Wow! Half-term already! How did that happen? In school we have had a great couple of months and the children have continued to work hard and engage well with their learning. It has been wonderful to see so many children getting into the routine of reading and doodling regularly at home- we can’t tell you what a difference this makes to your children in terms of their confidence and progress. Please keep it up!  

We hope that all our families have a lovely half-term and that you all enjoy the signs of spring that we have all been waiting for.  

INSET Day-22nd of February! 

A reminder that there is an INSET Day on Tuesday 22nd of February. School will be closed on this day to all pupils.  

Attendance  

You are aware that all schools have a focus on ensuring that children have good attendance at school. We know that there is a strong link between good attendance and academic achievement. Like you, we want the children at Keyworth Primary to achieve the best they can. 

We are pleased to report that as a whole school, children's attendance is currently good - we would like to thank all parents and carers for their support with this. We will continue to monitor attendance so please speak with us if your child has any serious medical condition we may be unaware of that may require significant periods of time away from school.  

Please come for a chat if you would like further information about our attendance procedures and policies. When attendance is poor, we do sometimes need to involve other agencies or even issue penalty notices (fines), so understanding our policies may be very beneficial.  

Miss Rayns

Today we wish Miss Rayns a temporary farewell as she leaves us to go on maternity leave. Miss Rayns has been at KPNS since she was a student teacher, and she will be very much missed. However, we will wait patiently to hear the exciting news of the arrival of her baby girl, and we can’t wait to welcome the newest member of the KPNS family.  All our love and best wishes to Sarah and Ste as they navigate the joys and challenges of becoming new parents.  

Mrs Joels  

Covering Miss Rayn’s maternity is Mrs Joels. She has been popping in regularly since Christmas and has met all the staff team and, of course, the wonderful Year 5 children she will be working with. She is very excited to be joining Team KPNS and I’m sure you will all get to meet her in person after half term.  

Reading Volunteers 

Do you have a couple of hours a week free in the afternoon? We are desperately seeking people to come and listen to our children read in F2, Year 1 and Year 2. If you think you could offer your support, please speak to Mrs King or contact Mrs Buttery in the school office. Many thanks.  

World Book Day 2022! 

Thursday 3rd of March is World Book Day. The children will take part in a fantastic day when they will learn about different stories from around the world. We invite children to come in dressed as their favorite story book character on this day.  

Year 3/4 Residential Meeting

We will be holding a meeting for all Year 3/4 parents and children in the hall on Thursday 24th of March.  We will tell you all about the up and coming residential and give you a chance to ask any questions. Meeting at 15:30. 

Samba Drumming for Year 2

We have received a very generous donation from a local church which has enabled us to offer some whole class music lessons for the next term and a half.  Our Year 2 children will be starting a weekly Samba Drumming lesson after half-term. Opportunities like this are incredibly valuable for our children, so we would like to express our heart-felt thanks to those who have made this happen. We look forward to seeing how they get on and can't wait to see them perform! 

 The government have announced several changes already in 2022, so please read the information below carefully - do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

COVID-19 TESTING

• PCR tests - these are the tests normally done at a drive-through testing centre, results are normally sent by text within 24 hours. These are for people WITH symptoms of covid-19, EVEN MILD SYMPTOMS. Children will need to isolate if they have symptoms and are waiting for the result of a PCR test.
• LFD Lateral Flow Device Tests - the tests done at home, twice a week, getting the results back in 15-30 mins. These are recommended for people WITHOUT symptoms. Many families are choosing to use them in this way as a precaution with primary aged children. Please note, a confirmatory PCR test is not currently required after a positive LFD.

              In addition to twice weekly testing, LFD Tests are now recommended for the following:

• •  
  • If your child has had close contact with a confirmed case of covid-19, they should take a LFD test every day for 7 days and continue to attend school as normal, unless they have a positive test result or develop symptoms at any time.
  • People isolating with a confirmed case of Covid-19 may be able to end their isolation early with 2 consecutive negative LFD tests, taken at least 24 hours apart, on days 5 and 6 of the isolation period. Please see the additional guidance below, ‘When to end self-isolation’

NHS Information:  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/testing/get-tested-for-coronavirus/ 

If possible, please ensure you have a good supply of LFD tests at home.

OTHER MEASURES IN SCHOOL

Since September 2021, the DfE have not recommended that it is necessary to keep children in consistent groups (‘bubbles’). As well as enabling flexibility in curriculum delivery, this means that practical, day to day, aspects of school life can go ahead without the need for extra staffing, avoiding any detrimental impact on the delivery of education.

However, the DfE have asked all schools to have contingency plans in place that would reduce mixing between different groups of staff and pupils. In our school, we have devised a ‘Green, Amber and Red’ contingency plan. This plan is progressive, allowing us to reduce mixing and manage rising cases of Covid-19 if and when they occur. This plan was used before Christmas when we saw an increase in local cases. Moving to Amber or Red is only done following consultation with health professionals at the DfE, in response to high numbers of confirmed cases.

We would ask all parents to ensure their child has access to a laptop, PC or tablet so they can access home learning if they are well enough during a period of self-isolation. It is very important that all children can access home learning, so please let us know if you have any difficulties accessing a device or the internet – we may be able to help.  The government’s latest advice confirms that schools and families should be prepared for home learning in exceptional circumstances such as staff shortages.

Please see the attached document when considering if your child needs a PCR test.