St James E-News
6th May 2022
Welcome to the St James Primary School's E-News, a weekly roundup of the latest goings on at the school.
Latest Headteachers Blog
Dear Parents,
As many of you will know, St James Primary launched a consultation into setting up a nursery onsite and the results have been overwhelmingly positive. Current parents as well as those with pre-school aged children, and village residents have responded and given their opinions. Governors and staff have also met with key village organisations to explain the school's plans and hear their views. As a result of the positive response to the consultation, and following on discussions with the Diocese of Guildford and Surrey County Council, we will now be launching a second consultation about lowering the school age to two years. We have to consult separately on the nursery and lowering the school age, and further details of how you can give your views will be sent out tomorrow.
This is an exciting time for St James Primary, as the governors and staff continue to look at ways of ensuring our village school remains financially strong and continues to serve our local community. The nursery will give the children a fantastic start to their education, using our Early Years expertise and our wonderful facilities. After half-term the governors will be in a position to make a final decision about whether to go ahead with the nursery, with the aim to open in September.
Best wishes for a lovely weekend,
Valerie Elliott
School Notices
- Nursery Consultation - St James Primary are now in Stage 2 of the Nursery Consultation. The consultation document on the Parent Portal contains a list of FAQs which parents may find helpful. We will hold an online public meeting for parents and any other interested parties to discuss the proposal and to hear the views that people have. As a public meeting, anyone who wishes to, may attend. The online event will be held on the 24 May 2022 at 17:00, there will be a short presentation followed by questions and answers. Please join on this link to share your views and ask questions. You do not need to have a child at the school to join the meeting.
- Scarlet Fever and Chicken Pox - There has been an increase in the number of scarlet fever and chickenpox outbreaks linked to nurseries and primary schools reported to UKHSA Health Protection Teams since the beginning of March 2022, including some where both infections are co-circulating. Evidence suggests that chickenpox is the most common risk factor for invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) disease in children. Please click here to learn more about the signs and symptoms of scarlet fever. If you or your child has scarlet fever, stay away from nursery, school or work for 24 hours after the 1st dose of antibiotics.
- Road Safety - We have received notification from a parent of a near-miss occurring last week where a child was almost hit by a reversing car in West Hill. We continue to ask parents to park and drive with care around our school, to be vigilant when driving and to park with consideration for our neighbours and school family.
- Swimming Ability Information - Please make sure that you complete the online swimming ability form, available on the Parent Portal by the end of this week so that we can collate all of the relevant information for our swimming instructor.
- Elstead Paperboat Race 12 noon, Sunday 26th June at Elstead Moat - Elstead Paperboat Race is back! Please see the details, including rules, on our Advertising Hub and Parent Portal.
- Plastic Bottle Tops Still Needed - Year 3 and Year 5 will be creating a bottle top art project in the summer term. Please continue collect any plastic bottle tops you have at home and bring them to school. They can be any colour, size or shape. There will be a collection point in the library.
- Drop in sessions with our Home School Link Worker, Helen Owen - The role of the Home School Link Worker (HSLW) is to support families with a range of issues at home or at school. 1:1 sessions are available on Wednesdays. To book an appointment, email Helen on hslw@st-james-elstead.surrey.sch.uk or ring the school office to request a call back.
Letters This Week
The following classes have had letters uploaded to the Parent Portal this week. Note: You will need to login to view this area.
- Penguins
- Whole school
PTA News
Please click on the link below to find out about activities planned for this term.
Covid-19 Information
In the light of the recent changes to Government policy regarding Covid testing:
- Pupils/Students and staff should attend if they are well
- Pupils/Students and staff should stay at home if they are unwell – schools/settings should refuse entry to those that are symptomatic or unwell
- Get vaccinated
- Let fresh air in if meeting indoors, or meet outside
- Wear a face covering in crowded and enclosed spaces, especially where coming into contact with people you do not usually meet and when rates of transmission are high
- Wash your hands and follow advice to “Catch it, Bin it, Kill it”
Safeguarding Information
Keeping our children safe is a partnership between school and home, so if we have any worries or concerns about your child we will always speak to you first to see what we can do to help. If you would like to speak to a member of staff, in confidence, about a safeguarding concern about a child at St James Primary, or seek help or advice, please contact either Mr McArthur or Mrs Elliott via the office, they are the school’s Senior Designated Safeguarding Leads (DSL).
If you would like to speak directly to Surrey Children’s Safeguarding Services, their contact details are 0300 470 9100 cspa@surreycc.gov.uk
There is also plenty of support and advice that parents, carers and families can access for further help and we’ve listed the main ones below.
Helen Owen, our Home/School Link Worker, can signpost to further agencies who can support with a range of issues including financial hardship, housing issues or offer practical support with problems at school.
The Surrey Family Information Service offer a free impartial information and signposting service on all aspects of family life for parents, including parenting advice and courses. https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/children/families
Mental Health
The Surrey website Mindworks offers a huge amount of advice for young adults and parents on a range of mental health issues.
https://www.mindworks-surrey.org/
Online Safety
The NSPCC website contains information and advice on many safeguarding issues, including keeping your child safe online. Information includes talking to your child about online safety, looking after your child’s online wellbeing and how to set up and manage parental controls.
https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
School Policy on Granting Leave of Absence
Absences will be authorised for illness, and parents are requested not to send their child to school when they are unwell. Apart from illness, absence will be authorised for medical appointments; attendance at religious festivals; visits to other schools at the age of transfer or when moving; and for exceptional circumstances.
Absence will not be authorised for such reasons as looking after others at home, visiting friends or relatives, birthday treats or shopping trips. Unauthorised absence is also recorded if the child arrives after the close of registration at 9.15am unless for exceptional reasons. Parents are requested to arrange medical appointments out of school hours whenever possible.
Parents should be aware that due to the pressure on the curriculum, absences may mean that children miss vital learning activities that will not be repeated.
Family Holidays
There is a clear link between attendance at school and good progress.
Children do not have a right to be withdrawn from school for holidays. School holiday dates are published a year in advance and parents should arrange their family holidays during these times. If an absence in term time is unavoidable, an Absence Authorisation form must be completed well in advance to gain prior authorisation. Forms are available from the school office and website.
On submission of the form, the Headteacher will decide whether or not to authorise the absence having considered:
· the child’s record of attendance
· the ability of the child to catch up the work that they have missed
· the reason why they are taking the time off during term time
· the timing of the holiday, ensuring that it would not prevent the child from taking any important examinations or assessments.
Leave may be requested in advance for attendance at religious festivals, visits to other schools at the age of transfer and for exceptional circumstances. Please note that Year 6 will not be granted leave of absence during the Key Stage 2 Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) week.
The Headteacher reserves the right to issue parents with a Penalty Notice for unauthorised absence This can include parents who take their children on holiday during term time without getting authorisation from the school. The penalty is £60, rising to £120 if not paid within 28 days.
News Blogs
Blog of the Week: Click on the picture below to see how Owls celebrated Easter Pause.
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Dates for your diary
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School Meals
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