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5th February School Updates

Fri 05 Feb 2021 HK

Dear families and friends,

We're another week further down the line and I am waiting to hear anything from the government on school attendance changes. It is unlikely that we'll hear anything until 22nd February, so we'll carry on with work packs for the weeks after half term, which you can collect from the school cabin in the garden from Friday 12th February. No work over half term!!

As a general decision nationally, the Department for Education has halted national standardised tests for schools, like KS1 and KS2 SATs due in May and June this year. However, we know that Teacher Assessment will still be required. Please reassure your child if they are worried that grades may suffer because of home studies, our teaching teams know them well and will support them through any in-school assessments later in the year, along with teacher assessment of their work throughout the year.

Parents, we are so proud of how you are juggling everything at home and our teaching teams are grateful for your support during this time. Keep going! Children's Mental Health Week has been a good time to address their well-being and to give all of us some good strategies to look after ourselves.

Our student teacher, Miss Zoe Bennett, has adapted her practice brilliantly during this strange year and will be working in her second placement after half term until Easter, in Braunton. Meanwhile, we will be pleased to welcome Mr Matt Carter, from Okehampton to work with Ms Graves, Mrs Slater and Mr Bedford during that same time. Miss Bennett then returns to us for the summer term.

For your information our parish church is joined with Westleigh and Fremington. The joint parishes have a new vicar, Reverend Sue Spankie, who will be joining the community following an online inauguration on 9th February. I have been invited to join online and will wish her well on our school's behalf. I was lucky to meet Rev Sue last year during interviews and she has a background in education and was very interested in our school. We shall look forward to working with her in the future months ahead.

A polite reminder about our sickness policy for children attending school:

If your child has been sick they must not attend school for 48 hours.
If you or your child appear unwell with Covid symptoms you need to let school know, even if you are not normally attending at the moment.

A polite reminder about our arrangements for key worker's children using breakfast club:

Breakfast Club runs from 7.50 a.m. to 9.00 a.m. and parents are charged £2.00 per session. Children will need to bring their own breakfast
School gates open at 9.00 a.m.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, I hope you manage to enjoy some sunshine - or snow! Whichever comes first! ha ha! Thank you for your kind personal wishes for my husband's op earlier this week, he's making a very positive recovery.

During this winter season, if we do have snow or thick ice, it makes access to school impossible and unsafe. According to our school policy on severe weather, if we do close the school site I will send a Parentmail as early in the morning as possible.

finally, I've asked the children working at home to wear a rainbow for fun to Monday's 2.30 assembly! Use the password 'assembly'.

Kind regards

Mrs Knight and team xx

Spring Term Lockdown

Tue 05 Jan 2021 HK

Dear families and friends,

We have all been working hard today planning for remote learning, as well as in-school learning. It is the government's intention that children learn through similar experiences and I hope you appreciate that we have all been left with very little notice to prepare, however you should receive more information from your child's teacher in the next hour or so.

In addition, we are preparing physical packs for your child's remote learning, which can be collected from labelled boxes in the school garden from 12.00 tomorrow.

For children of key workers attending school the packs will be in classes for them to use. In order to comply with government restrictions, the requests for keyworker places are now very limited, so if you apply, you may be placed on a waiting list, or be asked to alter some of your days. If in-school children are part-time, they are expected to engage with their learning when at home for the rest of the week. Main communication will be through Seesaw accounts and is planned to account for approximately 3 hours daily.

Please see the school dinner menu attached, for this half term. For the rest of this week only, the menu will be as follows:

Weds - Meat or vegetarian burgers, vegetables, or Jacket Potato and filling.

Thur - Roast beef dinner, or Quorn Fillet roast dinner or jacket potato and filling.

Fri - Fish and Chips or Quorn nuggets and chips, or jacket potato and filling.

There will be a desert as well (of course!)

The children who are attending school will remain in bubbles between three class groups. Playtimes will continue to be zoned for the week and staggered in order to minimise and infection.

