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

• Fantastic News

  Tue 29 Sep 2020

  We are very proud to announce that we have been awarded the Artsmark Gold award.  The Artsmark Award is the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings, accredited by Arts Council England. They support settings to develop and celebrate their commitment to arts and cultural education.

  A big thank you to all the staff and pupils for all their hard work but in particular our My Creativity leads, Nisha Stuart and Natasha Gibbins.

  

• Letter from Director of Public Health

  Mon 28 Sep 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  Please find a letter from Ivan Browne, Director of Public Health, regarding the rise in Coronavirus cases in our City.

   

  Regards

  Sarah

  Sarah Osborne

  (Headteacher)

  

• NHS Covid app

  Fri 25 Sep 2020

  The new NHS COVID-19 app, now available to download for free in England and Wales, is the fastest way to see if you're at risk from coronavirus. The faster you know, the quicker you can alert and protect your loved ones and community.

  The app has a number of tools to protect you, including contact tracing, local area alerts and venue check-in. It uses proven technology from Apple and Google, designed to protect every user’s privacy.

  There is a fact sheet that the NHS has produced for parents and carers in our parents section:  https://www.oaklands.leicester.sch.uk/home-learning-resources/

• Return to School- Monday 28th September

  Thu 24 Sep 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  I am writing to confirm that if your child has been self-isolating at home due to the positive case of Coronavirus in school I wrote to you about, your child will now be able to return to school on Monday 28th September. However, they must only return if they are well and continue to have no symptoms of Coronavirus.

   

  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

   

  Please see the NHS website for further advice https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/coronavirus-in-children/

   

  You should also keep your child at home if they have sickness or diarrhoea, and they should not return until 48 hours after the last bout. 

   

  Transport has been notified that your child is able to return on Monday if they are well. If your child is not well, please notify transport as usual.

   

  If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Senior Leadership team on 0116 2415921

   

  We look forward to welcoming your child back in to school on Monday,

  Regards

  Sarah

  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

• Coronavirus Responses Guide for Parents

  Sun 13 Sep 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  Please find attached a Guide for Parents/Carers that we hope you will find helpful. It details a variety of scenarios relating to Covid-19 that you may encounter, and lists the responses that we ask you follow. We ask that you contact the school immediately if your child has any symptom of Covid-19, if anyone in your household either becomes symptomatic/has a positive test result, or if your family is contacted through the NHS Test and Trace service. This Guide details when your child would be able to return to school. Please read & keep this document so that you can refer to it if needed.

  There is a wealth of information about Coronavirus in Leicester on the Leicester City Council website here. This includes where you can find the local testing Centres. To book a test you can call 119 or book online at nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test. The testing centres are open 8am to 8pm daily. If your child develops symptoms and there is any reason why you feel that your child could not get tested at one of these station, please call the school to speak to me personally or Ingrid Spencer.

  Many thanks for your support in keeping our school community safe,

  Regards

  Sarah

  Sarah Osborne

  (Headteacher)

   

