News

Our daily message (22 June 2020)

In our post today, we have our regular Monday Living and Learning during lockdown update…

As you’ll know by now, Living and Learning is the name for all the teaching and learning we do around Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHE). This half term, our theme is relationships. Each week in school, we have a Living and Learning statement. I tell the truth and say sorry if I need to… is our statement this week.

One of the Sphere Federation Health Leaders writes:

A classic story to support this theme is The boy who cried ‘wolf!’. Listen to the fable here and discuss the moral message with your child.

You may want to consider why people might not tell the truth. It could be:

• to cover something up
• to gain attention
• to manipulate a situation
• to impress others

Telling the truth might seem difficult, but it’s the best way to solve problems and move on.

Apologising or saying sorry in a caring way can make you feel good because you are trying to make things right again and help your relationship (and the other person will probably feel better, too). It shows the other person you have thought about your actions. When you empathise with them, you begin to feel sorry for your behaviour.

What might an apology look like? It might simply be saying, ‘I’m sorry’, writing them a note or doing something for the person you have upset,
You might also want to look at this article about saying you’re sorry – it could be a good read for an older child, and interesting for you to read, too.

Tomorrow’s message includes a response to some recent government announcements.

Our daily mesage (19 June 2020)

Before the end of the school year, teachers will host some Zoom meetings for children who remain at home.

Some background

The meetings will be with groups of children from the class. They’ll be a one-off chance for children to re-connect with the teacher, classmates and with learning. We think this is important for our friends still at home during lockdown, especially since we now know they won’t be returning until September, all being well.

One or two of you have been asking for teachers to deliver lessons by Zoom since the start of lockdown. We didn’t pursue this for two main reasons: safeguarding and effective teaching. (We have other reservations about Zoom to teach, too, but these are the main ones.)

We’re still not convinced Zoom (or any online video conferencing service) is an effective way to teach large groups of younger children online. It might work well for older children, but the important two-way dialogue that we have in school would be hard to re-create and sustain in a Zoom meeting.

There were some unpleasant stories at the start of lockdown that highlighted safeguarding concerns. However, Zoom has introduced improved security features. We’ve researched how best to secure the Zoom meetings; we’ve consulted colleagues who have begun to use it; and we’ve trialled it amongst ourselves. We’re now confident that Zoom can be used securely.

Next steps

The next steps are simple…

If your child is still learning at home, and you’d like your child to be part of a Zoom call with their teacher and some of their classmates, email your child’s teacher. By now, most of you will already have emailed – the teacher’s address is something like joebloggs@spherefederation.org (first name, last name and then @spherefederation).

When you email, you’ll need to provide the name that will appear in the Zoom call – the teacher won’t allow anyone into the meeting if they’re not expecting them. Ideally, the name would be the child’s first and last name, but it can be your name. (And please make sure the name is appropriate.)

The teacher will decide a date and time for this to happen – it’ll happen before the end of term. They’ll send an invitation with the log-in details back to you. We’re sorry – there can’t be much flexibility about the date and time.

How to prepare

For younger children, your child’s teacher will have a chat and read a story. For older children (Y3-Y6), the teacher will ask a couple of questions which will include questions related to home learning:

• What home learning have you felt most proud of?
• What learning have you made most progress with at home?
• What sort of learning routine are you in?

It would be great if your child has thought about these so they’re able to answer a question like that.

Some more details

• Meetings will be with groups of children from the class: no more than 10-12 children.
• The meetings are only for those who are home learning.
• Teachers will have a list of pupils and appropriate Zoom name in advance to allow people to enter.
• Two members of staff will be present throughout the Zoom.
• A parent / carer should be present at home, although you don’t need to be on screen throughout the meeting.
• Teachers will continue to make occasional phone calls home, too, but you might not get a call during the week teachers do their Zoom.
• The meeting will last about 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the group.
• Some Zoom features will be disabled: the chat function, the record function, and the ‘re-name’ function will all be disabled.
• Participants will all be ‘mute’ on entry; teachers will manage the Zoom meeting by ‘unmuting’ children one at a time.
• Our school rules will still apply (including We respect everyone).
• Your child can be part of the Zoom but choose not to talk – no pressure!
• Teachers are aware of actions to take if a child doesn’t follow ground rules, school rules, instructions: this could include disabling video of anyone who is not following rules, for example.

