Latest news
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letter about fasting policy
Tue 10 Dec 202411th December 2024
Dear Parents,
Following on from some of conversations with Parents last Summer, we decided to write a policy for Fasting for pupils at Kingsley. During the Autumn term I met with Heads at other local schools to discuss what they do, and also talked to staff and pupils in the school council.
This has resulted in a policy for fasting being produced. This policy has been agreed by Governors (which includes parent Governors) and is now ready to be viewed by parents.
We have made some changes to our procedures to reflect the larger number of older pupils who request to fast. We have also made it easier for parents to give permission, by including a simple proforma.
I hope this means that as parents you know exactly where we stand in terms of fasting and can prepare accordingly. Its very important that if you wish your child to fast at any point in the year, you read this policy .
You can view the policy in two ways either by:
- Looking in the Parents section of our school website (www.kingsley.liverpool.sch.uk)
- Or coming in person to the school office and requesting a hard copy.
Many thanks for your help in this matter.
Ms A. Whittaker, Head Teacher.
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Woolies for Whitechapel
Fri 29 Nov 2024Kingsley Community School,
Eversley Street,
LIVERPOOL.
L8 2TG.
Telephone: 0151 709 6727
Fax: 0151 708 5105
Website: www.kingsley.liverpool.sch.uk
Head Teacher: Mrs. A.Whittaker
Woollies For Whitechapel 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
On Thursday 19th November, the school is going to hold our annual ‘Woollies for Whitechapel’ day.
All of the children (and staff) are invited to wear a Christmas jumper, a scarf, a hat, or anything else woolly for the day, to help us raise funds for the Whitechapel centre in Liverpool.
This charity was chosen several years ago, by the school council and we have always held a day to help fundraise for them ever since.
As Winter sets in, we all wrap up and stay in our cosy homes, but some people will be spending this time without a home, sleeping on the streets. Sadly, rough sleeping is at an all time high. The Whitechapel centre is the leading homeless and housing charity for Liverpool region, they support people who are sleeping rough, living in hostels or are struggling to manage their accommodation
There are so many deserving charities and so many calls for support for those in need all over the world, but this charity has helped many Kingsley Families in the past, and is a local organisation close to our hearts.
If you can we’d ask you to spare a£1 and come to school dressed in your finest woolly jumper for the day. Its fun and it also helps out a worthy cause.
Many thanks for your help and support,
Alison Whittaker, Head Teacher.
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Letter about Legal Changes to Attendance
Mon 22 Jul 2024Dear Parent/Carer Re: National Framework for Penalty Notices - School Absence I am writing to inform you of changes the Government will implement from 19 August 2024 concerning unauthorised absences from school. It is important that you take a few minutes to read this letter so that you understand what the changes are. Parents can already be issued with a penalty notice by the local authority for their child’s non-attendance at school. From the 19 August 2024, the Government will standardise the process for penalty notices. All local authorities must follow the national requirements. From the 19 August 2024: • Penalty notices for unauthorised absence from school are increasing from £120 to £160 per child, per parent. The amount will be reduced to £80 if paid within 21 days. • A parent may be issued with a penalty notice if their child’s absence is unauthorised, and they miss 10 sessions within a rolling period of 10 weeks. Ten sessions are usually the same as 5 school days. The 10 weeks may span different terms or school years. For example, two unauthorised absences in the summer term and eight unauthorised absences in the autumn term. • A penalty notice may also be issued, after consideration of all the information, where parents are deliberately avoiding the national threshold by taking several term time holidays below threshold or repeated absence for birthdays or other family events. This is a discretionary power that is included with the code. • The changes apply to any unauthorised absence taken from the start of the new academic year. For example, a holiday in term time which has a start date after the 19 August 2024. • If a second penalty notice is issued to the same parent for the same child within a rolling 3-year period, the penalty notice will be charged at the higher rate of £160. There is no option for this second offence to be discharged at the lower rate of £80. Liverpool City Council Head office: Cunard Building, Water Street, Liverpool, L3 1AH 0151 233 3000 liverpool.gov.uk • The Government has set a national limit of two penalty notices that can be issued to a parent for the same child within a rolling 3-year period. • If the national limit of two penalty notices has been met, or exceeded, the local authority must consider the use of another tool to improve attendance. For example, prosecution or another attendance legal intervention. The local penalty notice code of conduct will be published on Liverpool City Council’s website and has been drawn up in consultation with headteachers and governing bodies of state funded school and Merseyside Police Force. The Council believe good attendance is essential to support your child in getting the most out of their education and we thank you for your continued support. If you have any queries regarding the changes to the penalty notice process for school attendance, please contact the EWS helpline on 0151 233-3916 or email ewshelpline@si.liverpool.gov.uk Yours faithfully Reena Bhogal-Welsh Director of Education & Inclusion
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Uniform reminder
Fri 14 Jun 2024UNIFORM REMINDER 2
Dear Parents/ Carers,
I wrote to all parents in February, asking for your support with school uniform.
