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

• Red Nose Day

  Fri 19 Mar 2021

  We have been having lots of fun today celebrating Red Nose Day by dressing up as heroes!!  

   

  https://www.oaklands.leicester.sch.uk/red-nose-day/ 

   

• Willow Class Closures

  Tue 16 Mar 2021

  16^th March 2021

   

  Dear Parents/Carers,

  Coronavirus Information: Class Closures

   

  I am writing to inform you that there has been a positive case of Coronavirus in your child’s pathway. As well as this, a number of staff members have been contacted to self-isolate by Test and Trace. I have spoken at length to Public Health England about the safety measures we have been taking within our school. They are satisfied that we have taken all the correct precautions and we have thorough methods in place to keep our school community safe. However, due to the lack of staff now available for this pathway, we cannot have Willow pathway in school for the rest of the week. Children from Robins, Frogs and Hedgehogs class will be able to return to school on Monday 22^nd March. Children in Stoats class will be able to return on Tuesday 23^rd March. Transport have been notified.

   

  If during this period, your child or anyone in your household 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) please follow guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, which sets out that you should arrange to have a test to see if they or you have Coronavirus (COVID-19). You can book a test online at nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or call 119. Please email the results of any tests taken by members of your household during the isolation period as we need this information in order to safely bring your child back to school. Please email any results to office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk.

  Please be vigilant in continuing to look for the symptoms of Coronavirus. There is further advice about symptoms of Coronavirus in Children here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/coronavirus-in-children/ If your child or a household member has symptoms of Coronavirus and you need further advice you can call NHS 111.

   

  You will already have received your child’s remote learning plan previously from the class teacher. Please contact them through ClassDojo if you need anything further sending to you.

   

  If you have any concerns or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us. As always, your child’s safety is our utmost priority.

  Regards

   

  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

• Red Nose Day

  Thu 11 Mar 2021

  Dear Parent / Carers,

   

  Red Nose Day

  Friday 19th March 2021

   

  Red Nose Day 2021 is just around the corner and we’ve decided to join in the fun.

   

  We would like to ask children to dress up as a Superhero for the day. This can be a hero like a nurse or doctor, to a superhero like Buzz Lightyear, Spiderman or Wonder Woman.

   

  We appreciate many of our children do not like to have a change in their routine and may prefer to come to school in their Oaklands uniform. If you would like to send your child in their uniform and send the costume in a bag, we would be happy to see if they want to put it on later in the day.

   

  This is optional and a small donation of £1 would be very welcome for this worthy cause.

   

  To raise money, we’re going to sell red noses at school at £1.50 from Monday 15th March.  If you would like to purchase a red nose, please send the money in with your child.

   

  Yours sincerely,
  Sarah Osborne
  Headteacher

   

   

  

• Information about Covid-19 Rapid Test Kits for Parents/Carers

  Wed 10 Mar 2021

  Dear Parents/Carers,

  Leicester City Council have released further information about Rapid Tests on their website here.

  COVID-19 rapid tests

  Get a rapid result test to make sure you're not spreading the virus without realising. One in three people who have coronavirus have no symptoms.

  Who can get a rapid test?

  A rapid test is available to anyone who is not displaying symptoms.

  Where do I get a test?

  The centres below offer rapid tests: you don’t need to book an appointment and you get the result within an hour.

  • Adult Education College

  • Coleman Neighbourhood Centre

  • Eyres Monsell Community Centre

  • Fosse Neighbourhood Centre

  • Hamilton Library

  • Tudor Centre

  Open 8am-7pm from Monday to Friday, 10am-5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

  View map of test centres with live opening times.

  What if I test positive?

  If you receive a positive result you must immediately self-isolate at home. You will be contacted by Test and Trace with further guidance.

  What if I do have symptoms?

  If you have symptoms of COVID-19, please do not go to the rapid test centre. Isolate at home immediately and book an appointment at one of our other centres using the link  below:

  • Book a coronavirus test - GOV.UK

  Regards

  Sarah

  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

• Letter to Parents/Carers

  Tue 09 Mar 2021

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  I am pleased to tell you that the return of all children went incredibly smoothly yesterday.

