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Thanks fro Chair of Governors
Mon 06 Mar 20236.3.23
Dear Parents and Carers,
On behalf of all the Governors at Kingsley Primary, I would like to say a massive Thank You to all our parents and families for their overwhelming generosity in response to our appeal to help those affected by the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Our school community has always been extremely giving when raising money for various charities and good causes but the total amount raised far exceeded all expectations. We raised over £1150! Given that we are currently living in a financial crisis ourselves, makes this response even more remarkable.
We truly hope the money raised will help those affected to start to rebuild and move forward after this unimaginable tragedy. We are hoping to continue to look for other ways we as a school and community can help support those affected and will of course keep you updated on any future efforts.
Thank you all once again.
Jennifer Murshid,
Chair of Governors.
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Strike Confirmation
Tue 28 Feb 202320th February 2023
Strike Date- Update .
Dear Parents and Carers,
Unfortunately , it appears that no compromise has been reached between The National Education Union and the Government and it therefore looks likely that next weeks proposed strike will take place.
I have carried out a risk assessment and unfortunately have had to make the decision that the school will be fully closed for all pupils on Tuesday 28th February . The vast majority of teachers at Kingsley are members of the union who are carrying out the strike so it is highly likely that there will be no teachers in work on that day as this was the situation on the last strike day.
The building will still be open for other staff who will come to work as usual, but we do not have the capacity to teach or safely look after children.
I will continue to risk assess each strike day as they come up, as circumstances may change, and let you know before each one what the school’s plans are. However, it seems that other Teaching unions may decide to re ballot and there could be further impact in March and as we move into the Summer term. This is immensely frustrating for everyone. At the moment there are proposed strikes also planned for 15th and 16th March, although not yet confirmed, I think it wise to prepare for this.
Teachers do not lightly take this action, indeed many of them will suffer financially, and they all realise the potential impact on children and families. I sincerely hope that some agreement is reached soon. I know we all want well run, and sufficiently funded schools, so that EVERY pupil has the chance to be succeed. This is the crux of the matter.
Please ensure that you also keep your mobile phone numbers up to date with school, in case of any last minute messages which may need to go out via our text messaging service. However, unless things change, all children should remain at home on February 28.
Kind regards,
Alison Whittaker, Head Teacher.
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Syria / Turkey Earthquake Appeal letter
Thu 09 Feb 20239th February 2023
Dear Parents,
I am sure that like us you will all be horrified by the disaster that has been unfolding in Turkey and Syria this week. The first thing I want to say is that I hope that anyone with families in the region has heard that they are safe. Some of our children have talked to us about extended families who may be affected. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to support you if you are directly affected by this.
We have been particularly thinking about those families affected in the area, who may have already gone through trauma, displacement and times of hardship, and are now faced with not only the immediate danger but with rebuilding their lives afterwards. I am pleased to hear that the DEF (Disaster Emergency Committee) are coordinating a response which will ensure that there is a coordinated response from all charities, and that the British Government will match donations given.
As a school we would like to offer our support, and we will be considering ways in which we can fundraise next half term. As a starter we will be holding an ‘Own clothes day’ on Friday 24th February and encouraging a donation for this. If anyone wants to make any other donations, we will hold a fund in school for the first week back and ensure that it is all paid into the DEF fund.
Kingsley families and staff have always been outward looking, and supportive of those in need, and I am sure that in this instance you will offer whatever support you can.
Kind regards
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Ofsted Outcome Letter
Tue 31 Jan 202331st January 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
I am happy to be able to include with this letter, a copy of our latest Inspection Outcome letter. As you know we had an ungraded inspection of the school on December 13th and 14th.
The full report will be posted on the school website and on Ofsted’s site in the next few days, but it has been released to us today to share with staff and parents.
We were very proud of the many positive comments that the Inspector made about the school, and the many strengths she felt that Kingsley had. Some , but not all of these appear in the letter, but as it was an ungraded inspection, it is much shorter than ones you may have seen previously.
I am delighted that the high academic and social expectations that we have for our pupils was recognised as a strength, but also our emphasis on respect and tolerance of others. These are keystones of Kingsley school, and its very pleasing that this shone through from pupils, staff and parents.
