Newsletters

MESSAGE FROM MRS JONES

I hope everyone remains safe and well. 

We are very much looking forward to seeing all the children back in school on Monday 8^th March 2021.  We ask that all parents who are coming onto the school grounds wear face masks for the safety of everyone in the school community.

Attendance from 8^th March will be mandatory.  All pupils are expected to return to school on this date as long as they are fit and well.  

We do ask that parents and carers are prepared for changes if the opening of the school is deemed to be unsafe, or if classes need to be sent home due to COVID positive incidents.

Pupils will spend the vast majority of their school day with their class group, as was the case in the Autumn term.

For more information on the reopening of school you can read the letter we sent out last week  here. 

Thank you again, to all parents and carers for your amazing support to your children and the school during this latest lockdown.

For information on helping your child adjust to returning to school, please see the article below with some tips on preparing your child to return to school which we hope you will find helpful. 

To all our pupils…. we can’t wait to see you on the 8^th March!

Take care of yourselves and each other.

Mrs Jones

PREPARING YOUR CHILD TO RETURN TO SCHOOL

Tips for parents and caregivers

(Advice from Young Minds and Mental Health UK)

Start talking

Your child might have worries about the virus, restrictions in place or their education and school.

Talk to your child about how they are feeling about going back to school and try not to make assumptions.  Ask them if they are worried or feel scared about anything, but also if they are excited about or looking forward to something.  No matter how your child feels, let them know that it is completely normal to feel a mixture of emotions and that everyone will be in the same boat.

Reassure your child.  During the lockdown we have been told to stay at home, remain socially distant from others and wash our hands regularly.  This means children may find it difficult to go back to school because it will be a huge change from what they have been asked to do during the pandemic.  Talk with your child about ways they can stay safe at school, such as washing their hands before and after eating, and reassure them that the school are putting measures in place to keep them safe.

Sleep routine

Re-establish a routine to help ease into school life.  During lockdown it is understandable that your family’s routine may have changed.  Children are likely to have been waking up later or going to bed later.  To help them get ready for school, try to gradually get them back into their usual morning and bedtime routines as they get closer to their return date.

Make yourself available as much as possible

Children may want to come and “debrief” but maybe not when you expect.  Create space for talking in different ways, such as going on a walk together or baking together – there may be less pressure in these circumstances than when sitting face-to-face. 

Look at the positives

It might be helpful to talk with your child about the things they have enjoyed during the pandemic and what they may be looking forward to, like their favourite shop reopening, seeing friends in the park or getting ice cream from their favourite café. 

Think ahead.  As well as reflecting on what has happened during the past few weeks, it is important to help children develop hope and a sense of excitement for the future.  At a time like this, it can be hard to feel positive, but identifying the things that they can look forward to will help them to realise that the current situation won’t last forever and their feelings will change.

Don’t put pressure on yourself.  The transition back into school is likely to take some time.  Lots of children will experience ups and downs.  Try your best to support, reassure and comfort them, without putting pressure on yourself to make sure their homework is done or they settle into a new routine straightaway.

Seek support if you need it.  Transitioning back to school after being in lockdown is no easy task.  You may find that your child struggles to get back into school or experiences difficulties while they’re at school.  If this is the case, let your child’s class teacher know as soon as you can so that you can make them aware of the challenges and work together to support your child.

If you are concerned about your child’s mental health and you think they need professional support, speak your child’s class teacher and your GP about the best next step.

FRIENDS OF VAUGHAN UPDATE

Laptops for Children

A huge thank you to everyone who has donated money to our Crowdfunder which has now raised over £1,000 to provide access to online learning for children who need it. 

We would love to meet our target of £2,000 so please keep sharing the link 
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/friends-of-vaughan and let's raise as much money as possible.

Spring Term Activity Pack

We hope your children all enjoyed the Spring Term Activity pack which we gave away to every child in the school.  A massive thanks to Bhavna, Jenny, Lucy, Sam, Praj, Nadia, Sonal & Seet who helped deliver over 500 packs around Harrow!

Facebook Group

We would love more parents to join our Friends of Vaughan Facebook group 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vaughanPTA  where we share more regular updates on what we're up to and you can connect with other parents across the school. A brilliant Reception parent has also just set up a group for swapping uniform, particularly useful this year, and you can find this linked from our group page.

THE GREAT BIG ART EXHIBITION

If you enjoyed making rainbows and crafts to hang in your window last year, then you will probably enjoy getting creative once again.

Firstsite, a visual arts organisation, are inviting people to create artwork to display in their windows until 7^th May 2021.  Many big names and galleries from the art world have come together to help inspire us.

Every two weeks a different artist has been choosing a theme.  This week, Anish Kapoor announced ‘colour’ for his theme.  Simply create an artwork based on this to display in your window and brighten up our community with Vaughan’s creativity!