   

  After visiting classes and talking to teachers it is clear that children enjoyed being back at school. They quickly remembered routines and resumed the familiar ways of working. Staff were delighted to see your children again, with many having grown and changed since we last saw them. We look forward to the three weeks ahead before Easter whilst we reconnect and focus on supporting your child to start learning alongside their peers again.

   

  We were very proud today to be sent an award from ‘The Mighty Creatives’ who are supported by Arts Council England, recognising all the hard work that children and staff have done during the last 18 months celebrating creativity. From art, music & dance projects, spinney sessions & ASH Fridays in school to multi-sensory learning at home, these challenging times have not prevented children from exploring their interests and talents.

   

  Regards

  Sarah

  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

  

• Letter for Parents/Carers

  Fri 05 Mar 2021

  Dear Parents/Carers

   

  We are all prepared in readiness for children returning to school on Monday. We very much look forward to welcoming them back on site.

   

  I know that teachers have had conversations with parents/carers during the week about the arrangements for Monday. All transport is arranged, although there may be some changes, such as the introduction of new white buses for some children instead of yellow ones. Unfortunately, we do not know which children this may affect so just wanted to share this with you as you may feel it necessary to prepare your child in case there is a change of colour. We have put a picture of this on our Facebook page here to help.

   

  If you have not yet read our Risk Assessment, this can be found on the Oaklands website here. You are welcome to contact the school office or phone us at school next week if you have any questions about this. Despite having a range of new measures in place now, such as regular home testing of staff (twice weekly) and over 60% staff now being vaccinated to help reduce the risk of transmission of Covid-19, we remain extremely vigilant. Again, I ask for your continued support with this, so that we keep our Oaklands community safe. Please do not send your child in to school if they are at all unwell. We would rather you continue to err on the side of caution and keep them at home. Please call the school office if your child is not coming in to school.

  Remember if your child or a member of your family show any of the symptoms of coronavirus you must all isolate and book a test.

  The main symptoms are:

  • High temperature
  • new continuous cough
  • Loss or change to sense of taste
  • Loss or change to sense of smell.

  We have learnt this week that NHS Test and Trace have now announced that all adults in households with school and college age children without symptoms can access regular rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) testing. Further information is available about this on the Government website here: https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests  Around 1 in 3 people with COVID-19 do not have symptoms. Rapid lateral flow tests help to find cases in people who may have no symptoms but are still infectious and can give the virus to others. The test usually involves taking a sample from your tonsils (or where they would have been) and from your nose, using a swab. You can get a result in 30 minutes. The tests can be ordered online or by phone. More information will be sent to you next week about this as it is rolled out more widely and the tests may also be available to collect from local Coronavirus test sites.

   

  This weekend, please do talk to your child about their return to school on Monday. Remind them of the things, and/or people, they like at Oaklands; favourite activities, fun things they have done in the past. Please reassure them and acknowledge their feelings if they do indicate that they are anxious. This is a natural feeling and should not be dismissed but recognised- "It's completely fine to feel like that at the moment". Pictures and photos are a great way to support your child to remember school, so looking at the website, our Facebook page, You Tube channel or Twitter (@OaklandsSchool_), and talking about what & who you can see is a good way to do this.

   

  We wish you all a very good weekend, and look forward to reconnecting with our Oaklands children again next week,

  Regards

  Sarah

  Sarah Osborne

  (Headteacher)

• Letter to Parents/Carers re Monday 8th March

  Sun 28 Feb 2021

  Monday 1st March 
  Dear Parents/Carers, 
   
  I am writing to follow up my brief correspondence from Wednesday last week, and to give you a broad outline 
  of our plans for the reopening of school. 
   
  As you know, all children are now expected back in primary schools from Monday 8th March.  

  
  Following a successful return in September 2020, where it was lovely have all of our children in the classrooms, and they clearly enjoyed being back in routine, we were able to review our safety measures & procedures and have been able to use this to put together our plans for 8th March.  
   
