Latest News | Cherry Oak School

Accessing The School App

Mon 27 Apr 2020

For anyone needing a bit of help getting set up or navigating 'The School App', CLICK HERE

To download the app, search for The School App on the App/Play store, or click the following links

The School App for iPhone

The School App for Android

Update - Friday 24th April 2020

Fri 24 Apr 2020 Amy Findlay Head of School

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope you are all staying safe and well. I know these are difficult times for us all and I appreciate all the positive communication we have had with you throughout this.

Cherry Oak School has been open this week to provide emergency childcare to children of key workers and our most vulnerable children as determined by our safeguarding date. We will continue to be open as a childcare provider. If you feel your child falls into one of the categories of needing a place at our emergency childcare then please discuss this with your child's class teacher or contact me directly on the school number.

Thank you to our dedicated teams of staff who have been looking after the children in our childcare. Staff are also working hard to support families with home learning. We sent packs home before going into lockdown and have been regularly updating our website with resources. We are also working on new packs for you to use at home. These packs are going to be delivered by teams of staff next week. The staff are going to be using the school buses to visit your address and deliver the resources. We will of course be observing social distancing but hope we will be able to take the opportunity to at least be able to wave at you all! If you have any concerns or objections to this can you please contact me directly. We can't give a time on when these visits will be happening but hope to visit all of our families (who are not accessing our childcare) during next week.

Our highlight this week has been the introduction of virtual sessions through the use of Zoom. It has been wonderful to see so many of our pupils and their families taking part and enjoying the familiarity of things we do in school including our favourite singing and signing. We are going to continue to develop the virtual sessions that we can do so please keep an eye out for what will be happening.

Stay safe and take care

Amy

Help with fundraising

Fri 24 Apr 2020

Fundraising doesn’t just bring urgently needed funds into the school’s coffers, it can also bring the local community together. In these challenging times, people are starting to come together like never before. Now is a great time to get creative with your fundraising ideas and start to plan ahead for the better days to come. For great ideas on how you could help, here are

37 ways to raise money for your school!

Staying mentally well during the Coronavirus Pandemic - Resources for adults and children

Mon 06 Apr 2020 Julie Fardell

Two Free Courses to Support You During the Coronavirus Pandemic

We’ve developed two free courses to support you at this time:

COVID19 – Staying Mentally Well – which walks you through simple steps you can take to try to look after your emotional wellbeing
Simple Self-Soothe Strategies – which introduces you to five simple strategies for relaxation and self-soothing which can be used by adults or children.

Cherry Oak School Closure And Essential Childcare Provision From Monday 20th April

Fri 03 Apr 2020 Amy Findlay Head of School

To Parents/Carers

I have so many things to thank you all for. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this incredibly difficult time. Thank you for being so responsive about staying in touch with us whilst the school building has been closed. Thank you for working hard at home with your children and accessing the learning resources that we have provided. Most importantly, I want to thank all families for making arrangements to ensure all Cherry Oak pupils and staff have been able to follow the government advice to stay at home since 24th March 2020.

Following risk assessment of the situation, Cherry Oak School will continue to be closed until further notice to all pupils except:

Children of parents who are a key worker

Children in a vulnerable category according to our safeguarding data and risk assessments

Cherry Oak School will only be open to those children by direct invitation from myself.

We will be open to those children as a childcare provider from Monday 20th April. I have and will continue to speak to the parents who need this childcare. Please be patient whilst I contact those parents over the coming week.

I will continue to risk assess each pupil’s situation and will respond to parents' concerns. If you feel your child should be classed as needing a place and you have not been contacted about this by 9th April 2020 then please phone me on the school number to discuss this.

I would really like to stress that the government’s advice has not changed and they are still clear that children are safest at home and that everyone should be staying at home unless it is absolutely necessary:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-school-closures/guidance-for-schools-about-temporarily-closing

We will continue to be closed to all staff and pupils until April 20th as all parents have indicated they have arrangements in place to look after their child safely at home. However, if this situation changes for any family you must either phone me at school or contact your child’s class teacher.

