How can I talk to my child about keeping safe without talking about ‘Stranger Danger’?
- By markward
- 2 December, 2020
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WE SPEND THE FIRST FEW YEARS DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN…
Then we have to learn how to give them some independence…
Teaching children simply to avoid strangers doesn’t work. Most strangers will help rather than harm children. Conversely, it is often people known to children that pose the greatest threat. That’s where Clever Never Goes comes in.
Clever Never Goes teaches children to recognise when someone (anyone) is asking them to go with them. We call this ‘Go Spotting’. It’s about giving your child practical safety skills and confidence to engage with the outside world.
For more information please visit http://clevernevergoes.org/
What parents need to know about COVID and primary schools
- By markward
- 2 December, 2020
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This informative video has been released by Southern Health – one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the south of England.
It is in the form of Q&A with Dr Sanjay Patel, and I know that a lot of the questions asked are ones that you may be seeking an answer to.
FLOOD CLOSURE YR 1
- By markward
- 26 November, 2020
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Please be aware that Year 1 children can not come in today THURSDAY 26 NOVEMBER due to a floood in the classroom.
We will inform parents later today about tomorrow.
Many thanks for your understanding in this matter
Mrs Moakes
Communicating with class teachers during these times
- By markward
- 6 September, 2020
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As we have to ensure the safety of our children and staff at all times, access to the school is limited. However, we recognise the need for parents and carers to communicate with their child’s class teacher, and encourage it as a simple conversation can often clarify concerns.
Your child’s class teacher will shortly be passing on their work email to you. Please read the policy attached.
Many thanks for your understanding in this issue.
INSET DAYS SEPTEMBER
- By markward
- 14 July, 2020
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Please note that Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th September are INSET days. Children start back on 7th September.
Details of how the new school year will operate safely and following government Covid-19 guidance will be parent mailed to families shortly
C-19 Government Advice for Parents
- By markward
- 19 May, 2020
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Please follow the link for advice for parents. “What parents and carers need to know about schools and other education settings during the coronavirus outbreak”
Covid 19 – staying safe online advice
- By markward
- 30 April, 2020
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What you can do to stay safe online during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak…
The coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has impacted everyone’s daily lives. More people are working from home, looking after children and spending time online.
Now more than ever, it is important for everyone to know how to stay connected, stay safe online, check the facts and remember to take a break.
The goverment has additional advice for parents and carers.
If you need any further advice or support, please do call the school during school hours or email and we will get back in touch. The school may be closed for the majority but we are all here to support and help in any way we can.
Kind regards
Mr Ward
URGENT RESPONSE REQUIRED REGARDING SCHOOL CLOSURES
- By markward
- 20 March, 2020
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20 March 09:00
URGENT RESPONSE REQUIRED REGARDING SCHOOL CLOSURES
Dear Parents and carers,
As you will be aware, schools, colleges and childcare settings will close today, for the foreseeable future to the majority of pupils. At Waterside this causes us great sadness, but we understand that it is a necessary and vital step in order to ensure we limit the spread of the virus and protect the Waterside community, by limiting social contact.
Despite this, schools will remain open to a small proportion of children, should parents have no other option for childcare and we have been awaiting a list from the government as to who these might be.
We are now able to share this list with parents. Please see below:
Health and social care
This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.
Education and childcare
This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.
Key public services
This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.
Local and national government
This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.
Food and other necessary goods
This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).
Public safety and national security
This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.
Transport
This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.
Utilities, communication and financial services
This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and delivery, payments providers and waste disposal sectors.
The government does however remind parents that:
……….the most recent scientific advice on how to further limit the spread of COVID-19 is clear. If children can stay safely at home, they should, to limit the chance of the virus spreading.
That is why the government has asked parents to keep their children at home, wherever possible, and asked schools to remain open only for those children who absolutely need to attend.
It is important to underline that schools, colleges and other educational establishments remain safe places for children. But the fewer children making the journey to school, and the fewer children in educational settings, the lower the risk that the virus can spread and infect vulnerable individuals in wider society.
I apologise for the length of this email, but felt it important that parents had all the correct information in order to help them make the important decision as to whether their child should come in to school on Monday.
If having read the above, you believe yourself to be a ‘key worker’ and you would like your child to attend school next week, then we require some quick action.
Please either phone school on 023 80 842143 or email via ParentMail or to e.moakes@waterside.hants.sch.uk by 2pm today. This will allow me to put a skeleton staff together for Monday.
If your child is currently ill and/or in a period of self-isolation they must not return Monday, but please still inform us of your intention and of their start date. These arrangements are for the next two weeks initially.
These are challenging times, but I am immensely proud of the children and my staff, who are working tirelessly to ensure the school is able to run smoothly.
Please ensure contact has been made by 2pm.
Many thanks,
Emma Moakes
Headteacher
Update 17 March
- By markward
- 17 March, 2020
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In the Government’s Stay at Home Guidance, the following advice is clear:
If you live with others and you or one of them have symptoms of coronavirus, then all household members must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days.
The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.
It is likely that people living within a household will infect each other or be infected already.
Staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community
We ask that you check official guidance to identify your personal circumstances and make the decisions based on that guidance.
It is clear if we all take the correct steps now we can make a difference to others.
Schools have not been instructed to close. We will do all that we can to continue to provide an education for our children. However, should staff absences become unmanageable, we would look to implement class or whole school closures. This is a last resort.
This week teachers will be preparing resources to support your child learning at home, should schools be made to close.
Further updates will follow.