Latest News | Cherry Oak School

Letter To Parents 26 February 2021

Fri 26 Feb 2021 Ross Ashcroft - Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers,

The last few months have been very challenging for everyone and we would like to congratulate all of our children, families and staff for their continued support and hard work as we have negotiated unchartered waters together. Thank you as parents and carers, for working with us and for showing your support through these difficult times. We can’t wait to get everyone back in school, although things are still going to look a little different.

Following guidance issued from the Government, on Monday 22nd February, I am writing to give you our most updated plan. We are already opening the school to all children from 1st March which is a week earlier then the Government’s plan. This will still continue as we believe it is the right thing to do.

Below, we have outlined our plan for the full re-opening from the Government’s planned Monday 8th March 2021 for all children. Please read this carefully as it is relevant to all children attending Cherry Oak.

All children, from Reception up to Year 6, must attend school again from Monday 8th March 2021. This is mandatory for all school aged pupils. All the staff are delighted to be returning to whole class teaching as we have really missed our children.
We see the whole school as a ‘bubble’ due to the small size of the school. However, each class will be kept in their own bubble where possible called a ‘Pod’ and will be taught by their class teachers and their teaching assistants.
Within these Pods, the children will not be expected to socially distance. Adults moving between the Pods will do so carefully; washing their hands frequently and socially distancing.
Where possible, different Pods will not be allowed to mix during the school day. This means the children will have no contact with the other class Pods in school. Breaks will be mostly separate, lunches will be eaten separately in their classroom and there will be no whole school gatherings or events. Assemblies will only be done through online video meetings, to limit the amount of movement around school.
After school clubs will be cancelled for the moment.
Educational trips will be cancelled for the moment
The Government has made it clear, that schools must plan to teach for the gaps which may have occurred in children’s learning due to Covid-19. They have recommended that there be a focus on phonics, reading, writing and maths whilst also offering wider curriculum opportunities.
The entrance to our school front office will be open again. However, we need to continue communicating by email and phone as much as possible so we can continue to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19. Only one adult at a time will be allowed in the front office and they must be wearing a face covering. Only visitors who have a pre-booked meeting or appointment will be allowed in the school building.
Covid-19 testing for Cherry Oak staff will continue for the foreseeable future. So far, we have had no positives test results
There will be a continued emphasis on hand washing and good hygiene throughout the school day.
We will continue to seek opportunities to learn outside whenever possible.
Children will not be required to wear face coverings in school
Staff already wear face coverings when outside of their own classrooms and moving around school. They also sometimes wear them when they are working one to one with a child or when providing intimate care and first aid care.
We have been advised to continue with our ongoing risk assessments and to also plan for any possibility of Pod closures.
Should there be one or more confirmed Covid-19 case within school, we will need to close Pods or potentially the whole school, depending on the severity of the outbreak. We will follow Public Health England’s guidance.

Transport:

Mornings will consist of:

Buses and parents who have not opted to use the turning circle will continue as per their usual routine.
8.50am Buses unload and parents are greeted at the pedestrian gate.
9.15am (or as soon as all 5 buses have been unloaded) Parents will use the turning circle to drop children off. Parents will pull into the car park (gate remain open) and park in the allocated box, staff will collect children from the car and take directly to class.
The staff controlling vehicle access will be very strict to make sure there is no moving vehicles around the children. Please listen and follow instructions of staff.

Afternoon will consist of:

3.00pm Parents who have opted not to use the turning circle will collect as per their normal routine.
3.05pm Buses loaded.
3.20pm (or as soon as the buses are safely loaded and dismissed). Parents will pull into the turning circle and the member of SLT will coordinate the collection of children on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Cherry Oak’s site manager will monitor the gate and call cars through when it is safe to do so.