Our daily message (18 June 2020)

Our message today focuses on two simple things: eating and sleeping…

Eating

Have you had a change in circumstances – a loss of job or a reduction in earnings? If so, your child might now be entitled to free school meals. Find out if you’re now entitled.

If you’re finding it difficult to access food because of money problems, self-isolation, or whatever the reason, you might be able to access emergency food support. Check out Leeds Food Aid Network and Leeds Money Information Centre.

Don’t feel awkward – ask us and we’ll try to help you access the help you need right now.

Sleeping

Has your child (or you) experienced sleep problems during lockdown?

Perhaps with your child, read The Good-Night Guide for Children – full of facts about sleep and its importance to us all. Did you know, for example, that when we sleep, we go through sleep cycles that last about 90 minutes and after each cycle, we come to a point of partial awakening? (And it’s at that point that we’re likely to wake up.)

Our daily message (17 June 2020)

We continue our messages this week with another message that supports our home learners in terms of Living and Learning.

Last week, our Living and Learning statement was ‘I see things from other people’s point of view’. This statement linked with the British value of mutual respect and tolerance. It promotes empathy and understanding.

We got some great feedback from some parents and carers about the ideas and resources we presented, including this, in reference to the Sesame Street clip (we’ve edited the comment to make sure it’s anonymous):

‘[My child] has had a few negative comments about her skin (this was addressed). But she says every day she wants to look like all her friends – she wants white skin and straight hair. We explain about skin colour etc and how lucky [she is]. But she still wants to have white skin. This video clicked with her. She understood that everyone is the same even though they may look different.’

Whilst really encouraging, the comment made us sad to note the negative comments had been made in the first place. Imagine the impact if we all took on board the simple message of the Sesame Street clip: ‘we’re different, we’re the same’.

If you didn’t find time to think about last week’s Living and Learning theme with your child, please do.

As well as he three book list recommendations from last week, we’ve one extra book list that you might want to check out, from Seven Stories: The National Centre for Children’s Books:

• Seven Stories: ‘Black stories matter’
• The Guardian: ‘No reader is too young to start’: anti-racist books for all children and teens’
• The Daily Express: ‘Children’s books about race: The best books to teach your children about race’
• Quarto Knows: ‘Anti-racist books for kids’

Our daily message (16 June 2020)

Yesterday, the Department for Education published guidance ‘to provide information on how primary schools can use flexibility to welcome back additional pupils this term’. The guidance states: ‘It is up to schools to decide which pupils to prioritise, based on their knowledge of their children and communities’.

Welcoming back additional pupils

‘It is up to schools to decide which pupils to prioritise…’ That’s good – that’s what we’ve been trying to do since the government announced that schools should begin to open more widely for pupils.

We’ve been planning carefully to manage increasing numbers in a safe way: while responding the the government’s goal for children in Early Years, Year 1 and Year 6 to return, we’ve also welcomed back more children of key workers, and we’ve also invited individuals from other year groups who might be considered vulnerable in some way.

Regrettably, because we’d already decided which additional pupils to prioritise ahead of yesterday’s guidance, our schools are already close to capacity. If you’re at home with your child and are really struggling in some way, please do get in touch.

A word of caution…

The guidance published yesterday states primary schools with extra capacity can welcome back pupils from any year groups. This is despite education secretary Gavin Williamson telling Parliament last week he was working on a ‘priority’ list for schools of which pupils to welcome back first. This is an example of the confusing messages coming from government.