Although we are physically closed we continue to open ‘virtually’ and will continue to support our pupils and families and will continue to provide work and learning opportunities through email and the website.

The days, weeks and months ahead will continue to be difficult and we need everyone to play their part. Please let me do mine by providing emergency childcare for those that need it. Sending children into emergency childcare when it is not necessary will jeopardise our ability to safely support those parents who need it most. Please play your part by not sending your child in if they can be safely cared for at home and continue to protect the NHS and save lives.

Warm Regards

Amy Findlay

Head of School

Free School meals National Department for Education Scheme - Information for Parents

Fri 03 Apr 2020 Julie Fardell

National Free School Voucher Scheme

The National Free School Meal Voucher Scheme is now in the process of being set up, once we have collated parent emails for those pupils who are eligible by benefit-related free school meals, parents will start to receive weekly E-Codes which will be sent to their chosen email address they provided to school.

When you receive your 16 digit E-Code, you will need to access www.freeschoolmeals.co.uk to choose your preferred supermarket E-Gift card which will be worth £15.00. You will not be able to use the E-Code directly with retailers, it must be exchanged for an E-Gift card.

Parent & Carer FAQ’s

How do I use my E-code to select a supermarket E-Gift Card?

Copy the code from your email
Go to www.freeschoolmeals.co.uk
Enter the 16 digit E-Code (you can enter more than one if you have more than one to redeem)
Select your preferred supermarket
Enter the amount and add to basket
Checkout and enter the email address you would like the E-Gift card sent to
Your E-Gift card will be processed and sent (please allow up to 3 hours for it to be delivered to your inbox)

What Supermarkets can I pick from?

Morrisons
Tesco
Sainsbury’s
Asda
Waitrose (John Lewis)
M&S Food

How do I know what the value of the E-Code is?

The value will be stated in the email sent to you by school. This has been set at £15.00 per week for one child. If you have two children attending school you may receive one E-Code at £30.00 or two E-Codes at £15.00

Do I have to use the full value of the E-Code when choosing my E-Gift card?

Yes, your balance will be visible on the webpage

Can I choose to redeem my E-Code at more than one supermarket?

Yes you can mix and match different supermarket retailers within the same order provided that the total you have chosen for each is equal to the value of the E-Code you have entered. For example, a £15.00 E-Code, you could choose £10.00 Tesco and £5.00 Sainsbury’s
Simply enter the value you would like to order on each supermarket E-Gift card and your balance will update automatically

How long do I have to redeem the E-Code? And what happens if my E-Code has expired?

Your E-Code will expire after 1 month
If your E-Code has expired, it will be cancelled and the money associated is then returned to the Department of Education

What can I purchase in-store with the E-Gift Card?

The E-Gift card is issued to you in respect of the Free School Meal benefit and will only be accepted for the purchase of food and groceries

How do I use a supermarket E-Gift card?

A supermarket E-Gift card is a digital voucher. It contains a link to a barcode which can be presented at the till in-store on a smartphone screen or printed piece of paper
Some E-Gift cards can be used to purchase online groceries please see the table below:

My School has ordered an E-Code for me, but is hasn’t come through to my email?

Check your Junk / Spam / Clutter mail
If this still hasn’t arrived within 3 hours, please contact us via enquiries@cherryoak.bham.sch.uk
We can cancel the previously sent E-Code and resend to your correct email address

I have ordered an E-Gift Card and it hasn’t come through to my Email?

Check your Junk / Spam / Clutter mail
You will receive two emails – one will be a confirmation order and the second email will be the E-Code. If your order confirmation email has arrived, then your E-Card is in a queue and is on its way.
If you have received neither emails, it is possible that you have entered your email address incorrectly at checkout. If you think this maybe the case, please contact freeschoolmealsparentscarers@edenred.com

I am not able to get to the supermarket?

You can forward the supermarket E-Gift card to someone else to purchase goods on your behalf if you are unable to get to the supermarket. The E-Gift card email contains a link to a barcode which can be presented at the till in-store.