15h September 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
The children have had a fantastic first full week back in school and they are successfully settling into the routines of the day. It is a big readjustment between being at home for a number of weeks to following the expectations of the school day and it is fantastic to see them settling so well. They have also been getting used to having new buildings and having access to the left hand side of the school again after the completion of the new build. It is great to see them enjoying the increased space, familiarising themselves with where people are located as well as settling into their classes, routines and learning. The Investigators classes have had a visit from the ‘big bad wolf’ and I have seen some fantastic drawings as a result of this! Lots of our children have been transitioning really well as they use different spaces within the school within their learning. One child is accessing more whole class lessons and sitting with the group for the whole of circle time. Another has been communicating well about their toileting needs. One child tried two new things from his midday meal and said ‘mmm, delicious.’ Lots of children have been very engaged in their learning; listening, following instructions and carrying out tasks with greater independence all of which are important skills in helping them to learn and progress. We are very proud of them!
Attendance Focus
Best attendance last week (although of course it was a short week):
Explorers Hub – Gorillas, Peacocks, Pelicans, Polar Bears, Zebras
Investigators Hub – Geckos, Pandas, Stingrays
Engineers Hub – Sloths
Out of school clubs/activities
Having started a new school year, many parents/carers may be looking for clubs, groups or sports clubs outside of the school setting. An out of school setting (OOSS)can mean anything from places like community and youth centres, sports clubs and places of worship, to individuals offering tuition in their own home, or providing one to one coaching at a playing field. There may or may not be fees.
There is no single legal framework that governs how these settings operate, and they are not inspected or assessed by a single regulator. This means there is no single responsible person with complete oversight of these settings or the quality and safety of the provision.
The DfE has released a document to support parents in asking the right questions when signing children up for out of school activities. The guidance can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-for-parents-and-carers-on-safeguarding-children-in-out-of-school-settings/keeping-children-safe-during-community-activities-after-school-clubs-and-tuition-questions-to-help-parents-and-carers-choose-out-of-school-settings
For example;
- Do they have a child protection policy?
- Who is the lead person responsible for safeguarding and what training have they had?
- Do they have a complaints policy?
- Who is in charge of first aid?
- Do they have a parental consent and emergency details form that you need to complete?
- How will they securely store the information they hold on children?
A well-run and trustworthy provider will welcome questions and should willingly give this kind of information to anyone leaving a child in their care.
Coffee morning
Our new parents’ coffee morning will be held on Wednesday 20th September 9.15am – 10.45am. If you are new to Palatine, please join us for coffee next Wednesday.
Whole school coffee mornings for everyone will resume on the first Wednesday of the month starting on 4th October 9.15am – 10.30am.
The sign of the week is breakfast.
Have a lovely weekend!
Very best wishes,
Catriona