Our curriculum offer was praised by the inspector, led by some very dedicated members of staff, and in particular she felt that support for pupils with additional needs was a strength of the school. She also praised the approach to keeping all of our pupils safe, and again, this is something that all of the staff work really hard to achieve.
The measure of a school should never just be about Ofsted, but of course we are very happy when an organisation like Ofsted visits and validates our work. We never do our job just for Ofsted, we do it for our pupils so that we put them in the best place we can to be resilient, to succeed and to respect others in society.
To accompany this letter, I want to say a big thank you to you and your children for making this job such a pleasure at Kingsley, and an especial thankyou to our amazing staff, who never cease to impress me with their skill and hard work.
Kind regards,
Alison Whittaker, Head Teacher.
31st January 2023
Dear Parents and Carers,
I am happy to be able to include with this letter, a copy of our latest Inspection Outcome letter. As you know we had an ungraded inspection of the school on December 13th and 14th.
The full report will be posted on the school website and on Ofsted’s site in the next few days, but it has been released to us today to share with staff and parents.
We were very proud of the many positive comments that the Inspector made about the school, and the many strengths she felt that Kingsley had. Some , but not all of these appear in the letter, but as it was an ungraded inspection, it is much shorter than ones you may have seen previously.
I am delighted that the high academic and social expectations that we have for our pupils was recognised as a strength, but also our emphasis on respect and tolerance of others. These are keystones of Kingsley school, and its very pleasing that this shone through from pupils, staff and parents.
Our curriculum offer was praised by the inspector, led by some very dedicated members of staff, and in particular she felt that support for pupils with additional needs was a strength of the school. She also praised the approach to keeping all of our pupils safe, and again, this is something that all of the staff work really hard to achieve.
The measure of a school should never just be about Ofsted, but of course we are very happy when an organisation like Ofsted visits and validates our work. We never do our job just for Ofsted, we do it for our pupils so that we put them in the best place we can to be resilient, to succeed and to respect others in society.
To accompany this letter, I want to say a big thank you to you and your children for making this job such a pleasure at Kingsley, and an especial thankyou to our amazing staff, who never cease to impress me with their skill and hard work.
Kind regards,
Alison Whittaker, Head Teacher.
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Strike Confirmation
Mon 23 Jan 202323rd January 2023
Strike Dates.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Following my letter last week, I wanted to confirm with you, as soon as possible, what the arrangements for the Strike Day on 1st February will be for Kingsley.
I have carried out a risk assessment and unfortunately have had to make the decision that the school will be fully closed for all pupils on 1st February. The vast majority of teachers at Kingsley are members of the union who are carrying out the strike so it is highly likely that there will be no teachers in work on that day.
The building will still be open for other staff who will come to work as usual, but we do not have the capacity to teach or safely look after children.
I will risk assess each strike day as they come up, as circumstances may change, and let you know before each one what the school’s plans are.
Please ensure that you also keep your mobile phone numbers up to date with school, in case of any last minute messages which may need to go out via our text messaging service. However, unless things change, all children should remain at home on February 1st.
Kind regards,
23rd January 2023
Strike Dates.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Following my letter last week, I wanted to confirm with you, as soon as possible, what the arrangements for the Strike Day on 1st February will be for Kingsley.
I have carried out a risk assessment and unfortunately have had to make the decision that the school will be fully closed for all pupils on 1st February. The vast majority of teachers at Kingsley are members of the union who are carrying out the strike so it is highly likely that there will be no teachers in work on that day.
The building will still be open for other staff who will come to work as usual, but we do not have the capacity to teach or safely look after children.
I will risk assess each strike day as they come up, as circumstances may change, and let you know before each one what the school’s plans are.
Please ensure that you also keep your mobile phone numbers up to date with school, in case of any last minute messages which may need to go out via our text messaging service. However, unless things change, all children should remain at home on February 1st.
Kind regards,
23rd January 2023
Strike Dates.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Following my letter last week, I wanted to confirm with you, as soon as possible, what the arrangements for the Strike Day on 1st February will be for Kingsley.
