Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC)

I hope that you are all well and have had a fantastic summer holiday. We are really looking forward to welcoming the children and families back to school tomorrow (Tuesday 5th) and hearing all about their holidays.

You may have seen recent media coverage regarding Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and its use in educational settings. RAAC is a lightweight form of concrete; because it is weaker than regular concrete, concerns have been raised about its long-term durability. Department for Education (DfE) has recently changed its guidance to education settings on the management of RAAC to take a more precautionary approach and as a result areas in affected spaces will be vacated.

We wanted to inform you that we are not affected by this decision as we do not have RAAC in any of our buildings and therefore they will continue to function as normal. We understand that parents may want to understand more about the support to educational settings to manage RAAC safely. You can read more through the article published by the DfE on the Education Hub. Link to Hub

I hope that this offers reassurance and look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Yours sincerely,

Cristy Nelson

Headteacher

Free Booklet: Child and Baby CPR

The Resus Council is giving away free books that teach baby and child CPR. 

All you have to do is go to the following website and follow the link on the home page:

Home | Resuscitation Council UK

Information regarding staffing for the academic year, September 2023

For information about staffing for new academic year, please see the attached letter.

Existing families at our School will have already received information about their child's/children's new classes.

If you are a prospective parent, please do not hesitate to contact us. Email: admin@svps1.com

It's time for our annual Sherwell Valley's Got Talent show...

As in previous years, the children will need to record their auditions at home and email them to the following email address: svgt23@svps1.com 

In your email, please state the name of your child, their class and the act they are performing. 

All videoed auditions must also be able to be replicated in the school hall so please, no trampolines etc.

The deadline for receiving all videos is Monday 3rd July at 9:00 a.m.

The children will then spend the week beginning 3rd July voting for their favourite act, with the finalists announced on Friday 7th July. Our chosen finalists will then have a week to perfect their performance and send in any music / resources they require before the finals taking place on Wednesday 19th July: KS1 9:30-11:00 a.m. and KS2 1:30-3 p.m. 

We wish all the children luck with their auditions

Year 2: Mastering Number at Home

The presentation to parents covering:

• some of the things your child/children will be learning in School
• improving your confidence in helping your child with maths.
• home learning activities

can be downloaded - please click on the link below.

Coronation Celebrations

Our Coronation Celebration to commemorate the crowning of King Charles III will take place on Friday the 5th May, 23.

Please check your emails for more information and any changes to the plan.

Easter Bonnet Parade for Nursery, Reception, Year 1 & Year 2 Children

On Friday 31st March we will be having an Easter Bonnet Parade for Nursery (only children who are in Nursery on Fridays), Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children. We would like your child to bring/wear the Easter Bonnet they have made at home into school on this day. Please make sure their name is written somewhere inside it so that we can make sure the right bonnet goes home with the right child. The children will get a chance to share and celebrate their amazing bonnet with all of the other children and they could be in with a chance of winning an Easter Egg for their incredible creations - yummy!

If you have any questions please contact your child's teacher.

We hope this will bring the children together to develop strong relationships with each other and allow them to show kindness to one another in line with our school values of collaboration and respect. We also think it will be a fun way to end the Spring Term!

Strike Action plan - Update

This letter was sent home to parents 30 1 23

Dear Parents / Carers                                                                                      30th January 2023                                        

You will no doubt have seen in the media that the National Education Union (NEU) has announced national and regional strike action for teachers in England. The strike is due to a national dispute between teachers and the government over teachers’ pay and funding for schools. The strikes will take place on the following dates-

• Wednesday 1st February 2023 – open as usual

• Wednesday 1st March 2023

• Wednesday 15th March 2023

• Thursday 16th March 2023

Some of our teachers will be taking part in the strike, this is not because of issues at our school, but is to support the NEU in demanding fairer funding for schools. All of our classes will be open as usual on Wednesday 1st February. At the moment we anticipate being open on all strike days however if this changes we will notify you.

Thank you for your support.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs C Nelson

Headteacher

Strike Action plan

Following the news of the National Education Union's call to take strike action, we are currently speaking to teachers to establish their intentions.

In line with DfE guidance, our objective is to remain open as much as possible. Once we have a clear picture of the intended action, we will inform you of whether we will be open, closed or restricting attendance on Wednesday 1st February, 2023.

Holiday Vouchers & Healthy Holidays Programme

For information relating to these privileges for children who are in receipt of benefits - related Free School Meals, please click on the following link:

Discounts & Offers: help for households

Please click on the link below to find out what offers are available:

https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/discounts-and-offers/

Support in the Area

Please click on the links below for information from the Local Authority with regards to support in the local area. 

•  A new Community Hub at Paignton Library 
• School Nurse Drop in centre's for young people aged 11 years+
•  A free CAP Money Course if you are worried about finances

Also, below is also a link to Healthy Homes for Wellbeing which provides free energy and money saving advice for people living in Exeter, Mid Devon, East Devon, Teignbridge and Torbay. Their team of Home Energy Advisers provide practical energy advice and support with the aim of helping as many residents save money and stay warm in their homes.