  I would ask that you read this letter carefully, and also read our Risk Assessment on our school website, to reassure yourself about your child returning to school. We will continue to do everything humanly possibly to keep all of our children safe. Many of our staff team have now been vaccinated, which helps to prevent infection and forward transmission of the virus. Rapidtesting is now a part of our staff team’s safety measures twice a week. This means that staff are using Lateral Flow Device tests (asymptomatic testing) to help identify anyone who may be infectious but do not have Coronavirus symptoms. On top of this, the numbers of cases of Coronavirus nationally have dropped significantly, with this weekend having the lowest daily figures for some months. Nevertheless, we continue to be vigilant in all we do and ask that you support us in this. 
   
  Preparation at home: Firstly, we ask that you prepare your child to come back to school, whether this is by using a visual timetable, talking to them about when they return and reminding them of their teachers’ names, or for some children, reminding them about social distancing and what they can do to help keep themselves and other safe.  
   
  Following National Guidance: Children must not be sent in to school if;

  • they have one or more Coronavirus symptoms

  • a member of your household (including someone in a support bubble) has Coronavirus symptoms

  • they have had a positive Coronavirus test 

   

  Please note that the guidance states: 
  For any of the above, your child must isolate at home and not attend school for at least 10 days after:

  • the start of their symptoms

  • the test date if they have had a positive test 
   
  The isolation period includes the day the symptoms started and the next ten full days. Your child could return on day 11 provided they are well. 
   
  We will not routinely be taking the temperature of pupils in school as Public Health England have advised schools that this is an unreliable method for identifying Coronavirus. However, if they do feel hot or seem unwell, please keep them at home. 
   
  Transport: We are liaising with transport this week to ensure that children will continue to travel in their pathway bubbles. If your child travels to school on transport and wears a disposable face mask, please remember to send an additional mask for the homeward journey. If they wear a reusable face mask, they will be given a sealable bag to put it in during the day. 
   
  We have been liaising with transport about the start and finish times for children again. These will be 
  Willow/Cherry (Frogs, Stoats, Hedgehogs, Robins, Squirrels, Deer, Hares, Dormice, Rabbits)- Arrival 8.45am Leaving school 2.25pm 
  Chestnut (Owls, Beavers, Badgers)- Arrival 9am Leaving school 2.40pm 
  If you bring your child by car, please can I ask you to stay in your car. It is important that we keep our whole school community safe and do everything possible to prevent transmission of Coronavirus. We also ask that you do not come on to the school site at other times during the day unless you have a specific appointment with a member of staff. 
   

  For any child who spits, or uses saliva as a sensory stimulant, we will encourage them to wash hands more frequently. 

   

  I want to reassure you that our cleaning schedule is thorough in all areas of the school and staff use points throughout the day to clean surfaces and equipment. 

   

  Our children will remain in their class groups with minimal mixing during the day (limited to some shared outdoor spaces only). This helps us to minimise contacts and reduce the risk of transmission of Coronavirus. 
   
  Ventilation & Uniform:  Children will be expected to wear school uniform again when they return on 8th March. 
  All children should be wearing clean clothes each day to minimise any spread of infection. If you have difficulties washing uniform overnight and then do not have a clean set, please do not worry. We would rather your child come in clean clothing, and will understand if, on occasion, this is not school uniform. Priority is that the clothing is clean. We also appreciate that some children will have grown since before Christmas when they may have last worn uniform. If they have grown out of uniform and you have not been able to replace them due to lockdown, again, we understand and please just send them in clean home clothes. 
  One of the key safety measures required of all schools is to ensure that there is effective ventilation in classrooms. For this reason, when it is cold weather, please ensure that your child comes to school with extra layers ie a fleece or extra jumper. 
   
  I hope this letter helps to provide clarification about the ways in which we plan to bring all children back on 8th March. If you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to call the school office this week and ask to speak to a member of the senior leadership team. 
   
  We look forward to seeing your child again next week, 
  Regards 
  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

   

• Response to Government Announcement

  Thu 25 Feb 2021

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  As you may be aware, the Prime Minister announced on Monday this week that all children should return to school on Monday 8th March.

   

  For many parents this will provide some relief, to get back to normality, however, we recognise that for many it may also cause some anxiety.

