Latest News

Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment. The majority of our organisational emails are sent directly to parents via Iris Parentmail.

  • Instow Key Worker Quesionnaire - post EASTER

    Fri 27 Mar 2020 Heidi Knight

    This is the link to the form that parents must complete to request a place in school for their child in the weeks following the Easter break.

    https://forms.gle/K2MiYsANHKAZf4cP9

     

    This information will also be sent out in an email bulletin later today.

    Many thanks.

  • Useful online resources for learning

    Thu 26 Mar 2020 Emily Slater

    Dear Parents,
    Here is a list of useful links that you might like to access while we are all spending time indoors. We have tried to sift through all the many wonderful resources that are available online so that we can just recommend a few...

     

    Free audio books online: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen
    Free books that your child can read independently or read along with an adult online: https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/

     

    Joe Wicks daily workout for families - live at 9am each weekday morning: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ

     

    Maths live on Facebook at 9am each weekday morning for KS2 as well as scheduled KS1 classes: www.iseemaths.com
    Maths live and via online video at 10am each weekday morning - more choice here for KS1 and younger children: https://whiterosemaths.com/homelearning/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=sharpspring&sslid=MzcwNLc0tjSyMLQ0BQA&sseid=MzIwNjCyNDewNAQA&jobid=7075b5bc-59ec-4e16-b443-d8c5212c83fe

     

    STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) learning: https://www.stem.org.uk/home-learning/primary

     

    Any sessions that are live on YouTube or Facebook can also be accessed at later date from the YouTube channel or Facebook page - so don't worry if you miss the live lesson!


    Some of these websites, especially STEM and the online books, have an enormous amount of books, resources, activities and information. Please do not feel that you have to read everything or try everything! Have a look and try some that catch your imagination.


    After Easter, your child's teacher will probably direct you back to some of these resources and pinpoint exact activities that would work well for your child and fulfil aspects of the curriculum for their year group.

     

    Remember if you need to contact us, you can use the support email addresses that we sent out last week in the 'Ways to communicate during school closure' email - and details are also available on the school website.

    Enjoy this time together.

     

    Kind regards -

    Instow School teaching team

  • School Update 26th March

    Thu 26 Mar 2020 HK

    Dear families and friends of Instow,

     

    Following our strategy meeting this morning, school and pre-school will be closed from 3.30pm. today, 26th March until Tuesday morning 14th April. This period reflects the pre-arranged Easter holidays. 

     

    Depending on changes from the Government in the meantime, if you require front-line child-care from Tuesday 14th April, please re-apply on a new Google form, which will be uploaded onto this website in the next few days. we will also send this on Parentmail.

     

    We will be sending out some Easter family activities for you to enjoy during this time and we hope you like our funny staff film waves to you all, found on Facebook and on this website too!

     

    We will be updating a summer term topic-based learning pack that you will be able to access at home from 14th April, so that there is a flexible structure to your child's day for the foreseeable future.

     

    With love,

    Mrs Knight and team

     

     

     

     

  • School Update 25th March

    Wed 25 Mar 2020 HK

    25th March

    Dear Parents, Carers, Governors and friends of Instow,

    This email comes with great thanks to those who are working to keep our front-line services going and to those of you working hard to keep your children safe at home and to link up with your Seesaw or Tapestry account for your child. Remember to make an Easter garden at home and share a photo of it on your Seesaw or Tapestry account! Check our website for the information I sent out last week on Ways of Keeping in Touch, which gives you all an email address to write to, with learning questions to your child’s class teachers.

    Apart from working with the DfE and headteachers across North Devon, I have been learning the wonders of the Houseparty App with friends in London and the Zoom App for our staff to meet together remotely too! Our dog Woody, is bewildered but very happy that he has humans around the house! 

    Please read the links I have provided here if your child is attending school during this period of time. We haven’t got to wearing masks yet, but who know what may change for us all. We have all made significant changes in the past week! There are social stories on our Parents and Carers page on our website that may help you to explain the current situation if your child has questions or is upset.

