owls), they will be collected to arrive at school for 9.00-9.15am and will leave school at 2.40pm.

   

  For parents/carers dropping off your child, please arrive at the same time as listed above for your child’s class. If you come by car, please do not leave your vehicle. A member of staff will come to collect your child and bring them out to you again at the end of the day.

   

  These staggered start and finish times will prevent children mixing in the car park/entrance areas at the start and finish of the school day. It is possible that your child’s usual transport may look different e.g. they may travel by taxi rather than by bus, and may have a different driver/escort. Children will be transported only with other children in their pathway. Where buses are used for another journey during the day, they are cleaned thoroughly between each journey.

   

  How will the school keep my child safe?

  Your child will stay within their pathway ‘bubble’. This ‘bubble’ will stay the same for the full academic year. The children in that bubble will have designated spaces and resources, including playground areas that only they will use. The staff in school will also stay within a pathway ‘bubble’ and will not mix. This will minimise any risks by reducing contacts.

  Children will be encouraged and supported to wash their hands regularly, in particular on arrival at school, before and after playtimes, when using the toilets, before and after eating, and before going home.

  There will be a one-way system used in the school to prevent contacts in corridors. Movement around the school during the day will be kept to a minimum.

  All equipment used by children will be thoroughly cleaned each day after school.

   

  Does my child need to wear a school uniform?

  Yes. We feel that it is important for all children to wear their school uniform to understand that they are coming to school and to help them get back into a routine.

   

  What equipment will my child need to bring to school?

  Please do not send children in to school with any objects from home, including book bags. On the first day back, we will send each child home with a plastic wallet which we can easily wipe down each day. However, if you usually send in nappies and/or a packed lunch please send these still.

  Chestnut and Cherry pathway children will need to bring in a PE kit, and this will be kept on site (Badgers, Beavers, Owls, Dormice, Hares, Deer, Rabbits)

  Willow pathway children will initially be learning to change their own shoes for PE, so please send in a change of trainers/pumps to be kept in school (Frogs, Hedgehogs, Stoats, Squirrels, Robins)

  Please avoid sending your child in to school with a coat until the weather turns cooler

   

  Will my child be able to have a school dinner?

  The school will be extremely careful around snack times and lunch times to ensure that children and staff are kept safe. This may mean some adjustment to the menu on offer. However, we will work closely with the catering team to ensure that we can provide the healthiest option possible. School dinners will still be available.

   

  What will happen if my child or someone in my child’s bubble displays Covid 19 symptoms?

  As you will understand, we need to be extremely vigilant to keep everyone safe. We will consider all children who are ill a potential risk.  If you notice that your child may be ill, e.g. they demonstrate unusual behaviour, feel hot, have been sick overnight, you MUST keep them at home.

  If a pupil or member of staff displays symptoms of Covid 19 in school, they will be removed from the bubble immediately and taken to a dedicated isolation room. Pupils will be supervised by a member of staff wearing full PPE.

  If your child is displaying symptoms, you will be contacted and asked to pick your child up as quickly as possible. Please ensure that you have made arrangements to be able to do this, or that you have someone available who could collect your child if this should happen. As you will appreciate, it will be important that your child is collected as soon as possible to prevent any risk to others on site. It is vital that we have two working contact numbers for every child. Please update us immediately if any of your numbers change.

  You should then arrange for them to have a Covid 19 tests. You must do this within 5 days of the symptoms showing. You can apply for a test via the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test We ask that you inform us of the results as soon as possible.

  If your child’s test result is negative, they can return to school. However, you must have spoken to the Headteacher or Deputy Headteacher first. If the test result is positive, your child would need to stay at home for 10 days. All other family members would need to self-isolate for 14 days.

  If someone else in your child’s bubble displays symptoms and is sent home, we will advise you of this. Your child can continue to attend school as long as they do not develop symptoms.

   

  What are the symptoms of Covid 19?