Parents and Carers will need to do the following:

Keep your child/ren at home if anyone in the household has COVID-19 symptoms and access a test.(Available from NHS 111 online Coronavirus service at (https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test). The Government guidelines for symptoms remains as follows: a new continuous cough, high temperature, loss of taste/smell.
Engage with the NHS Track & Trace process, request a test for anyone who displays any symptoms. Inform school immediately of the results.
Ensure children wash their hands directly before leaving for school and upon their return.
Observe a social distance at all times outside the school grounds.
One adult per household to pick up and drop off (where possible)
Wear a face covering when dropping off and collecting children.

The staff at Cherry Oak, are really excited about opening fully and can’t wait to see you all again and all of our children. We know things will still need to be a little different, but please be reassured the safety of all our children is the upmost priority.

Please go through all the changes mentioned in this letter and if appropriate share with your children to help them prepare for returning to school. All the children who have already returned to school, have come back amazingly well and have adapted instantly to the safety measures that are in place.

Please be positive and encouraging with your child, get them excited, and count down the sleeps until school opens again, go onto the school website and look at the photos etc. so they are as prepared as possible for Monday 8th March.

I hope that this letter outlines any questions which you may have.

Yours faithfully

Ross Ashcroft

Headteacher

Federation Newsletter Winter 2020-2021

Tue 23 Feb 2021 Julie Fardell - Executive Head

Please click on the link below to read the latest Federation Newsletter

Federation Newsletter Winter 2020 - 2021

New Headteacher Challenges!

Fri 12 Feb 2021 Ross Ashcroft - Headteacher

New Headteacher challenges released for the half-term!

https://www.cherryoak.bham.sch.uk/headteacher-challenges/

Letter To Parents 11th February 2021

Thu 11 Feb 2021 Ross Ashcroft - Headteacher

Dear Parents and Carers

I wanted to write to you to update you further on matters relating to Cherry Oak School’s COVID response as well as updates on pupil drop-offs and pick-ups.

The Leadership team and I, believe we have a responsibility to our parents/carers and our pupils to begin planning a full opening of Cherry Oak School to all pupils. This letter explains to you our plan, although it is provisional and could be changed or postponed at any moment based on our interpretation of the ever-changing advice and evidence.

As things stand, we hope to open our doors to all pupils only from Monday 1st March. This is in addition to the children of key workers and a small number of other families who are already in attendance.

Accompanying this letter is an online response form for parents /carers to let us know your intentions. Please complete this, but in making your decision please take into account the following information:

You do not have to send your child to school. In the current circumstances there will be no attempt to fine families who do not send their child to school. You will, therefore, not be fined if you choose not to send your child to school. If this changes we will let you know.
In school, your child may be educated in a slightly different class group then normal. This group will form a new ‘bubble’. Each bubble can contain between 8-14 pupils with one teacher and 2/3 teaching assistants. It is very likely that these staff members will be your child’s usual teacher and teaching assistant, but in some cases there may need to be changes. Each bubble will have very limited contact with any children or staff from any other bubble. This means that your child will not spend the typical time with people outside their bubble.
Pupils will follow a well-planned and worthwhile curriculum, but this may be narrower than their normal curriculum. It may not be as broad and balanced as usual, and is likely to emphasise activities to support pupils’ safety and wellbeing ahead of some of the more traditional subjects.
Within each bubble, hygiene will be the highest priority. Your child will be supported to wash and sanitise their hands regularly. School cleaners will be on site throughout the whole school day and will repeatedly clean anything that is touched frequently such as surfaces and door handles. Pupils may not bring any equipment into school unless it is related to health conditions. They may only use the equipment that we provide them with.
Pupils will be kept as distant as possible from each other, but it will not be possible for strict social distancing to be maintained within bubbles. This means that the school is not guaranteeing that social distancing rules will be applied to your child, and the school cannot be held responsible for any outcome that may arise as a consequence of this lack of social distancing.
Pupils’ movement in and around school will be severely limited. They will eat in their classroom.
Changes to arrival at and departure from school – this will hopefully become a permanent new process. Parents/carers who drop their child to school personally, will now only be allowed to drop off at 9:15 after the buses depart. The school gates will be open to be used as a turning circle. A member of staff from your child’s bubble will collect your child. This may mean you have to wait for staff to become available. Please switch the engine off in your car and wait inside the vehicle. You will be told when you can enter and leave the school site. The same will happen at the end of the school day, parents and carers pick up time will be at 15:15 after the buses have left site. Again the school’s drive will be used as a turning circle – please wait in your vehicle with the engine switched off.
If your child, or anyone else in your household, shows COVID-19 symptoms (high temperature, coughing or lack of smell or taste), you should not send them to school, but should instead follow government guidance related to testing and isolation. You should call us at school for advice. If your child develops symptoms at school, they will be sent home immediately and government guidance should be followed.
If your child requires any first aid help at school for any reason, they will be tended to as usual by a trained member of staff, but that member of staff will wear full personal protective equipment. This will consist of gloves, an apron, a face mask and a visor. You may wish to discuss this with your child, as it is not what they are used to and could be potentially distressing for them to see staff dressed in this way.
Parents and other visitors will not be allowed on school premises without an appointment. We are, as ever, available to talk to on the telephone. In the exceptional event of a meeting being necessary, an appointment should be made, and strict social distancing rules will be applied throughout the meeting.

