Children in Need Day
Thank you to everyone who supported the school with this years Children in Need event and donated buns for our sale. So far, we have raised a huge £651.00 towards this great cause!
Mobile phones
It is my highest priority to ensure the safety of all the children and staff involved at St Oswald’s School. Our policy with regards to children and mobile phones seeks to minimise the number of such devices in the school. There are various reasons for this, including distraction from learning, but the key reason is a safeguarding one. Most mobiles available now have cameras and internet connectivity. This leaves open the possibility that images could be taken without a child’s consent and then uploaded to the internet. For this reason it is essential that the following policy is adhered to:
No child is allowed to have a mobile phone in their possession during the school day.
- A child must only bring a mobile into school if they have written permission to walk home from school and might so need it to ensure their safety
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In this instance the child must hand the phone in to the class teacher at the start of the day and collect it at the end of the day.
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No child is allowed to take any image or video with a mobile phone at any time whilst on school property.
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Any photo or video of a St Oswald’s pupil or staff member, wherever it was taken, uploaded onto any internet site without their permission will be dealt with as a very serious disciplinary matter.
I would emphasise that I am not mentioning this now because it is perceived to be a significant problem at school. I feel this proactive clarification of our position will help us prevent the issues that do occur in other educational establishments.
On a broader note, though we do regularly cover the area of internet safety and sensible behaviour online, it is always useful when parents also promote these ideas with their children. It is very advisable for parents to be aware of and to monitor the online activity of their children to ensure that they are as safe as possible in their engagement with the virtual world.
Thrive
As we begin our Thrive journey at St. Oswald's, an important part of embedding Thrive is having a space where every child can go to focus on their wellbeing if they need it.
Upon our return to school after half term, each class will be going into our fantastic Thrive Room. The Thrive Room is used regularly by many children across school, either on a 1-1 basis or in small groups, however Thrive is for everyone and these class visits to Thrive will further advertise its purpose to all children. The Thrive Room includes a music area, soft sofa area, sensory zone, creative space and is a place where many children love to be. Miss Longworth and Mrs Batty have both completed their Thrive Practitioner training and are already making fantastic use of the room. The rest of the staff in school have also completed Thrive training and we feel that it is important for all classes along with their teacher to use the space, and for all children to know that they can use if they need it.
Whilst in the Thrive Room children will complete an activity that focuses on wellbeing. This may be an art project, creative writing, yoga, storytelling, guided meditation or suchlike. We are excited for the children to enjoy this time with their teachers and peers in this fantastic space. If you would like to find out more about Thrive, visit the website https://www.thriveapproach.com
Covid Update
You will be aware that the government issued new advice during the half term holidays about self-isolation and testing which affects you and your child. This information sets out what the new guidance is. It is no longer a legal requirement to self-isolate following a positive test. However, government advice is still that your child should stay at home and avoid contact with other people if they have tested positive for COVID-19.
If your child is symptomatic, they should get a PCR test as soon as possible. Your child can return to school after 10 full days isolation. They may be able to return earlier if they test negative for two days in a row from day 5 of self-isolation and do not have a temperature. If they continue to test positive during the 10-day isolation they can return after completing 10 full days isolation. Your child will still receive work to do at home if they need to self-isolate, as well as free school meal support if they are eligible for this.
In school, we will continue to take a number of measures to reduce the spread of the virus, including thorough cleaning, ensuring spaces are well ventilated and encouraging good hygiene. Thank you for your help and co-operation. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Celebration Assembly
We still extend our invitation to all families each Friday morning to attend Celebration Assembly, and it is certainly more special to all of us when we have many families there. We still believe in the reasons why we chose to do things differently with the assembly this year. However, we also want to listen to the voice of our parents and over the course of the year so many of you have come to speak with us about how you preferred the previous system of school letting you know in advance.
Consultation
St. Oswald’s C of E Primary School’s Governing Body is proposing a change the age range of our school from 4-11 years to 2-11 years, to enable our school’s Out of School Care Provision to care for pre-school children who attend Kangaroo Kids Pre-school at St. Oswald’s school site during the day.
This change in age range requires a non-statutory process as set out in the Department for Education’s statutory guidance. In line with this guidance, we are consulting with parents /carers and other interested parties, including local schools and nurseries over a 4 week formal consultation period.
Details of this proposal have been published our website - St. Oswald's - Consultation on age range change.
The formal consultation period starts on Monday 28 February 2022 and will run until 4pm on Monday 28 March 2022. During this period anyone can comment on or object to the proposal to lower the school’s age range from 18 April 2022.
If anyone wishes to comment on or object to the proposal they can do this by emailing consultation@stoswaldsleeds.org or by writing to the Governing Body c/o of Natasha Conway, School Business Manager, St. Oswald’s C of E Primary School, The Green, Leeds, LS2- 9BT. Responses should reach us by 4pm on Monday 28 March 2022 in order to be counted.