The current situation means that plans and messages often change. However, please be cautious about the messages coming from government just now:

• they sometimes change, they sometimes get dropped (as appears to be the case with Gavin Williamson’s priority list), and they sometimes don’t match reality
• they don’t appear to stem from working closely with school leaders – certainly, we don’t hear things before you do
• there is a danger that they create false hope and mislead parents as to what is deliverable

The government has previously announced initiatives that haven’t quite lived up to the message: free laptops for disadvantaged home learners haven’t been delivered yet; free school meal vouchers didn’t work like they should leaving families not able to pay for their food at supermarket checkouts; and – one affecting us all – the prime minister’s ambition for all pupils to return for the last few weeks of the school year. Most recently, the prime minister has announced a ‘summer catch-up scheme‘ – let’s hope this is realistic, well-thought-through, and can actually happen.

Our daily message (15 June 2020)

We start the week with another message that supports our home learners in terms of Living and Learning. I know the difference between laughing at and laughing with someone… is our statement this week.

There’s an important difference between laughing at and laughing with someone. We’ll get on better with others if we know that laughing at someone is unkind and hurtful. The statement links with the British value of mutual respect and tolerance.

Firstly, for older children, read this article to find out what actually happens when we laugh. Laughing and smiling helps your body as well as your mind feel better and healthier but not when this is directed at someone else.

Look at and use these questions to discuss these contrasting photos with your child.

• What do you think is happening in this photograph?
• Have you ever been in a situation like this?
• What do you think this person is/these people are feeling like?
• If you feel like that, what would your face look like?  And your body?
• If you’re feeling like this, what might you do?
• If you’re feeling like this, how does your body feel on the inside?
• What do you think a person who felt like that would do?

Finally, consider the following with your friends and family at the moment:

• What makes you smile and laugh?
• How could you make someone laugh?
• How would that person feel when they are laughing?

For parents and carers, you might like to read Michael Rosen’s article, The trick to making children laugh. And with your child, enjoy his poems, which  can help to bring a smile or a laugh to your face.

End of Key Stage 2 outcomes - a celebration

End of key stage 2 assessments (known as SATs) were cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some children will undoubtedly have felt relief at not having to do these tests, while some pupils tell us they quite enjoy doing them. Similarly, some parents don’t place a lot of importance on the tests, while for others, they’re an important indicator of how well their child, and school, has done.

The data below represents what we predict would be the outcomes of those assessments – and it’s a cause for celebration of the children’s great learning throughout their time at Scholes (Elmet) Primary.

For Reading, Maths, and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling, our assessments stem from some trial tests that children did in the Autumn term and in February. The tests were all previous SAT tests and were done under test conditions. They were marked and graded based on the thresholds for that particular test. As a result, the assessments below are likely to provide an accurate indication of outcomes in the national assessments in May.

For Writing, the assessment stems from teacher assessment, as it would do for the outcomes in May. Year 6 teachers across Sphere Federation and beyond met at various times in the Autumn and Spring term to review their assessments for children’s writing. As a result, the teacher assessment for Writing is also likely to provide an accurate indication of end of year outcomes.

Attainment: expected standard

Expected standard is where a pupil’s scaled score is 100 or more. 83% of our pupils were on-track to achieve the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths, combined. As in recent years, this is securely above the national figure – we don’t have a national 2020 figure, but in 2019, the combined figure was 65%.

The proportions reaching national expectations for each subject, and for Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling, are all predicted to have been higher than the 2019 national:

• Reading: 90% meeting expected standards (2019 national: 73%)
• Writing: 90% meeting expected standards (2019 national: 78%)
• Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling: 90% meeting expected standards (2019 national: 78%)
• Maths: 88% meeting expected standards (2019 national: 79%)

Attainment: higher level

Greater depth standard is where a pupil’s scaled score is 110 or more. 15% of pupils were on-track to reach greater depth in Reading, Writing and Maths combined, which is again higher than the 2019 national figure of 11%. the proportions for Reading and Writing were predicted to be very much higher than the 2019 figures:

• Reading: 49% meeting the higher level (2019 national: 27%)
• Writing: 34% meeting the higher level (2019 national: 20%)
• Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling: 34% meeting the higher level (2019 national: 36%)
• Maths: 29% meeting the higher level (2019 national: 27%)

Whilst we can’t be certain that these figures would match the outcomes of the real SATs in May, we’re confident they wouldn’t be far off – perhaps a little lower, but just as likely to be even a little higher. What we can be certain of is that our Year 6 children once again have enjoyed and achieved great things at our school – we’re very proud of them.

