Good afternoon, 

I think everyone is ready for the Christmas break.  I am very much hoping we won’t have any staff or pupils testing positive for Covid 19 over Christmas, but please see below the procedures we all need to follow if there is a positive case. 

Before Christmas

If a staff member or child develops symptoms up to 3:30pm on Sunday  20th December, please get a Covid 19 test and email cwoodward@st-james.derbyshire.sch.uk if the test is positive. I will speak with the DFE and Public Health England and let people know if they need to isolate. 

After Christmas

There is no change to the current arrangements.

• If your child or member of the household or bubble has symptoms, please keep your child off and get a test.
• Please email cwoodward@st-james.derbyshire.sch.uk if your child won’t be in on the first day. Then continue to email office@st-james.derbyshire.sch.uk
• If there is a positive test, please send confirmation of the test result to office@st-james.derbyshire.sch.uk and follow the track and trace guidance on isolation times. 
• Please don’t send your child into school if they are showing the following symptoms. 
  • New dry continuous cough.
  • Temperature of 37.8 degrees or higher.
  • Loss of taste or smell.

I would like to thank you all for all of your support this term and keeping our school community safe. 

Have a great Christmas and happy new year.

Mr Woodward

Dear all,

It has been a challenging and ever-changing autumn term and staff and have been working tirelessly to nurture and support your children. Governors have continued to meet remotely as they did during the earlier lockdown. Significant changes have taken place within the leadership structure of the school. The following appointments have all been made during the last two terms:

Staffing changes

KS2 leader                              Miss Warburton

KS1/EYFS leader                    Mrs Cox

School Business Manager      Ms Bayliss

Year 3 / 4 teacher                   Miss Ratcliffe

Governors would particularly like to extend thanks to Mrs Sweeton who has been covering as school business manager since Mrs Smith left earlier this year.

COVID

Throughout this term the senior leadership team has been regularly updating governors with the ever-changing risk assessment and any actions taken to reduce the risk to pupils, staff, parents, and the wider community. Governors have been informed of any bubble closures and the numbers of children quarantining.

Attainment

After the children had settled in, internal assessments took place to inform staff of how the school closure from March had affected attainment. This data has been shared with teachers and governors. In normal circumstances, the internal assessments take place at the end of each term. However, it was strongly felt that the school needed to find out what particular areas needed focusing on after the initial extended lockdown of the pandemic.

Surveys

The parent survey was distributed via an online form for the first time this year. It makes the collating of the results significantly easier. We will continue to use this format and would encourage as many of you as possible to complete the survey.

We are also holding a pupil survey and it will take a similar format; some of the younger children will need support in answering these questions. The results of these surveys are intended to give governors a clear idea of the feelings of the school community and any actions decided from these will be shared.

Monitoring

Due to Covid restrictions, governor visits to school this term have been reduced. This is an important part of the governor’s role and monitoring has been arranged to take place at the end of each half term. This allows time for the books to be quarantined appropriately. In the new year we have arranged monitoring training for all governors, which will specifically include ideas for monitoring whilst access to school is limited.

On behalf of all governors I would like to wish you a very happy Christmas and New year!

Ben Powell

Chair of Governors

Covid Winter Grant Scheme

We have been informed that Derbyshire County Council will be distributing the funding from the Covid Winter Grant Scheme directly to parents of children who are eligible for free school meals. Schools will not be distributing the electronic vouchers and have no control over the system. We do not know what the value of the vouchers will be but we have been told that they will start to be issued on Monday 14th December in a phased rollout with the aim of most vouchers having been sent out by 21st December.

We hope that the voucher system runs smoothly but would also like to remind you that the food banks will remain open over the Christmas period if you need them, the helpline number is 03337721916.

The school dinner on Friday 18th December will be party food. To enable the kitchen to prepare the right number of sandwiches, please fill out the form below if your child is having a school dinner on that day.

If your child is on free school meals, you still need to fill in the form so we know what sandwich they want.

Please fill in the form by Monday 14th December.

Thank you Mr Woodward

Party Food Choice Form

Christmas dates December 2020

Please send your child into school wearing something Christmassy (t-shirt, dress, jumper, piece of tinsel or hat but please don’t buy anything) when it is their Christmas song recording day.

Reception children can come in Christmas clothes but they will change into their nativity costume (costume provided by school) for the recording.

Please send your child in party clothes and sensible shoes on their class party day.