I have carried out a risk assessment and unfortunately have had to make the decision that the school will be fully closed for all pupils on 1st February. The vast majority of teachers at Kingsley are members of the union who are carrying out the strike so it is highly likely that there will be no teachers in work on that day.
The building will still be open for other staff who will come to work as usual, but we do not have the capacity to teach or safely look after children.
I will risk assess each strike day as they come up, as circumstances may change, and let you know before each one what the school’s plans are.
Please ensure that you also keep your mobile phone numbers up to date with school, in case of any last minute messages which may need to go out via our text messaging service. However, unless things change, all children should remain at home on February 1st.
Kind regards,
23rd January 2023
Strike Dates.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Following my letter last week, I wanted to confirm with you, as soon as possible, what the arrangements for the Strike Day on 1st February will be for Kingsley.
I have carried out a risk assessment and unfortunately have had to make the decision that the school will be fully closed for all pupils on 1st February. The vast majority of teachers at Kingsley are members of the union who are carrying out the strike so it is highly likely that there will be no teachers in work on that day.
The building will still be open for other staff who will come to work as usual, but we do not have the capacity to teach or safely look after children.
I will risk assess each strike day as they come up, as circumstances may change, and let you know before each one what the school’s plans are.
Please ensure that you also keep your mobile phone numbers up to date with school, in case of any last minute messages which may need to go out via our text messaging service. However, unless things change, all children should remain at home on February 1st.
Kind regards,
23rd January 2023
Strike Dates.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Following my letter last week, I wanted to confirm with you, as soon as possible, what the arrangements for the Strike Day on 1st February will be for Kingsley.
I have carried out a risk assessment and unfortunately have had to make the decision that the school will be fully closed for all pupils on 1st February. The vast majority of teachers at Kingsley are members of the union who are carrying out the strike so it is highly likely that there will be no teachers in work on that day.
The building will still be open for other staff who will come to work as usual, but we do not have the capacity to teach or safely look after children.
I will risk assess each strike day as they come up, as circumstances may change, and let you know before each one what the school’s plans are.
Please ensure that you also keep your mobile phone numbers up to date with school, in case of any last minute messages which may need to go out via our text messaging service. However, unless things change, all children should remain at home on February 1st.
Kind regards,
23rd January 2023
Strike Dates.
Dear Parents and Carers,
Following my letter last week, I wanted to confirm with you, as soon as possible, what the arrangements for the Strike Day on 1st February will be for Kingsley.
I have carried out a risk assessment and unfortunately have had to make the decision that the school will be fully closed for all pupils on 1st February. The vast majority of teachers at Kingsley are members of the union who are carrying out the strike so it is highly likely that there will be no teachers in work on that day.
The building will still be open for other staff who will come to work as usual, but we do not have the capacity to teach or safely look after children.
I will risk assess each strike day as they come up, as circumstances may change, and let you know before each one what the school’s plans are.
Please ensure that you also keep your mobile phone numbers up to date with school, in case of any last minute messages which may need to go out via our text messaging service. However, unless things change, all children should remain at home on February 1st.
Kind regards,
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Potential Strikes
Thu 19 Jan 202317th January 2023
Dear Parents,
You may have seen in the news today that one of the largest teaching unions in England have just announced that they are planning to ask members to go on strike on the following days:
Wednesday 1st February
Tuesday 28th February
Wednesday 15th March
Thursday 16th March.
These days are provisional so far, and could be subject to change.
There are pressures on all of us, but particularly for those in public sector jobs, and I would like to say that I don’t think this action has been taken lightly. It does involve concern about staff pay, but is more about the state of school funding in general and the loss of Government funding in Education as a whole, which people have had most concern about. We have been very lucky in Kingsley to be able to recruit and keep very good and skilled staff, but many schools struggle with this. We have also been lucky here to fund lots of extra provision in the classrooms and elsewhere, but moving forwards, we may not be able to do what we have done in the past. I think its important that in your response to Teachers and Support Staff action, you know the full picture of why they feel the need to take the action they are proposing. It is not an easy decision for staff to make as none of us want children to miss school.
I wanted to get in touch as soon as possible as I know the impact of any industrial action could cause you to have to make additional or alternative arrangements for your children, should these strikes go ahead. You may want to start considering this now.