The links below will help you find out more, discover each theme as it is revealed every two weeks, and access some free resources.

https://firstsite.uk/

https://www.itsnicethat.com/news/first-site-the-great-big-art-exhibition-art-290121

If you do get creating, send a photo to your teacher, we really enjoy seeing what you are doing at home!

At Vaughan Primary School, we are committed to the safety, wellbeing and happiness of all our pupils.  If you have any concerns about a child’s safety or wellbeing, please speak to a member of our safeguarding team.

VAUGHAN PRIMARY SCHOOL SAFEGUARDING TEAM

Ms Keohane – Designated Safeguarding Lead

Mrs Davies – Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Mrs Fink - Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Ms Perschky - Deputy Safeguarding Lead

Support and Advice for children

If you have a worry or need some support and a trusted adult cannot help, you can contact the following organisations for help.

• Childline (0800 1111, www.childline.org.uk) – This is a confidential service for children and young people. No problem is too big or too small and they’re there to listen and support you with anything you’d like to talk about. Or you can have a 1-2-1 counsellor chat online.
• NSPCC (0808 800 5000, www.nspcc.org.uk)
• Harrow Children Services - 020 8901 2690.
• Harrow Children Services – Emergency out of hours 020 8424 0999
• Police – in case of an emergency - 999

Year 6 only

• Kooth – Kooth is a web based confidential support service available to young people. Kooth provides a safe and secure means of accessing mental health and wellbeing support. 
• Kooth offers young people the opportunity to have a text-based conversation with a qualified counsellor.
• Counsellors are available from 12noon to 10pm on weekdays and 6pm to 10 pm at weekends, every day of the year on a drop-in basis.  You can access regular booked online counselling sessions as needed.
• Outside counselling hours’ young people can message the team and get support by the next day.
• When you register with Kooth, you will have support available now and in the future. Support can be gained not only through counselling but articles, forums and discussion boards.  All content is age appropriate, clinically approved and fully moderated.

To find out more visit www.Kooth.com where you can register and find out more about the service.

You can also view a short video about the service at:

https://vimeo.com/318731977/a9f32c87de.     

KEY MESSAGES FROM WELFARE

Medical Conditions and Health Care Plans

If your child has a diagnosed medical condition, a Health Care Plan needs to be completed (if we have not got one already). It is important that the school are aware of any medical conditions.

If there are any changes to a child’s existing medical condition and/or a new medical condition emerges, parents/carers need to complete a new Health Care Plan.

If we do not receive a new or updated Health Care Plan, your child will be unable to attend school.  If we do not receive medicine (as outlined in your child’s Health Care Plan), your child will be unable to attend school.

The Health Care Plans are available on the school website here.

Epi pens

If your child uses an epi-pen at school, please can you provide three epi-pens so that we can keep one in the lunch hall, classroom and welfare.

Asthma

The Harrow School Nursing Team advise if any child has been prescribed an inhaler for either asthma or viral induced wheeze, they should be reviewed annually.  That can be done by either the GP, practice nurse or respiratory team. The school requires a copy of your child's latest Asthma Plan for their records.

If you require any further information, please contact Welfare on welfare@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk.

Inhalers

Please ensure that inhalers are kept in their original packaging with the child’s name and instructions.  We also require an age appropriate spacer together with the inhaler.

Inhalers for children in the Junior School

If your child uses an inhaler, please can you provide a third inhaler so that we have a spare one available.

Medication

If your child is prescribed medication which has to be administered at school, please complete a consent form which can be found on the school website with clear instructions.  It must come via the school office or alternatively, call Welfare tel: 0208 427 7222 Ext 2 and arrangements can be made to collect from outside the school office.

Any medical queries, please contact Mrs O’Rourke or Ms Goodspeed in Welfare.

Free check ups

Please be advised that children are entitled to:

• Free NHS Prescriptions
• Free NHS Dental Treatment
• Free NHS Sight Tests

We do encourage families to have regular check-ups.  Please check https://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk for further information.

Medical appointments during the day

And lastly a reminder about medical appointments.  If your child has a medical appointment during the school day, please remember to email attendance@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk with the details and with proof of the appointment.  We do ask however, that appointments during the day are kept to a minimum and that you book appointments for outside of the school day.  Thank you.

HARROW FOODBANK

Further is available from the following website:
https://harrow.foodbank.org.uk/

TERM DATES

School will close at 1.35pm on the last day of each term
(please see separate letter sent regarding the end of the Autumn term)

Afternoon Nursery will be closed on the last day of each term.

After School Club finishes at 4.00pm on the last day of term. 

Please do not book holidays for during term time as these will not be authorised.  If you wish to request leave from school, please complete a Request for Leave form and email it to attendance@vaughan.harrow.sch.uk for Mrs Jones' attention.

Next year's term dates are available to view here.