Free School Meal During the Christmas Holidays

Havering Council has launched a new package of financial support to help residents through the winter months. The COVID Winter Grant Scheme will allow the Council to help the most vulnerable households and families with children who have been worst affected by the pandemic.

This help means low-income families will be able to claim cash payments of £170.00 a month to help with heating and other essential utility bills. Meanwhile individuals or smaller households with low incomes can also get £100 per month to keep their homes warm this winter.

Residents can apply for support online through the existing DABD online application form, and DABD will then follow up applications by phone. People can view the full eligibility criteria and apply for support at: https://www.havering.gov.uk/info/20012/housing_benefit_and_council_tax_support/463/money_advice_and_benefits_help/3

The Winter Grant Scheme also includes the continued support to ensure no child goes hungry during the school holidays.

The Havering Christmas 2020 School Meal Holiday Scheme provides £30 per child over the two week Christmas holiday period for children who are of statutory school age and who are eligible under for benefit related free school meals during term time.

If parents/carers received payment for the October half term support scheme, they do not need to apply for the Christmas 2020 scheme and will receive money into their nominated bank account automatically.

If parents/carers did not apply in October but wish to do so now, or their circumstances have changed and are now eligible for benefit related free school meals, they can apply using the link below;

www.havering.gov.uk/covid19mealsupport

 Applications open on 30 November 2020 and close on 11 December 2020.

Attention All Parents

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope you are well and your preparations for the festive season are going as well as they can in these challenging times. 

Firstly, I would like to share the news that I will be leading Mead for the remainder of the academic year following Mrs Smith’s retirement later this month. Whilst I will predominantly be based at Mead, I will continue to support and work with Mrs Nicholls and the Broadford team.  

Under normal circumstances, I would want to meet with both Broadford and Mead parents to  formally introduce myself and understand more about our school communities. Sadly, this along with many other introductory plans to the children and staff are not possible at present. 

Attached with this letter is a letter from the Local Authority regarding the Christmas holidays. Over the last week, the Local Authority held a series of discussions with the DfE regarding their concern over the final week of term which could potentially result in children and staff having to self-isolate over the Christmas period if a positive case was identified. Throughout their discussions, the DfE have been clear that schools must remain open until the final day of term (Friday 18th December).

If a child or member of staff tests positive for Covid-19 around the 11th December or after, this would have an impact on your holiday period, as bubbles would close for 14 days and children and staff would need to isolate for this period.  

We are aware that a number of parents have expressed an interest in keeping their child/children away from school next week to ensure they have quarantined before meeting vulnerable family members over Christmas. 

As you are aware we do not authorise planned pupil absence unless in exceptional circumstances. Following a discussion with the Chair of Governors, we both agree that if parents request to keep their child/ren at home for the final week of term (Monday 14th to Friday 18th December), to enable them to quarantine, this would be classed as an exceptional circumstance and would not be referred to Havering for fining.

Broadford and Mead will remain open as usual next week and we are looking forward to finishing our end of term learning and enjoying the christmas festivities. However, if you wish to quarantine your child/children, online learning will be provided. It is important that children continue with their learning if they are absent from school next week.   

To assist with our planning for the end of term, please complete the Google questionnaire below by Thursday 10th December if you will not be sending your child/children into school next week. 

Finally, can I take this opportunity to thank you for your support and understanding over the past months. This continues to be an incredibly challenging time for so many people and as parents, I know you have needed to quickly adapt to an ever changing situation which sadly, still has some way to go.   

Take care and stay safe.

Mr Denchfield

Executive Headteacher

Letter from LEA to all Parents

         Deputy Leader of the Council

Cabinet Member for Education, 

Children & Families 

London Borough of Havering 

Main Road, Romford

RM1 3BD email:

CouncillorRobert.Benham@havering.gov.uk

Date: 7th December 2020

Parent/Carer,

Coronavirus (Covid-19) 

Councillor Robert Benham

We hope you and your family are safe and well at this difficult time, and thank you for  your continued support to the national response to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Our head teachers and school staff have worked very hard to ensure that children  could return to school since September, and it remains vital for all children to be in  school to help minimise the longer-term impact of the pandemic on their education,  wellbeing and wider development. 

However, you will have seen the worrying news that cases of Covid-19 remain high  locally, and since the end of the national restrictions on December 2nd, you will be  aware that Havering finds itself in Tier 2: High Alert, with a number of restrictions still  in place. 

It is therefore more important than ever that you do not socialise with anyone you do  not live with, or who is not in your support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at  home or in a public place. 

You must also not socialise in a group of more than 6 people outside, including in a  garden or a public space – this is called the ‘rule of 6’. 