I will be seeking further clarification about these proposed dates, and advice on how school will respond. However, it is very likely that service at Kingsley will be significantly disrupted and you should prepare for this. It is likely that there may be partial or full closure of the school as we may simply not be able to open safely.
I will keep you up to date with how this action may affect our school. There is always the possibility that further negotiations will be held and that strikes will not take place, but I do feel that they are quite likely to happen at this point.
Thanks, as always, for your support of school during these difficult times.
Alison Whittaker, Head Teacher.
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New Year letter
Mon 09 Jan 20239th January 2023
Dear Parents,
Happy New year everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas holidays and got to spend time with family and friends.
There are a couple of reminders staff have asked me to send out, and also a note about staffing that I need to share with you.
Times of the Day.
As per my newsletter in December, you will know that we are starting the transition to a slightly longer school day. From EASTER this year the start of the school day will be 8.50, not 8.55. This means children should be in class at 8.50, so they need to arrive in school before this time. For now the time remains 8.55 , but many of you are taking advantage of the gate being open from 8.45 to get your children in on time.
Remember all gates close promptly at 8.55. If you are late after this time, children should be brought to the main office entrance. The prompt closing has caught a few people out last week, so I wanted to make sure I reminded you.
Staffing.
We are continuing to experience quite significant staff absence rates this term, and whilst school is still functioning reasonably well, and safely, I need to ask you to bear with us. We may need to cancel some after school activities, or other extra curricular events, and it may mean your child talks about different staff being with them in their room. Please try to also be patient at home time, as with younger children, getting 30 children out of the door on time, with coats and bags etc without support staff can be a challenge! Staff will always discuss concerns with you, but you may need to wait whilst they see other children out safely.
Contact Details.
We continue to have difficulties contacting some parents / carers, emergency contacts, mainly because phone numbers appear not to be working. It is vitally important that you inform the office if your phone number has changed, or your address, and if your child’s emergency contact details have altered. Please let us know straight away if anyone else is picking your child up, or we will not allow them to leave. If we don’t have your permission, we will not let a child go with any other adult. Parents can be quick to criticise for lack of communication, but we often find, newsletters have not been read, website not consulted and text messages have gone to an old number. We know how important good communication is, and we are trying very hard to keep improving this- please help us by keeping your details up to date.
Uniform.
I went in to assembly on Friday morning and looked at our smart, attentive pupils. The whole school came back looking amazing and part of the Kingsley family in their uniform, thank you all so much for helping us in this matter. We really appreciate it!
Remember, this is a short half term. Spring half term holiday is from 13th – 17th February. School closes at normal time on the 10th.
Kind regards,
Alison Whittaker, Head Teacher.
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Autumn 2 newsletter
Fri 09 Dec 202213th December 2022
Autumn 2 Newsletter
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome to the second newsletter of this year. I have tried to keep everyone up to date with key messages by using our text message system, but it’s always good to take a bit more time and share more news with you in this format. Much of what we do gets put on Twitter or the website, but somethings are worth mentioning in more detail.
Science / Black History Week
As you know, our curriculum is written in a way which not only covers all the things that the Government say we MUST teach, but also in a way which celebrates achievement and raises aspirations for OUR children. We give a significant priority in all subjects to black achievement, alongside that of other groups who traditionally can be under represented. We continue to celebrate black history during this week, but are moving more and more to embedding this in all subjects , rather than treating it as a one off. Focusing together Science and Black History our topic was Animals and their Habitats alongside the study of black scientists. Each scientist represented different roles within science from Mammalogist, Ecologist, Zoologist, Biologist and Palaeontologist and a mixture of male/female and past/present. Some of our scientists were also active on Twitter so it was fun to tweet a few messages over to them.
The staff began by researching their scientists, researching their field of work and then they would be allowed to link their scientist to an animal and their habitat - the scope was WIDE! Feedback from staff was that they enjoyed the ability to choose what they would be studying with their class and enjoyed the level of autonomy they were given.
