Durham County have announced they will fund vouchers for pupils eligible for Free School Meals

Link to press release with details on how to apply below.

Anyone who struggles to access the internet or does not have a device that would support the digital code can call the local authority’s County Durham Together community hub on 03000 260 260. Staff will be on hand from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, to help people with the forms or talk through other options.

Miss Sands

Free school meals scheme launch

Find attached the letter sent home today (22nd October)

Autumn half term review

St Wilfrids Parents home learning info

During the half term holiday – you can contact school via the Text service or by email stwilfrids@durhamlearning.net

The link below takes you to St John’s Virtual Open Evening presentation

With the COVID restrictions there will be no ‘face to face’ information session this term at St John’s.

This Virtual Presentation has been produced to give information to prospective parents and students.

St John’s Virtual Open Evening

Here’s a letter we are sending out this week giving advice on when to have a COVID test.

Please remember always contact school if you have concerns about your child having symptoms.

23rd September – PHE letter to parents and guardians

Dear Parent & Carers,

Thank you for all your support over the last few weeks helping with our successful start to the new term.

Following yesterdays announcement about ‘Local Lockdown measures’ we will continue to keep in contact with you when we get updates. We hope everyone in our school community children, families and staff will follow the government guidance to help keep all of us as safe as possible. The easiest way for us to communicate longer messages is by email (our text service only does short messages) – please make sure we have an up to date email address as well as phone numbers.

We’ve emailed this letter as well as sending out a paper copy. Please check and if you haven’t received it please come to the school office to check we have the correct details.

Here is a reminder of what we are doing in school to limit risks for pupils and staff. Several parents have mentioned they are still having some anxiety around the children coming to school. Please be assured we are doing everything we can to make school as safe as possible.

What are we doing?

• • Staggered drop off and pick up to limit numbers of people on site. Please stick to the correct times Group A – 8.45am drop off and 3.00pm pick up. Group B – 9.00am drop off and 3.15pm pick up.

• Asking adults to wear face coverings when on site. We made this decision because some people were finding social distancing a problem.

• Staff may wear face visors if working closely with pupils.
• Each class acts as a ‘bubble’.
• Each ‘bubble’ has an area to play on outside, has a time slot for lunch, has designated toilets and sinks.
• The staff are staying with their bubbles while in school.
• All staff are social distancing in school.
• Children are encouraged to social distance whenever possible.
• We’ve extra sinks outside on the yard for handwashing.
• Hand sanitizer all over school for frequent use.
• All pupils wash/sanitise hands when they arrive and leave school. Everyone encouraged to wash/sanitise hands during the day.
• No school bags coming into school.
• Children bringing in own water bottles so no sharing of cups in class.
• All pupils wear PE Kit on the day of their lesson.
• If anyone is showing symptoms in school they are isolated, sent home and recommended to have a test. If test is negative they come back to school.
• If a test is positive – the whole bubble will be contacted and they will have to isolate for 14 days.
• All classrooms and areas in school thoroughly cleaned each day. Extra cleaning during the school day of toilets, sinks and touch points (door handles, taps etc)

The link below will take you to a poster with some helpful information if you have concerns if your child is ill and whether to send them to school.

Can my child go to school today

We know a lot of families have concerns and additional stress at the moment. Please remember you can contact school and if we can help in any way we will try or might be able to find other local services who can help.

Take care and stay safe,

Miss Sands

• a high temperature
• a new continuous cough – meaning coughing a lot, for more than an hour or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours
• a loss or change to sense of smell or taste – either they cannot small or taste anything or things smell or taste different to normal

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to what would normally have been the end of our school year I’m writing to share some information about the return to school in September. As you can imagine things in school may look different and school routines may have to be altered. Any changes will be made to limit the risks to our pupils and staff.

School will return on Wednesday 2nd September. The children will go to the classes they’ve had this year and spend the week with the teachers they are familiar with. The classrooms will look different as tables will be side by side not in groups and all soft furnishings will be removed. This will be strange at first for everyone but I’m sure we’ll get used to it. Handwashing and sanitizing facilities will be available across school.
There will be no Breakfast club at the start of term.

We are asking that the children bring no school bags or items like footballs or pencil cases to school however they can bring their Summer work books back in the plastic wallets. In school each child will have their own pens, pencils etc there will be  no sharing of resources.
Every child needs their own water bottle each day and if they have packed lunch a clearly marked lunch box that will come home each night to be cleaned.
School meals will be provided as normal – the lunch times will be staggered and fewer children will be in the hall at one time.