   

  Myself and the leadership team have begun to review the Department for Education's guidance in full and in the next few days should then be in a position to confirm the full details of our arrangements. The safety of our children and staff team will obviously be our foremost priority but rest assured that we will also be prioritising the experiences and wellbeing of our children to make sure that their return to school is as smooth and as enjoyable as it can be.

   

  Our remote learning provision will continue beyond 8th March for those students prevented from returning in person for Covid related reasons.

   

  I will be back in touch as soon as we have had a chance to bring our plans together and look forward to seeing many more of our Oaklands children on site again soon.

   

  Regards

  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

• Half Term Break

  Fri 12 Feb 2021

  Half Term Break

  Dear Parents/Carers,

   

  We are now at the end of this half term and what another strange half term it has been. For those children who have been attending school during this lockdown, there have been many changes but they have all coped extremely well.

   

  Schools have been asked to continue their role with Contact Tracing for the first weekend of the Half term break. We do need to know if your child becomes symptomatic and has a positive Coronavirus test. Therefore, please can I ask you to contact us by calling 07742 800987 or emailing the school office office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk if your child has any of the Coronavirus symptoms or has a positive Covid-19 test during the first weekend of half term. Symptoms are:

  • a new and persistent cough,
  • a high temperature
  • a loss of or change of taste or smell (anosmia)

  If anyone in your household has any of these symptoms, you must all isolate and that person must get a Covid 19 test.

   

  We know that many parents/carers have done a wonderful job to support children’s learning at home, whether this is by watching the Oaklands You Tube videos, learning valuable life skills or following remote learning plans for developing specific academic skills. We would very much like to share any of your Top Tips to support children with learning at home. If you have done anything that has worked particularly well, an activity, using specific strategies or resources or anything else that has helped your child cope during the time away from school, we would love to hear about it to share with other parents. None of us have all the answers, and at Oaklands we are always learning, so by sharing these Top Tips, it could just help another family to support their child when they need a new idea or approach. Please send Top Tips to office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk ‘My Top Tip is….’

   

  Next week is half term. If you require any support from our family support worker, Dhrupti Champaneri, she continues to provide advice to parents and can be contacted on 07842601349 (Wed/Thurs). If you have any Safeguarding concerns, you can speak to one of our Designated Safeguarding Leads on 07742 800987 or call the Duty and Advice Service on 0116 4541004.

  Other useful numbers for half term:

  Samaritans 116 123- Free from any phone

  Crisis Team 0808 800 3302

  Text ‘Shout’ to 85258 

  (24hr mental health & wellbeing support line)

   

  On Monday 22^nd February, the Prime Minister is due to make an announcement on the ‘road map’ for the easing of restrictions and the return of children to schools. As yet, we as school leaders have no indication of what this may look like and therefore will be contacting all parents after that, in the first week after half term, to give information about what the Government’s plans mean for our school.  We all look forward to when we can welcome the entirety of our Oaklands children back into school. However, as we have said throughout the pandemic, our priority has always been the safety of our school community so we will continue to work together as we respond to any further guidance from the Government.

   

  We wish you all a Happy Chinese New Year and hope that you have a restful half term.

  Stay safe,

  Regards

  Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

   

• Children’s Mental Health Week

  Thu 28 Jan 2021

  28.01.2021

   

  Dear Parents & Carers,

   

  From 1-7 February 2021, we’re taking part in Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week. This year’s theme is Express Yourself. Place2Be has created activities and resources to help children (and adults) to explore the different ways that they can share their thoughts, feelings and ideas. There are lots of resources on the Children’s Mental Health Week website that you can use with your child at home; including activity ideas, tips for parents and carers, and an online assembly which will be available from Monday 1 February.

  Visit https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/ to find out more.  Your child’s class teacher will also be sharing some ideas with you via Class Dojo or email.

  Please feel free to send in any photos of your child ‘expressing themselves’.  Can they express themselves through Movement? Art? Writing? Can they even dress up to express themselves? Do they have a favourite dressing up costume or outfit? They really can dress to express!!

   

  Thank you for your support.

  Take care

  Sally Bott

  Assistant Head Teacher