I am writing again today to ask for your further help, and to let you know of procedures we are going to put in place in school to support all of us to improve in this area.
I have spoken to the whole school about this in assembly on Friday.
It is vital that a large and busy organisation like a school has rules and expectations which everyone follows. This is for many reasons, but our rules:
- ensure everyone is safe and happy at school,
- ensure our children do well
- ensure our children are ready for secondary school and society, where there are often even more rules!
I feel very strongly that behaviour and safety is a strength of our school, but we do have a few individuals who appear to consider that they don’t have to follow school rules. Choosing our school means you choose our rules. That may sound quite blunt, but I am very proud of Kingsley and immensely grateful for all of the support we get from parents and I do not want a creeping disregard for our rules to become the norm.
I am writing to ask for your support in particular regarding school uniform.
We ask all of our pupils to wear uniform Kingsley. What we believe is that uniform helps the children to :
- have a sense of belonging and identity
- be reminded about rules and respect
- avoid competitiveness about clothing brands
- adopt a smart approach to learning and to school
- Get ready for secondary school and the world of work
If you have chosen Kingsley Primary for your child, ensuring that they wear correct uniform is part of the deal! Our uniform can be bought cheaply from supermarkets, and we sell jumpers and cardigans with the school making NO profit (we sell for cost price) We will also always help out those families who need support to buy uniform, whenever we can. Please speak to office staff or Mrs Whittaker about this.
From this week, parents will be spoken to by Teachers if their child is attending school in incorrect uniform
If a child repeatedly fails to wear correct uniform, parents will receive a warning letter
Repeated breaking of the rules will result in playtime detentions
We know that occasionally accidents happen, or that uniform gets dirty, shoes get outgrown etc. We would NEVER penalise a child or a parent for this. What we want to make sure is that children are choosing to ignore uniform rules because they feel that they can, or because they choose to.
We really appreciate your ongoing help in this matter.
Mrs A Whittaker, Head Teacher.
Trainers
Can I remind you that trainers are NOT part of uniform. They can be worn for PE only. They should not be worn at any other time.
Ties MUST be worn from y3 onwards.
Hijabs/ Prayer Hats
Headwear must be PLAIN black or purple ( white is allowed in the Summer term alongside Summer shorts/ dresses)
If your child wears a hijab, up to y5 it must be an all in one style, not a loose scarf. Y6 are allowed to wear a scarf style hijab, but this must be pinned or worn tucked / tied so that the ends are not loose. This is becoming a particular hazard in PE lessons. I have seen several pupils spending most lessons/ matches trying to cope with flying scarf ends rather than the lesson or match!
Hijabs should be black or purple, or white in the Summer. Hijabs should be just as neat and tidy as the rest of a uniform, and fit for purpose.
We have been able to restock hijabs in the
school office and you are more than welcome
to purchase them from us:
£3.00 small
£5.50 large
This style should NOT be worn
This style SHOULD be worn
PE KITS Are:
White T shirt
Black shorts or leggings
Pumps or trainers.
NOT Football kits!
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Eid Party/ NWCancer Research reminder
Fri 14 Jun 202414th June 2024
Dear Parents,
Next Friday , 21st June we are hoping to host our annual Eid Party on the yard, starting at the end of the day when you pick up the children from class. This event is weather dependent, and so far the forecast looks good! Children can come to school in their own clothes and all donations of cakes will be gratefully received as in my previous letter!
North West Cancer Research Charity are coming into school on Friday morning to support all of the children in completing a daily mile. There will be music and bubbles and a chance for us all to help raise some money for a worthy cause. They will also talk to the children about sun safety.
If you can help, we are asking all children to bring in a £1 contribution, or whatever you can afford as a donation to this charity.
Many thanks for your help, I look forward to seeing you all on Friday, and to those of you who will be celebrating this weekend, Eid Mubarak from everyone at Kingsley.
Kind regards,
Mrs A Whittaker, Head Teacher.
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Eid Party letter June 2024
Wed 05 Jun 20245th June 2024
Dear Parents,
We are pleased to give you some information about our annual Eid party.
