Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
Dear Parents and carers,
We remain impressed by the quality and amount of work that is being completed by a large number of pupils both on Tapestry and on Google Classroom.We thank you for your support and patience in what we all recognise are still very challenging and unusual circumstances.
Teaching and office staff are continuing to contact as many families as possible to discuss general issues and wellbeing. These calls have been welcomed and given us useful feedback which is shared with relevant staff.
This is what we have discovered so far:-
Several staff have commented that sometimes pupils aren’t accessing all support materials including videos and presentations therefore they are struggling with tasks. Please can you encourage your child to look at all the support materials before attempting tasks as they often provide essential information.
We are currently exploring effective ways of holding parent consultations virtually. These will take place after half term. Further details and information will follow shortly.
Fun Family Challenge
This weekend, 29th - 31st January the RSPB are holding their Big Garden Birdwatch. This is a survey of wild birds across the country. This is what they say on their website-
‘Taking part is easy- Spend an hour counting the birds you see in your garden or from your balcony, then tell us what you saw. It really is that simple!’
Their website also has a live feed to one of their sites and there is a bird quiz to complete. Here is the link for their site.Big Garden Birdwatch | Join the fun - The RSPB rspb.org.uk
We would love to know which birds you saw out of your window! We will send you a Parentmail Form for you to complete if you wish. We will publish the most common birds viewed locally on next week’s newsletter. We hope many will take part.
Once again thank you for your support, please stay safe.
Dear Parents/Carers,
As we end Week 3 of school closure, in our third lockdown, I would like to thank everyone for supporting home learning. We have seen amazing engagement from pupils either through Tapestry (EYFS), Google Classroom or via printed work packs.
Daily Meets
We have had positive attendance and response to the new online daily Meets via Google for years 1 to 6. We know that for some there have been technological challenges e.g slow internet connections, but engagement has been good. Staff have been reporting that everyone is getting used to turning mute on and off as needed. Lots have also been putting their hand up when they want to contribute and in some year groups giving answers via the chat function. Staff have continued to explore how they can best use each Meet and are, as appropriate and necessary, sharing screens, showing work on mini whiteboards or if in school making use of the class interactive boards. Some classes have also been making good use of quizzes to check learning. I feel sure that as time goes on, Meets will continue to evolve.
A plea - please can you help your child/children to log into each Google Meet via their school Google account. This is an important security feature as they are immediately identified by their name rather than Gary/Julie’s ipad!
Turning in Work on Google Classroom
We know that younger pupils in particular will need some help with uploading (‘turning in’) completed work in Google Classroom (Years 1 - 6). If you are finding this tricky, the following document might help. How to 'turn in' an assignment
We have noticed some pupils are accidentally uploading blank task sheets.
Technical Support plus other issues or concerns
Please also remember you can request support via the school office. Please note this will probably mean asking a question and then someone will get back to you.
Reading
The National Literacy Trust, in association with Oak Academy, have announced they will be sharing a children’s book online each week.
Please have a look here https://library.thenational.academy/ We hope the choice will grow over time.
Essex Libraries, who are largely closed at the moment, do offer a digital book borrowing service which may be worth a look if you are running out of books at home. I would suggest that parents may need to work with/for their children when using this service. https://libraries.essex.gov.uk/e-books-e-audio-e-magazines-and-book-groups/e-books-and-e-audio/
Lastly, we hope everyone is staying safe and well and continue to look forward to welcoming everyone back in school when we are allowed to return.
South Benfleet Primary School
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that this letter finds you all well and keeping safe in these difficult times. Apologies for the length of this update but please can I encourage you to fully read the newsletter as it contains important information.
Building on my letter of last week, I feel it may be helpful to write to all parents and carers to clarify and explain our current position on home/remote learning, how the situation is evolving and how we are working to move it even further forwards.