Our daily message (12 June 2020)

Our final message of the week comes from Miss Hague, Scholes (Elmet) Primary’s Head of School.

If your child is back at school, please make sure you read the last two pages of this document – it’s important information about what we need from you and your child to keep everyone safe at school.

School is a very different place to the one we left on Friday 20 March. Although there are now more children’s voices to be heard, everywhere you look there are reminders that things aren’t quite the same.

We remained open for a small number of key workers right through the height of the pandemic, including holidays. Under the complex guidelines, fulfilling the government’s request to invite more children back to school has been very difficult. In order to comply with the current guidance, we’re working in ‘bubbles’.  The bubble idea is a way of acknowledging that primary school children find it very hard to stick to 2m social distancing.  The bubble becomes a little family and just like families outside school have not been allowed to mix, nor are the bubbles within school.

Each of our eight bubbles has around ten children and two adults. The adults, one first aid trained, remain with their bubble during breaks and lunch. Within the bubbles, children are seated at desks which are positioned 2m apart. Children have their own learning packs which includes all the equipment they’re likely to need. Windows and doors are open (it’s been very cold during this last week) to help with ventilation and children are going outside as often as possible. Children stay with their bubble and movement around school is restricted. If you can get somewhere by going outside, we’re asking you to do just that – even in the rain!

The practicalities of running a school in this way are complicated and a great deal of time has gone into risk assessing the environment. We already have 16 members of staff running our existing bubbles – it doesn’t leave many adults spare.

Fundamentally, everyone wants to be back to normal – no more so than us.  The majority of our children are those of key workers, although next week we’re inviting our Y6 children back, albeit on a part time basis.

Moving forward, we’re hoping to introduce another bubble for some more children of key workers – these are mainly children from F2. With this comes some anxiety around staffing, especially if the ‘Test and Trace’ scheme gets fully under way. If all our staff are working within bubbles and a member of staff is asked to self-isolate for 14 days, you can imagine the problems we’ll face. Whilst it would be something we would try to avoid at all costs, the closure of a bubble for 14 days is still a possibility. It feels like a balancing act between opening the maximum amount of bubbles and leaving ourselves vulnerable to staff absences. The statement that there is no easy solution to this has never been more true.

September is looming and we know you’ll have lots of questions about that.  We’re planning for all scenarios, but there are lots of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’. Believe it or not we hear the news about schools when you do – we don’t get advanced warning. You’ll be told by email who your child’s next class teacher is on Wednesday 08 July and, as always, we’re happy to answer any questions you may have.

Over the last 12 weeks the staff have worked hard to keep our school community together, whether at home or at school. I think they’ve done an amazing job and I’d like to thank them all. We’ll continue to support all our learners: those at home and at school. Please do get in touch if you need any help or support – we’ll do everything we can to help.

We can’t wait until things get back to normal and everyone is back at school.

If your child is returning soon, please make sure you read the whole document, so you can be prepared with every detail, from snacks to sun-cream (although not much of that is needed at the moment!).

Have a good weekend, despite the weather.

Our daily message (11 June 2020)

Today’s message comes from Rachel Greenhalgh, our Chair of Governors…

Since the government announced that schools should make preparations to open more widely, our governing body has been working closely with the school leaders to ensure how and when this could happen in the safest way possible for all.

This has been a huge undertaking. School leaders and governors have been keeping abreast of the relevant government information, which extends to 29 guidance documents or announcements and 94 guidance updates published by the Department for Education since the start of the Covid-19 crisis (source: Schools Week), along with additional information from the Local Authority and other sources. Full risk assessments have taken place and were brought to the governing body for discussion, consideration and approval, alongside the proposed practical arrangements for children returning to school and those remaining at home.