This will take place on Friday 21st June , at the end of the school day from 3.15. We will hold the event on the playground, so we are depending on good weather!
Like last year, there will be a mixture of activities, including face painting, henna, music and games and cake for everyone! Children can wear their own special clothes for the day in school.
This event is open to all Kingsley Pupils and their parents. Whilst we hope this good weather continues, if there is rain, we may have to postpone the event until the following Monday 24th.
We would appreciate help in the following areas:
- If anyone would like to donate cakes for the event, could you please bring them to the main school office on the morning of the 21st, with any dishes, plates or trays clearly labelled if you want them to be returned. (Please note parents will supervise their own children at this event so the normal allergy rules are relaxed for this occasion, however you may want to label any cake which contains nuts.)
- If anyone can help with the henna hand decorating or face painting we would appreciate it- please can you give your name to Ms Yafai at the office.
I look forward to seeing you all then.
Kind regards,
Alison Whittaker, Head Teacher.
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Changes to playground use at end of Day
Fri 24 May 2024Change To Gates Closure At The End Of Day.
Dear Parents and Carers,
I am writing to let you know of some changed arrangements at the end of the school day , and to ask for your help in this matter.
For some time several of you have used the time at the end of the school day to spend time with your children playing on our school field and on the equipment, rather than going straight home. Our facilities are amazing , but this has concerned me for some time, because even though we hand children over to you, for your care, there is still a potential for accidents to happen, especially when children are not supervised well.
Unfortunately we had such an event last week and it has taken up quite a lot of staff time today to sort out. Its also a worry that a small number of parents are allowing their children to use our equipment totally unsupervised (even though we have signs asking for all children to be supervised). We are NOT a public park, and we can’t be treated as such unfortunately, as our insurance does not cover us for this sort of activity.
I know our grounds are amazing, But we have to limit their use to during the school day. We have been told by the local authority that we CAN NOT allow parents to stay with their children on school grounds at the end of the day. There is a real risk that one day a child will injure themselves and there is also a significant liability risk that school could sustain.
From next week onwards both Kingsley and Granby gates will be locked at 3.40pm. This will still give you plenty of time to collect your children at 3.20 and talk to staff should you need to, but after this all parents and children MUST leave the school site.
Thank you very much for your help in this matter.
Mrs A. Whittaker, Teacher.
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No Photography Letter May 2024
Fri 24 May 2024Head Teacher: Mrs A Whittaker 24th May 2024
Dear Parents,
I have had some concern voiced to me this week about parents taking photographs of children whilst on the school site.With sports day, Eid party and Leavers assembly coming up soon, it seems a good time to remind everyone of our rules.
We ask that NO photographs of children are taken and NO filming or recording takes place whilst anywhere on the school site. Several parents have not given permission for this, for a variety of reasons, and they can be very anxious and upset about their child’s image being taken and potentially shared.
Occasionally we may have ‘designated photograph’ areas (such as during the Eid party and Leavers service where parents can photograph their own child against a backdrop for example)- but otherwise we must insist on a ban form using phones on site.
I have asked staff to remind parents about this if they see anyone filming, or using their phone, but I hope that everyone with help us out and respect our school rule.
As always, there is a bigger picture here (excuse the pun!) and ensuring everyone follows this rule is important.
Many thanks for your help and understanding,
Mrs A. Whittaker, Head Teacher.
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Khan Academy letter
Thu 16 Nov 2023Kingsley Community School,
Eversley Street,
Liverpool.
L8 2TG.
Telephone: 0151 709 6727
Fax: 0151 708 5105
Website: www.kingsley.liverpool.sch.uk
Head Teacher: Mrs A Whittaker
21.11.23
Dear Parents of Year 5 and 6 Students,
I hope this letter finds you well. As you will already know, we at Kingsley Community school, are constantly striving to find new and engaging ways to support your child’s learning journey. Our online reading tools have been a great success and we have been looking to offer something similar for maths. From this term, we are introducing the use of Khan Academy, an online maths program, which we hope will support your child’s learning in maths, both at home and in school.
This programme is a well-established free online learning tool, which supports millions of learners each year across a range of subjects. We hope you and your child will use it together to support their progress in maths, alongside their lessons in s
Some of the benefits of Khan Academy:
- Khan Academy offers a fun and interactive platform that works alongside some of the teaching that takes place in the class
- Self-Paced Learning: Students can progress at their own pace, allowing them to revisit concepts they find challenging or accelerate through topics where they excel at.
