19th May 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
The children have had a great week in school culminating in a trip for some Investigators classes to the farm today. They had a fantastic time! It has been wonderful to experience the increasing confidence and skill in communicating that many children are displaying. Some children have been using their ‘more switches’ to ask for more of something, for example, whilst others have been increasing the range of vocabulary that they use. In swimming one has been brave and gone in the deep end and another has put their head under water for the first time! There has continued to be some great work in maths and in literacy. One class enjoyed a sensory story about a crab and one of our pupils has been practicing their writing on their own whiteboard and telling adults what letters they are writing. In physical development some children have been using their walkers outside and going on the roundabout. Their beaming smiles showed just how much they enjoyed this! The children have also been making good progress in their social and personal development. Two children did some great independent turn taking and one child is going to the toilet by themselves. At this time of the year it is so exciting to reflect on the progress the children have made and we look forward to sharing this with you at Parents Evening in a few weeks time
Attendance Focus
For the week commencing 8th May, the classes with the best attendance were;
- Explorers hub – Llama class & Zebra class both with 100%
- Investigators hub – Leopard class & Badger class both with 100%
- Engineers hub – Sloth class
County lines and Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE)
County lines is when gangs and organised crime groups exploit children to transport and sell drugs, normally between big cities where the exploiters are based to smaller towns, sometimes across county boundaries but also locally and within the borough. The children have dedicated mobile phone ‘lines’ for taking orders for drugs; children are used as they are less likely to be stopped by police, allowing adult dealers to avoid the risk of arrest. County lines is a form of criminal exploitation; this occurs where a person or a group of people takes advantage of their contact with and influence over a young person to coerce or manipulate them into carrying out a criminal act. Children as young as 6 are known to have been targeted by gangs for this purpose.
Young people may be recruited for county lines and other forms of criminal exploitation by a process of grooming: at the targeting stage, the exploiter befriends the young person and gains their trust. Increasingly, young people may also be recruited through the internet, social media and chat rooms. Some parents of young people who have been exploited through county lines involvement have reported that they went through a sudden change in behaviour.
Help keep children safe online
- Have an ongoing conversation: Talking regularly with children is the greatest tool to help keep them safe online. Continue to talk about the apps, games and sites they like to use, and what they like and don’t like and any concerns about being online. Discuss with them when to unfollow, block or report
- Set up parental controls: block upsetting or inappropriate content. Information about setting up parental controls can be found here: nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/ online-safety/parental-controls
- Communication online: Talk to your child about how they communicate online and remind them that anything they put online, can be shared widely. Is what they are sharing kind? True? Helpful? Safe?
- Make sure they know where to go for support: Remind your child they can always speak to you or an adult they trust if anything happens online that makes them feel worried or upset. Remind them that they won’t be in trouble at that you are there to help
Internet Matters – wide range of online safety advice for parents to keep their children safe online. https://www.internetmatters.org/
Free School Meal voucher scheme May 2023
West Sussex County Council has confirmed that families with means tested Free School Meal (FSM) eligible children will be entitled to a £15.00 voucher for each FSM child during the upcoming May half term. Parents/carers will receive their vouchers week commencing 23 May and they will be distributed in the same way as the vouchers at Easter.
The sign of the week is bag.
Latex Reminder
Please keep in mind that we are a completely latex-free school. Please do not send latex balloons or any other latex products into school as members of our school community have severe latex allergies. Thank you for your understanding.
We look forward to seeing many of you at our Family Sports Day tomorrow from 12.30 at school. There will be a £2.50 entry fee and food and drinks will be available at different prices. Join us for a Tug of War, penalty shoot out, table football and much more!
Have a lovely weekend!
Very best wishes,
Catriona