Dear Parents/Carers,
This week, it has been a joy to see your children settling back in to school routines and activities. As I have visited classes, it has been very clear that they have enjoyed being back on site, and there has been lots of new learning happening through fun and exciting activities around the school.
This term sees the launch of our Learning Powers. Building learning powers is based on the idea that we are all capable of becoming better learners and that through this we can help our pupils secure skills and characteristics that will prepare them for adulthood. Our learning powers will be; explore, connect, persevere, feel and reflect.
Our teaching team have also been working hard to ensure that we have in place a high- quality Relationships, Sex & Health Education (RSHE) curriculum that addresses the specific needs of our pupils. This has become a statutory requirement for all primary schools this year. We know that having healthy, safe relationships in the real and online worlds can be even more challenging for Oaklands’ children for many reasons, and we also appreciate how very vulnerable our children are. However, we also know that they have a lot to offer the world and a right to experience friendship, love, work and other relationships that their mainstream peers might take for granted. Our pupils also have a right to high quality learning and practical experiences to build their understanding of how to be physically and mentally healthy. Online safety is a strong focus of this work too, from understanding risks to being respectful to others online. We have based this work on a STAR toolkit. Children will be working towards understanding the following skills and concepts:
|
Safe |
Be safe in what you show about yourself & what you share; sending images; ‘friends’ online and in real life; passwords/ privacy settings- public/ private, spending too much time online
|
|
Trust |
Not everyone or everything online is trustworthy or true; ‘fake news’; checking your facts; safe searching online
|
|
Action |
Take positive action if something upsets you; always tell someone what you are doing online; spending too much time online
|
|
Respect |
Be kind online; don’t be influenced to bully someone; understand that comments online leave digital footprint forever Understanding themselves and others is a key component of our RSHE programme across the school and this is taught in focused sessions as well as part of the daily ethos and routines of the school. Our special children are in relationships with trusted adults and peers every day that give multiple opportunities to develop tolerance of others, resilience, social skills and self-understanding. This all links neatly with our Learning Powers work as well. The full RSHE Curriculum will be on our website soon, but if you would like any further information, we would be happy to discuss this with you.
We continue to be extremely vigilant around cleanliness and hygiene in school and I am pleased to say that children are showing very positive attitudes to this. The one- way system and washing hands throughout the day have become a new normal, which they are taking in their stride. We ask that you continue to support us by ensuring that you do not send your child in to school if they are at all unwell. Whilst there has been a fantastic national effort to get the adult population vaccinated as quickly as possible, the virus remains in our community and becoming complacent now may compromise the work that we have all done to keep one another safe. Please do remember that if your child has a new, continuous cough, or a high temperature, or a loss of, or change in, their normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia) they should not come to school, and take them to get a PCR test. Anyone can now order Lateral Flow Device tests, asymptomatic tests if you do not have Coronavirus symptom. You can collect them from a local site or have them sent to your house. Simply go on the website to order them or find out where to collect them near you. https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests
Many of our school community are currently celebrating the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan Mubarak! As we look ahead to Eid, I would be very grateful if you could notify the school if you intend to keep your child at home on that particular day to share in the festivities. Please simply complete the slip in your child's' book bag as a day of absence for religious purposes.
Have a lovely weekend, and stay safe, Regards Sarah Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)
|