During the week, children were visited by ZooLab. They brought along a selection of fury friends which they children were allowed to hold, stroke and learn all about their habitats and diets. Pictures on Twitter! #KingsleyScience #KingsleyBlackHistory
At the end of the week, work from EYFS through to 6 all reflected a wide variety of research, designing, creating (year 4 in particular looked into pollution in the ocean and built beautiful sea creatures from recycled items) along with posters, fact files and photographs of our children interacting with the animals.Children enjoyed the theme around animals - they loved meeting them too - but a lot of year groups commented on how interesting they found their scientist and how much the children enjoyed learning about them.
(Thanks to Miss McArthur for this report and for organising the week.)
Budget
As most of the country, we have been looking very closely at our school budget. Kingsley has always had a very healthy budget, which has allowed us to staff the school really well, and also provide exceptional facilities and opportunities for our pupils. We are, however, facing some significant budget cuts in the next 3 years. We are looking hard at how we can save money, but ultimately some difficult decisions may have to be made . For now we are making sensible savings and because school is so well resourced, we can manage this. I really do not want to cut provision for our pupils, so for as long as we can we will commit to not charging for any meals or trips or visitors to school. Nor will we charge for after school clubs. It’s really important that our pupils have these experiences and provision, so that they can stand alongside pupils from anywhere else in the country and do well, but we may have to be a bit more creative in how we do things!
Hours Of The School Day
The government have set an expectation that all state-funded mainstream schools will deliver a minimum length of school week of 32.5 hours as soon as they can, and from September 2023 at the latest. This will bring those schools that are under the current average up to the minimum expectation of 32.5 hours, which most schools already deliver. Kingsley hours have always fallen a bit short of this, so we have to now look to slightly extend the school day to bring us in line with other schools and with what the Government require. We have looked at several ways of doing this, using our existing systems which will mean for most pupils there is very little change.
Our classroom doors will be open early as normal in January- but we are going to ask you to bring your children to school for an 8.50 start to lessons, rather than a 9am start. This means lessons start then. Your child needs to be in class before then so they can start on time. External gates will be open from 8.45 . We will continue to keep them open until 8.55 until Easter. After Easter we will change the school day formally so that lessons start at 8.50 and gates will close at 8.50. Any child arriving in school after this time will come into school via the main entrance in line with our current arrangements, and receive a late mark.
Most of our children come into school at 8.45 and take advantage of in class learning at this time, so for most of you we hope there will not be too much change. At the end of the day we will only need to add on 5 minutes. We will start this from September. So for now the end of the school day remains 3.15. From September it will be 3.20. None of these changes affect Nursery, whose times of day remain the same.
We do have some concern about lateness in the morning, and we are aware that for a very small number of parents , this may mean additional organisation in the mornings, however we have done this in the interests of MOST children and families who already come into school at this time. We also know that our children seem to learn more effectively in the morning, so it makes more sense to add additional time here. All staff are already in class supporting learning at this time so there is minimal disruption to complex school routines. Breakfast club will continue to operate in the same way and at the same price for the rest of this financial year and is a useful support for many parents and families to help encourage good punctuality.
We are always here to support with attendance and punctuality should you need it, just ask for our Attendance Champion, Ms Bedford, or any of the mentor team at the school office.
Breakfast Club Reminder
Children who wish to attend should arrive at the main entrance at 8.15am. Breakfast club costs only 30p a day, which can be paid daily, or as a weekly amount of £1.50. Pupils will be offered toast, cereal and a drink to set them up for the day. You do not need to book your child’s place at the moment, we will only need to consider this if numbers increase dramatically. We do, however insist that pupils should arrive between 8.15 and 8.30am or they may not be allowed admittance.
Football Teams
We have had some amazing successes on the sporting front- again – this term. Girls were the undefeated champions of Admiral Park league, they were the team to beat! Many of the team haven’t played much together before, but showed amazing skill and resilience. Its brilliant that some of them are now also playing for other local teams. Lionesses in the making! The boys team faced really tough competition this term, but played with their usual positivity and talent. They were placed 3rd in the league- only missing out on runners up on goal difference. A massive thanks to Mr McGoverin, Mr Wright, Ms Bedford, and Ms Edwards who have coached, transported and supported the teams to train and take part . Several of the players have been lucky enough to spend an afternoon at Liverpool academy and were coached by under 18 Liverpool players.