The safety of all our children, staff and the wider community has been paramount in all our decision making. Last week, our schools, like many across England, began to welcome more children through our doors. The governing body continues to monitor and review the safety of children and staff in school as we steadily increase the number of children attending, through regular discussion of the risk assessments and plans with school leaders, and communicating any updates to you. For example, we have asked school leaders to reinforce the message about social distancing and other Covid-19 safeguarding priorities.

At the same time, we are conscious that there are still many of our children at home, and there is huge uncertainty about when it will be possible for all children to be back to school. Providing and signposting home-learning for these children also remains a priority, and we continue to ask about the provision for children at home and support available for parents / carers in facilitating this.

We would like to thank you for your continuous support. We are extremely proud of our children and staff and how you have helped and encouraged them to stay happy and healthy during this difficult time.

Look out for tomorrow’s message, which comes from Miss Hague, the Head of School at Scholes (Elmet) Primary.

Our daily message (10 June 2020)

Today’s message comes directly from me, and it’s a response to yesterday’s news: ‘Plans for all England’s primary children to return for a month before the summer break have been dropped by Education Secretary Gavin Williamson’. This is a difficult message to write because I’ve always tried to avoid presenting my own personal views on the tough times we’re currently in.

The problem

The government’s plan that children in Early Years, Year 1 and Year 6 should return to school was not one of the options that the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) evaluated. In fact, SAGE recommended a rota system, where small groups from all year groups returned on a rota – one week in school, one week not. (This is similar to what the Welsh Government is doing, for example.)

The government’s plan to have all primary school pupils back at school for the last few weeks was always destined to be very much an ambition rather than than a realistic plan if systems to support it weren’t properly up-and-running. We’ve seen delays in accessing a test for Covid-19, which I hear from headteacher colleagues are still a problem, and the track and trace system not yet fully operational.

The issue facing us now is challenging. Schools in England followed the guidance coming from the Department for Education – we can’t realistically un-do what we were advised to do. Parents were led to feel confident and optimistic that even if their child didn’t return to school at the start of June, they would be back at school for at least the last few weeks.

The next steps

We need well-thought through plans from government that are developed with school leaders and not simply presented to them. The plans need to be ready for different scenarios.

The best-case scenario is that in September, all our current pupils will be back at school in September. But that doesn’t mean things are back to normal – we still need a plan. We need to adapt our curriculum. This is so that we can support children’s wellbeing even more than we normally do, and so that we can adapt what we teach so children can catch up on learning they’ve missed. We need to be able to do this with at least the support of, and at best the guidance from, government and Ofsted.

Where I read about concerns that schools may not be back to normal by September, they mainly relate to secondary schools having all pupils back. I’m cautiously optimistic that for primaries, this will happen. However, we need to be prepared for things not going to plan…

A worst-case scenario is that the virus remains widespread and we’re in a position similar to what we have now. I’d love to be able to go back in time, ignore the government’s ‘roadmap’, and put in place a better and fairer way to have all children in school for at least some regular time. We can’t realistically do that right now, but it would definitely be a a better way to start the new school year: all children attending school at least on a rota basis.

In a meeting with Leeds headteachers and Leeds councillors yesterday, I put forward the need for longer-term thinking and encouraged them to lobby the government more to do this. I’ll back up what I said with a more detailed picture of what I’ve said here. I’ll also be sending this to my own trade union, the NAHT. They have taken, in my opinion, a pragmatic, proactive and productive approach. I’m hoping the government might listen more than it has done to the views of this particular union.

Finally, some thanks. First of all, from the very start of the challenges we’ve faced, way back in March, the support from you has been so appreciated. You’ve encouraged us, guided us, thanked us – for all your feedback, I’m very grateful. Thank you.

Tomorrow’s message comes from Rachel Greenhalgh, the Chair of Governors for Sphere Federation. Friday’s message is directly from the Head of School and presents a school-specific picture of our school at this strange transition point.