Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Staying alert and safe (latest Government guidance)

  Fri 15 May 2020

  The latest advice from the Government is as follows:

   

  Everyone’s actions have helped to reduce the transmission of coronavirus in our communities. As the UK moves to the next phase in our fight against coronavirus, the most important thing we can do is to stay alert, control the virus, and in doing so, save lives.

   

  This guidance applies in England – people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should follow the specific rules in those parts of the UK.

   

  The government has set out its plan to return life to as near normal as we can, for as many people as we can, as quickly and fairly as possible in order to safeguard livelihoods, but in a way that is safe and continues to protect our NHS.

   

  As part of this plan:

   

  • People and employers should stay safe in public spaces and workplaces by following “COVID-19 secure” guidelines. This should enable more people to go back to work, where they cannot work from home, and encourage more vulnerable children and the children of critical workers to go to school or childcare as already permitted
  • You should stay alert when you leave home: washing your hands regularly, maintaining social distancing, and ensuring you do not gather in groups of more than two, except with members of your household or for other specific exceptions set out in law
  • You must continue to stay home except for a limited set of reasons but - in line with scientific advice - can take part in more outdoor activities

   

  Read the full text and additional advice here.

  

• STAY HOME ADVICE

  Tue 24 Mar 2020

  Yesterday, the Prime Minister announce new measures to help prevent the spread of the virus.

  For this reason, we have put on hold any plans for open air book swaps. We would also discourage people from coming to school to collect resources. See online learning resources posted under the Children tab.

   

  Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do:

   

  Stay at home

   

  • Only go outside for food, health reasons or essential work
  • Stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people
  • Wash your hands as soon as you get home

   

  Anyone can spread the virus.

   

  Full guidance on staying at home and away from others

• School Closure - Home Learning

  Fri 20 Mar 2020

  Your child’s learning is very important to us and we will continue to provide opportunities for your child to learn whist the school is closed. 

   

  You will appreciate that we are not able to provide a full curriculum, or the same level of differentiation that we would in school.  However, my team of staff are committed to providing a range of activities and resources which will allow children to continue learning.  This can be augmented, at parents’ discretion, with the range of additional activities already posted on our website.

   

  Your child will today bring home a new exercise book, which they can decorate. This will be a space to record any written work they complete. This work can be shared upon their return but will not be formally marked.

   

  We will set activities, initially, a week at a time. The first set will come home today with their new exercise book. 

  
  Our expectation for the week commencing 23 March is as follows:
  •    5 age-appropriate maths activities
  •    5 age-appropriate writing activities/opportunities
  •    Daily reading (additional books will be sent home and we are working on plans to allow ‘open-air’ access to exchange books – more details to follow).
  •    Daily online spelling practice via Spelling Shed.

   

  Pupils not in school today can collect resources over the coming weeks. We will leave clearly labelled resources in the main porch to allow access for collection, without increased contact with others.  

   

  We plan to post further activities weekly on the newly updated Home Learning webpage. Please contact us via Parentmail if you struggle with printing or need access to basic stationery.

   

  We will resource the same range of tasks to the limited number of children for whom the school will remain open to, so as not to unfairly advantage or disadvantage either group of children.

   

  Going forward, we will continue to develop our provision for home learning and are exploring options for more extended provision after Easter.  We also plan to operate a system with class teachers making individual check-in telephone contact with their class.  The Pastoral team will also check-in by phone with certain children. Please do contact us by the usual means if you need further advice or support.

   

  We understand that this time may bring anxiety and uncertainty. Try to establish/maintain routines at home. Get children into a pattern of activities and make it clear what is happening ‘now’ and ‘next’.  Make a family plan so the adults at home know what is happening, to give children reassurance.

   

  Thank you again for your continued support. We will continue to update you regularly.

• Coronavirus Upcoming School Closure

  Wed 18 Mar 2020

  On Wednesday 18th March the Government announced that schools in England will be closed from Monday 23rd March.  We are awaiting further guidance regarding the closure and will communicate with you when we have this.

   

  The school remains open until Friday 20th March, including Breakfast and After School Club subject to sufficient staffing levels.

   

  Thank you for your support during these challenging times.

• New Coronavirus Guidance

  Thu 12 Mar 2020

  UPDATE - MONDAY 16TH MARCH:

   

  If a member of your household has any of the below symptoms your household should isolate for 14 days from the start of the symptoms. 

   

  ORIGINAL NEWS STORY:

   

  As you will be aware, the government has issued new advice if you have certain symptoms. The advice is:

   

  Stay at home for 7 days if you have either:

  • a high temperature
  • a new continuous cough

   

  This will help to protect others in your community while you are infectious.  Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.  You do not need to contact NHS 111 to tell them you’re staying at home.

   

  If your child has any of the above symptoms they will need to stay at home and follow the self-isolation guidance found here:

  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance

   

  If this applies to your child, please leave a message on the Absence line (01202 512241, option 1), or e-mail absence@st-marks.bournemouth.sch.uk, making it clear that your child is isolating for 7 days.  You will not need to leave further messages until the 8th day of absence, as your child will be marked as unwell for 7 days (5 school days).  Please message the school as soon as possible to help us with our planning.