  The main symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are:

  • a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

  • a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

  • a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

  Reports also identify that a rash is be an additional symptom in children. Please see the NHS website for further advice https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/coronavirus-in-children/

   

  What should I do if my child or someone else in our household has a cough, temperature or a loss of taste or smell?

  Do not send your child in to school. Please let the school know as soon as possible if anyone in your household has symptoms of Covid 19 or tests positive for the disease.

   

  Who should I contact if I have other questions or concerns?

  You can see our full Risk Assessment on the website in the Parents section under the ‘Coronavirus’ heading. This follows Government Guidance and is based on the Leicester Local Authority model policy. If, after reading this, you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us on office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk or call the school office (0116 2415921) from week beginning 24^th August to speak to a member of the senior leadership team.

   

• Letter from Councillor Cutkelvin

  Thu 13 Aug 2020

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  As the local lockdown eases and we approach the school autumn term, I would like to express my thanks to you all for your strength in supporting your family during these challenging times.    

  
  Although we recognise there may be concerns for some parents/carers to take the next step of returning their children to school and nursery, there has been mounting evidence to confirm that children are at least as safe at school as in the community.  The science shows that attending school doesn’t seem to increase probability of transmission for children.    

   

  We recognise there will be many questions for parents not just around the safety but also the logistics in getting their children back to school.  To help, we have set up a webpage www.leicester.gov.uk/returntoschool to answer questions that you may have, such as:

   

  • How safe is it for my child to return to school?

  • Do I have to send my child back to school?

  • How to travel to and from school safely 

  
  We will make sure it is updated regularly as more information and guidance is made available, and in the run up to school return.    

  
  School and nursery leaders are working hard to prepare for all children to return in the autumn term and are following the government and health guidance they have been given in order to make it as safe as possible.  We have also asked all schools to update their risk assessments and to share with staff and parents.  We recommend you check the school’s website for details and dates of opening.    

   

  You can find out more on GOV.UK  as they update the guidance issued for schools and parents.  

  
  We recognise that education is really important for children and that school is the best place for them to learn and we know how essential it is for their mental wellbeing to have social interactions with their peers, carers and teachers.

    
  Leicester City Council will continue to do everything we can to support families, schools, staff and governing bodies throughout this challenging time.  If you are unsure about arrangements for your child returning to school, please do check the school’s website or contact your school.  

  
  Finally, we wish the best for those who have received A Levels (13 August) results and whose GCSE (20 August) results are fast approaching.  Support is available for those young people who may need or want to change their plans. Get in touch with Connexions - telephone 0116 454 1770 or email connexions@leicester.gov.uk.  

   

  With best wishes  
  Cllr Elly Cutkevlin - Assistant City Mayor with responsibility for Education

  PS - please note that school admissions open for online applications on Monday 7 September to start at a primary, junior or secondary school for entry in Autumn 2021. 

• Summer Holiday Activities

  Tue 04 Aug 2020
  I hope you are all enjoying the summer holidays and making the most of the lovely weather.  In the home learning section of the curriculum area I have put some summer holiday activities that you might want to have a go at with your child.

• Leicester Lockdown Changes

  Mon 03 Aug 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  Many of you will have heard that there has been further easing of the local lockdown from today, Monday 3 August.  Further information can be found here:

  https://www.gov.uk/guidance/leicester-lockdown-what-you-can-and-cannot-do

  However, it is not yet clear about non-essential travel in and out of Leicester. Please do continue to stay safe.  The virus is still within our communities as the figures show, even though they are falling dramatically. Relating to this, one of the national changes is that anyone now showing symptoms of Coronavirus must self-isolate for 10 days (rather than 7 days).

   

  For those in our school community who are celebrating Raksha Bandhan today, there is a joint statement attached issued by the local authority relating to new arrangements about household visiting. We warmly wish you a very  "Happy Raksha Bandhan".

   

  Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing further information about how we intend to bring all children back into school from 1st September.

   

  We hope you all remain well and are enjoying the summer,

  Regards

  Sarah

  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)