Headteacher Newsletter Issue 3
FORTNIGHTLY NEWSLETTER ISSUE 3: 8.10.21
School PE Ambassador Training
Last week we took part in a zoom meeting with Mrs Coleman and sports ambassadors from other schools to understand what the role of a sports ambassador is. We learnt how to arrange and organise a tournament and keep score. We have now arranged a tag rugby tournament for KS2 next half term and assigned ourselves roles. We look forward to holding our tournament after the holidays.
Tommy, Chloe, Will, Rory and Conor
Year 6 Football Event
We played against 3 other teams from villages around Saffron Walden. First, we played Radwinter and the score was 2:0 to Clavering. Next, we played Howe Green House and the score was 1:0 to them. Our final game was against Stebbing who were really good and the score was 6:1 to Stebbing. Afterwards, we played a friendly with Radwinter. The score was 7:1 to Clavering with Beau scoring a hat-trick. It was great fun and a good experience playing other teams in Uttlesford.
NSPCC – PANTS
From this week, classes at Clavering Primary have been beginning their discussions around the NSPCC’s Underwear Rule in their PSHE lessons.
During these discussions we will aim to teach our pupils the following important safety skills without giving explicit information or telling scary stories. We will be teaching our pupils the NSPCC’s Underwear Rule, using the ‘PANTS’ acrostic, which is like a green cross code for staying safe from sexual abuse.
PANTS stands for:
- Privates are private
- Always remember your body belongs to you
- No means no
- Talk about secrets that upset you
- Speak up, someone can help
School Council Disco Fun Run
Last Friday, the School Council held their Disco Fun Run to raise money for Action Aid and school equipment. Thank you for all your generosity, we are just waiting for the final few donations, and we will then announce the total raised. The children had a wonderful time dressed in their brightly coloured clothing.
Years 4 and 5 visit Saffron Hall – Benedetti
On Friday 24th September, Class 4 and Class 5 went to Saffron Hall for a live session with two tutors from the Benedetti Foundation. Lucy and Elsa did a range of fabulous activities with the children which included singing in rounds, body percussion, listening and appraising and a wonderful performance of ‘Galloway’ a Scottish piece played on the Vibraphone. The children were amazed at the sounds that this created and that Elsa played with two sticks in each hand. The children were encouraged to imagine the story in the music and that everyone could imagine their own story and not be wrong. We then composed our own song with body percussion about the sounds around us – well done to Louisa for leading our school so well in this.
Thank you to Mrs Lawless and Mrs Davies for their help with this trip.
Friends in Five Fruit picking
Year 1 met up with their Friends in Five buddies in Year 5 for some bonding time whilst picking lots of fruit from our orchard ready for our Harvest Festival celebration. Year 5 were great role models leading their buddies to safely and carefully pick fruit. Lots of fun was had and plenty of apples and pears were picked!
Friends of Clavering AGM
The Friends of Clavering Annual General Meeting took place this week to review the year and organise future events. FOC raised approximately £8,000 last year despite the COVID restrictions in place. This is an amazing achievement and an excellent source of funding for the school. The money has predominantly gone towards our fantastic new outside area that has replaced the decking. It has already been put to good use.
On behalf of the school I would like to thank the Friends of Clavering and the parents that have contributed to this amount.
A special thank you to Anna Gawthorpe and Tracy Pemberton for all their hard work last year and for their supportive team. We are very grateful for the time and support they have all given to the school.
Sharing Assemblies – an invitation to Parents
We will be resuming our Sharing Assemblies for Parents from this term. As before, it will be our usual Friday Sharing Assembly with an invitation to parents from a particular class as outlined below . The assembly is at 2.45 until 3.15pm
Autumn Term
Year 6 5th November
Spring Term
Year 2 date to be confirmed
Year 5 date to be confirmed
Summer Term
Year 1 date to be confirmed
Reception date to be confirmed
Year 3 date to be confirmed
Year 4 date to be confirmed
Sickness
The school office should be notified on the first day of each absence before registration at 9.00am and this should be followed up in writing on the day of return.
If your child has been vomiting or had an upset stomach a 48 hour leave of absence from the last episode is required. For guidance on other illnesses please contact the School Office or refer to the document on the website in the ‘Attendance’ section – “Guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare settings”.
Lateness
School starts at 8.50 a.m. We have noticed several children are consistently arriving late for school – ‘late’ is defined by not being within the school gates by 8.50 a.m. Please make every effort to be at school on time and if you know that your journey will be disrupted by road works, do allow time for this.
Please note that lateness is recorded on a per pupil basis.
Thank you.
COVID
Restrictions and protective measures have been reduced but it is vital that we are still vigilant and recognising and acting on COVID symptoms.
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
If anyone has any of the COVID symptoms, no matter how mild, they must stay at home and take a PCR test. If the results are positive then they must isolate for 10 days. If they have symptoms they must isolate whilst waiting for the test results. If anyone has a positive result on any test they must isolate.
Please inform the school if anyone in the household has COVID symptoms.
Protective measures in school – UPDATED
We have had two cases in school but fortunately, due to timings and vigilance, there have been no contacts in school on these occasions. In order to manage the current climate and enable us to continue with whole school activities and having visitors in school, it is vital that we work together. We are putting extra measures in place around the official guidance to enable us to continue with the whole school way of working.