   

  If your child shows any of the above symptoms at school, you will be called to collect your child and asked to isolate them for 7 days.

   

  As this guidance applies to adults as well as children, we may well be impacted by staff absence over the coming weeks.  Whilst we will try to operate as normal, we may need to make changes to the provision which we offer.  For example, your child may be taught by different teachers or as part of a different or bigger class.  It may become necessary to implement full or partial closure of the school and/or wraparound care provision but we would aim to give as much notice as possible of this.

   

  The needs and safety of the children will continue to be our utmost priority during this time.

   

  I thank you for your support as we all adapt to this new guidance.

• Coronavirus COVID-19 Advice

  Thu 27 Feb 2020

  UPDATE: 8 MARCH 2020

   

  The lockdown areas in Italy have now been extended to:

   

  Lombardy region (which includes the cities of Milan, Bergamo, Como) and the provinces of Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Reggio Emilia and Rimini (all in Emilia Romagna); Pesaro e Urbino (in Marche); Alessandria, Asti, Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and Vercelli (all in Piemonte); Padova. Treviso and Venice (in Veneto)

   

  ORIGINAL NEWS STORY:

   

  The government is closely monitoring the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and is taking action at home and abroad. The risk to individuals remains low. However, we understand that people may be concerned where there are children, students or staff returning from specific areas affected by Coronavirus.

   

  Yesterday, the Chief Medical Advisor for England updated advice for travellers returning to the UK from specific areas affected by Coronavirus, which you can find at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public

   

  If you have returned from the following specific areas since 19 February, you should call NHS 111 and stay indoors and avoid contact with other people even if you do not have symptoms:

  • Iran
  • Specific lockdown areas in Northern Italy (Bertonico, Casalpusterlengo, Castelgerundo, Castiglione D'Adda, Codogno, Fombio, Maleo, San Fiorano, Somaglia, Terranova dei Passerini, and Vo)
  • Special care zones in South Korea
  • Hubei province

   

  If you have returned from the following areas since 19 February and develop symptoms, however mild, you should stay indoors at home and avoid contact with other people immediately and call NHS 111:

  • Northern Italy (defined by a line above, and not including, Pisa, Florence and Rimini)
  • Vietnam
  • Cambodia
  • Laos
  • Myanmar

   

  If you have a cough, or fever or shortness of breath and have visited any of the following areas in the last 14 days, stay indoors and call NHS 111 informing them of your recent travel:

  • China, apart from Hubei province
  • Thailand
  • Japan
  • Republic of Korea, apart from special care zones
  • Hong Kong
  • Taiwan
  • Singapore
  • Malaysia
  • Macau

   

  If you have travelled anywhere else, there is no need to avoid normal activities or school unless you have had contact with a confirmed case. Anyone who has had close contact with a confirmed case should contact NHS 111 for further advice. Based on current evidence, novel coronavirus (COVID-19) presents with flu-like symptoms including a fever, a cough, or difficulty breathing. The virus can cause more severe symptoms in those with weakened immune systems. However, there is no evidence that children are more affected than other age groups.

  To prevent the spread of infection make sure you and your children follow these general principles to prevent spreading any respiratory virus:

  • Wash your hands often – with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or an alcohol-based sanitiser if soap and water aren’t available
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in a bin
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces in the home
  • If you’re worried about your symptoms, please call NHS 111 – don’t go directly to your GP or other healthcare environment.

   

  Please be reassured we continue to keep the school clean to prevent the spread of any virus and we are encouraging pupils and staff to follow the general principles stated above. I must reassure you that we currently have no concerns here at school. We are regularly checking guidance from the Department of Education and Public Health and will update you if necessary.

• Happy 100 day!

  Tue 11 Feb 2020

   

  Today is the 100th day of the school year. We are celebrating with all things related to the number 100. We have already seen some amazing pieces of '100' themed art... watch this space!

  

• Mrs Lesley Howe

  Fri 17 Jan 2020

  We recently received the sad news of the loss of Mrs Lesley Howe, following a short, but brave battle with bowel cancer. Many of you will know her as a parent to 5 children who all attended St Mark's over the years. Others of you will know her as a dedicated member of our kitchen team who served hot meals to our children daily. Lesley had been a member of staff for over eleven years, joining the team in 2008. We are aware of a fundraising campaign to support the family, launched by a friend. Details of this can be found below, should you feel in a position to make a donation. The loss of Lesley has been a shock to the whole school community and we extend our thoughts and prayers to her family at this difficult time.

   

  Link to Go Fund Me page

• Team Reward - Autumn term

  Wed 18 Dec 2019

  Congratulations to the Yellow team, who clocked up an impressive 105 points, only 3 points more than the Purple team.

   

  Team reward this afternoon will take place with Mrs Burn, Mr Bright, Mrs Nickols and Mrs Biles. We will be enjoying icing gingerbread men (kindly donated by Sainsburys Talbot Health) and enjoying snacks and Christmas karaoke!

   

  Well done to all the children for their hard work. We'll start counting again in January!

   

• Christmas home learning challenges

  Thu 12 Dec 2019

  If your child needs any mental stimulation on dark, wet holiday days, please see the Children tab for each year group's Christmas Home Learning Challenge and a chance to earn up to 5 merits.