Fundraising
Our pupils, parents and families continue to support our chosen charities. Its brilliant that even when times are tough for us all, you all still take time to think of those who are really struggling. This is what we have raised this term:
Jeans for genes day-£333.33
Silly socks for anti bullying alliance -£149.10
Pakistan Flood Appeal- £100 (Raised by donations for old books and uniform)
Woolies For Whitechappel to be held this week on Friday the 16th
The school council will be debating which charity they would like the school to support next term and will let me know.
Uniform Reminder
The school uniform has always been very simple here at Kingsley and there should be no misunderstanding or ambiguity. Please note that we will be picking up on every single student who is not wearing the correct uniform on day one and asking them to fix this for day two. We will also speak to parents on the door if this remains a concern. The main issue for most schools at the start of a new year is often trainers being worn instead of shoes. Trainers are NOT part of school uniform, neither are tracksuit tops.
Ties are part of uniform from y3 upwards, please ensure your child is wearing one.
Please make sure that your child has the correct PE kit to bring to school with them this year.
PE kits
- plain black shorts or jogging bottoms
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- Plain white t shirt
- Trainers or pumps.
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We will keep spare PE kits in school for children who fail to bring the correct kit into school, or whose parents do not discuss any reasons for this with us. We will also have spare pumps in school for those who come in wearing trainers rather than shoes.
Can I also remind you that swimming is a compulsory part of the curriculum. It is a legal requirement that we teach it and we have to report to Governors and the DFE about this. No child can be excused from this and children MUST bring a swimming kit to attend every week. We have had quite a few problems with children who repeatedly do not bring a kit. Please can you ensure that they have one every week from now on.
Parking – Another Reminder
Most of you will know that it’s a bad idea to park anywhere near the main entrances to the
school at start and finish times. It creates real problems in terms of gridlock and safety for
children and other school users. However, many parents do chose to drop children off at the gates in Eversley street in particular, sometimes in the middle of the road.
We entirely understand that many of your will want to be with your child as they make their way into school but we would be really grateful if you could park a reasonable distance from the school and walk the rest of the journey to the gates before bidding them farewell! Dropping them off mid road, and just watching them from your car is particularly concerning and not fair on the staff at the gate who then feel responsible for road safety. I would really appreciate your help in this matter as I get a lot of complaints from local residents and concerned parents about this- I have a lot of things to do as a Head Teacher, but being traffic controller shouldn’t be one of them! I have had to field a number of complaints again from the residents of Palomer Close, who suffer because of what can only be described as selfish and dangerous parking. It’s not fair on them, and its really not fair on me to have to spend time dealing with this! I’m asking again for your help to avoid these problems- please don’t use the close as a morning or afternoon car park.
Flu and Other illnesses
As someone said to me this week, ‘What’s Christmas in Liverpool without an outbreak of seasonal disease?’ It does feel like we have been here before! Hopefully you all read my letter about scarlet fever/ Strep A last week. What we know is that in Liverpool, far more pupils have had flu this year, Alder Hey are experiencing a lot of concern about this and its one of the reasons that everyone has been so keen to get everyone immunised for flu. The immunisation appears to lesson any symptoms a child may have, but also helps protect everyone else as there is some heard immunity. (More on the flu inoculation below) Scarlet Fever appears to be six time more common this year than it is usually- however for most pupils this remains a mild disease, easily treatable and not causing too much illness. We need to be vigilant about other illnesses which may be around at the same time, for example chicken pox, as having the two diseases in the same cluster can potentially cause complications.
We have a very good reporting system with public health in place, and receive regular advice, but its very important that we are informed of any Scarlet fever diagnosis so we can report it, not because its necessarily dangerous in itself, but because there may be other infection controls we need to put in place.
I’d advise everyone not to get too worried about Strep A. The press are reporting this Strep A as a new and significant disease, but we have been advised by public health that it is mostly is just a name for a throat infection which GPs diagnose and which seems to be very prevalent at the moment. Always take advice from your GP or the NHS if you are concerned- you know your child better than anyone and you will know what is normal for them.
