News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Really nice flip book to share with younger children
Thu 26 Mar 2020 -
Hi - How are we all? - dealing with anxiety advice
Wed 25 Mar 2020Advice for Parents
Tips for talking to younger children about COVID-19
1. Deal with the news head-on and talk about it openly and calmly, giving them the facts
- Give them age-appropriate information – take a look at:
- BBC Newsround hub – regularly updated with information and advice
- #covibook – for under 7s
- Educate them about reliable sources of information and how some stories on social media may be based on rumours or inaccurate information
- Encourage them to take breaks from listening to or reading the news – overexposure isn't helpful
2. Encourage questions
- This will give them the confidence to reach out and ask, if they have anything to ask
- Use comforting tones and be honest when answering questions – it's ok if you don't have all the answers
- Allow for repetition – children tend to repeat themselves when they're feeling uncertain or worried, so you might have to answer the same questions more than once as they seek extra reassurance
3. Be a role model
- Recognise and manage your own worries first – hard I know!
- Be open about sharing this with pupils/children – e.g. I'm also finding the news a bit worrying, so I'm doing X which makes me feel calm
4. Let them know it's normal to be concerned
- If needed, reassure them that the effects of this virus on healthy young people are ( usually) very mild
5. Promote awareness of our body's immune system
- It's constantly working against germs without us knowing. We can't and don't need to control this process
- Explain that we're taking precautions against this particular germ because it's a new one which our bodies haven't come across before
- Remind them of the benefits of healthy eating, sleep and exercise – which help to fight germs
6. Be aware of children with higher levels of anxiety (e.g. those with existing phobias or obsessive-compulsive disorders)
- Get them to do activities such as counting, ordering and sorting tasks which can help with heightened levels of anxiety
- Encourage them to use relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing
- Detect any obsessive or compulsive behaviours early and intervene before they become entrenched patterns of thinking. Do this by challenging unhelpful thoughts and assumptions. Frame worries as situation-specific by relating them to the current situation, which is temporary and unusual
- Make a home-schooling timetable but be prepared to relax it!
7. Keep doing your bit to help children reduce the spread of germs
- Use the handwashing poster an sing a little song to remind pupils how and when to wash their hands
- Encourage them to sing 'happy birthday' twice when they're washing their hands – slowly! My daughter and I did an experiment - it took her a whole 7 seconds to sing happy birthday twice and me 25 seconds!! So demonstrate – 20+ seconds
- Give them age-appropriate information – take a look at:
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WCC home learning help
Wed 25 Mar 2020 -
Home Learning resources
Wed 25 Mar 2020Please see below a list of links for learning suggestions for parents.
- Mathletics (Maths) Login needed
- Spag.com (Spelling, punctuation and grammar tasks) Login needed
- AR myON Digital Books (Accelerated Reader Digital Books)
- Audible (Free audio Books)
- Elevenses with David Walliams (An audio story released every day)
- Storytime with Tom Palmer (Author Tom Palmer reads from his books)
- Write at Home with Piers Torday (Writing lessons from an author)
- White Rose Maths Video Tutorials and Activities (5 lessons a week, including video, activity and answers)
- PE with Joe Wicks (The Body Coach) (9am Monday – Friday)
- Read Write Inc Phonics Live (Set 1 Sounds 9.30am. Set 2 Sounds 10am. Set 3 Sounds 10.30am)
- English Lessons with Jane Considine (Live streaming English sessions from 9.45am)
- Stay at Home Story Time with Oliver Jeffers (Every weekday at 6pm)
- Draw with Rob Biddulph (Videos to teach drawing with children’s author and illustrator)
- Birmingham Museum Picture Gallery (A virtual visit to the Birmingham Museum)
- Virtual Tours (Virtual tours of world museums, educational sites and galleries for children)
- Welearn365 Purple Mash (Use your Welearn365 login to access Purple Mash)
- Classroom Secrets (GPS, Maths, Reading, Spelling and History games)
- Researchify (Research search engine for children)
- World eBook Online (3000 ebooks free)
- Typing Club (Learn to touch type)
- Radio Blogging (Daily shows at 9.30am with interactive activities to keep everyone busy and engaged, brought to you by Pie Corbett, Deputy Mitchell, Ian Rockey and Russell Prue)
Teaching Resources for Parents and Carers
- Teach Your Child To Read eBooks for Phonics and Spelling
- Twinkl Teaching and learning resources available for parents
- Cornerstones Love to Read Activities and questions based on specific books
- ThinkUKnow Online Safety Home activity packs
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latest guidance
Wed 25 Mar 2020 -
Letter from Miss Corry
Fri 20 Mar 202020th March 2020
Dear Parents and Carers of our children.
As our school closes its gates for the majority of our children today, until further notice, I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone in our school community for the way they have conducted themselves over the last weeks in very challenging circumstances. Your children have been an absolute credit to you all and have continued to care for each other and to try their best.
The children are very anxious at the moment and are worried about what is going on around them. They are worried about not seeing their elderly relatives and are concerned about their parents’ welfare as they try hard to continue in the world of work. Young children are still quite egocentric and therefore are also worried about how this virus might affect them personally. The children are worried about when they might return to school and if they are going to see their friends again before the Summer holidays. Obviously, we have not been able to answer their questions about this. But please reassure them that we are here, we are thinking of them and we can’t wait to see them when they return to us.
There is some really useful advice about how to talk to children about the corona virus and about why they are not coming to school.
https://childmind.org/article/talking-to-kids-about-the-coronavirus
https://www.livescience.com/coronavirus-kids-guide.html
Although we have tried to shield them as much as possible, we realise that this is impossible. I desperately hope the country continues to follow all the national guidelines in place over the coming weeks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Particularly around social distancing.