    Our teaching teams who are in school this week have run some super activities for the handful of children attending and we are still enjoying Mrs Guymer’s dinners too! We hope you are all joining in with Joe Wickes at 9.00 each morning on YouTube - we are!

    Everything feels a little odd I know, for all of us and we would be planning to judge the Easter Gardens; hold our Easter Egg Raffle and enjoy a church service this week, as well as closing for a well-earned Easter break. All of these activities you could do at home - so long as there are eggs for everyone in the end!! No tears please - you are all too precious to us!

    At the moment we are aiming to try and follow Government guidelines and continue with emergency child care in school over the originally set break, so that frontline workers can still attend their jobs. If you need this help and no-one at home can look after your children, please complete the Google form, found on Latest News on our website. www.instowcps.co.uk

    Make sure you are logging on to Seesaw as your child’s teachers will be happy to hear from them. We will also try to keep in touch in other ways with you as the impending weeks progress.

    Our website - Latest News will also have information for you, so if anyone is asking you, they need to check their emails first, or go to our school website.

    We are holding a remote staff meeting tomorrow to look at longer term planning over the coming weeks and if anything affects or supports your child, we will ensure to inform you.

    In the meantime, enjoy the lovely weather and do share social distancing games with us on Seesaw or Tapestry! If you need to ask me a question please email admin@instowcps.co.uk.

    If friends in our school are saying that they haven’t received this email, please direct them to the website or to email the admin email (above) and we will check their connections. Emails and mobile numbers do change and these may need updating, which Mrs Slater will be happy to do.

    Love from Mrs Knight, Governors and staff.

     

    Guidance on implementing social distancing in education and childcare settings

    We have published new guidance on how to implement social distancing in education and childcare settings. This guidance also gives advice for individuals in vulnerable health groups:

    It is important to read this alongside the overall guidance for social distancing:

  • Ways to Communicate during school closure

    Fri 20 Mar 2020 HK

    Ways to Communicate:

    Dear families and friends,

    Further to our email and Google form for children from Monday 23rd March, there are two ways we can all communicate during this time when your children are at home.

    Main school messages and updates from the Government will be sent to you via Parentmail and also published on our Latest News or Parents and Carers tabs on the website. www.instowcps.co.uk

    Questions about your child's learning to their regular class teacher are as follows:

    pre-schoolsupport@instowcps.co.uk

    class1support@instowcps.co.uk

    class2support@instowcps.co.uk

    class3support@instowcps.co.uk

    class4support@instowcps.co.uk

    class5support@instowcps.co.uk

    Sharing projects, photographs or work they are proud of over coming weeks:

    • Seesaw link that has already been provided - for Pre-school / Class 2 / Class 3 / Class 4 / Class 5.
    • This is a new link to pre-school families and you will be receiving as link in the coming days.

    Because Reception children are already using on-line platform called Tapestry with Mrs Martin, this will remain the site to upload and share projects, photographs or work the Reception children are proud of to share with Mrs Martin, until anything changes.

    There are numerous child-friendly initiatives happening across the world and we have agreed that it would be fun to all join in with Joe Wickes' exercise video link via YouTube at 9.00 a.m. each weekday, if you wish to maintain a healthy community spirit in your home!

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAxW1XT0iEJo0TYlRfn6rYQ

    All the best until further notice,

    Mrs Knight and team xxx

     

  • School Update and Google Booking Form

    Fri 20 Mar 2020 HK

    Read the latest update on education provision in school during the Covid 19 virus period: Also sent out on Parentmail emails.

     

    Following our emergency planning meeting this morning, please read the following information:

    See government guidelines attached that detail who is able to take up the offer of child education and care during this unprecedented time.

    This is an extract from the Government’s latest document:

    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.

