Newsletters

Belmont School 12th March Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you for supporting your children’s return to school this week.  It was great to see so many happy children and families, and fantastic to see the children back in their classrooms with their friends and enjoying their time outside as well.

After such a long time away from school we understand that some children may be anxious about returning to the school routine and also finding it difficult to get used to socialising in a bigger group than at home. I would like to reassure you that this is not surprising and we have been working as a staff team to ensure that lessons include time and support for helping children with their mental health and wellbeing, and with worries they may have about being back at school. If you are worried about your child settling back into school please do tell us so that we can work together to support them.

We would also like to thank those of you who have been completing our online questionnaire about the remote learning offer we were running during lockdown. Your comments are very valuable for our future planning.

At this time of year the weather can be very unpredictable and this week has been no exception! The children have enjoyed some wonderful times outside, including on the field where they have been able to take part in sports activities, use the new outdoor gym equipment, and take part in Forest School. But we have also had very cold, wet and windy days and it is really important you send your children to school every day with warm clothing, extra layers and a winter coat or jacket.

Some parents have expressed concern about windows and doors being left open in their children’s classrooms. I need to remind you all that the Government Guidance to schools is explicit about doing this in order to ensure good ventilation as a protective measure to prevent COVID infection. This is set out in the school’s COVID-19 Risk Assessment which you can read on our school website. I can reassure you that the school’s heating system is working well and is heating the entire building. However, on very cold days the children are allowed to wear their coats in lessons.

As you may know already, the Department of Education has cancelled the primary statutory assessments (SATS Tests) this summer. However I can assure you that we continue to assess your children’s progress throughout the year and will be able to report their end of year Teacher Assessment levels to you in the Summer Term. At the present time we are carrying out informal assessments to identify gaps in children’s learning so we can plan learning which addresses these. We intend to offer you a short Parent Consultation meeting to discuss your children’s learning and next steps, and the opportunity to have a longer Learning Conference with your children’s teacher later in the Summer Term.

Yours sincerely, 

Ms L Shaw

Mental Health and Wellbeing

Following on from Ms Shaw's focus on prioritising children's mental health and wellbeing, we would like to share the following poem written by Donna Ashworth. 

Donna has kindly given us permission to share this with you and we hope that after reading it you will be able to support your own and your child's wellbeing, understanding the importance of emotional health and how it enables our pupils to do their very best.

In Twenty Year’s Time... 

People will not ask the children of 2020 if they caught up with their studies.

They will not ask them what grades they made, despite the year off school.

They will ask them with wonder 'what was it like?'

They will ask them 'how did you cope?'

'How did you feel?'

'What do you remember of those days?'

 

They will listen in awe to the tales of clapping on doorsteps for the medical workers.

They will sit open-mouthed to hear of daily walks being the only life we saw and how much we missed human contact and gatherings.

They will be amazed to know about empty supermarkets, online concerts, birthday spent on a screen and a life inside.

They will listen, then sit back with amazement and say, ‘Wow. You went through so much.’

 

So think about what you would like your children to take away from this whole year.

Tell them they are not behind.

Tell them they are not missing out.

Tell them they are extremely special indeed…

 

…and they will be forever made stronger by this unique time.

Tell them catching up is not even a thing because they have grown so much in so many ways.

Remind them of the fun stuff, the family jigsaws, the window rainbows, the zoom bingo.

The feeling of safety and togetherness amidst the chaos.

Let them take that though with them through life.

Change the narrative now and it will travel far.

The children they are not behind. 

They are special.

 

They are special.

By Donna Ashworth

Many thanks Donna for sharing. Parents and carers, if you have any questions or comments, do not hesitate to contact us. 

Attendance 

School attendance will be mandatory for all pupils from 8th March 2021. 

If your child is ill, please notify the school office on 0208 427 0903.

If you or your child develop any signs of a continuous cough, high temperature and loss of taste or smell, book a PCR test immediately and let the school know as soon as you have been given the results - DO not send your child to school.

Quarantine and Self-Isolation after Overseas Travel

Booking holidays in the UK and abroad at this time is not permitted and the school cannot authorise any holiday requests. However we are aware that some families may have travelled overseas recently and it is essential that you follow the latest Guidance on self-isolating when they return to the UK.

The link below explains which countries are on the RED LIST because of infection rates. If you are returning to the UK from a RED LIST country it is a legal requirement to must book accommodation in a “Quarantine Hotel” for you and your family for 10 days from your arrival in the UK. If you are arriving from any country NOT on the Red List, you are still legally requires to self isolate in your home for 10 days from your arrival back in the UK.

