Beecroft Primary School

We are asking all our children to take part in the Summer Reading Wild World Heroes Challenge, as reading is a vital skill for learning and is the most important thing for your child to practise at home. The challenge is launched on Saturday 10^th July and is an excellent way to keep your child engaged with their reading over the summer break.  

The challenge is to go to your local library and read 6 books over the summer holidays; however, this year children can also set their own personal goals and read books online for FREE too!  It is easy to take part in and you can choose whether to do so in person at the local library or online @ https://summerreadingchallenge.org.uk/ . 

On completing the challenge each child will receive a medal/certificate from the library. They will also receive 30 colour points at school if they bring in their medal/certificate by Monday 13^th September 2021 and be entered into a prize draw.  

If children are entering online and completing online tasks such as reviews and recommendations, please monitor this and discuss the SMART rules with your child – an emphasis needs to be on R for respect, making sure what they post is kind/respectful. 

Our local library is Headingley (a half hour walk from school), however it does not matter which library you choose books from and return them.  

Have a great summer holiday and good luck with the challenge! 

Dear Parents/Carers,

I am sorry to have to inform you that a child in 2EE has been confirmed today as having Covid 19.  This means that 2EE will be out of school isolating until Monday 28th June. 2EE will do remote learning from today and those details have been sent to 2EE separately.

Letters, from Public Health England,  will be out shortly which follow the expected protocol and give further details.

This is a reminder that the new variant of Covid 19 is on the increase. Please collect the free lateral flow tests from the pharmacy as they are a good way of checking for asymptomatic cases. Do not send your child to school with symptoms and ‘wait and see.’ Please remember the rule of 6 indoors and follow government guidance. When coming to school please wear a face covering and maintain your distance.

We have done well, at Beecroft, but we do not have control of people’s movements out of school. Please help us to keep Beecroft safe and open for all pupils during the next 5 weeks of term.

Best wishes,

J. Turner

Can we please remind you that free at-home COVID-19 lateral flow test kits are now available to collect from Lloyds Pharmacy? The local pharmacies are:

69 Vesper Road Leeds LS5 3QT

195/197 Butcher Hill Leeds LS16 5BQ

You can also order these tests online https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

If your child is feeling unwell with any of the Covid symptoms please administer one of these tests to your child before sending them to school.

Thank you for your continued efforts to keep our school and its families safe.

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Dear Parents/Carers,

Thank you for all your support and positive feedback which is very much appreciated. I hope that some of your loved ones have now received their first vaccine. Staff, at Beecroft, have now received Covid home-testing kits and twice weekly we are all carrying out a Covid test. This is providing some reassurance as we teach.

ALL our Teachers are teaching in school all week: As you know we took the decision that pupils are taught in their year groups in school. The out of school learning mirrors the work in class. Some of our teachers are providing cover to help teachers prepare the on-line learning which is time consuming. The videos from Oak Academy or Beecroft enable those out of school to re-play and this is particularly useful in Years 5 and 6 for making notes and listening again. Times are strange but we are trying to provide high quality learning both in and out of school. (Our remote learning policy is on-line.) All pupils at home have been given a lap-top or chrome book from school and we are confident that, with parent help, they will not fall back so long as work is completed weekly and assignments handed in on TEAMS. Key worker and vulnerable children are in school learning. We are doing our best to enable safety and normality for children in equal measure.
At the last lockdown I stressed the importance of reading – it is the key to everything – we will always provide more books for you to collect if needed.

Collection End of School: Please continue to enable our school to be Covid-secure: Wear a face-covering and observe the 2 metre distance markers around the narrow footpath. Ideally, ask your child to meet you at a fixed point in the back playground or near the front car-park. Thank you for your help with this – it is much appreciated in our endeavour to keep everyone safe.

Like you, I want Beecroft Primary to return to a full school as soon as the government allows. I am confident that school continues to be Covid secure and that those of you home-learning have the best that we can provide. These unsettling times will pass.

Best wishes,
J. Turner
Headteacher

With many children currently off school and staying home due to COVID 19 the potential for online exploitation will be at its highest.

