Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Rewards
Tue 30 Jun 2020As you know, we usually have a Nursery Graduation, Rewards ceremonies for Reception, KS1 and KS2, a leavers ceremony for Y6 with rewards and a Sports Presentation evening at this time of year. Sadly, we can't offer all of these and those we are offering can't be in the same way this year due to the current restrictions but we felt we couldn't completely cancel/ forget some key achievements this year.
Y6 Leavers
We are holding a Y6 BBQ/PICNIC where we will also present their attendance, Stars and Special mention awards on our school field with social distancing measures in place on Wednesday 15th July at 5pm (weather permitting). This is the last opportunity this group of pupils have to be together before they leave Primary school so it is really important that we do something to celebrate this milestone. A separate e-mail has been sent to Y6 parents.
Attendance
We are still going to award any child who has achieved 100% attendance from the start of the term until Friday 20th March (the last day of 'normal') school. We have taken this day for all pupils, even those of key workers who have continued to attend to ensure it is fair to all. If your child has achieved 100% attendance up to this date, your child will be presented with an attendance medal at the Rewards ceremony (see details below). You will receive a text later today to confirm this. You will also see your child's full attendance details when you receive your report just before the end of the term.
Stars of the Year and Special mentions
Each teacher has chosen a Star of the Year and a Special mention. Staff have taken the whole year into account both in school learning and at home learning when deciding these. Both children from each year group will be presented with trophies at the Rewards ceremony (see details below). You will receive a text later today if your child has been chosen. Please keep this is secret. We know they will realise on the day of the ceremony as only those with rewards will be attending but it will be nice for them not to know until then.
Sports Awards
As many of the competitions this year have been cancelled along with the restrictions of COVID, we have decided not to award Sports trophies this year.
Nursery Graduation
We will not have our usual graduation this year for our pupils moving up to Reception. However, these pupils will still receive a gradudation certificate and a little message which will be sent with the reports at the end of the term. We will also still be awarding trophies to pupils in Nursery if the have been chosen as one of the 'Special mentions' for their achievements this year. If your child is chosen, you will receive a text later today. Please keep this is secret. We know they will realise on the day of the ceremony as only those with rewards will be attending but it will be nice for them not to know until then.
Rewards ceremony for awards mentioned above
Our Rewards ceremony for pupils in Nursery, Reception, Y1, Y2, Y3, Y4 and Y5 will take place on Wednesday 15th July at 3pm on the school field. Usually, our Reward ceremonies are open to all but unfortunately, this is not possible this year so you will only be able to attend if you receive a text to say your child is receiving a reward. You will be seated as a family group but please try to ensure your family group doesn't exceed 6 people (including your child, wherever possible). You will need to go the field gate (the double gates half way along the field. We will open these gates at 2:50pm. If your child is attending school, staff will bring them up onto the field to meet you there. If your child is learning from home, hopefully you will want/ be able to bring them to this event so they can receive the award they have earned. We will treat the field as you would a public park, with families sitting together (children with their own families) and spaced 2m apart. It would be really helpful if you could bring a blanket to sit on or camping chairs. We will have a stack of chairs available for you to help yourself to if you don't have either of these but hopefully most people do have their own. This will help in terms of cleaning. Unfortunately, we do not have any toilet facilities that visitors can use so please ensure you go before you leave! We expect the ceremony to last approx 45 mins-1 hour. Once you receive the text message, please e-mail me: headteacher@anthonybek.derbyshire.sch.uk to confirm whether you will or will not be attending so we can ensure we have the right Awards ready to give out. If you can't attend, your child will be given their Award in September.
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Update of school places
Tue 16 Jun 2020As promised, now that our Y6 group/'bubble' have started, I have completed a review of of our capacity to see if there was any scope to offer additional groups or places. Our current groups for Nursery, Reception, Year 1, Year 6 and Key worker groups are now at capacity. Even though we have two classrooms that could potentially be used, it is not possible to accommodate further groups when taking into account staffing availability, toilet access, timings for dinners and breaks which enable bubbles to be kept apart as well as finding different start and end times and gates which don't clash with others. Therefore, if I haven't been in contact to offer your child a place, I am sorry to say that we will not be able to offer a place for the remaining 4 and a half weeks of this term.
