Thursday 7^th January

Dear Parents/Carers,

The government have released a scheme which allows schools to apply for temporary increases in data allowance for mobile phone users on certain networks.  This is so that children and young people can access remote education resources whilst their face to face education is disrupted.

As a school, we can request mobile data increases for our pupils if you

• Do not have fixed broadband at home
• Cannot afford additional data for your devices
• Are experiencing disruption in face to face learning due to closure, self-isolating or being clinically extremely vulnerable

Children with access to a mobile phone on one of the following networks may be able to benefit:

• Three
• Smarty
• Virgin Mobile
• EE
• Tesco Mobile
• Sky Mobile

Other providers may join the scheme at a later stage.

If you would like Oaklands to apply for the extra data allowance on the behalf of your child, we will need the following information:

• The name of the account holder
• The number of the mobile device
• The mobile network of that device from the list above

Please email the details to office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk

Many thanks,

Regards

Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

Wednesday 6^th January

Dear Parents/Carers,

National Lockdown

Following on from Boris Johnsons televised broadcast on Monday evening, I am contacting you about the National Lockdown and what this means for our school community.

As already communicated with you, the school is now only open to children of ‘critical workers'; and our most ‘vulnerable children’. Following the Government announcement, this arrangement will be until February half term.

Obviously, we all hope that infection rates will reduce and that our school can re-open properly as soon as possible. However, we are confident currently that children are now safe at home and we will continue to do everything that we can to support you. If your child is at home, you will continue to get a weekly phone call from the class teacher. This is both a well being check and to offer any support or advice you may need for remote learning activities. You can also contact your child’s class teacher using ClassDojo. Our Family Support Worker, Dhrupti Champaneri, is also able to support where there are issues you may need support with for your family ie housing, finance. There will always be someone available on site Monday to Friday between the hours of 8.30am and 3.15pm. If you wish to talk to a member of the Senior Leadership team; if you have any concerns or are finding the situation at home particularly difficult, please do call for a chat. Your child’s and your own well being is important to us. There are further support lines at the end of this letter.

Remote Learning (learning at home) has been sent for all children and teachers are happy to provide additional support or activities where required. Please do continue to use our website, the Curriculum area, for additional film clips and activities. There are speech sounds that can be practised, stories to listen to and join in with, science clips to watch or try at home and much more.

BBC TV is going to help children with learning at home during the lockdown. They will show curriculum based programmes on TV from Monday which will include 3 hours of primary school programming each day on CBBC.

Joe Wicks is restarting his online PE lessons from Monday 11^th January, to help families keep fit during lockdown. Live sessions would run on his YouTube channel at 9am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Oak National Academy also has a range of resources online including lessons for children with SEND.

We would like to stay ‘connected’ with you, so please do send any photos of your child involved in activities at home to office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk

If your child is in school, they will continue to work in a small group with appropriate staffing ratios. We have revised our Risk Assessment which can be found on the Home Page of our Oaklands website. Please ensure that your child continues to come to school in clean clothes each day and avoid sending in bags/items that are not essential for them to have in school.

If your child receives Free School Meals, we will be providing vouchers as done during the first National Lockdown. These will be sent to you on a two-week cycle. Children in school will continue to receive a Free School Meal if eligible.

Numbers for support during the lockdown:

Safeguarding Support:

Duty and Advice Service 0116 4541004

(For Social Care or Early Help support- if you are having a crisis, please contact this number)

Family and Personal Support

Samaritans 116 123- Free from any phone

Crisis Team 0808 800 3302

Text ‘Shout’ to 85258 

(24hr mental health & wellbeing support line)

Autism Helpline (NAS)- 0808 800 4104  10am – 12pm and 1pm - 3pm, Monday to Friday

Citizens advice- 0300 330 1025

Salvation Army - 0116 262 1834 (food bank) 

Uava (united against violence and abuse) - 0808 80 200 28

Free text support 07715 994 962

Turning point - 0330 3036000

Sexual Health Clinic  - 0300 124 0102

We will stay in contact with you via Weduc and the school website with whole school information. Please do check these regularly.

Thank-you once again for your support during this difficult time.

Stay safe

Regards

Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

Subject: Remote Learning

Dear Parents/Carers,

Following my email to you yesterday, I am writing to confirm that the school will need to move to remote learning for the first two weeks of term. Unless you have specifically been contacted today and a place confirmed for your child to be in school (key worker/children with a social worker) your child will be using remote learning activities at home (sent to you previously by your child's class teacher). If you require any further advice or resources, please do contact the class teacher through ClassDojo.

There are many film clips with learning activities on our website including a range of speech sounds for you to dip into with your child at home. These are all in the curriculum section here. Many of these are also on our Facebook page @OaklandsSchoolLeicester. 

We will stay in contact with families during these two weeks and in due course will send out further information about children returning to school. 

Many thanks for your support,

Stay safe

Regards

Sarah

Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

Dear Parents/Carers,

I am writing to you this evening regarding Union advice to all staff who work in schools that you may have read about on social media or seen on TV today. A number of Unions have written to their members advising them that it is not safe to return to school. This advice applies to all primary and secondary schools, special schools and SEND settings, colleges and early years settings. Whilst our Prime Minister has today said that it is safe for children to be in school, the Unions have considered carefully the advice from the SAGE advisory group and the rising number of infection rates, and do not feel that it is advisable for staff or children to be in school. Their advice applies for at least the first two weeks of term.

