22nd January 2021
Dear parents/ carers,
You have made it through another week – well done! I know I keep repeating myself, but please do get in touch if you need any support.
I would like to thank my wonderful teachers for their resilience in working through some challenging technical issues as they navigate their way through the different platforms, all live and with lots of faces looking on expectantly at them! A very challenging place to be and certainly not one I envy!
The key with all of this remote learning is to accept that at times technology will not behave as we expect and none of us are experts, but remembering everyone is doing their best and this means at times, accepting defeat and keeping everything crossed that the technology behaves next time!
I would also like to say thank you so much for your continued support, parents and children have been amazing and I am so proud of you all for the way everyone has adapted to online learning. I feel you all deserve my Headteachers resilience award this week! Many of you have taken the additional time to either email me or the teachers directly with the loveliest of comments and support, I can’t begin to tell you how much that means – thank you 😊
Grant funding: I had the most wonderful news this week, following on from a grant request to The WPA Benevolent Foundation, https://www.wpa.org.uk/health-and-wellbeing which promotes healthy activity amongst the young. We have just received a payment of £1870 to cover the cost of a toggle bridge and rolling barrel for the playground. This equipment is being installed next week. This installation will enhance our trim trail and provide the children with additional activities to keep active during break and lunch times. In these difficult times, how amazing to have something for the children to look forward to when schools re-open again.
Thank you to Clay Powter for your support in this project!
Squires: Thank you to Squires too! We have just had £25 deposited into our account! Thank you to those of you that purchased a Christmas tree from Squires and requested the donation come to Henham 😊
Lateral Flow Test (LFT): We are scheduled for a delivery of Lateral Flow Devices (LFD) on Tuesday 26th January, ready for staff in school to be tested twice weekly from Wednesday 27th January. Primary aged children will not be tested, under direction from the Government. Staff will self-administer the test on a Wednesday evening and a Saturday morning and inform me of the results on those days, whether negative or positive.
If a result from the LFT comes back as positive, the member of staff and anyone that has been in direct contact, would then have to self-isolate while the member of staff has a confirmatory Polymerase Chain Reaction test (PCR test). If the result of this test is positive, PHE will confirm the details of self-isolation for those that have been in direct contact and I will advise parents accordingly.
If the result of the PCR test is negative, again PHE will confirm any measures required and I will update you.
For Key Worker bubbles this means:
- If a member of staff tests positive on a Wednesday, I will have to close the Key Worker bubble that the staff member is in, on the Thursday. You will get this advice on a Wednesday evening, along with next steps.
- If a member of staff tests positive on a Saturday morning, I will contact you on the Saturday afternoon to confirm closure of the bubble, from Monday along with next steps.
Please do contact me if you need any further clarification of the above, I know it’s a lot to take in!
Virtual School Library: Oak National Academy and the National Literacy Trust have come together to launch a Virtual School Library to keep children reading during lockdown.
Every week, a popular children’s author will become their ‘Author of the Week’ and provide a free book or audiobook and exclusive videos and activities aimed at primary school children, all available at library.thenational.academy.
Their first Author of the Week is Dame Jacqueline Wilson DBE, who talks about how her infamous character Tracy Beaker got her name, offers exclusive activities and recommends her top reads to check out. The Story of Tracy Beaker is also available to read for free for a week.
Invitation to review an Online Public Exhibition relating to the proposed new build accommodation at Henham & Ugley Primary and Nursery School:
Essex County Council (ECC), as the Education Authority, proposes to provide a new single-classroom building to replace our existing temporary accommodation, also known as Creaky Cottage. Please find attached a letter to invite you to an online exhibition (along with the consultation boards), to review the current proposals and to have your say before the proposals are completed for submission to the County Planning Authority as a detailed planning application. Comment forms are available online and ECC would be grateful if you could take your time to complete this so that we can capture and consider the views prior to the submission of the planning application.
The online exhibition will be available from Monday 1st to Friday 12th February 2021 and can be viewed at http://XXX or https://consultations.essex.gov.uk/
Wishing you all a relaxing weekend, with my continued best wishes,
Kim
Kim Hall
Headteacher
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