12th July 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
The children have had a great week. In preparation for next week’s parade, some pupils in one class made some beautiful snails and whales using paper plates. Another class made some fantastic pictures using spray bottles and Calpol syringes. One child made a lovely hat and another helped to make a giant snail and whale in Forest School with Nicky. In one class, children have been engaging really well with sensory circuits. One child climbed up the stairs in soft play for the first time. Children have been managing their transition sessions at Oak Grove College and in school really well. Finally, a number of our pupils joined students from Herons Dale and Oak Grove College to put on a wonderful performance at the Connaught. From our fantastic comperes who welcomed everyone so beautifully to our dancers and signing choir, the children gave their all and brought tears to many eyes in the audience.
I do hope you all enjoyed looking at you child’s work that was sent home this week. Please do return it to school together with your comments. It has been fantastic to hear about the progress you think your child have made and I know many of you have enjoyed the opportunity to have longer to see what they are doing.
Safeguarding Spotlight
Keeping children safe during community activities, afterschool clubs and tuition – This is guidance from the Department for Education and has been produced to help parents and carers identify the safeguarding issues to consider when choosing clubs and activities outside of school. You can read the guidance here.
Free School Meals vouchers for summer 2024
Utilising funding from the Government’s Household Support Fund to help support those most in need and to help with global inflationary challenges and the significantly rising cost of living, West Sussex County Council is pleased to confirm that families with means tested Free School Meal eligible children will once again be entitled to a voucher for each FSM child during the upcoming summer school holiday 2024. FSM eligible families in West Sussex will be entitled to a single £50.00 voucher, per FSM child, to cover the summer holiday period. Vouchers will be issued to eligible families on 17th July.
Community Hub
Those children and families not eligible for FSM will be able to access urgent support for food via the West Sussex County Council Community Hub. The Community Hub can be contacted on 0330 222 7980 and is open 09:00 – 17:00 seven days a week (except bank holidays when they are open between 10am – 2pm).
From 1st April 2024 to 30th September 2024, the UK Government is providing funding through the Household Support Fund. The funding is used to support low-income households with the rising cost of living, including energy, food and essential bills. For more information on how support is provided please visit Community Hub – West Sussex County Council
Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme
Families who are accessing benefits-related Free School Meals (FSM) can now make bookings for the summer HAF programme. Children aged 4-16 and in receipt of benefits-related FSM can access up to 16 sessions this summer, free of charge, and each session includes a nutritious meal. There are over 60 providers delivering across West Sussex this summer, providing a wide range of enriching activities. For more information on the HAF Programme, visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/HAF
Bookings are now open and can be made at https://haf.bookinglab.co.uk/westsussex/37147/login
Before making a booking, you will need to either log into your account or, create one using your child’s existing HAF code. This is the same code you will have used to book your HAF place previously. If you have recently registered for benefits-related free school meals, you will find your HAF code on the award letter sent to you by the Free School Meal team. Any problems finding your HAF code, please email haf@westsussex.gov.uk
Activ8 for Kids are running clubs throughout the summer and have places available for SEND children who require extra support and their siblings. The sessions are heavily discounted at £5 for the morning and £8 for the whole day. Visit www.activ8forkids.co.uk/classes/holiday-clubs/
There is a SEND Summer holiday club at the Laurels Primary School from 5th to 23rd August. Spaces are open to children from any school. HAF spaces are available for eligible children.
Planning for next year: arrival and departure
At Palatine, the expectation is that all children should be in school from 8.45am to 2.45pm. For a small number of children, different start or finish times might need to be agreed through a formal agreement of a Late Arrival Plan or an Early Departure Plan. These can only be agreed with Kaarina Dougherty to enable us to oversee the plans. All existing plans will be reviewed in preparation for the start of next year, so please contact Kaarina if you feel your Late Arrival Plan or Early Departure Plan is still needed in September. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that the Late Arrival/Early Departure Plan is no longer needed.
Planning for next year: School Car Park
All school car parking permits will be revoked at the end of the term. The issuing of new parking permits is not automatic due to the high number of requests we have. We will have new children starting in September, and some will require permits. If you would like to be considered for a car parking permit, please email Kaarina at kdougherty@palatineschool.org. Requests will then be reviewed and considered alongside any requests for new children at the end of August ahead of the start of the Autumn term. Please remember we cannot issue permits to everyone that requests one, so we would ask that you consider parking on nearby roads if possible.
Sign of the Week
This week’s sign of the week is wash hands!
Upcoming dates
- Children’s parade: Tuesday July 16th arriving from 1.15 for a 1.30 start. We look forward to welcoming as many of you who are able to come
- End of term: Tuesday 23rd July
- New term for pupils: Wednesday September 4th
Have a lovely weekend!
Very best wishes,
Catriona