Whilst we are sure you have welcomed the changes to the social contact restriction  for a short time over the festive period, it is essential that you follow the rules and only  form an exclusive ‘Christmas bubble’ composed of people from no more than three  households. You can only be in one Christmas bubble, you cannot change your  Christmas bubble, and you cannot meet someone in a private dwelling who is not part  of your household or Christmas bubble. 

We know that families could be affected by having Christmas plans cancelled due to  an imposed period of self-isolation following exposure to a positive case of Covid-19  in school in the final week of term. 

The Council does not have the power to close all schools, or ask them to move to  remote learning for the final week of term, and the Department for Education have  made it clear that parents/carers should continue to send their children to school right  up until the end of term. The Chief Medical Officer also provided detailed advice,  setting out that the risk to children of becoming severely ill from Covid-19 is very low. 

However, the Local Authority anticipates that attendance in school will be lower than  normal in the final week of term due to parents/carers wanting to ‘quarantine’ their  family before seeing family members over the festive period that may be more  

vulnerable to Covid-19 than others. As always, the decision whether to authorise any absence rests with the Head teacher to consider on a case-by-case basis. 

Anyone considering withdrawing their child from school for the final week of term would  also need to ‘quarantine’ in the run up to Christmas to have any confidence that they  are Covid-19 free when they meet vulnerable relatives. The available evidence  continues to suggest that the majority of transmission is occurring in the home, and  the mental health benefits of children and young people meeting wider family during  the Christmas period need to be weighed against the possible risk, particularly to  vulnerable relatives. Further information about what is permissible in law over the  Christmas period is available here.  

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-a-christmas-bubble-with friends-and-family 

If your child or anyone in your household has symptoms of Covid-19 (a temperature,  a new continuous cough or loss of/change to taste or smell), you must not send your  child to school, and it is essential that the whole household self-isolates. You must  order a test for whoever has symptoms as soon as possible, and to order a test, please  call NHS 119 or book online at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test. 

Anyone who tests positive will need to self-isolate for at least 10 days, and the rest of  the household for 14 days, in line with the latest stay at home guidance. If the test  results are negative, your household can usually leave self-isolation and your child  can return to school when they no longer are unwell, assuming they haven’t been  traced as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, in which case they will  still need to wait out the remainder of the 14 day isolation period.  

We all need to follow the government's advice to reduce the risk of further increases in Covid-19 infections locally, as a local outbreak may result in further full or partial  school closures at short notice. 

We assure you that our schools offer a safe environment, and the health and safety of  children, their families and staff remains everyone’s first priority during this period.  

Thank you for your continued co-operation at this time, and we wish you a peaceful  Christmas break and New Year. 

Kind regards, 

Cllr Robert Benham Mark Ansell 

Deputy Leader of the Council Director of Public Health Cabinet Member for Education,  

Children & Families

Key Stage 2 Maths Challenge - 07.12.20

Congratulations to our Maths Challenge winners last week. As usual, we were so impressed with all of the outstanding mathematical thinking. Well done to: Iniya, Tele, Praharsh, Aimen, Ehan, and Aksanan.

Please find this week's maths challenge below:

Please make sure to hand your challenge in to your teacher by Thursday.

Good luck!

Year 1 Bubble Closure - 5th December

                                                                                       Saturday 5th December, 2020

 

FOR PARENTS OF CLOSE CONTACTS OF COVID 19 at Broadford Primary School

Advice for Child to Self-Isolate for 14 Days 

Dear parent or carer,

We have been made aware that we have a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19) at Broadford Primary School.

We have followed the national guidance and have identified that your child (all pupils in year 1) has been in close contact with the affected person. In line with the national guidance your child must stay at home and self-isolate until Tuesday 15th December (14 days after contact).

If your child is well with no Covid - 19 symptoms at the end of the 14 days period of self-isolation, then they can return to school on Wednesday 16th December. Other members of your household can continue normal activities provided your child does not develop symptoms within the 14 day self-isolation period.

Please see the link to: Guidance for contacts of people with confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection who do not live with the person 

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-contacts-of-people-with-possible-or-confirmed-coronavirus-covid-19-infection-who-do-not-live-with-the-person

 What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19 

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119 . 

People who do not have symptoms should not request a test unless this has been specifically requested by Public Health England or the local authority.

All other household members who remain well must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’. 

The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home. If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.

Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community

If you are able can, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period

Please see the link to the PHE ‘Stay at Home’ Guidance:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

Symptoms of COVID 19 

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

 ·         new continuous cough and/or

·         high temperature and/or

·         a loss of, or change in, normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

 For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

 If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

 Do

·         wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds

·         use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available

·         wash your hands as soon as you get home

·         cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze

·         put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

 Further Information 

Further information is available at

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/ 

Yours sincerely

Lois Nicholls

Headteacher

Newsletter - Friday 4th December, 2020

Headteacher: Mrs L Nicholls 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Sadly we had to close our year 4 bubble down this week as we had the report of a positive Covid case within the year group. Staff are working hard and the children are able to access learning remotely through a number of platforms including Google Classroom, Google Meets, Mathletics and My Book Blog- so that they are able to keep up with their learning. We are very much looking forward to welcoming them back on Monday 14th December.