Firstly, I would like to say that teachers and other school staff would much prefer to be in school offering face to face learning, feedback and support and be able to access all their usual learning tools and resources. Home/remote learning is challenging for everyone - we understand that.
Unfortunately we are unable to please all the people all the time as we appreciate every household situation is different. We have to take a balanced view and like everyone else, keep moving forwards and tweaking as needed as we learn and things change.
Challenges
The school has, like many other local people, families and groups that have suffered during the Christmas break, seen a significant number of COVID cases along with the need to self isolate. This has impacted on our capacity at the start of term. However, staff have, if well enough (or even when not really well enough) carried on working to the best of their ability from home to support online learning or colleagues have taken up the reins and supported two classes.
The Government and media don’t seem to differentiate between different ages of pupils and types of schools. There is an enormous difference between Early Years pupils, Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils and those at secondary school and beyond. These differences mean that different approaches are needed, one size doesn't suit all!
The Realities
Many parents/carers (and staff) are working in new ways from home and have to juggle many responsibilities with less /different resources than usual
Pupils and parents/carers are often available at different times to support and focus on learning - this is one reason that live contact is challenging and not for everyone
Home/remote learning is not, and cannot be, the same as day to day, face to face teaching in class in school (or we perhaps wouldn't have schools?)
The curriculum won't be exactly the same - in school we make use of many practical resources in maths science, PE, DT Art etc. these aren't readily available at home
Staff plan their curriculum in advance. Much practical, outdoor learning, visits and visitors which support and bring learning alive can’t take place, so the curriculum has had to be replanned
In school there are continuous small interactions between teachers, support staff and pupils which all go to add to and inform learning and assessment. Use of Classroom and Tapestry plus Google Meet allows some of this to happen, it is inevitably different.
Pupils have different learning needs. In secondary schools, pupils are usually put in ability groups (sets) to make differentiating the work easier. In primary school we provide different levels of support and challenge. We do our best to achieve this with remote learning but it is more difficult
In school, teachers have ready and easy access to outcomes of pupils learning - their books, drawings, worksheets and other activities. These can be assessed quickly and next steps verbally given, new teaching inputs made ‘in the moment’ or later
Staff are currently working in school on a rota, supporting Key workers managing their classroom, calling parents, making videos, planning and marking work, responding to numerous messages on Tapestry / Classroom etc.
We have to keep all pupils and staff safe so please understand that if staff working in school catch COVID, bubbles will close and online/ remote learning will be a challenge- hence we need to minimise the number of pupils in school
Pupils who are coming into school are carrying out the same learning as pupils at home via Google Classroom- so that they cover the same curriculum. School staff are there to support learning as parents and carers would at home
So what are we doing at SBPS to meet pupil’s learning and other needs?
We have shared our Remote Learning Guidance which we will keep under review
We have tried to meet as many people’s needs as possible by:
Continuing to make daily use of our online learning platforms - Tapestry (EYFS) and Google Classroom for Years 1 - 6. These allow staff who monitor Tapestry and Classroom throughout the day an opportunity to communicate with pupils and parents regarding learning and other issues
Teachers recording and posting videos to explain learning or teach a concept. As these are recorded they can be accessed when needed and watched as often as required
Teachers posting online other materials which may include weblinks, Google Docs, PDFs, powerpoint presentations and video clips from a variety of sources
Pupils completing their usual online learning relevant to their year group - e.g. Doodle Maths, Doodle English, NumBots, Times Table Rock Stars and Active Learn activities
Providing weekly live video sessions to allow pupils to see each other and teaching/school staff (daily for Years 1-6 from 18.1.21)
Contacting families to provide technical support which may include borrowing a school device to support home learning
Contacting families to provide emotional/motivational support and a listening ear
Providing additional learning resources for some families - our SENDCO, Mrs Skinner has been in contact with many families offering support and guidance
Providing paper workpacks where there are no other options available
Please remember to contact the teaching staff via Tapestry or Classroom if you have any issues or concerns. Teachers are the best people to deal with learning issues as they know your children best.