Work packs
Teachers are continuing to make work packs, with activities to last 2 weeks. If you want one of these, please e-mail your child's teacher or teaching assistant so they can get one ready for you. You will be able to collect it from the main Reception.
Packs should be ready WB 15th June
WB 29th June
WB 13th July (1 week pack)
Summer holiday opening
Some parents have asked about whether the school will be open throughout the Summer holidays. I can confirm that school WILL NOT be open. Most staff are not employed on 52 week contracts in schools and those that are, are entitled by law to holidays as well as preparing for the new year ahead. I am aware that the Government is looking at potential ideas in communities, maybe using youth club ideas but this will be a separate provision to school and not organised by us.
September
At this time, we cannot confirm what will happen in September. I am very hopeful that school will be as close to normal as possible although I am sure we will still have some changes. We haven't yet been given any official information about the arrangements for September, but we will plan assuming everyone returns to their new class on Monday 7th September 2020. Of course, we will confirm this as soon as we know but please bear in mind, this might not be until the first days of September that we know for sure.
Please remember, for the safety of all the pupils attending school, the staff and their wider families, it is crucial that all pupils (and their household) who have a place in school, follow the social distancing guidelines consistently when not in school to ensure the risks are kept to a minimum. Several schools have had to close completely due to positive tests and whilst we all know this is possible anyway, we need to do our very, very best to keep the risks as low as possible and we appreciate your support in this.
I know pupils have now been absent from school for a long time and some are finding it ever more difficult. Please keep in contact with the staff at school, who will do their best to continue to support you.
Take care, Mrs. Johnson
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Update on phased reopening
Thu 11 Jun 2020As you will have heard in the media, the Government have recognised that it is not possible to reopen Primary schools safely to all pupils this term with the need for 2m social distancing, groups of no more than 10-15 pupils, additional cleaning and not being able to share areas. They also remain firm that schools should not use rotas to swap groups attending school.
At the moment, we have two key worker 'bubbles', one Foundation Stage 'bubble' and one Year 1 'bubble attending school. On Monday 15th June, the Y6 'bubble' will begin. These groups all have staggered start and end times, different gates, staggered break and lunch times, individual toilets for their group, sections of the field etc.
Once the Y6 group have settled (mid week next week), we will identify if there is any scope to add any further bubbles. We do have two classrooms that could be used but we also need to consider staffing availability, toilet access, timings for dinners and breaks which enable bubbles to be kept apart as well as finding different start and end times and gates which don't clash with others. I'm sure you can appreciate there is a lot to consider and to achieve this safely, we need to continue to increase pupil numbers cautiously.
If we can offer additional places, these will still go to the priority year groups as identified by the Government (Reception, Year 1, Year 6). The earliest this would be is Monday 22nd June. We do not have any capacity to offer any further Nursery places due to the type of environment required for this age of pupils and our Nursery is already being used for the current foundation group. If your child is in one of these priority year groups and you have decided you would like a place if one becomes available, please e-mail me : headteacher@anthonybek.derbyshire.sch.uk or donnajohnson@anthonybek.derbyshire.sch.uk (it is the same e-mail box).
Please remember, for the safety of all the pupils attending school, the staff and their wider families, it is crucial that all pupils (and their household) who have a place in school, follow the social distancing guidelines consistently when not in school to ensure the risks are kept to a minimum. Several schools have had to close completely due to positive tests and whilst we all know this is possible anyway, we need to do our very, very best to keep the risks as low as possible and we appreciate your support in this.
For parents of pupils in Y2, 3, 4 and Y5, I messaged previously about the unlikelihood that we would be able to offer places to your child under the current restrictions. I have still got a list of Parents who said they would like a place if one became available so if we do have scope to offer additional places and there are no further pupils in the priority group wanting a place, priority will go to the pupils who already requested a place previously in the following order- Y2, Y5, Y3, Y4. I have to be honest in saying that it is very unlikely that we would have the ability to offer to all of these pupils-I'm very sorry to have to say that.
I will continue to update you as soon as information is shared with us. Many people are asking about September. As much as I would like to say we know what it will be like then, we do not yet have any indication. The Government doesn't discuss anything with schools, authorities or unions first so the first we hear about changes is the same time that you do.
I know pupils have now been absent from school for a long time and some are finding it ever more difficult. Please keep in contact with the staff at school, who will do their best to continue to support you.
