Parent Governors Wanted

Do you have the time and skill set to become a School Governor? We are hoping to recruit new Parent Governors to support our journey from Good to Outstanding.

As you will be aware, Oaklands School is a very special place; from the majestic oak tree outside the school building to the spinney at the back, it is full of nature, open spaces, and opportunities to learn. Our school building is unusual: built in a square with a garden and playground at the centre. All of our classrooms have outside space and look out onto trees and play areas. This ‘inside-outside’ aspect of the school building perfectly reflects the ‘inside-outside‘ way of living and learning at Oaklands for every member of our community, whether staff, parent or child. We want the same for our governors and will support you with training so no experience is needed- just a commitment to termly school visits and approximately 8 meetings over the year.

We want all of our pupils to be confident happy children who know they have value and who have a sense of their own abilities. We want them to be able to communicate in whatever way or ways they are comfortable with; to have a voice and be listened to; to know that they have rights and responsibilities, and that they are entitled to learning that is fun, challenging and meaningful whatever their abilities or starting points. 

This is an exciting opportunity for a parent to join the Governing Body. Our school is changing and growing and we value Parent Governor input to ensure that we always achieve the best outcomes for our children. We offer support and training and would love to hear from you if you are interested. Please do call to speak to a member of the Senior Leadership team if you are considering joining us. Contact Oaklands School at 0116 241 5921 or by email to: office@oaklands.leicester.sch.uk

On Saturday it is World Mental Health Day.  The theme this year is 'Mental health for all'.  We  invited staff and pupils to wear yellow today to raise awareness for mental health and Youngminds. 

https://youngminds.org.uk/get-involved/how-to-fundraise/helloyellow/

The Department of Health and Social Care have made a how to video on testing your child for coronavirus.  This is for the throat and nose swab test. 

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xaw8DsF2Igc

We are very proud to announce that we have been awarded the Artsmark Gold award.  The Artsmark Award is the only creative quality standard for schools and education settings, accredited by Arts Council England. They support settings to develop and celebrate their commitment to arts and cultural education.

A big thank you to all the staff and pupils for all their hard work but in particular our My Creativity leads, Nisha Stuart and Natasha Gibbins.

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please find a letter from Ivan Browne, Director of Public Health, regarding the rise in Coronavirus cases in our City.

Regards

Sarah

Sarah Osborne

(Headteacher)

The new NHS COVID-19 app, now available to download for free in England and Wales, is the fastest way to see if you're at risk from coronavirus. The faster you know, the quicker you can alert and protect your loved ones and community.

The app has a number of tools to protect you, including contact tracing, local area alerts and venue check-in. It uses proven technology from Apple and Google, designed to protect every user’s privacy.

There is a fact sheet that the NHS has produced for parents and carers in our parents section:  https://oaklands-school-leicester.secure-primarysite.net/home-learning-resources/

Dear Parents/Carers,

I am writing to confirm that if your child has been self-isolating at home due to the positive case of Coronavirus in school I wrote to you about, your child will now be able to return to school on Monday 28th September. However, they must only return if they are well and continue to have no symptoms of Coronavirus.

The main symptoms of Coronavirus (COVID-19) are:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Please see the NHS website for further advice https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/coronavirus-in-children/

You should also keep your child at home if they have sickness or diarrhoea, and they should not return until 48 hours after the last bout. 

Transport has been notified that your child is able to return on Monday if they are well. If your child is not well, please notify transport as usual.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact a member of the Senior Leadership team on 0116 2415921

We look forward to welcoming your child back in to school on Monday,

Regards

Sarah

Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

Dear Parents/Carers,

Please find attached a Guide for Parents/Carers that we hope you will find helpful. It details a variety of scenarios relating to Covid-19 that you may encounter, and lists the responses that we ask you follow. We ask that you contact the school immediately if your child has any symptom of Covid-19, if anyone in your household either becomes symptomatic/has a positive test result, or if your family is contacted through the NHS Test and Trace service. This Guide details when your child would be able to return to school. Please read & keep this document so that you can refer to it if needed.