- Visual Learning: The program helps children enhance their understanding of certain concepts by using visual images alongside spoken explanations.
- Immediate Feedback: Khan Academy provides instant feedback, allowing students to learn from their mistakes and provides useful tips and strategies when they get an answer wrong.
Parental Involvement:
Whilst we encourage your child to use Khan academy at home, we do need your help to ensure that they use this programme and other online programmes, such as Reading Plus, safely.
Tips for using the internet:
Time for Learning: Choose times for your child to use Khan Academy. Balance it with other things they like to do.
Watch and Help: Keep an eye on what your child is doing (make sure that you know what they are accessing online). If they need help, you can give them a hand. It's a good way to spend time together.
Use the Internet Safely: Make sure your child uses the internet in a place where you can see what they are doing. Always supervise
We're here to help if you have questions or if there's anything you're not sure about. You can talk to your child's teacher or Mr Wright about the programme.
We believe that with your support, Khan Academy can be a useful tool in helping support your child’s learning. By signing below, you acknowledge your understanding of the importance of your involvement in overseeing your child's internet usage while they engage with Khan Academy and that you give permission for your child to use this programme. Your commitment to providing a safe and supportive learning environment at home is invaluable. Please complete the form attached. Your child will then be given instructions of how to join.
Kind regards,
Mrs Alison Whittaker, Head Teacher.
Khan Academy Permission.
I give permission for school to register my child for Khan Academy maths programme. I understand that internet use at home will be my responsibility.
(Please sign and return this letter to school)
Name of child………………………………………………………... class…………………………
Parent Signature:……………………………………………..
Thanks again for your continued support.
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Parent Governor vote letter
Mon 09 Oct 2023Dear Parents & Carers,
I am pleased to tell you that following my letter earlier this term, we have two nominees for the position of new parent Governor at Kingsley Primary.
The post is really important to help Kingsley continue to move forward and improve the experience of school for all of our pupils, staff and families. This new person will be joining our current Parent governors, Jenny Murshid and Ayan Elmi , and become part of the larger Governing body.
We have one vacancy. As there are two nominees I need to ask all parents to vote for the candidate of preference. You are entitled to ONE vote per parent. At the bottom of this form are two slips should both parents/ carers wish to vote. Please detach these and return them to school once you have made your choice. Statements from both candidates are attached to help you make your decision.
You MUST sign your voting slip and each parent must only vote once. Duplicate votes or unsigned slips will not be counted.
Please return your slips to school by 12noon Friday 20th October at the latest.
Many thanks for your help,
Alison Whittaker, Head Teacher
VOTE 1
Name of parent 1.………………………………………………………………………..
Name of child…………………………………………………………………………. Class…………….
I would like to vote for : Zahra Hassan Samiullah Afzidi
(Please indicate your choice with an x in the box provided)
Signature of Parent / carer …………………………………………………………………………………………
VOTE 2
Name of parent 2………………………………………………………………………..
Name of child…………………………………………………………………………. Class…………….
I would like to vote for : Zahra Hassan Samiullah Afzidi
(Please indicate your choice with an x in the box provided)
Signature of Parent / carer …………………………………………………………………………………….
Candidate 1
Intisaar (Zahra) Hassan
Hello, my name is Intisaar Hassan and I would like to be nominated for parent Governor. I hope my statement here will be enough to be considered by you. I have 2 of my children who attend our school, in years 4 and 2. I see first hand how much they enjoy it and the learning that they do. It’s a great school and I believe so much in its potential, and the children’s learning development. I feel strongly about this because I have lived in the L8 area over 20 years. I have seen the changes in the area and the community with the school at its heartbeat. Its become an area to be proud of, and still more to come.
I’m passionate about children’s education, having empathy and understanding of their needs. I’ve put myself down for various field trips, outings etc, and I’ve always been available if needed. Also I won’t be afraid to challenge decisions from above (teachers etc) if certain things aren’t working. I will look how to fix it, not make the problem bigger.
I will always do my best, work hard, always think of our children first.
I hope you can vote for me, this is my second go at Parent Governor nomination.
Thanks for reading this
Yours sincerely, Intisaar.
Candidate 2
Samiullah Afzidi
I have four beautiful children, two of them go to Kingsley Community School. I work with them in regards to their studies and discipline.
I myself have a degree in Masters Administration from John Moores University. I am only thirty nine years old and I’m very healthy, and I have a lot of free time so attending any meeting wouldn’t be an issue.
I love to give my opinion when it comes to children’s well being and safety and I think I could be a good option for becoming a Governor.
Kind regards,
Samiullah