Dear Parents / Carers,

 

I hope this letter finds you and your families well. I am intending to upload a regular letter to the school website to update you on the work we are doing to support your children during this difficult period of time.

 

Gilbert’s @Home Learning on the Website

All teaching staff are setting work for the children in their class, daily via our school website www.gilbertheathcote.derbyshire.sch.uk .

This can be accessed on any mobile device or through the internet on a PC/laptop. If you require any support with this then please let us know.

 

School Twitter @gilbertinfant

We have been sharing pictures and photographs and other helpful links on our school twitter page to help you plan and arrange activities for your children. Please have a look on there for a list of websites you can visit for free. Many paid subscriptions have made access to their resources free over this period.

 

Keeping Active

It is important during this period of isolation that both children and adults stay active. Again, teachers are sending out advice using the school website and twitter but there are also free daily workouts from the body coach, Joe Wicks, on YouTube.

 

Parent/ teacher consultation meetings

After the Easter Holidays we will be arranging for the class teachers to give your children a telephone call. This will be just to say hello and to hold a brief conversation with parents about how things are going. Please be aware - this is not an academic conversation about your home-schooling provision, this is a caring Gilbert’s family call to check in and see how we all are. The staff miss the children too!

 

Free School Meals

Caterlink are currently making our FSM school sandwich packs to last for two days at another trust school and delivering these meals to schools for collection by families who require them. There are no current plans to change this arrangement. The Government have stated that they are looking at putting a national scheme in place but there has been no further announcements at this stage.

 

Open and Easter Provision

As directed by the Government, Gilbert Heathcote School is open with the minimal amount of staffing to oversee the daily provision and areas of responsibilities for our school family. The school will continue to do this over the Easter holidays, with the exception of Good Friday and Easter Monday.

 

Social Gatherings

We are aware that in some areas of the county, a significant number of children have been gathering in social groups whilst not being at school. It is important that the guidance given by the Government is followed and that they stay at home where possible.

 

SATs

All statutory tests for this academic year have been cancelled by the government. This means there will be

 

• no phonics screening check for year 1 pupils
• no SATs for year 2 pupils

 

We understand how disappointing this may be for the children. We have not received any further

information regarding the cancelling of the tests but once we do I will update you all.

 

Acts of kindness

During this stressful time, it is lovely to hear about some of the acts of kindness people have been displaying in our community. Helping one another out and being neighbourly is crucial and it has been heart-warming to hear of friends shopping for one another, prepping meals and being at the end of a phone for a chat.

 

Contact details

Please use the info@gilbertheathcote.derbyshire.sch.uk email to keep us informed of any concerns, worries or questions. You can also contact the school office each morning and if needed you can leave a message, someone will get back to you.

 

There is also a new link on the school website under the PARENT section called SUPPORT DURING COVID-19. Under this page is a range of information and local services you can contact for support. Please take a look at this.

 

Don’t forget the school twitter @gilbertinfant page to share pictures and work to keep our spirits up. We will get through this and be together again very soon.

               

Look after each other,

 

Joanne Mappin