As you will appreciate, our staff team have been reading this carefully over the weekend, and whilst wanting to continue to with face to face education on site, there is compelling advice that in order to help reduce the rate of spread of the Covid-19 virus and to keep all children and staff safe, there should be a return to remote learning for pupils.  

Infection rates are far higher than at the end of last term.  This increase has been promoted by the new variant of the Covid-19 virus which was not properly understood at that time.

Therefore, I am writing tonight to advise you that we will send further communication tomorrow morning, but it is likely that the school may need to return to remote learning, except for the children of key workers/& those with a social worker.

We apologise that this comes at such short notice, however, as you will appreciate, the national picture is changing rapidly and the Union advice has come over the weekend.

As always during this situation, the safety of everyone in our school community is our key priority.

We appreciate your support,

Regards

Sarah

Sarah Osborne

Dear Parents/Carers,

After yesterday's announcements from the government, we are clear that special schools for primary years should continue to open as planned, unless on a list distributed by the Department for Education last night. Leicester is not on that list. Therefore, we continue to expect our children back in school on Tuesday 5th January as planned. Government information for parents and carers about the return to schools from January 2021 can be found here.

As you will have seen, Leicester is now in Tier 4 and further information about the local restrictions can be found here.

If you have any concerns or queries regarding the start of term, please do not hesitate to contact the school office on 0116 2415921 from Monday or email office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk   

We continue to urge you to be extremely vigilant. You MUST not send your child in to school if they have symptoms of Coronavirus or are unwell. If anyone in your household has symptoms of Coronavirus, your whole household must self-isolate. 

Symptoms of Coronavirus 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 symptoms, 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. You can book a test online at nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or call 119. There are also walk in test centres around Leicester. Further information can be found here

There are currently test centres open at: (Most are open 8am-8pm.)

• Aylestone Leisure Centre
• Belgrave Neighbourhood Centre
• Birstall Park and Ride
• Highfields Centre
• Humberstone Park
• Jubilee Square
• Overton Road
• Victoria Park
• Upper Brown Street (Walk in)

We hope you have had a restful break and look forward to seeing your child back in school on Tuesday 5th January.

Regards

Sarah

Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

Dear Parents/Carers,

We would just like to take the opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas time and thank you all for your continued support through what has been a challenging and yet enjoyable & successful term. Your children always amaze us, and this term they have shown incredible resilience and flexibility. We know that for our children at Oaklands, returning to school after the first lockdown would have been incredibly difficult. However, with your help in preparing them to return and our staff team’s thorough planning for each child, they quickly adapted to changes and new routines. The term has seen many achievements across the school, for individuals and groups of children, despite the interruptions with self-isolation periods for most classes at different points. We appreciate how parents/carers have worked hard during these self-isolation period, using remote learning packs to ensure that children continue to be stimulated and work towards targets where possible at home. As a parent myself, I acknowledge that it is not easy to try and replicate school activities in the home environment.

Thank you for continuing to send your child in to school. Whole school attendance continues to be exceptionally strong and we are grateful that despite concerns about the pandemic, parents/carers have demonstrated a commitment to ensuring that our Oaklands children continue to get their education; to learn, have fun and progress together. Please can I ask you to continue to promote strong attendance in the new year.

Just a reminder that the children finish school today and will return on Tuesday 5th January. We do hope that you have kept the information sent yesterday to contact us if your child tests positive for Covid-19 between 18^th-23rd December: Tel: 07742 800987 or email office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk

We require this information to undertake contact tracing within our school community. If your child develops symptoms after 12pm on Wednesday 23rd December, then there is no requirement to notify school.

  If necessary, we will continue to communicate with you during the Christmas break via Weduc or the   school website. Please do continue to check for any messages, particularly up to 23^rd December and before returning on 5^th January.

Although there are many things that we are all missing during the pandemic, I am truly thankful for our close knit Oaklands community of children, families & staff, who at difficult times such as this, always come together, showing kindness and support to one another. I look forward to a time when I  can welcome you back into school to catch up and celebrate the joy your children bring to us all.

 But for now, our whole staff team would like to wish you a restful and very happy Christmas break & thank-you once again for all your hard work and support throughout this term. You and your children are amazing! Thank-you.

Regards

Sarah Osborne

(Headteacher)

Dear Parents/Carers,

If during the Christmas break 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 your child during the Christmas period as we need this information for tracing purposes; we will still be required to contact families and staff who may have been contacts.

Please email any Covid-19 results to office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk. or call me directly on 07742800987 during the Christmas period between 10am and 12 pm noon from 18^th-23^rd December.

We ask that you retain the telephone numbers attached; stick them on the fridge or keep them somewhere you can easily find them if you do have a case of Coronavirus in your house. There are also other numbers for use over the Christmas holidays if you require support, find yourself struggling or are at a crisis point. Please do ask for help, there is always someone to turn to.