The school office is also open and available by phone or email but running with reduced staff to minimise contact between staff. The member of staff working is very busy dealing with many different queries and tasks. Therefore, we ask that you are patient and we will do our best to deal with your queries in a timely manner.
Our Next Steps
Daily Live Meetings for years 1 - 6
As we now have more staff available, and after a trial this week with year 6, we have arranged for each class in years 1 - 6 to hold a daily live video session via Google Meet. These meetings will start on Monday 18th January and will be at the following times Monday to Thursday:
Years 4, 5 and 6 - 9.00am daily
Years 1, 2 and 3 - 9.30am daily
We understand that these timings may not suit everybody but would suggest that you join meetings when you can for as long as possible. It is impossible for us to schedule these morning, motivational and organisational meetings to suit every family situation.
The aim of these sessions which will last 15-20 minutes is for the class and their teacher to meet live via video in order to:
Talk through previous learning/issues
Share information about new learning
Have daily contact for wellbeing
Motivate and inspire pupils ready for the day’s learning
Provide an opportunity for pupils to ask questions about the learning
Friday Meetings
On Fridays, the meetings will be longer to allow staff to summarise the week’s learning, celebrate successes and engage with as many pupils as possible. Therefore the times for Fridays meetings will be as follows:
Years 5 & 6 - 9.00am
Years 3 & 4 - 10.00am
Years 1 & 2 - 11.00am
Google Meet Guidance
Your child will need to join a new Google Meet Classroom specifically created for each class which will be used for these meetings only. Classroom Codes and guidance on how to join the new classrooms will be sent out to parents via ParentMail
Set yourself up in a space that is appropriate for learning e.g. kitchen table, a quiet area of the house.
Get signed into your device and log into your Google Account five minutes prior to the start of the lesson so that you are ready and any technical issues can be resolved.
Make sure you log on to Classroom through your school Google account so your name is displayed on screen as it appears on your email- this means the teacher knows who you are.and can let you in. This is an important safeguarding feature
Ensure your backdrop is appropriate for learning and that you are dressed appropriately (no pyjamas etc. please).
Keep your microphone switched off unless speaking
Put your hand up if you wish to speak (use the raise hand button in the white panel at the bottom of the screen or physically put your hand up so the teacher can see you wish to participate)
Make sure you have finished eating and drinking before your session starts.
Make sure it is only you appearing - not your brother, sister or pet.
Please remember that you do not have permission to record the teacher or any other person in the meeting (this is a breach of GDPR regulations and against the law).
Important note
The new Google Meet classroom is just for daily live meetings. The rest of the learning videos and activities will continue to be posted onto the year group classroom.
How to Join the Sessions
The Google Meet sessions will require all pupils in Years 1 - 6 to join an additional Google Classroom. We will post the joining codes for these new classrooms in the current classroom for each year group and tell parents via Parent Mail. The daily live Meet session will be accessed via the new Classroom and a link will appear daily 5 minutes before the scheduled start of the live session.
Early Years Weekly Catch Up Meetings
Early Years will be slightly different. They will meet once a week on Fridays via Zoom at the following times:
Jade: 10.30 am
Amber 11:15 am
The codes for your class Zoom meeting will be sent out to you via ParentMail each week as well as being posted on Tapestry.
The purpose of these meetings is to allow pupils to:
Have weekly contact with Early Years staff
Share and celebrate completed work
Listen and share a story, read by Early Years staff
Enjoy some other shared activities like singing and dancing together
Have the opportunity to share news and talk to other pupils and staff
We hope that the pupils will enjoy this regular opportunity for live interaction with their peers and Early Years staff.
Staff PPA (Planning Preparation and Assessment) Please note that as of next week staff will not be scheduling work for Friday afternoons as they will be using this time for their statutory PPA. They are still working but in dedicated planning and preparation mode preparing for the following week’s teaching and learning.