    We are allowed to provide a limited service that runs through the Easter break as well, only to those whose parents fall under these following categories:

    Parents whose work is critical to the COVID-19 response include those who work in health and social care and in other key sectors outlined below. Many parents working in these sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. And every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.

    Please, therefore, follow these key principles:

    1. If it is at all possible for children to be at home, then they should be.
    2. If a child needs specialist support, is vulnerable or has a parent who is a critical worker, then educational provision will be available for them.
    3. Parents should not rely for childcare upon those who are advised to be in the stringent social distancing category such as grandparents, friends, or family members with underlying conditions.
    4. Parents should also do everything they can to ensure children are not mixing socially in a way which can continue to spread the virus. They should observe the same social distancing principles as adults.

     

    We have also attached this latest Government document link for your clarity, below:

    https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision

    Google Response Form:

    This is the Google Response form for Instow School and pre-school parents (3/4 year olds from pre-school to Year 6) to complete only if you come under these categories:

    https://forms.gle/U36DpKr9g8FfxMov6

    If one parent is a critical worker and one parent is not, then children should remain at home. These are the categories:

    Health and Social Care:

    • doctors,
    • nurses,
    • midwives,
    • paramedics,
    • social workers,
    • care workers,
    • other front line health and
    • social care staff, including volunteers.
    • Support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector.
    • Those working as part of health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributors of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

    Education and Child-care:

    • Includes nursery and teaching staff
    • Social workers and those specialist educational professionals who must remain active during the Covid 19 response.

    Key Public Services:

    • Essential to the running of the justice system
    • Religious staff
    • Charities and workers delivering key front line services
    • Those responsible for the management of the deceased
    • Journalists and broadcasters providing public service broadcasting

     

    Local and National Government:

    • Only includes administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the Covid 19 response
    • Delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits.

    Food and other necessary goods:

    • Food production and processing, distribution, sale and delivery.
    • Essential to the provision to other key goods e.g. hygienic and veterinary medicines.

    Public safety and national security

    • Police and support staff
    • MOD civilians contractors
    • Armed forces personnel (critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs)
    • Fire and rescue service employees
    • National crime agency staff
    • Prison and probation staff

    Transport

    • Air, water, rail and road passenger services
    • Freight transport
    • Those keeping these operating during the Covid 19 response.

    Utilities / Financial / communication:

    • Staff needed for essential financial service provision
    • oil, gas, electricity and water sector workers
    • I.T. and data infrastructure workers
    • Key staff in the civil, nuclear and telecommunication sector.
    • Postal services, payment providers, waste disposal sectors.

    If your child has an Education, Health and Care Plan then they are eligible for education provision only if they do not have an underlying medical condition. Any EHCP child with an underlying medical condition must remain at home according to Government safety guidelines.

    Later today, we will also send out a further pack if you fall under these categories, so that you know what we can and cannot provide during this period. Anyone responding for education provision using the Google Form must also provide contact details of their employer.

    • So that we maintain a level of continuity for the children, they will attend school in their uniform along with a change of play clothes, a PE kit, waterproofs and wellingtons as the school day will vary.
    • We are able to offer catering and your child will have a healthy snack, along with two choices of a hot meal, so packed lunches are not necessary.
    • The core school day is 9.00 to 3.30, however we will start at 7.50 for those requiring breakfast club.
    • Children can be collected up until 4.30. This may change and you need to indicate this on the Google form.
    • These details of pick-ups and drop-offs can be arranged each day with our staff team.
    • Each day there will be a safeguarding officer, a first-aider and qualified teachers on site, as well as someone in the office to answer calls.

     

    You are all in our prayers and I thank everyone for their patience,

    Kind regards, elbow hugs

    Mrs Knight and team x

     

  • 6th March Newsletter and Surfing Flyer

    Fri 06 Mar 2020 HK
    Visit the School Newsletters page to read the latest news and find out about surfing lessons at discounted rates!