We will be staggering the start and end of the school day to minimise the number of people around the school site. We have split the school into 2 groups A & B, I will send a text tomorrow telling you which group you are in and send a reminder at the end of the holidays.
Group A will arrive at school at 8.45am and Group B at 9am. 
It is really important that you come at your allotted time as we need time to get the children into class and wash their hands before the next group arrive.
The same will happen at the end of the day Group A will leave at 3.00pm and Group B at 3.15pm.

Each class will have specific ways in and out of school. (these are this years classes as that’s where the children will be going back to)

Reception  The children will come n using First Steps entrance – please follow the one way system and use the lines to wait at an appropriate distance.

Year 1   will come into school through main entrance and leave through class door onto yard.

Year 2   will come into school using the ‘Tractor Access Gate’ and enter school by the back door and leave this way.

Year 3  will come into school through main entrance and leave through the back door  onto yard.

Year 4  will come into school using the ‘Tractor Access Gate’ and enter using their class door and leave this way

Year 5  will come into school using the ‘Tractor Access Gate’ and enter using their class door and leave this way

We ask that only one adult comes to drop off or pick up and that adults (or older siblings) leave the school site as soon as possible.

Each class will have allotted toilets and handwashing facilities in school and the classes will have their own areas to play in outside so limiting contact with other children across school.

Children need to wear school uniform and we ask that clean clothes are worn each day.

Children will wash/sanitize their hands on entry to school, throughout the day and before they leave school.

Please over the Summer remind you children about the importance of hand hygiene.

Once school starts if anyone in your family shows COVID symptoms, tests positive or is notified through Test and Trace please contact school as those affected will have to self isolate.

I know there is alot of information in this email but I will send reminders at the end of the holidays aswell as keeping the News section of the website updated.

When we return in September please be assured any changes we are making to school routines are to reduce risks for everyone in our community.

I hope you all enjoy a peaceful and safe Summer and please continue to follow the guidance on keeping everyone healthy.

Take care and stay Safe

Miss Sands

Dear parents and carers,

Hope you are all well. I’m writing to update you on schools plans for reopening to all pupils in September.

However, first I’d like to thank all those parents and family members who have supported your children in their home learning and the staff who have worked hard to produce work and keep in touch with the pupils during these difficult times.

As you’ll be aware school has been open since the start of lockdown providing childcare for vulnerable and key workers children and since June 15th Year 6 pupils have been welcomed back to school. This will finish at the end of term (last day of term Thursday 16th July)

As you’ll be aware the government have announced all children will return to school in September. Guidance has been released today on what this may look like and what’s expected for September. We are putting together a plan for our  reopening to all pupils and once this is complete we will share this with everyone.

Things we know already;
Autumn term starts on Wednesday 2nd September all children will come back to school on this day but to help them to settle back into school life they will return to this years classrooms with this years staff. They will be returning to a familiar place with familiar people. They will stay in these classrooms for the rest of this first week.
On Friday 4th September they will spend the morning in their new class with their new staff, then week beginning 7th September they will start in their new classrooms.

Also there will be no breakfast club in the first week.

We are looking into  how to support the children’s well being on their return to school aswell as the curriculum we will be delivering and how to catch up on any lost learning aswell as trying to minimise the  risk of infection round school.

We’ll be in touch next week with more details.

The staff are finishing your child’s end of year reports and they will be available to collect from school next week.

Take care and stay safe.

Miss Sands

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you and your families are well. I’m writing to update you on our plans following the governments announcement to open schools to selected year groups.

From Monday 15th June we are inviting Year 6 pupils to return to school. The returning children will be in small groups, each  in a separate class and each group will have access to their own toilet and hand washing facilities. These groups will have allocated staff who also have their own facilities and everyone will be following social distancing guidance. We are putting in measures for all the staff and pupils in school to try and minimize the risk of any infection. The groups will not mix and they will not share toilet and handwashing facilities.

Since the start of lock down in school we have be providing child care for key worker and vulnerable children  and we will be continuing to do this until the end of term. These children are in small groups, will be in separate classrooms and have their own facilities aswell as allocated staff.

Once Year 6 are back in school all the children’s toilet facilities will be in use and so we won’t be inviting any further year groups back into school at present. This decision has been made after looking at the potential risks, if more children came back to school they would have to share toilet facilities and this is an unacceptable risk at this time.

Teachers will continue to provide work for pupils at home with daily contact on Dojo and work packs will be continue to be produced and will be  available to collect from the school entrance.

We will keep in contact in the coming weeks and update you if anything changes.

Take care and stay safe

Miss Sands

The builders are in school working to repair our hot water system.

Childcare for Key Workers children will continue from June 1st – in First Steps as they will have access to hot water.

School will not be opening to wider numbers of children until after June 15th.

Here is an announcement today from Durham local Authority advising all schools not to widen numbers of pupils in school until after June 15th

Durham LA Schools Announcement