Flu Vaccinations/. Immunisation
This Autumn, for the first time ever we successfully managed to get the immunisation team to offer our pupils either a nasal immunisation , or an inoculation via a needle (This is so that we could support our community in protecting from the flu with a non- porcine containing solution.) The total numbers are still to be counted as they ran out of immunisations and are coming back – but anecdotally the nurses told us we had had the biggest uptake of any Primary! We definitely had a bigger uptake than in previous years and it was very successful. A huge thanks has to go to our new office staff who worked really hard to support this. It took 3 of our staff, plus TAs to work alongside the NHS team to facilitate this, which I don’t think anyone in the NHS quite realised would be needed! It’s a lot to ask of our staff , but worthwhile if it helps our pupils. I will be giving feedback to the NHS so they know just how much work the school had to put into facilitating this and so we can improve the organisation of it next year. But it was a big success.
Dates For Your Diary
21st December - school finishes at 12.30 for the Christmas holidays.
4th January start of Spring term ( There is a staff training day on the 3rd)
13th- 17th February – Spring Half term- school closed.
6th – 10th March – Governor week
31st March, school closes 12.30pm for Easter holidays
There are 2 other inset days to allocate this academic year, these will be decided in the new year, depending on need.
18th July- school closes for the Summer holiday.
Please look on the school website for all other dates.
Staffing
Some changes in staffing will take place from January.
Miss Codman, our Year 1 teacher will be leaving school this term, to pursue a new career with Wirral Local Authority. We are sorry to lose her, but wish her lots of luck in her new , exciting role and thank her for her hard work and loyalty to Kingsley over the past few years. Miss Harris will be taking over the role of class teacher in 1C. She has been working in school for the last 6 months and has worked with y1 over the Autumn term, so the children already know her and it should mean that the transition is very smooth for the pupils.
We are also very sadly saying good bye to one of our longest serving members of staff who is retiring this term. Miss Lee has worked at Granby and then Kingsley School for 27 years, as a member of dinner staff, office staff and currently as a general assistant. All of the children know her as I am sure many of you parents do as she will have worked here when you were pupils! She will be very much missed, and again I hope you will join me in thanking her for her hard work, good humour, reliability and massive loyalty to Kingsley school, pupils and families. We wish her a very happy retirement with her plants!
There is so much that has gone on this term that I have probably forgotten! Please look at our twitter feed and on our website , where staff post pictures regularly about what’s going on here. I feel like I’ve done some nagging here, (the children will know I always do this! ) but once again, there is so much to positively celebrate about life at Kingsley. The staff continue to work unbelievably hard on behalf of your children, and we really appreciate all the support we get from you.
I hope everyone has a lovely time with their families over the Christmas break.
Don’t forget we are back on the 4th, and lets all aim for an 8.50 start!
Kind regards,
Mrs A Whittaker, Head Teacher.
- plain black shorts or jogging bottoms
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Scarlet fever letter
Tue 06 Dec 2022Kingsley 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 7.12.22
Scarlet fever and Strep (iGAS) Update
I am writing to you to pass on some information we have received about illnesses which appear to be causing concern at the moment.
Regionally and nationally, we continue to see high rates of scarlet fever, higher than would be expected
for this time of year. The same pattern has been noted for cases of invasive group A streptococcus
(iGAS), particularly in children under 10 years. iGAS is a far less common infection caused by the same
bacteria as scarlet fever but can lead to more serious illness.
School is taking additional measures to try to combat the spread of infectious disease, just as we did during Covid. We have resumed weekly fogging (a special machine that chemically disinfects rooms) once a week and are encouraging hand washing and sanitising again. We have also kept our additional mid day cleaning of frequently used surfaces.
Signs and symptoms of scarlet fever
Scarlet fever is a common childhood infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, or group A
streptococcus (GAS). The early symptoms of scarlet fever include sore throat, headache, fever, nausea
and vomiting. After 12 to 48 hours the characteristic red, pinhead rash develops, typically first
appearing on the chest and stomach, then rapidly spreading to other parts of the body, and giving the
skin a sandpaper-like texture. The scarlet rash may be harder to spot on darker skin, although the
'sandpaper' feel should be present. Patients typically have flushed cheeks and pallor around the mouth.
This may be accompanied by a ‘strawberry tongue’. As the child improves peeling of the skin can occur.