Read the attached document for helpful advice.

(Reminder February Half-Term Holiday: The school is NOT open to any children and is still a holiday: Close Friday 12th February and re-open Monday 22 February)

Dear Parent/Carer,
Thank you for all the positive and supportive comments about Beecroft’s handling of the sudden announcements made just a week ago. As you will know we have remained open throughout and now have two groups of pupils – those vulnerable and of critical workers in school and those out of school who are remote learning. There has been high demand, from parents, for children to continue in school. We have not turned anyone down and have been generous in our interpretation of critical worker. All nursery children can attend as normal as government guidance is that they need the early development offered by professionals in school. If your nursery child is not in nursery, please do not let them miss their early education – it is not too late to send them.

Pupils’ In School: All classes are receiving continued daily timetabled teaching by their year group teachers and the week is organised just as it would be in ‘normal times’. It is better for children’s wellbeing that they are in their usual year groups and continuing with their education. They can socialise with their friends in the normal routines of breaks and lunchtimes. ( All health and safety measures and separate zones are operating as we have done since September.) There is no change for those in school. There is no change for the teachers who are with their classes and teaching every day in school.

Pupils’ At home on Remote learning: ALL pupils who needed a laptop or chrome book have been given one. (We spent £30,000 of our own money buying 80 chrome books this year) No child has been left without the technology and we have given many families a laptop for each child, in the family, if needed. As we were only entitled to 4 laptops from the government, Beecroft has done extremely well in its offer. All pupils, at home, have the same books and work as those in school and will be able to access Teams and use the live and recorded work. Work for remote learning is the same as that for children in school. Please do the work as asked on the timetable. Teachers are teaching all week and are having to prepare the remote learning as well – it is a double workload. Staff cannot respond to individual emails and assignments need to be ‘handed in’ as explained on Teams. It is expected that all pupils take part – and it is not an option to do nothing. (This will be followed up.)

There will be two Friday additional live wellbeing lessons from Mrs Carter, each week at 1pm for Key Stage 1 and Reception and 1.45 for Key Stage 2 Years 3-6.
Monday 9.00 Key stage 1, Monday 9.45 key Stage 2 – each week – how to get going and organised.

This has been a challenging week for staff, in school, who have had to do double the work for in and out of school learning. I know that you will join with me in thanking them and that you will be mindful of the considerable pressure that the lockdown announcement made. As always, Beecroft has gone the extra mile in its commitment to its families.

Please continue to support us at this difficult time as we will do our best to support you.

Best wishes,
J. Turner

Headteacher

Beecroft Primary School

Dear Parents/Carers,
I am sure that you are as concerned as I am that this evening’s announcement means that schools will be closed for the majority of pupils until further notice. Vulnerable pupils and children of key workers are still able to attend school and I ask you to send details and evidence of key worker status to the office by tomorrow lunchtime at the latest. Should you not be able to make child- care arrangements at this short notice then pupils (all families not just key worker) can come to school as normal tomorrow as a contingency and one day only arrangement.
I will be contacting you again tomorrow with arrangements for packs, timetables and remote learning after meeting with the staff before school tomorrow. I am so sorry that the latest directive is entirely out of my hands and that I, like you, had to watch the news to gain the information.
As you know I, together with the staff team, will do everything we can to try to mitigate damage to your child’s education.

With my support and best wishes,
J. Turner
Headteacher

Beecroft Primary School

Dear Parents/Carers,

Who would have imagined that 2020 would finish with the Covid Pandemic? Thank you so much for all the support that we have received – the encouragement and thanks have been much appreciated. I am sorry that Reception children have caught the virus and hope that they recover soon and that the whole family is not brought down with it. I am sorry that we had to send all Reception home – especially as we had done so well from June to December and we were not complacent in our safety measures. I am also sorry that our usual Christmas events have been put on hold – Christmas Concerts, Winter fair, disco’s, Nativity, consultation evenings, open evenings, FAB events (there is a mini version of a Reception nativity in the winter video). Beecroft Primary School has not been as we know it. Things will get back to normal by spring – I hope.