Christmas 

We have come to that time of year. It is going to be a very different Christmas but we want to ensure that pupils get to celebrate the festive season with their friends as much as possible within their year group bubbles. We will be having a pantomime for the children which they will enjoy and watch within their bubbles. 

Thursday 10th December - EYFS Christmas dress up day

Friday 11th December - Christmas jumper day
Tuesday 15th December - EYFS, Years 1&2 Christmas bedtime stories

Friday 18th December - Christmas party day - Christmas jumpers and festive headwear can be brought into school to wear for the party. 

KS2 Christmas Celebration

As we are unable to invite parents into school at this time, KS2 classes will be recording their concert within bubbles. This will be put together and will be available for parents to watch during the last week of term, week beginning Monday 14th December. 

Christmas Dinner

We will be offering pupils Christmas Dinner during the festive period and there will be a  meat and vegetarian option. We want to make the experience as jolly as we can so bubbles will eat in the dining hall on this occasion. There will be two sittings and the hall will be thoroughly cleaned in between each sitting.  

Monday 14th December - Years 1 & 6 

Tuesday 15th December - EYFS & year 4 

Wednesday 16th December - Years 2 & 3

Thursday 17th December - Year 5

On these dates children who are not having Christmas dinner and other years groups will be offered a cold service from the kitchen. 

Please ensure that you have completed the Christmas dinner form before Monday 7th December. 

Christmas Cards 

We would like to invite the pupils to send Christmas cards to their friends. This year we are asking that cards are sent to pupils in their own classes only. These cards can be brought into school and posted in  the class postbox up to Tuesday 15th December and then they will be sent home on Friday 18th December. 

Reception Applications
On behalf of Havering Council we would like to remind all parents and carers in the borough to apply now for their child’s 2021 Reception school place.  If your child is born between 01 September 2016 and 31 August 2017, you must apply online for their Reception school place at  www.havering.gov.uk/admissions. Deadline for applications is 15th January 2021.
If your child currently attends Nursery this does not mean that you will automatically get a reception place you must apply. 

Havering Catering Services

Week beginning Monday 7th December is week 3 on the Havering catering services menu. All meals are served with unlimited salad and vegetables and cost £2.25. 

Weekly Attendance  

KS1: 95%         KS2: 93%    Overall:  94%

Congratulations to Ash and Walnut  who top the attendance table this week.  

E for Excellence Winners

These wonderful children have demonstrated excellence this week.

Nursery	Eva and Tillie-Rose	Cherry	Eva
Apple	Haileigh	Cedar	Ana-K
Alder	Nashwan	Elm	Maya-Rose
Aspen	George	Larch	Adrian A. M.
Apricot	Elkah	Ash	Layla
Walnut	Stefania	Birch	David
Beech	Rojure	Willow	Charlie
Mulberry	Lucas	Redwood	Kaley
Rowan	Domink	Lime	Kara
Pine	Harvey	Almond	Maisy

 

Certificate of Presentation

The following children have been recognised for the beautifully presented work in their books. They clearly take pride in all that they do and are doing their best in every lesson. . 

Summer, Vivana, Mofoloruntele, Finley, Edward, Sajida

Star Writers

These children have been awarded a star writer certificate and golden pencil in recognition of their excellent writing, use of powerful vocabulary and sophisticated writing  techniques.  Jorgie, Callum, Fatimah, Jolene, Isabelle, Varvara, Emmalee, Anya, Macie, Jessica, Toby, Livi, Aisling, Adrian L., Lilly-Anne, Sabeer

Learning Power Awards

These are the key skills that our children will need to learn effectively in class and to be successful later in life. 

Reciprocity

These children have shown interdependence, collaborated effectively, listened to others, displayed empathy and have imitated effective  ideas and methods from others. 

Kayden, Ameerah, Himanshi, Tesha, Pico, Year 4 on Google Meets, Moyin, Archie

Reflectiveness 

These pupils have planned carefully, revised ideas, identified key features and can talk about their learning. 

Alex, Freddie, Rayne

Resilience

These children have demonstrated perseverance, managed distractions, noticed patterns and been absorbed in their tasks. 

Camila, Bonnie, Alice

Resourcefulness   

These pupils have been curious about learning, made links between ideas, shown imagination, reasoned methodically and capitalised on resources. 

Sarah, Megan, Maya-Aisha, Bayleigh

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend weekend.

Yours sincerely,

 

Mrs L Nicholls 

Headteacher