  	Oaklands School COVID 19 responses A Quick Guide for Parents
  What to do if….		Action Needed	Return to school when….
  My child has COVID symptoms: High Temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back A New Continuous Cough – this means coughing a lot more than an hour or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours. A Loss or Change to your Sense of Smell/ Taste – this means you have noticed you can’t smell or taste anything.		DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL Contact school to inform us Isolate the whole household for 14 days Get a Covid test INFORM SCHOOL IMMEDIATELY OF TEST RESULTS.	You have sent a negative test result to office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk The Headteacher will respond to advise you that you can send your child back to school. Please do not send your child in before you have received the headteacher’s response.
  My child tests positive for COVID 19		DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL Contact school to inform us. Agree earliest date possible for return – Minimum of 10 days. Self - isolate the whole household for 14 days. Bubble isolates/remote learning.	The Headteacher says it is safe to do so They can return on the agreed date even if they have a cough or loss of taste/smell. These symptoms can last for several weeks.
  My child tests negative for COVID 19		CONTACT THE SCHOOL Discuss when your child can come back to school (Usually the next day)	You have sent a negative test result to office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk The Headteacher will respond to advise you that you can send your child back to school. Please do not send your child in before you have received the headteacher’s response.
  My child is ill with symptoms not linked to COVID 19		Follow the school’s usual absence procedures	After 48 hours following the last bout of sickness/ diarrhoea if this is the cause of absence.
  Someone in my household has COVID 19 Symptoms		DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL Contact school to inform us. Isolate the whole household for 14 days. Household members to get tested. INFORM SCHOOL IMMEDIATELY OF TEST RESULTS.	You have sent that person’s negative test result to office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk The Headteacher will respond to advise you that you can send your child back to school. Please do not send your child in before you have received the headteacher’s response.
  Someone in my household tests positive for COVID 19		DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL Contact school to inform us. Agree earliest date possible for return – Minimum of 14 days.	The child has completed 14 days of isolation and if they have no symptoms
  NHS test and trace has identified my child has been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID 19		DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL Contact school to inform us Agree earliest date possible for return – Minimum of 14 days	The child has completed 14 days of isolation and if they have no symptoms
  We/my child has travelled and has to self-isolate as a period of quarantine.		Do not take unauthorised leave in term time. Consider quarantine requirements and FCO advice when booking travel If returning from a destination where quarantine is required, the HT will agree the earliest date possible for return Self -isolate the whole household	The quarantine period has been completed and if the child has no symptoms
  We have received medical advice that my child must resume shielding.		DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL Contact school to inform us. Shield until you are informed that restrictions are lifted and shielding has finished	School informs you that restrictions have been lifted and your child can return to school.
  My child’s bubble is closed due to COVID 19 outbreak in school.		DO NOT COME TO SCHOOL At home, support your child with the remote learning materials provided by school. Your child will need to isolate for 14 days.	School will inform you when the bubble will be reopened

   

• Covid Test Result- Negative

  Sat 05 Sep 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  Coronavirus Update

   

  I am writing to you again following my recent correspondence about  a child on site who had a symptom of Coronavirus.

   

  The child has remained at home since Thursday and has taken a Coronavirus test. We are pleased to inform you that they have had a negative result.

   

  We will remain vigilant on site and will continue to communicate any changes to our situation with you.

   

  The main symptoms of coronavirus 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

  Most people with Coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms. For more information go to https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/

   

  Please be vigilant in continuing to look for the symptoms of Coronavirus. If your child or a household member has symptoms of Coronavirus and you need further advice you can call NHS 111. You MUST NOT send your child in to school if they have any of these symptoms.

   

  You must also keep your child off school for 48 hours if they have nausea, diarrhoea or any other signs of illness. Please ring the school office to let us know.

   

  If you have any concerns or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

  Regards

  Sarah

   

  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

• Welcome Back 2020

  Fri 04 Sep 2020

  A Fantastic Start to the Term

   

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  After many concerns we had about the children coming back this term; being on site again after such a long time away, getting used to new routines, needing to wash hands frequently every day, once again they have surprised us! Each and every one of the children on site this week has made us proud.

   

  The children who were already familiar with the Oaklands site have quickly adapted to moving around the school in the one way system, classrooms being in a new layout, and the daily routine being different from what they had been used to. Our new children have explored their class & school environment, readily moving around the site, smiling and getting to know the staff teams. All staff have commented on how smoothly all of our Oaklands children transitioned into this new way of working and playing. Thank-you to you all for making sure that your child has been well prepared to start the new term, and that they have been ready on time for school. We know that the more we prepare our children for changes the better they can cope with it.

   

  To our new parents joining the Oaklands community, I would like to offer you a very warm welcome. By now, your child’s class teacher will have introduced themselves and let you know how your child is settling in. We do hope you will be interested to find out about what is happening at Oaklands by following us on

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OaklandsSchoolLeicester

  Twitter: @OaklandsSchool­_ 

  and on the website: www.oaklands.leicester.sch.uk.