The message for year 6 is slightly different because they are older and obviously a lot wiser. They also have pre-pubescent feelings to deal with on top of the fact that they are worried that they will not see their last year at Primary school out at The Dassett. Obviously, we hope that this won’t be the case but we can’t promise this to them. What we would like to say is that we will move mountains to make sure that they mark their time at the Dassett and their last year before Secondary school in a positive way – even if that is in the Summer holidays or in the Autumn term.
When we are ‘back to normal’ we would like to organise something special for them. I moved my daughter to the Dassett at the end of her fifth year and I couldn’t be happier about the short time that she has spent with the fabulous Year 6 pupils. They are amazing!
I would just like to close with another thank you and good luck from myself, the staff and Governors of The Dassett. We wish you all the best over the coming months. Keep safe and healthy.
Best Wishes
Suzanne Corry – Headteacher
Hester Stevns – Chair of Governors
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Latest advice 16/03/2020
Mon 16 Mar 2020Guidance
COVID-19: guidance for education settings
Updated 16 March 2020
If anyone at school, teacher or pupil, becomes unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature in an education setting they will be sent home and advised to follow the staying at home guidance.
If you need clinical advice, go online to NHS 111 (or call 111). In an emergency, call 999 if they are seriously ill or injured or their life is at risk. Do not visit the GP, pharmacy, urgent care centre or a hospital.
If there is an urgent public health action to take, the educational setting will be contacted by the local Public Health England Health Protection Team who will undertake a risk assessment and advise on any actions or precautions that should be taken. PHE will rarely advise a school to close but this may be necessary if there are so many staff being isolated that the school has operational issues.
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COVID Letter 16th March 2020
Mon 16 Mar 2020The Dassett Church of England Primary School
Fenny Compton
Southam
Warwickshire
CV47 2XU
Tel. 01295 770267
Headteacher: Miss S Corry
16th March 2020
Dear Parents/Carers,
As you will have heard in the news, Coronavirus (COVID-19) is beginning to spread in the UK and there have been confirmed cases in Warwickshire. You will also have seen that schools are closing elsewhere in Europe and Ireland but that is not the approach that the Government is advising for schools in the UK.
I therefore wanted to write to you to give you my assurance that The Dassett C of E Primary School is taking all the precautions necessary in order to protect children and staff.
We are in regular contact with Public Health and the Warwickshire County Council, and are acting in accordance with nationally recommended advice. Whilst it is clearly a very concerning situation for all families, the risk remains low to individuals in the UK and the advice from the Government is that “wherever possible we should be carrying on as normal which will be best for our children and young people, and our communities.”
The school will, of course, follow the national guidance but, at the same time, we are planning to make sure we are well prepared for all eventualities. We are, for example, looking into how we can continue to ensure that children receive some level of schooling in the event of schools having to close for a short period. In the event of school closure, we will issue the children with learning to complete at home. We may provide you with links so that you may access online learning. We may also use seesaw to post learning. We will let you know more, if this should happen. With regards to homework, please message the school only if you do not have internet access at home and we will do our best to make alternative arrangements for these children.
In order to limit the amount of contact children have with adults, we have decided to take certain actions. We are also limiting the contact that children have with each other, in larger groups, inside. We have also introduced new hygiene practices.
• Additional school cleaning and hygiene precautions have been put in place. All pupils are asked to wash their hands on arrival in school. They will also be asked to wash their hands before they leave school, from today. Children have had lessons in how to wash their hands effectively and are doing a great job. You may send in hand cream for your child if you wish but not anti-bacterial gel. Please name any tubes.
• Parents’ Consultation Evenings are cancelled on the 24th, 25th and 26th March. We hope to reschedule these as soon as possible in the Summer term and will let you know.
• Adult visitors into school will be kept to a necessary minimum but music lessons are to continue with visiting music teachers.
• Whole school gatherings for Collective Worship, class assemblies, Easter Services, plays, etc. are cancelled.
• School photographs will go ahead on Thursday 19th March.
• Trips - further information to follow but we plan on these going ahead. If anything changes with regard to planned trips we will let you know as soon as possible. We won’t be planning any further trips at this time however.
• After school activity clubs, run by outside providers, will continue.
• The Friends of Dassett Cake sale on Friday (20th) is cancelled. The next planned FOD event will be the Movie Night on Friday 1st May.
All adult visitors to school will be asked to wash their hands as our children are being asked to. Please support us in this.
Parents who require a face-to face meetings in school should contact the office to make an appointment first.
All other school to home communication will now be done via email. Please make sure that we have an up-to-date email address. If at present you do not receive the school newsletter on a Friday then this means that we do not have an email address for you that works, so please contact us and we will try, together, to rectify this.
If your child develops a temperature or cough please follow the guidelines and keep them at home.
There is a lot of misinformation online about CoronaVirus and much of it is not helpful. Not only is it inaccurate but it serves to increase anxiety and distress unnecessarily. We would recommend you look at the following trusted sources of information to keep yourself informed of all the latest information and advice:
· Detailed information and advice for the public and returning travellers can be found on the NHS.uk website (and will be regularly updated): www.nhs.uk/coronavirus
· Further information for the public about the situation can be found here (and will be regularly updated): www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public . This will advise you on what you should do if any of your family start to show symptoms.
I hope that this clarifies the current situation. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel that you can call the school to talk to myself or a senior member of staff.
Many thanks for your co-operation at this ever changing time.
Miss S Corry
Head Teacher
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STAY AT HOME ADVICE
Mon 16 Mar 2020 -
Handwashing video
Fri 13 Mar 2020https://youtu.be/bQCP7waTRWU