Take care, Mrs. Johnson
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Mrs Braithwaite's virtual Whitehall visit
Wed 10 Jun 2020Many Y5/6 children should have been at Whitehall this week and many Y3/4 children at Walesby last week so to give the pupils a taste of what they should be experiencing, Mrs. Braithwaite is currently completing an amazing virtual visit which you can see each day on the latest video. Watch the videos below and encourage your child to take part in the activities and send the photographs to Mrs. Braithwaite or upload larger videos to the Virtual Whitehall folder (see link below). Don't worry if you missed day 1 and day 2. You can easily catch up and send photographs whenever you can. We look forward seeing your contributions!
Day 1 (click to follow link)
Day 2 (click to follow link)
Day 3 (click to follow link)
Upload your video here (click to follow link)
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Reopening update
Thu 04 Jun 2020You may recall I wrote a draft plan before the holidays of the way we proposed to begin reopening to wider groups of pupils following the Government’s priority list. I am pleased to say we are on track to meet the dates set out in our original plan. Staff have been working incredibly hard to make the setting as safe as it can be (removing furniture, setting up individual stations 2m apart, putting in 2m distancing markers, making one-way systems etc). School is not school as we know it but we will make the best of the situation.
We still have the health and safety inspection and risk assessment authorisation to take place (which is happening tomorrow afternoon- Friday 5th June) so I will confirm for definite at the end of Friday but as it stands, I see no reason why we wouldn't get the go ahead to open to the first group next week.
When are we reopening to wider groups?
Our plan would be to welcome the foundation stage group on Monday 8th June and give them one to two days to settle before welcoming the pupils that have requested a place in the Year 1 group on either Wednesday 10th June or Thursday 11th June. We would then welcome the Y6 group back on Monday 15th June. These start dates are completely dependent on the risk assessment being approved and on how quickly each group settle in as we want to ensure each group is safe and settled before the next group starts.
On our draft plan we planned to close on Wednesday afternoons to cover staff planning and to ensure deep cleaning could take place but we have managed to cover these in different ways so pupils who have a place will be able to attend every day.
Which pupils have a place?
Before the half term holiday, all parents were asked whether they would want their child to have a place when/if their year group was offered. All parents have their own views about what is right for them and their child and we have supported every decision, whether it is to keep the child at home or return to school when/if places become available.
All parents of pupils in Nursery (those starting Reception in September only), Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 that requested a place before the holiday will have received an e-mail yesterday or today confirming they have a place, starting in the next 2 weeks.
Our key worker/vulnerable groups are also continuing.
When will the other year groups be offered a place?
At this time, we have received no information about pupils in Y2, Y3, Y4 or Y5 attending school. We do not know if the guidance on this will change but we do know that under the current 2m distancing rules, we wouldn't have space to offer these year groups a place. The Government do keep changing the guidance though so we will keep you informed if this situation changes.
What happens if I have changed my mind and my child is in one of the priority year groups?
At this time, we cannot offer any further places to pupils in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 or Year 6 if a place wasn't already requested or you have changed your mind and now want a place. We have prepared the school, classrooms, timetables, staffing and settings for those that requested a place and each of these groups is now full. Our aim is to get these groups into school and settled safely into their new routines fully before re-evaluating to see if there is any flexibility in relation to staffing availability and class spaces to accommodate any further pupils safely. Please e-mail me if you want to be included on a waiting list (pupils that requested a place may change their minds) or if you would like me to contact the local authority on your behalf to see if there's any places in other local schools if you feel this is something you need but I am aware that other local schools are in the same situation too.
Social distancing. As I have said in previous communications, social distancing outside of school is crucial to minimise the risks to all pupils and staff that are attending school as well as their wider families. Please ensure you/your household all follow the social distancing rules consistently. Pupils find this difficult without the supervision of adults so please ensure you supervise your child if they are in the community. Many staff (with Union support) and several parents are worried about the increased risks caused by a minority of people not following these rules. Please remember that we will ask you to keep your child away from school for 14 days (the self-isolation period) if they are observed by a professional, such as one of our staff, police, social worker or health worker not following social distancing rules. I’m sure you can understand everyone has a right to be kept safe and we don’t want a situation where staff or other pupils feel unable to come to work or school due to increased risks.