We will continue with Covid 19 protocol for any unwell children or staff and impress upon everyone to keep your family and our families safe, by remaining at home and getting a test if you show symptoms. If cases appear in school, anyone in contact with an identified bubble will be told to self-isolate for ten days.

Children attending school will need to wear uniform as usual and they will have PE days as well. Children following a remote learning timetable will also be encouraged to follow the same PE days as friends in school. Reception children have flexible arrangements for PE through physical activities and games. Years 1/2/3 come to school dressed in warm PE kit on Tuesday and Thursdays. Years 4/5/6 come to school dressed in warm PE kit on Mondays and Wednesdays.

We are finalising staffing over the next couple of days and want to reassure you that our incredible team will support your child, whether at home or in school. However please remember, they may behave like superheroes but they are only humans, with families and worries of their own and I am so grateful to our teaching and support team here.

I shall be on the gate at 9.00 a.m. tomorrow and will be available in school if you have any questions. Please also use your class email address if you have any questions for your child's teacher.

Finally we made a quick little video to say hello, please click on this link https://instowcps.primarysite.media/media/hello-from-the-team-in-school-today or visit our school website! I'm sure we can all make more to come!

Kind regards

Mrs Knight and team xx

Christmas videos

Wed 16 Dec 2020 HK

For our Christingle video, the Pre-School Nativity, our Reception & KS1 video, please visit the Children tab, Video Resource Centre.

For our Yr 3,4,5 and 6 Carols in the Barn (Not in the Barn this year) please follow this link https://vimeo.com/491680821

and use the Instow2020 password.

Enjoy!

20th October Updates

Tue 20 Oct 2020 HK

Dear families and friends,

We are pleased to offer you a lovely Halloween Walking Trail from Torridge District Council, on Northam Burrows over the half-term break, please see attached. This is the message from Rose, who has set up the trail:

There will be a free, self-guided Halloween themed trail on Northam Burrows throughout the half term holidays – just download the map and head outdoors to find creepy creatures and strange sculptures. Solve the clues to reveal the secret words – can you draw us a picture to prove that you completed the challenge?

Time/date: Dawn till dusk, Saturday 24^th October to Sunday 1^st November

Cost: free!

Booking?: No booking is required

Start point: Near the Westward Ho! entrance to Northam Burrows (EX39 1HN)

Suitable for: Families of all ages

Poster attached. The full leaflet including maps to find the creepy clues will be shared on the Northam Burrows website and social media. Printed copies will be displayed on the Westward Ho! toll booth and at the visitor centre.

Family Survey - Final chance to complete the Family Survey and to have your say - click on the link below to complete our Family Survey, which should take you about 5 minutes. It enables us to know what is going well and to consider developments in the school. I have also attached a graph of the number of responses to each year group, for your information. We are hoping to get as near to 20 responses as possible!

Instow Family Survey

PTFA Cake Sale on Friday - our PTFA raises small amounts of funds throughout the year and the end of term cake sales are very popular. We are having to work differently currently, due to H&S restrictions. So this Friday, children can wear non-uniform, bring in a small box of pre-packed cakes if possible, a voluntary £1.00 donation for non-uniform along with 20 pence to buy a cake of their choice in the afternoon. If your child has any food allergies please make sure your child's class teacher is aware. We are used to vegan / milk allergy / egg allergy choices and do try to accommodate. Due to the same restrictions there can't be a grand bargain cake sale at the end of the day either, sorry. I hope you appreciate and support us when we are trying to give children some of our traditional experiences but have to adapt them to comply with government guidelines.

Pre-School Build - we are hoping that plaster boarding and plastering will take place over the half term break. there is a possibility that some of the children's improved fencing will also be installed, fingers crossed!

If I don't email anything further do have a lovely half-term break and make sure your children are dressed smartly for head and shoulder photos on Thursday morning! If they have PE that day, they can bring a top to change into.

Kind regards

Mrs Knight and team x