All visitors coming into the school will be asked to wear a mask and take a Lateral Flow Test (LFT), prior to visiting. They will sign a document to declare:
- that they have not travelled or transited through any of the countries or areas as per government guidance/restrictions
- that they do not have any symptoms
- that they have not been asked to self isolate by NHS Track and Trace
- that they do not have anyone at home with symptoms or a positive COVID result
We would also like to see the negative LFT result – emailed photograph.
If we do have contacts (pupils or staff only) in the school setting then we ask that they do NOT come back to school until their PCR test is negative, despite the guidance, and that they take LFTs for the 10 day contact period. Staff will also be asked to wear a mask when they are not teaching or eating.
As per the guidance, all staff will continue to take Lateral Flow Tests twice a week. Ventilation, strong hygiene and cleaning routines will be in place. These measures will be increased if the virus rate increases.
PCR test can be arranged online by following this link: Get a free PCR test to check if you have coronavirus (COVID-19) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). If you cannot use the online service, call 119. Lines are open 7am to 11pm.
In order to decrease the testing time please opt for a face to face test as opposed to a postal option.
You can access a free LFT in a number of ways, including at the local LFT site in your district, by collecting a home LFT kit from a test site, or by ordering a home test kit online. More information about these options can be found here: Regular Rapid Lateral Flow Coronavirus (Covid-19) Tests.
School Admissions – Primary and Secondary – Apply Now!!
To apply quickly and easily for primary and secondary school places go online to https://www.essex.gov.uk/admissions-to-essex-schools-for-the-next-school-year
Secondary school places for September 2022
From 10 September 2021 you can apply online for your child’s school place https://www.essex.gov.uk/apply-for-a-secondary-school-place
You must submit an application by the national closing date of 31 October 2021. Applications received after this date will be considered late and you may reduce your chance of being offered a place at your preferred school.
Primary and junior school places for September 2022
From 8 November 2021 you can apply online for your child’s school place https://www.essex.gov.uk/apply-for-a-primary-school-place
You must submit an application by the national closing date of 15 January 2022. Applications received after this date are considered late and will reduce your chance of being offered a place at your preferred schools.
Free School Meals Funding
You can register for Free Schools Meals Funding if you meet the criteria below.
If you have a child in Key Stage One and are receiving the free meal, which is part of the universal offer, you could be missing out on this additional funding for the school, which will support your child with their learning, if you meet the criteria below. You have to apply for this funding. If you think you meet the criteria below then please follow the guidance below and contact the school office.
https://www.gov.uk/apply-free-school-meals
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
6.10.21 Year 6 Boys Football Tournament (am)
13.10.21 Years 3 and 4 Multi Skills event (pm)
15.10.21 Non-uniform day for Wymarc – Friends of Clavering event winners
20.10.21 Cross Country Event years 1 – 6 (am)
21.10.21 Friends of Clavering Movie Night
22.10.21 INSET Day – school closed to pupils
11.10.21 E-safety training for Staff/Pupil/Parents – online
18.10.21 – 21.10.21 Bikeability for year 6
1.11.21 – 5.11.21 Friendship Week
3.11.21 Dodgeball years 3 and 4 (pm)
5.11.21 Sharing Assembly – invitation for year 6 parents – 2.45pm
5.11.21 Friends of Clavering Pumpkin Competition
11.11.21 Friends of Clavering Neon Disco
15.11.21 Odd Sock day Anti Bullying Week
17.11.21 Dodgeball years 5 and 6 (pm)
17.11.21 Parents Evening
18.11.21 Parents Evening
19.11.21 Children in Need
1.12.21 Sports Hall Athletics years 3 and 4
6.12.21 Tray Day
13.12.21 Friends of Clavering Christmas Shopping Morning
14.12.21 KS2 Dress Rehearsal (for pupils) am, KS1 Dress Rehearsal pm and KS2 Evening Performance for Parents of years 3 and 4
15.12.21 Church Service
15.12.21 Christmas Lunch
16.12.21 Reception Nativity am, KS1 Performance pm and KS2 Evening Performance for Parents of years 5 and 6
17.12.21 Last day of term
4.1.22 INSET day – school closed to pupils
5.1.22 New Spring term begins
ACHIEVEMENTS
STAR OF THE WEEK
Week ending September 24th
Reception Rollo – for always saying please and thank you – super manners
Year One Kyle – for his resilient attitude to learning during Maths when solving and representing one
more and one less. Kyle listens carefully to improve his work.
Year Two Elise – for always being a kind and helpful member of the class
Year Three Tilly P – for excellent English work this week and helping others with their work
Year Four Ava – for great effort at the girls football festival
Year Five Amelie – for her great enthusiasm during Science lessons
Year Six Henry – for independently reading his War Horse story
Week ending October 1st
Reception Scarlett – for sharing her Chatterbox with great confidence
Year One Elizabeth – for thinking deeply about her learning prompting her to ask excellent probing
questions during History and Science
Year Two Jake – for fantastic story writing this week
Year Three Penny – for having a positive attitude to all learning and being kind and helpful
Year Four William – for working hard and giving great contributions to all lessons
Year Five Hadley – for her sensitive, emotive letter writing
Year Six Harry – for his great Playleader game
Look out for our third edition of ‘Friday Focus’ next week:
The fortnightly Friday Focus is a chance for every class at Clavering to share their learning with the Clavering School community. It is a great opportunity to find out what each year group has been up to and engage in conversations around learning.
If you have any questions at any time then please feel free to make an appointment.
Have a good weekend.
Rosalind Allsop
Headteacher
