Newsletters

Message from Mrs Jones

Dear Parents and Carers

Welcome to our first Newsletter of 2021.  I hope that you and your families are staying safe and well.

Thank you for all of your support for the school and for my school staff who have been working hard to set up online lessons and online learning, along with arranging for laptops to be collected by parents who need them and setting up Parent Consultation Meetings.  This has been a difficult few weeks with school closure, and I am sure that parents have also found it difficult trying to get used to a new way of working. 

Please continue to help your child as much as you can.  If teachers have any concerns with the work being produced by your child(ren) then they will contact you directly.  You are doing a great job!

According to the Prime Ministers speech to the House of Commons on Wednesday 27th January, he confirmed schools in England will not be able to open after the half-term break next month but could begin to return from 8th March.  I realise that this news will be a disappointment to you, however it is caveated with the statement that a final decision would depend on meeting vaccination targets and that schools would get two weeks' notice. 

We await further details on wider re-opening and will share with you as soon as we have any confirmation of arrangements.  In the meantime, please keep helping your child(ren) access their lessons/work online. 

Thank you for booking your Parent Consultation Meeting with your child's teacher for this week.  I hope that this was a useful meeting for you and an opportunity to see the teacher face to face and discuss the Autumn term.

Please continue to take care and look after each other.  We hope we can see you all again in person soon!

Mrs Jones

ATTENDANCE REMINDER

Even though the school is closed to most pupils at the moment, we are still monitoring attendance.  So please report any illness where your child is unable to access school provision or home learning. 

We also need parents to inform us if their child or anyone in the household have tested positive for Covid-19, and are subsequently isolating.  Please include dates of isolation when notifying the school.

Please report all absences and isolation in the usual way (school absence line or by email to attendance@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk).

Thank you for your help with this. 

FEBRUARY HALF TERM

On the 26th January, the Department for Education confirmed that schools will close as usual over February half-term and are not expected to remain open to vulnerable children and the children of critical workers during that week.  As such parents need to be aware that the school is closed in order to allow for deep cleaning, essential maintenance and repairs to be undertaken.

Contact tracing over the February half-term

The school continues to play an important role in contact tracing for those pupils and staff who continue to attend school.  However, where pupils or staff still attending their school test positive having developed symptoms within 48 hours of being in school, they must report the case via the school office email office@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk.  The Department for Education expect the School Leadership Team to continue to identifying close contacts and advising self-isolation, as the individual may have been infectious whilst in school. Where pupils or staff still attending our school test positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) during the holidays, having developed symptoms more than 48 hours since being in school, schools are not required to take any action.  Staff, parents and carers should follow contact tracing instructions provided by NHS Test and Trace.

RISING STARS READING PLANET

The PTA have been working closely with the school during lockdown to identify where their recent fundraising efforts can support and benefit our students whilst they are learning remotely at home.  They have this term agreed to generously fund the purchase of Rising Stars Reading Planet an online e-book library resource.

The introduction of this new resource will strengthen home-school links by allocating eBooks – the library can be accessed by parents and pupils anywhere, on any device:  desktop computer, laptop, tablet and mobile.

It will also enable practise and improve comprehension skills and vocabulary acquisition with interactive, self-marking quizzes for each eBook and track progress via the easy-to-use reporting tool.  Use the integrated features such as read aloud audio (Reception and Key Stage 1 only) and highlighting and comment tools, to engage children even more with each eBook.

The school is now busily creating the relevant teacher and pupil accounts to be able to roll this out across the school and information on how to access this will follow in due course.  We hope this new resource will enrich the range of resources pupils have access to at home whilst allowing teachers to continue to track children’s reading progress.

LOCKDOWN LUNCHES AND MEAL PLANS

Change4Life have created recipes and shopping lists for families which can be used to create lunches for around £15 each week.  Free school meal vouchers to spend?  Struggling for meal inspiration with the kids at home at the moment? We've got you covered with our simple lunch ideas.

https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/recipes/lunch/cheap-lockdown-lunch-ideas

At Vaughan Primary School, we are committed to the safety, wellbeing and happiness of all our pupils.  If you have any concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing, please speak to a member of our safeguarding team.

Vaughan Primary School Safeguarding Team

• Ms Keohane – Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Mrs Davies – Deputy Safeguarding Lead
• Mrs Fink - Deputy Safeguarding Lead
• Ms Perschky - Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Support and Advice for children

If you have a worry or need some support and a trusted adult cannot help, you can contact the following organisations for help.

• Childline (0800 1111, www.childline.org.uk) – This is a confidential service for children and young people. No problem is too big or too small and they’re there to listen and support you with anything you’d like to talk about. Or you can have a 1-2-1 counsellor chat online.
• NSPCC (0808 800 5000, www.nspcc.org.uk)
• Harrow Children Services - 020 8901 2690.
• Harrow Children Services – Emergency out of hours 020 8424 0999
• Police – in case of an emergency - 999

Year 6 only

• Kooth – Kooth is a web based confidential support service available to young people. Kooth provides a safe and secure means of accessing mental health and wellbeing support. 
• Kooth offers young people the opportunity to have a text-based conversation with a qualified counsellor.
• Counsellors are available from 12 noon to 10 pm on weekdays and 6 pm to 10 pm at weekends, every day of the year on a drop-in basis.  You can access regular booked online counselling sessions as needed.
• Outside counselling hours’ young people can message the team and get support by the next day.
• When you register with Kooth, you will have support available now and in the future.  Support can be gained not only through counselling but articles, forums and discussion boards.  All content is age appropriate, clinically approved and fully moderated.