Actions to take
- Children and adults with suspected scarlet fever should not attend nursery / school / work until
24 hours after starting appropriate antibiotic treatment.
- Whilst scarlet fever is circulating it is important that any children and adults with chickenpox do stay
off school or nursery until all their blisters have dried over, which is usually 5 days after they first
appeared.
- It is important to tell us if your child has chicken pox as thee are particular precautions we would take if both illnesses were present in school.
More information about scarlet fever can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/scarlet-fever-symptoms-diagnosis-treatment
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/scarlet-fever/
Guidance on exclusion for a range of infectious diseases can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcarefacilities
Rest assured, many children get seasonal coughs, colds and fevers, which are nothing to worry about your your child becomes ill, don’t panic, but always seek medical advice , particularly if a rash appears or your child does not begin to feel better after a 24-48 hour period.
Yours sincerely,
A Whittaker
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Flu Letter
Tue 06 Dec 20224th October 2022
Dear Parents, Carers
We will be hosting the annual Flu immunisations in school again this year.
Flu can be very unpleasant, can cause concerning illness, complications and time absent from school, so the NHS are keen to ask parents to help prevent the spread by letting their child be immunised.
We will host 2 types of vaccination in Kingsley, both on the 14th November.
You can chose either
- The nasal spray, which is a quick spray up the nose for your child
- - the non porcine injection which children usually have in their arm*
* this injection is suitable for those who do not want an immunisation containing gelatine.
Please complete the attached nasal spray consent form, to tell us whether you wish your child to receive this or not. You should complete this form even if you do NOT wish your child to receive this.
Then please complete the consent form if you wish your child to receive the injectable vaccine instead. If you chose this option, we suggest that you could come into school at the time your child receives this, we will liaise with the NHS staff about this.
Please note, school does not administer the vaccinations, we only offer the building for NHS to do this, but we always try to support their work if we can.
You can complete the forms online should you wish to instead.
Kind regards
Mrs A Whittaker, Head Teacher
الأعزاء/ أولياء الأمور/ مقدمو الرعاية
سنستضيف التطعيمات / اللقاحات السنوية ضد الإنفلونزا في المدرسة مرة أخرى هذا العام.
يمكن أن تكون الإنفلونزا مزعجة للغاية، ويمكن أن تسبب مرضًا ومضاعفات وقد تؤدى الى التغيب عن المدرسة، لذلك تحرص هيئة الخدمات الصحية الوطنية على مطالبة الوالدين بالمساعدة في منع الانتشار من خلال السماح لأطفالهم بالتحصين
سنستضيف نوعين من التطعيمات في مدرسة كينجسلي، كلاهما في 14 نوفمبر
يمكنك اختيار أي منهما :
- بخاخ الأنف وهو عبارة عن رش سريع للأنف لطفلك
الحقن الخالى من الخنازير والتي عادة ما يستخدمها الأطفال في أذرعهم -
* هذا الحقن مناسب لمن لا يريد تحصين يحتوي على الجيلاتين.
يرجى إكمال نموذج الموافقة المرفق لى رذاذ الأنف، لإخبارنا ما إذا كنت ترغب في أن يتلقى طفلك هذا أم لا. يجب عليك إكمال هذا النموذج حتى إذا كنت لا ترغب في أن يتلقى طفلك هذا النوع.
قم بإكمال نموذج الموافقة إذا كنت ترغب في أن يتلقى طفلك اللقاح القابل للحقن بدلاً من ذلك. إذا اخترت هذا الخيار، فنحن نقترح عليك االجضور الى المدرسة في الوقت الذي يتلقى فيه طفلك هذا اللقاح، وسوف نتواصل مع موظفي هيئة الخدمات الصحية الوطنية حول هذا الأمر.
يرجى ملاحظة أن المدرسة لا تدير هذه التطعيمات/ اللقاحات فنحن نعرض فقط مبنى المدرسة الى NHS ونحاول دائمًا دعم عملهم إذا استطعنا.
يمكنك إكمال النماذج عبر الإنترنت إذا كنت ترغب في ذلك بدلاً من ذلك.
أطيب التحيات
مسز ويتاكر
مديرة المدرسة