Finally
We appreciate that we cannot please everybody with how we are managing online/home learning but we are continuously trying to develop and improve. We do listen to parent/carer feedback but unfortunately cannot fulfil all the individual requests and demands that we are receiving.
Please be assured that we are all working hard and want everyone to stay safe and well so we can welcome you back into school as soon as we are allowed.
Dear Parents and carers,
Firstly, can I thank you for the positive comments received so far regarding the response to the current national lockdown https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-lockdown-stay-at-home which is unlikely to see schools reopening in their usual way until after February Half Term - Monday 22.2.21.
Also, thank you everyone for once again taking on the not inconsiderable challenge of staying at home and helping support your child/ren with home learning. We have an appreciation of how challenging this is as staff often face the same challenges as parents- having to work as well as support home learning for their own children, often with limited devices and strained internet connections.
Like many others, we have been impacted by the current high numbers of positive cases of COVID -19. Several teaching and other staff members are currently isolating because they have the virus and are unwell or because someone in their bubble has tested positive or is awaiting a test outcome. This situation limits what can be achieved in some year groups however, I would like to publicly recognise the efforts of all staff, including some who are unwell, working hard to keep remote learning going. Thank you also to staff who have stepped in to cover gaps.
As a school, we have been able to welcome small numbers of pupils on site where there is no alternative provision and ask parents to only consider requesting a place as an absolute last resort - this is to keep staff and pupils safe and limit contact between groups of people.
Can I assure you that we will continue to do our very best to support you in whatever way we can but we are not superhuman! Like everyone in the midst of this global crisis, staff are struggling with all the emotions, anxieties and limitations that you are and we ask that you recognise this when communicating with us. I will outline below some of the key ways that we are keeping in touch and where information can be found:
Contacting the school
The school office (phone line) is open daily between 8.30 and 4.00 and office staff will endeavour to answer or pass on to the relevant staff member specific concerns or queries.
Pupil Contact and learning
All year groups are using Tapestry (EYFS) or Google Classroom (Years 1- 6) to set work and to communicate with pupils, parents and carers. Any problems with access, passwords etc. need to be sent in via the school office and we will do our best to assist you as quickly as we can. We will send out weekly timetables for each year group via Parentmail so please ensure that you keep checking your messages.
Our online learning procedures/ policy can be found here. South Benfleet Home Learning Guidance .
Issues and other problems
If there are specific problems with work, mental well being, safeguarding or other issues, please contact us via the school office. You will also find other useful information on our website. Please remember that the local school nursing team, your GP, CAVs etc. are also there to support you. Ask us to help/signpost you if needed please. Please be mindful that not all of our usual resources will be available at this time of national lockdown.
Support Explaining Covid to Children
We have become aware of a useful resource aimed at primary aged pupils which sets out to explain COVID in a child friendly way. The resource is here:
https://www.storicise.com/primary-1
We would suggest you look at it first and then talk it through with your child/children if you feel it would be helpful to share and discuss.
Another useful local website can be found via this link:
https://castlepointandrochfordccg.nhs.uk/your-services/coronavirus/coronavirus-and-young-people
Zoom Meetings
As stated in our policy, we will be aiming to hold weekly catch up sessions for pupils via video- Zoom. The first of these will be happening tomorrow. Due to staff illness at this current time, these will be year group sessions for years 1 - 6. We hope to be able to start sessions for EYFS soon. The details will come out to you via Parentmail today. Look out for this and we look forward to seeing pupils tomorrow.
Our key message is: if we have concerns we will contact you. Likewise, if you have issues or concerns please contact us. We want to work together to provide as successful as possible outcomes at a time of global crisis.
We send our best wishes to parents/carers/pupils who are currently unwell and hope that you are soon feeling better.
Letter from Director of Education for Essex
Please find attached for your information below, a letter from Claire Kershaw, the Director of Education for Essex.
South Benfleet Primary School