Welcome back to the St Andrew and St Francis Primary School community. It has been a demanding and unusual Easter for everyone. We know that some families have been greatly affected by Covid-19 and our thoughts and prayers go out to them.
Under normal circumstances, Monday 20 April would be the start of the summer term, but the government has announced an extension of the lockdown requirements for a further three weeks. There is still great uncertainty as to when and how SASF will reopen to all students.
While the school is closed, our priority will be to support the wellbeing of our students, and, at the same time, ensure students are provided with suitable learning resources (Purple Mash or homework books). We will be contacting you and your son or daughter early next week, so please look out for texts and emails. Please read our updates below and do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns over the coming week. For up to date information please refer to the school website https://www.standrewandstfrancis.org/welcome/
Home learning (Starts Monday 20th April 2020)
As we ‘return to school' after the Easter break, we are continually reviewing our home learning systems. For now, we will be continuing to set work through PurpleMash (online) or home-learning books, with daily teacher contact via our online platform. Please bear with us while we investigate the best way of teaching and supporting your child’s continued learning.
Home learning information from SLT
EYFS/KS1 – Mr Gair (AHT)
Hello everyone,
I hope you had a restful and safe Easter holiday. This term, learning is going to be a little bit different. Rather than come into school and learn, we must stay at home and learn.
You should all have received your Purple Mash log-in and password. Your teachers will set work for every day that we are not in school. We expect you to complete the work that has been set so that you continue to develop and learn. As well as each day’s learning there are also lots of interesting, educational websites for you to access. Please get in touch with school if you are having any difficulties.
Remember to watch the daily Read, Write, Inc phonics sessions on YouTube (Ruth Mishkin Training) and remember to read, count and talk about the world every single day.
Everyone at school misses you very much and we cannot wait until we are all back at school together.
Take care and stay safe.
KS2 – Mr Low (AHT)
Dear parents/carers,
I hope you are safe and well. The school term begins on Monday, April 20th. Even though social distancing measures are in place, it is vital that your child continues their education, and they are expected to participate fully in the fun work, challenges and activities that have been prepared for them. By now, you will have received login details for http://www.purplemash.com. Please ensure that your child logs in to this website on the morning of Monday, April 20th, to begin their school work for the summer term. We will contact the parents of those children who are not logging in and taking part in their learning. Yours sincerely, Mr Low - Assistant Headteacher, KS2.
Safeguarding – (Ms Collins - Deputy head)
During these unprecedented times, it is vitally important that we continue to safeguard the well-being of our families and the wider community. If you have any concerns about a child, please contact Brent Family Front Door on: 020 8937 4300 (option 1). If you are calling outside normal office hours (9am - 5pm) please call their emergency duty team on: 020 8863 5250. Equally, if you and your family are struggling financially or emotional during this difficult time, please visit https://www.brent.gov.uk/your-community/coronavirus/emergency-support/ where you will find information varying from emergency food support and domestic violence to private tenant support and bereavement. Please remember, Brent Social Care’s main focus is supporting its families as and when they my need it. You may also contact the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead (Miss Collins) at dsl@sasf.brent.sch.uk
Children will inevitably be spending more time on the internet/mobile phones during lock down therefore it is equally important to safeguard your child’s online safety. Whilst they are the platform for excellent learning resources, they can also provide children access to age inappropriate information or leave them susceptible to cyber bullying. The NSPCA has provided excellent resources online for parents, to support and advice you (https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/).
Inclusion – (Ms Dodd-Noble - AHT)
If your child is struggling with their work please ensure you contact their teacher, they will be able to provide you with ideas and resources that will help scaffold their learning. You may find your child is finding it difficult to focus on a task: a useful strategy is to challenge your child to complete a small amount of the task in a short time, then enable them to have a small break or a sticker on a reward chart to motivate them. If your child is struggling with writing, ensure they are saying their sentence out loud: you can then record this on your phone to help them remember it, then play it whilst they write it down. Short tasks, small successes and positive reinforcement will be a real support for your child to be successful.
Stay positive and stay safe
Brent Community Information Service
Brent Council has developed a COVID-19 portal on its Community Information page online to act as a single point of information for service updates and resources for families, children and young people. Any relevant updates from specific services will be added here as they become available. Please visit https://www.brent.gov.uk/coronavirus/ to access more information.
Tips for staying well
The mental health charity Mind (for Brent, Wandsworth and Westminster) has produced a helpful newsletter for families with tips on staying well during the Coronavirus outbreak. Please click here to see a copy.
Protecting against online radicalisation
Please click here for information and support for parents/carers on the topic of online radicalisation, which is especially important during this time. The guidance has been produced by a number of charities and Counter Terrorism Policing.
I would lastly like to thank all our key/critical workers who are working hard on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis. Your efforts are appreciated by all.
Regards
Mr T Sharpe
Headteacher