There is a wealth of information about Coronavirus in Leicester on the Leicester City Council website here. This includes where you can find the local testing Centres. To book a test you can call 119 or book online at nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test. The testing centres are open 8am to 8pm daily. If your child develops symptoms and there is any reason why you feel that your child could not get tested at one of these station, please call the school to speak to me personally or Ingrid Spencer.

Many thanks for your support in keeping our school community safe,

Regards

Sarah

Sarah Osborne

(Headteacher)

Dear Parents/Carers,

Coronavirus Update

I am writing to you again following my recent correspondence about  a child on site who had a symptom of Coronavirus.

The child has remained at home since Thursday and has taken a Coronavirus test. We are pleased to inform you that they have had a negative result.

We will remain vigilant on site and will continue to communicate any changes to our situation with you.

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

• a high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)

• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)

• a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

Most people with Coronavirus have at least one of these symptoms. For more information go to https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/

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. You MUST NOT send your child in to school if they have any of these symptoms.

You must also keep your child off school for 48 hours if they have nausea, diarrhoea or any other signs of illness. Please ring the school office to let us know.

If you have any concerns or queries, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards

Sarah

Sarah Osborne (Headteacher)

A Fantastic Start to the Term

Dear Parents/Carers,

After many concerns we had about the children coming back this term; being on site again after such a long time away, getting used to new routines, needing to wash hands frequently every day, once again they have surprised us! Each and every one of the children on site this week has made us proud.

The children who were already familiar with the Oaklands site have quickly adapted to moving around the school in the one way system, classrooms being in a new layout, and the daily routine being different from what they had been used to. Our new children have explored their class & school environment, readily moving around the site, smiling and getting to know the staff teams. All staff have commented on how smoothly all of our Oaklands children transitioned into this new way of working and playing. Thank-you to you all for making sure that your child has been well prepared to start the new term, and that they have been ready on time for school. We know that the more we prepare our children for changes the better they can cope with it.

To our new parents joining the Oaklands community, I would like to offer you a very warm welcome. By now, your child’s class teacher will have introduced themselves and let you know how your child is settling in. We do hope you will be interested to find out about what is happening at Oaklands by following us on

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OaklandsSchoolLeicester

Twitter: @OaklandsSchool­_ 

and on the website: www.oaklands.leicester.sch.uk.

We also have a You Tube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoBZ9amxpU6NJ3OM9_dPioA with many Oaklands video clips that your child may like to watch and learn from.

We ask that all parents regularly check Weduc, our parent messaging app, and the website, to be kept up to date with letters and news. Our teachers will also now be using ClassDojo to contact you personally about your child’s progress in class. We will be trying to reduce the amount of paper we use so most correspondence will be made via these alternative methods of communication.

We are all looking forward to the term ahead. We will take it step by step, and at a pace that is suitable for each individual child. We want them all to feel safe and comfortable in school, with the people around them. It may take some children a while to start to interact again. For some, the loss of structure may have been devastating over the last six months. But we are well prepared, with our Connection & Community Curriculum aims being firmly focused on a reintegration that suits individual needs. We are ready to listen if children want to talk about what has happened, and indeed we have heard children already reminding each other about ‘social distancing’. We know that for many of our children, they have enjoyed the company of familiar adults at home during lockdown, so coming back to school and the separation from loved ones after all this time may be distressing, and cause anxiety.

Our teachers have been considering all different types of responses to the current situation, to ensure that first and foremost we consider each child’s wellbeing as they return to school life, which in turn, and in time, will secure positive progress for their future development.

We also recognise that this week has been difficult for many of you as well. Many parents have asked themselves if sending their child back to school is the right thing to do. But, ultimately, you have sent your child back because you care. They needed to be away from school during the lockdown, it was not a choice, but we know that education is crucial to a child’s development. It is not just the academic learning, but the social development opportunities they have in school too that are crucial for their future. I think we all had first day nerves this week, but we always talk about Oaklands as a family, and we will all continue to work to look after each other. If you want any further information about our safety measures in school, please do contact us to speak to a member of the leadership team.

As always, we are more than happy to help you, should you have any queries about how your child is settling in or their progress during the term. Please do use ClassDojo, or phone us on 0116 2415921, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can, should you want to talk about anything.

Regards

Sarah Osborne