Organisation for those attending school
Blue key worker
Pink key worker
FS
Year 1
Year 6
Start time
8:45am (unless attending extended services)
8:45am
9am
8:55am
8:50am
End time
3:15pm (unless attending extended services)
3:15pm
3pm
3:05pm
3:10pm
Gate
Main reception gate
Nursery (middle) gate
Nursery (middle) gate
Kitchen (top) gate
Car park (bottom) gate
As you know, to minimise the risk of spreading COVID, all groups' start times and end times are staggered. Different gates are also used by different groups.
1. Where to drop off and collect: Only one adult should bring the child to the relevant gate to reduce numbers of people. It is really important that you arrive at the times given as other groups may be arriving before you or after you. You will see white spots on the pathway outside the school gate. Please use these to maintain social distancing. Adults will not be permitted to enter through the schools gates to reduce the risk to pupils so please ensure you talk to your child about this as this is not what they are used to. If you need help with anything, most things can be sorted via e-mail or telephone but in exceptional circumstances, you may need to visit the main Reception. A staff member will greet your child at the gate and bring your child to the gate at the end of the day.
2. What to bring: To reduce the risk of contamination from outside school, pupils are asked not to bring anything with them to school apart from the following:
Coat, hat, sun cream, lunchbox (if relevant), PE kit, change of clothes/wet wipes (if relevant). Please send these in a plastic carrier bag (not a fabric bag, book bag or rucksack as these can't be wiped). Lunchboxes need to be plastic so they are easily wiped. If your child doesn’t have this type, please send them with their lunch in a disposable bag instead. Ideally, it would be great if the children could bring a carrier bag on Monday which contains everything they need and leave this in school. That way the only things coming into school and home again would be a coat and lunchbox (if relevant). Reducing the number of things coming into and out of school reduces the risk to staff and pupils. Please remember, we do not need your child to bring any books, organiser, toys or anything else from home to reduce the risk to pupils.
3. School uniform/washing: Another important way of minimising the risk is to ensure children wear a clean set of clothes to school each day. We still want children to wear school uniform (Y6 pupils can wear their leavers hoodies everyday if they purchased one) but we also appreciate that you may not have lots of sets of uniform and may not want/be able to wash every day.Therefore we are introducing ‘Wear what you want Wednesdays’ so you can wash what has been worn on Monday and Tuesday so it is clean read for Thursday and Friday. Children should therefore be in school uniform on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays but can wear something of their choice each Wednesday. If their birthday falls on a Wednesday, they can wear their own clothes on Tuesday or Thursday of that week as we still want them to feel special. Please remember to send your child in a full set of clean clothes each day. If you are short of school uniform, please let me know. We have lots of donated/ unclaimed uniform which is in clean, good condition and is free to anyone who needs it.
4. School dinners. The kitchen staff are aiming to keep to the menu as close as possible so it should be accurate on School Money moving forward. Please order via School Money in advance. Your child will receive Universal free school meals as before but you can still logon to School Money to select your meal. If your child has been receiving the free school meal hamper, please see the note below.
5. Free school meal hampers. If your child is eligible for free school meals and has been receiving the hamper, they will need to transfer to free school meals in school once they start. Pupils who come to school wb 8th June will need to bring a packed lunch for any day in school that week as the last hamper covers that period too. Hampers will continue to be provided to those in receipt of free school meals, who have requested one and who are not attending school.
6. Breakfast club and After school club. Due to restricted numbers, breakfast club and after school club is only available to the pupils in Blue key worker group. We’re sorry if this causes any inconvenience but trust you understand our hands are tied by this situation.
Please e-mail me: headteacher@anthonybek.derbyshire.sch.uk if you have any questions or need any further information.
Take care and Be Safe,
Mrs. Johnson
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Money raised for the choir
Thu 04 Jun 2020Even though our school is not officially open, Trinity and her mum have still been busy raising money for the choir. Trinity's mum held a bake sale and then they both completed the sponsored walk that all the choir were going to take part in before we had to close.
Between them they have raised over £200 !
We say "Well done and thank you" for your hard work and dedication to the school.
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Talent sharing
Mon 01 Jun 2020Here's another one of our talented pupils, singing her heart out. Get ready to have shivers!
Well done, Trinity (Y6)!