Stay safe!

Regards

Sarah Osborne

(Headteacher)

Dear Parents/Carers,

Coronavirus Information

  I am writing to advise you that an adult who was in school has tested positive for Coronavirus. However, I would like to reassure you that the child was not in your child’s class, unless you have been notified by Weduc earlier today.

The children in that specific class and the class staff team have now been asked to self-isolate for 14 days from the last day of contact.

We are very conscious that with only one week to go until the end of the term, children are becoming very tired and it can be difficult to tell whether they are tired or ill. Please do continue to be extremely vigilant to keep everyone safe this Christmas time. We would very much like everyone in our Oaklands community to be able to enjoy the time during the easing of restrictions between 23rd and 27th December, and want to do everything we can to ensure that our children and staff can stay well and be able to see loved ones. If you have any concern that your child may be at all ill this week, please notify the school office and keep them at home. If your child has nausea, diarrhoea or any other signs of illness, you MUST keep your child off school for at least 48 hours after the last bout of their illness. 

If your child 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), you MUST keep them at home and you must follow guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, which sets out that your child should self-isolate for at least 10 days and you should arrange to have a test to see if they 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. If your child or a household member has symptoms of Coronavirus and you need further advice you can call NHS 111.

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

Regards

Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

Important End of Term update

Dear Parents/Carers,

      I am writing to inform you of the latest Government advice to schools. On Tuesday, the Government suggested that schools use Friday 18^th December as a training day for staff. This is because the Department for Education want six clear days of contact tracing after schools break up and before Christmas Eve. All school leaders will therefore be expected to support with contact tracing through to Wednesday 23^rd December.

For this reason, Oaklands will be closed to all pupils on Friday 18^th December. The last day of term will now be Thursday 17^th December.

We recognise that many parents may be concerned about children being in school on the last week of term, with less than ten days then before possibly visiting family/grandparents during the eased restrictions from 23^rd December to 27^th December. However, school will be open as usual until 17^th December. We hope that you will feel confident to send your child in to school Monday 14^th to Thursday 17^th, but please do call the school if you have any worries.

We apologise for the late notice regarding the end of term, but this has come directly from the Government advice for schools sent out this week.

Many thanks for your understanding,

Regards

Sarah Osborne

Headteacher

Dear Parents/Carers,

Due to the current situation, and Leicester now going in to Tier 3: Very High Alert restrictions from 2^nd December, we have been looking carefully at what we will be able to do in the run up to Christmas this year. There are usually school performances and assemblies for parents to share in, but unfortunately this year, as you will appreciate, in order to keep everyone safe, we have had to cancel these. However, we will ensure that we close the year with some enjoyable and festive activities for each class; staff are looking forward to Christmas Crafts, a special lunch, Christmas Jumper day and lots of singing with your children!

With stringent measures in school to keep children and staff safe during the Coronavirus, we will continue to need to open windows for ventilation. As the weather has changed recently, please do send your child with appropriate layers of clothing to keep them warm. If you feel that they would benefit from wearing an extra layer, like a fleece jacket, please do send your child in with them, as well as their coat now for outdoor learning sessions.

It is the official Save the Children Christmas Jumper day on Friday 11^th December. If your child would like to wear a Christmas jumper to school on that day, they are most welcome. We do understand however, that some of our autistic children do not like the change of routine and find different clothing on a school day difficult to cope with, so please do not feel obliged. Equally, if your child does not have a Christmas jumper, please do not feel obliged to go and buy one. If they would like to join in by wearing something more brightly coloured, or ‘dress down’ clothing, that would be lovely. If well prepared before-hand, they may accept a change, but we are happy for children to come in their normal school uniform if they would prefer. As sent out on previous correspondence, please do make sure that all clothing worn to school by your child is clean each day, in line with our Covid-19 Risk Assessment.

Our Christmas Lunch is booked for Wednesday 16th December, which children will eat with their class group, so please do feel free to send your child in a Christmas jumper/colourful clothing on that day too. More information will come to you about that from the office.

Our partners Magic Breakfast are offering an opportunity to provide breakfast food over the Christmas holidays by Amazon delivery.  Families will receive the breakfast packs* week commencing 21^st December.  Further information on how to register will be sent on Monday 30^th November by Weduc.

*1 pack of 5 New York Bagels, 1 Box of Cereal/Quaker Oats porridge sachets, 1 x 2.62 tin of Heinz Baked Beans and Arla milk voucher for 2 litres

This year particularly, knowing that many families are suffering from hardships caused by Coronavirus, we would like to encourage our Oaklands Community to support our local foodbank. With more people than ever expected to need to use a food bank during the festive period, we feel that it is important for us to get involved and help those most in need. So, instead of sending Christmas cards to those in school this year, and therefore minimising risks caused by things coming in to school, if you are able to, we would like to ask you to join us in providing just a couple of items for the food bank, such as tinned supplies, pasta, rice. Please send items in on:

Friday 4^th December and/or

Friday 11^th December

We will collect them from your child as they come in to the school and these will stay in an office area until we take them to the food bank.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much”

Many thanks for your support,

Regards

Sarah