We know that this is a long list of new rules, but we are sure that you appreciate that we have chosen to apply them so that your children and our staff can be as safe as possible. If you have any queries then please call us at school. If you have to leave a message on our answering machine, we will call you back as quickly as possible.

Please use the accompanying survey (see link below) to let us know whether you would send your child to school next half-term if we were to reopen.

https://forms.gle/E61Vryt1b6oQw4Q98

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Yours sincerely

Ross Ashcroft

Headteacher

Letter From The Chair Of Governors

Thu 11 Feb 2021 Clare Mills Chair of Governors

Dear Parents, Carers and Families,

May I begin by thanking all of you for your resilience and support during this difficult year. I know that many of our children across the Federation have missed so much time at school and you have had to shoulder the burden of supporting their learning remotely whilst often having to pursue your own work commitments and care of other family members at the same time. Let us hope that the vaccine will mean that our schools can open fully again in March and that our Staff and Students can enjoy a more normal learning environment.

Another reason for my contact is to keep you up to date with some important changes within the Leadership of the Federation.

Mrs Julie Fardell has decided to tender her resignation and retire back to her homeland in Australia at the end of this academic year. It has been a tough year for her and throughout personal tragedy and a global pandemic she has kept smiling and delivered an exceptional level of leadership and direction for all of our stakeholders.

The Board of Governors is now faced with the difficult task of recruiting a new Executive Head Teacher to lead the Federation and continue the excellent work that Julie has done.

We hope to recruit for September to avoid disruption for students or staff and have already begun the process following extra-ordinary meetings of the Board and have a team of Governors driving the process.

I would like to thank the Governors, on your behalf, for all of the extra time they have given and will give to ensure that we make the right appointment.

Should this letter cause you to have questions or if you wish to raise any concerns I can be contacted by email

c.mills@victoria.bham.sch.uk

We continue to work on your behalf to achieve the very best we can for all of our children.

Regards,

Clare Mills BA. Hons, PCGE, NPQH.

Chair of Governors.

COVID Variant in Frankley Great Park and south Northfield

Thu 04 Feb 2021 Julie Fardell

We have been advised that the South African Variant of COVID has been found in Frankley Great Park and south Northfield, However, critical workers are permitted to attend work.

People aged over 18 and living in these areas are strongly encouraged to get a PCR test done at one of the testing centres in the area eg: St Modwen at Longbridge. You do not need an appointment. For further information, please go to:

https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/news/article/805/extra_testing_in_frankley_great_park_and_parts_of_south_northfield_due_to_covid-19_variant