To find out more visit www.Kooth.com where you can register and find out more about the service.

You can also view a short video about the service at:

https://vimeo.com/318731977/a9f32c87de.         

SUPPORT SERVICES

Looking after yourself, looking after your children

There is a lot of uncertainty around COVID-19 and understandably, this is causing a lot of worry and anxiety for people. 

Having children and young people at home, often when people are trying to work themselves, adds another layer of stress.  It is therefore important to not only consider our physical health during such challenging times, but also to pay attention to our mental health. 

It is normal to feel worried, stressed and anxious when we are faced with uncertain situations, but the sooner we acknowledge and learn to take care of our mental health, the healthier and better equipped we’ll be to cope with the situation we're having to face.

Below are sources of support which might be helpful

GP

Contact your GP if you are feeling really low/depressed or very anxious.

NHS

The NHS website offers expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.

https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters

Mind UK

https://www.mind.org.uk/

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/support-community-elefriends/

UK Mental Health Charity with information and an online mutual support community.

Shout

https://www.giveusashout.org/

Shout is the UK’s first 24/7 text service, free on all major mobile networks, for anyone in crisis anytime, anywhere. It’s a place to go if you’re struggling to cope and you need immediate help. Shout is powered by a team of volunteers, who are at the heart of the service. They take people from crisis to calm every single day.

Samaritans

Call 116 123

https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/

Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline

Call Refuge’s National Domestic Abuse Helpline for free and confidential advice, 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. Visit the helpline website to access further information, a contact form and the live chat service. If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police.

Family Action

Telephone: 0808 802 6666

Text message: 07537 404 282

https://www.family-action.org.uk/what-we-do/children-families/familyline/

The FamilyLine service supports people who are dealing with family pressures in a new and innovative way by using a network of volunteers from across the country to support family members over the age of 18 through telephone calls, email, web chat and text message.

Family Lives (previously Parentline)

Call: 0808 800 2222

https://www.familylives.org.uk/how-we-can-help/confidential-helpline/

Family Lives offers a confidential and free helpline service for families in England and Wales (previously known as Parentline). for emotional support, information, advice and guidance on any aspect of parenting and family life. The helpline service is open 9am – 9pm, Monday to Friday and 10am – 3pm Saturday and Sunday.

Gingerbread

Single Parent Helpline: 0808 802 0925

gingerbread.org.uk

One Parent Families/Gingerbread is the leading national charity working to help lone parents and their children.

Grandparents Plus

Call: 0300 123 7015

grandparentsplus.org.uk

Grandparents Plus is the only national charity (England and Wales) dedicated to supporting kinship carers - grandparents and other relatives raising children who aren't able to live with their parents.

KEY MESSAGES FROM WELFARE

Medical Conditions and Health Care Plans

If your child has a diagnosed medical condition, a Health Care Plan needs to be completed (if we have not got one already). It is important that the school are aware of any medical conditions.

If there are any changes to a child’s existing medical condition and/or a new medical condition emerges, parents/carers need to complete a new Health Care Plan.

If we do not receive a new or updated Health Care Plan, your child will be unable to attend school.  If we do not receive medicine (as outlined in your child’s Health Care Plan), your child will be unable to attend school.

The Health Care Plans are available on the school website here.

Epi pens

If your child uses an epi-pen at school, please can you provide three epi-pens so that we can keep one in the lunch hall, classroom and welfare.

Asthma

The Harrow School Nursing Team advise if any child has been prescribed an inhaler for either asthma or viral induced wheeze, they should be reviewed annually.  That can be done by either the GP, practice nurse or respiratory team. The school requires a copy of your child's latest Asthma Plan for their records.

If you require any further information, please contact Welfare on welfare@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk.

Inhalers

Please ensure that inhalers are kept in their original packaging with the child’s name and instructions.  We also require an age appropriate spacer together with the inhaler.

Inhalers for children in the Junior School

If your child uses an inhaler, please can you provide a third inhaler so that we have a spare one available.

Medication

If your child is prescribed medication which has to be administered at school, please complete a consent form which can be found on the school website with clear instructions.  It must come via the school office or alternatively, call Welfare tel: 0208 427 7222 Ext 2 and arrangements can be made to collect from outside the school office.

Any medical queries, please contact Mrs O’Rourke or Ms Goodspeed in Welfare.

Free check ups

Please be advised that children are entitled to:

• Free NHS Prescriptions
• Free NHS Dental Treatment
• Free NHS Sight Tests

We do encourage families to have regular check-ups.  Please check https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk for further information.

Medical appointments during the day

And lastly a reminder about medical appointments.  If your child has a medical appointment during the school day, please remember to email attendance@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk with the details and with proof of the appointment.  This is still the case even during school closure.  Thank you.

HARROW FOODBANK

Further is available from the following website:
https://harrow.foodbank.org.uk/

TERM DATES

School will close at 1.35pm on the last day of each term
(please see separate letter sent regarding the end of the Autumn term)

Afternoon Nursery will be closed on the last day of each term.

After School Club finishes at 4.00pm on the last day of term. 

Please do not book holidays for during term time as these will not be authorised.  If you wish to request leave from school, please complete a Request for Leave form and email it to attendance@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk for Mrs Jones' attention.