From 15 February onwards, everyone allowed to enter England from outside the Common Travel Area (Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man) must:

  • Quarantine for 10 days
  • Take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test on day 2 and day 8 of quarantining
  • Follow the national lockdown rules

Coronavirus (COVID-19): red list travel ban countries - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Coronavirus (COVID-19): red list travel ban countries - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Remote Learning Expectations

We will continue to set online weekly home learning online via 'Microsoft My Teams'. Staff will review what has been completed and leave feedback on the pupil’s page.

We are digitising the way the school operates, this means you will have access to all of the pupils daily learning so that pupils can review what they have learnt during the school day at home.

If your child's bubble has to self-isolate due to NHS Test and Trace, we will notify immediately and your child will be able to access learning online as they have done during school closure.

COVID - 19 Marshalls

Harrow Council has now employed COVID Marshalls to work with the community to maintain social distancing and follow the Guidance. We have requested visits to the school by the COVID - 19 Marshalls to support us all.

Home Rapid Testing For Families

COVID -19 infection rates remain high, particularly in Harrow and other parts of North West London. In order to keep schools safe and open the NHS is now rolling out rapid testing to all families with school age children. This is intended to pick up asymptomatic cases of COVID-19 so that outbreaks can be managed and contained quickly. If any member of your household normally leaves home to go to work, your family should be taking rapid (Lateral Flow) tests twice a week.

School staff are already doing rapid home testing so ensure any infection is picked up quickly. We will be sending out a separate letter from Harrow’s Public Health Team explaining where and how families can get tested, and this will include arrangements for attending local rapid  Test Centres as well and how to order home test kits.

Health & Safety and general reminders

The number of new cases of COVID-19 in Harrow remains high, but has decreased since the mid-January’s peak. So for that very reason I would like to ask you all to read the following to ensure that we are all doing our best in breaking the transmission of the virus.

We ask you to continue to help us by:

  • Only ONE parent to drop off and collect pupils to the teachers at the allocated times. If you have children in other year groups, you will only be allowed in school at the correct times – Please note - No parents will be allowed to wait on the school site.
  • Ensuring that you spread out and maintain a social distance of at least 2 metres with others when waiting to come on site – Keep your distance.
  • Do not gather in groups outside of the school gates – Keep your distance.
  • Wear a face covering when dropping off and collecting pupils and do let us know if you are exempt.
  • Wash your hands regularly.

No parents may come into building without an appointment.  All communication must be by email or telephone.  We must maintaining social distancing and strict timings

Uniform Reminders

School uniform will need to be worn but the children can wear trainers. This is to stop the need for children to continually change shoes in corridors, with the potential to mix with other year group bubbles, or have pupils’ belongings lying around in the classroom.

There will be no changing on site, so pupils will wear PE kit to school on the days they have PE, wearing their white t-shirt and black shorts. Please ensure that your child wears a school sweatshirt and black or grey jogging bottoms over the t-shirt and shorts as they will be outside.

Ordering Hot School Lunches

We are no longer taking bookings for hot lunches ion school. 

Please order your child's hot meals for next week via the ParentPay website - www.parentpay.com.  This is for ALL pupils including Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 pupils. 

All meals will need to be ordered in advance and the menu can be found on the website. 

If you need any help, please contact the school office on 0208 427 0903.

Census 2021

What is the census?

The census is a survey that happens every 10 years and gives us a picture of all the people and households in England and Wales. The next census takes place on Sunday 21 March 2021.

Your answers to the census questions will help organisations make decisions on planning and funding public services in your area, including transport, education and healthcare.

When to complete your census

Every household should complete the census on Sunday 21 March 2021 or as soon as possible after. If you’ve responded before 21 March and things have changed, you can let us know by calling us free. You can find the numbers on our contact us page.

The census should take about 10 minutes for the household questions and 10 minutes per person.

It is Mandatory - if you do not complete the Census you could be find up to £1000.

Safeguarding remains ‘EVERYONE’S BUSINESS AT BELMONT SCHOOL.’

Harrow Children Services’ Golden Number is available to everyone, and gives people one number to call for information or advice on services for children, young people and their families.

Golden Number: 020 8901 2690.

22 Mar 2021
Parents - Protecting families with Lateral Flow Testing
Dear Parens/carers, Please read the letter that has been sent to all parents on how you can take part in Lateral Flow testing. 
Read more
Last day of term - School finish time to be finalised
All Day
31
March