It was really good this week to invite our governors in to see the school in action. They visited each class and then met with pupils and heard about they had been learning. All the pupils who took part in these groups spoke thoughtfully about what they had learnt. We were very proud of them. Next Friday, we are looking forward to welcoming Mr Fry for the first of three handover visits he will do this term. He won’t be able to see us in our normal school uniform though, as it’s Children in Need that day and non-uniform here. More details below.

and this weeks stars are ….

In early years  Sophie Bargery

Class 2   Blossom Hall

Class 3  Hallie Osborne

Class 4    Nadia Sypianska

Attendance this week

Whole school attendance this week was 96.8%
C1  100%      C2 92.8%      C3 97%     C4 98%
our whole Autumn term school figure is 94.7%

Please remember to email or call the office before 9am should your child be too unwell to attend school, stating the reason.
It is a requirement that you inform us every day that you are keeping them at home. Here are some useful links…

NHS ‘Is my child too ill for school?’ guidance

guidance on mental health issues affecting a pupil’s attendance 

 

All schools had a letter from the Department for Education. Thought you might like to read it too…..
There is wide agreement among health professionals and educational professionals that school attendance is vital to the life chances of children and young people. Being in school improves health, wellbeing and socialisation throughout the life course. The greatest benefits come from children and young people attending school regularly.

It is usually appropriate for parents and carers to send their children to school with mild respiratory illnesses. This would include general cold symptoms: a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat. However, children should not be sent to school if they have a temperature of 38°C or above. We would encourage you to share the NHS ‘Is my child too ill for school?’ guidance with parents and carers in your schools and communities which has further information. (tick)

In addition to respiratory illnesses, we are aware that more children may be absent from school due to symptoms of anxiety than before the pandemic. Worry and mild or moderate anxiety, whilst sometimes difficult emotions, can be a normal part of growing up for many children and young people. Being in school can often help alleviate the underlying issues. A prolonged period of absence is likely to heighten a child’s anxiety about attending in the future, rather than reduce it. DfE has published useful guidance on mental health issues affecting a pupil’s attendance and those who are experiencing persistent symptoms can be encouraged to access additional support.

Thank you for your efforts so far to facilitate immunisation sessions within schools. (tick) As we head into winter, encouraging high uptake of seasonal flu vaccination and routine immunisations for eligible children and young people will help to reduce absences and the disruption they cause. (BIG tick!)

Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, England
Pat Cullen, General Secretary, Royal College of Nursing
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, Chair, Royal College of General Practitioners
Dr Camilla Kingdon, President, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
William Roberts, Chief Executive, Royal Society for Public Health
Dr Lade Smith, President, Royal College of Psychiatrists

Also, Members of the Attendance Action Alliance have worked with the Department for Education to develop this short guide which helps parents understand how they can work with their school and local authority to support their children to attend school and get the right support. For more information please visit:

https://assets.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wpuploads/2022/12/aaa-guide-for-parents-on-school-attendance.pdf

Weather warning !  Its definitely getting colder.  Please ensure children have school jumpers and proper winter coats, not just a school fleece.  We know its hard to find a coat that is both warm and waterproof but its what they need. Alternatively they need a school jumper and a fleece with a light weight waterproof that fits over the top – we still  have two good quality unnamed waterproofs in the lost property pile ….
Hats and gloves (named please) should be in their school bags too just in case. They may be running around but their ears and little hands do suffer. Thank you.

SCHOOL REQUESTS:

Scenery production for Peter Pan the musical is underway –  bring out your old pots of paint in black,  any shade of grey, or white will be gratefully received.  Wonderland is a wonder but it doesn’t appear by magic so if you can help in anyway then please speak with Elaine Trute or Emily Parker they would be very happy :-).

A letter was sent out by Mrs Parker re costumes, rehearsal and performance dates.

Chess sets: Do you have an old chess set you are willing to donate ? The more we have the more can play in Class 3’s lunchtime chess club !

Christmas Shoe boxes – Collection date is MONDAY coming. Children should deliver them to the hall when they arrive.  THANK YOU.

Diary Dates and communications that went out this week:

Tuesday 14th Nov – fire safety talks for year 2 and year 5. Do please let is know (confidentially) if you have any concerns over which your child may get upset. The fire safety officer is very aware thus asking this question in advance.

Wednesday 15th Nov – Dentist ! Oral hygiene talks for all ages groups.
KS2 (ie Class 3 and 4)  have been given an A5 form to return giving permission to use the disclosing tablet (remember your toothbrush if so 😉 )   They really don’t have to, but its fun !  No form no tablet.

Friday 17th Nov – Children in Need day – is a charity non uniform day !  A suggested £1 voluntary donation has been added to Scopay and will appear from today 10 November for 2 weeks to 24th November.  We will not be collecting cash on the day; you may donate more than £1 if you wish to.  Grateful if a non uniform reminder can be sent out on WhatsApp groups the night before and on the morning 🙂

Thursday 23rd Nov – Coldharbour Mill trip for Class 4 – still a few consent letters to come back…. think about a Victorian outfit.

Monday 27th Nov – Basketball C3 girls –  the girls will need to be dropped off at the Braunton Academy for 9.15am, a minibus will bring them back.  School lunches should be ordered on Friday 24th Nov. Letter printed for monday.

Click here  for the school calendar which can be found at the bottom of the website home page.

The school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead is Mr Jonathan Gower Our Deputy Safeguarding Lead is  Emma Hill
Our SENDCo is once again Mrs Lucy Rinvolucri. A HUGE Thank you to Laura for all your time with our wonderful kids. 
Make contact with us via  dsl@georgeham-primary.devon.sch.uk

If you have any concerns that you’d like to discuss, please call through to Lottie and ask for an appointment.
You may also find some useful or helpful information on our Safeguarding webpage… https://georgehamceps.wpengine.com/staying-safe/

Attendance… We report the attendance of individual year groups as it’s a really good way to see if school attendance is at a good percentage…  as high as possible of course! The DfE have a target of 96.5%
Attending school regularly is vital to help children achieve and to give them the best possible start in life. It’s also the legal requirement of parents once children are of school age and enrolled in mainstream education. Ofsted has a strong view about attendance of course. Too many absences can lead into difficult discussions about how we can support children to achieve and do well – we could even be downgraded for our current Good status as a result.
Absences will only be authorised if they meet exceptional circumstances. With only 190 statutory school days in the year, there are 175 days (weekends and school holidays) left to plan for family visits, non-urgent medical/dental appointments, holidays etc. School holidays are published well in advance and parents are expected to plan and take family holidays at this time so as not to disrupt their child’s education. We also try to arrange our Inset (training) days to provide time for travel… such as this term’s Friday October 20th.
Holidays… are almost always not recognised as meeting ‘exceptional circumstances’ and therefore an absence would be unauthorised. This could result in a penalty notice being issued by DCC.
Punctuality is important too, and the earlier we get our children into the right habits, the better. You may not realise that being just 5 minutes late every day equals 3 days of school lost a year. Please bring your child for 8.45am when they door is open and the classroom has a learning activity ready for them.

Nut free !  This is really important as there are nut allergy sufferers in the school.
Peanuts and most kinds of tree nuts such as almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, and pine nuts, should not be brought into school in any form i.e. in snack bars, peanut butter sandwiches, or even as pesto pasta !

Keri is super aware about keeping our staff and children safe by ensuring the kitchen and surrounding areas are kept allergen free; she is very happy to speak with you if you have concerns.

We are community 

Our school is a community, but we are also part of a wider local and global community.
We encourage a sense of belonging and responsibility towards each other, our environment and the world we live in.

‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’  (Matthew 22 v39)