  We also have a You Tube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoBZ9amxpU6NJ3OM9_dPioA with many Oaklands video clips that your child may like to watch and learn from.

   

  We ask that all parents regularly check Weduc, our parent messaging app, and the website, to be kept up to date with letters and news. Our teachers will also now be using ClassDojo to contact you personally about your child’s progress in class. We will be trying to reduce the amount of paper we use so most correspondence will be made via these alternative methods of communication.

   

  We are all looking forward to the term ahead. We will take it step by step, and at a pace that is suitable for each individual child. We want them all to feel safe and comfortable in school, with the people around them. It may take some children a while to start to interact again. For some, the loss of structure may have been devastating over the last six months. But we are well prepared, with our Connection & Community Curriculum aims being firmly focused on a reintegration that suits individual needs. We are ready to listen if children want to talk about what has happened, and indeed we have heard children already reminding each other about ‘social distancing’. We know that for many of our children, they have enjoyed the company of familiar adults at home during lockdown, so coming back to school and the separation from loved ones after all this time may be distressing, and cause anxiety.

   

  Our teachers have been considering all different types of responses to the current situation, to ensure that first and foremost we consider each child’s wellbeing as they return to school life, which in turn, and in time, will secure positive progress for their future development.

   

  We also recognise that this week has been difficult for many of you as well. Many parents have asked themselves if sending their child back to school is the right thing to do. But, ultimately, you have sent your child back because you care. They needed to be away from school during the lockdown, it was not a choice, but we know that education is crucial to a child’s development. It is not just the academic learning, but the social development opportunities they have in school too that are crucial for their future. I think we all had first day nerves this week, but we always talk about Oaklands as a family, and we will all continue to work to look after each other. If you want any further information about our safety measures in school, please do contact us to speak to a member of the leadership team.

   

  As always, we are more than happy to help you, should you have any queries about how your child is settling in or their progress during the term. Please do use ClassDojo, or phone us on 0116 2415921, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can, should you want to talk about anything.

   

  Regards

   

  Sarah Osborne

• Coronavirus Letter for Parents/Carers

  Thu 03 Sep 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

  Coronavirus Information

   

   It has been a fantastic start to the term so far, with children settling well and lots of smiles during the last few days. I will write to you in more detail tomorrow about the first few days.

   

  However, as you will understand from previous correspondence, I am keen to ensure that all parents/carers know how we are keeping your children safe during the Coronavirus pandemic and what precautions we are taking. Therefore, I am writing to advise you that a child in the school was sent home today due to having a symptom of Coronavirus. The child was not in your child’s class (unless you have been specifically contacted). The child’s parents have been asked to take them for a Coronavirus test as soon as possible. So that we make sure all parents/carers are kept informed about our situation, I will advise you of the outcome in the next couple of days.

   

  Following Government Guidance, your child should continue attending school providing they remain well. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools#soc

   

  However, if your child becomes unwell with a new and persistent cough, or a high temperature, or has a loss of or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia), you MUST keep them at home and you must follow guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, which sets out that your child should self-isolate for at least 10 days and you should arrange to have a test to see if they have Coronavirus. You can book a test online at nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or call 119.

   

  Please be vigilant in continuing to look for the symptoms of Coronavirus. If your child or a household member has symptoms of Coronavirus and you need further advice you can call NHS 111.

   

  You MUST keep your child off school for 48 hours if they have nausea, diarrhoea or any other signs of illness. Please ring the school office to let us know.

   

  I am sure this situation will arise many times in the coming months. As you are aware, it is extremely difficult for us to be able to distinguish between symptoms of normal coughs, colds and childhood illnesses and those symptoms of Coronavirus. We will continue to follow all of the safety measures in our Risk Assessment, particularly ensuring vigilance around hand hygiene at all points during the day. If you have any concerns or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. Your child’s safety is our utmost priority. We will contact you as soon as we know the outcome of this child’s test.  

  Regards

   

  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)