They will help you with:

• tariff checks and supplier switching
• applying for the Warm Home Discount
• registering for Priority Services Register
• energy and water saving tips and advice
• grants for insulation and heating
• heating control advice
• smart meters
• referrals for help with benefits and debts

https://www.ecoe.org.uk/healthy-homes-wellbeing/

Community Defibrillator

Fireman, Rob Wolstanholme has confirmed that the fund-raising over the past few 

has raised enough money to install a community defibrillator just outside our school gates!! 

Well done to Ali and Rob Wolstanholme for their amazing effort in coordinating the fund-raising and, of course, thank you to our SVPS community for all donating!! 

Torquay Fire Station are committed to installing defibrillators across the town so we are very proud to be able support such a worthy cause and are grateful that our School and the local community will benefit from the availability of life saving equipment.

Governors'  update 

The governors are pleased to announce that Mr Briant has accepted an invitation to take on the role of acting deputy head until July 2023. It is anticipated that Mr Briant will lead the school from September 2022 until a suitable, new permanent head is appointed. The process of recruiting a new headteacher is already underway.

Mr Briant has been an integral member of the leadership team for a number of years having joined Sherwell Valley in 2012. Mr Briant has led SVPS, in Mrs Keller absence, over recent years and he is celebrated amongst staff and parents for his enthusiastic ‘can do’ attitude and approachable manner. We would also like to congratulate Mr Briant on the timely completion of his National Professional Qualification for Headship (NQPH) this week, which he has been working towards for the past few years.

Mr Briant will be supported in this leadership role by the existing senior leadership team that include Mrs Gaywood, Mr Robinson and Mrs Sharp. The school governors are looking forward to working alongside Mr Briant, the leadership team and the wider staff body to ensure that SVPS continues to thrive until a new headteacher is appointed.

Kelly Bremridge and Maria Beer (Co-Chairs of the governing board)

May 2022 Covid 19 Update

Please see the following links for information and guidance regarding Covid-19 and what to do if you suspect your child/children may have symptons.

NHS - What to do if you have coronavirus (COVID-19) or symptoms of COVID-19

NHS - Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms in children

Absence reporting and Covid Symptoms...

Please can we remind parents that you should call the School Office before 8.30 am on the first day of absence if your child is going to be away from school due to illness.

Please also be aware that if your child has a symptom of Covid-19 e.g. temperature, cough, loss of taste or smell that a PCR test should be carried out and the child/children should remain at home until a negative result has been obtained.  

A positive lateral flow test usually indicates a positive Covid result so please can we ask that if your child tests positive on a lateral flow test they have a PCR test to follow this up.

The isolation period for a positive Covid result is 7 days from the onset of symptoms.  On day 6 and day 7 a lateral flow test should be carried out. This should show a negative result on both days before the child/children return to school.  If a positive result is still showing on day 6 or 7, please keep your child/children at home and test each day until the results show 2 consecutive days of a negative result.  Once you have 2 days of a negative result the child/children can return to school.

Thank you

Nasal Flu Vaccinations (link closes midnight 9/12/21)

If your child is in Year R to Year 6 from September 2021 and he/she is eligible for a Free Nasal Childhood Flu Vaccination. The immunisation team will be visiting Sherwell Valley Primary  School on 16th December 2021

Flu vaccination is one of the most effective interventions we have to reduce pressure on the health and social care system, which is going to be more important than ever this year.  For this reason, it is essential we deliver the vaccine to as many children as possible to protect them and prevent the spread of infection to those most at risk in society. 

Considering the above, we are expecting demand to be high and therefore we urge you to follow the below link to consent to your child’s vaccination asap. Even if you do not want your child to receive this vaccination, please complete the consent form stating “decline”.  On this link you will also find answers to your FAQ’s and links to the current Public Health England and manufacturers leaflets. We recommend you discuss this vaccination with your child prior to the date of vaccination. 

Prior to completion of the consent, we would like each individual child’s unique NHS number – this can be found in their red book, or via this link:  

Find your NHS number - NHS (www.nhs.uk) 

Please note, this field is not mandatory so if you are experiencing problems finding/accessing your child’s NHS number then you can leave this blank. 

To complete the consent/decline please click on the link below: 

https://schoolimms.virgincare.co.uk/flu/2021/devon

We will be operating a strict policy of closing the consent links and your school's link will close at midnight on the 9th December 2021. If you miss this deadline, your child(ren) will not be vaccinated at school and you will be offered the opportunity to book them into a community catch up clinic. This also applies if your child is absent or refuses the vaccination at school.  

If you have any difficulties with completing the consent form, please contact the Immunisation Team on our Single Point of Access (SPA).  

Tel:  0300 247 0082 (lines are open 9.00 to 12 noon and then 14:00 until 16.30)

Email: vcl.immunisations@nhs.net 

E-Scooters

We have been asked to share the following information from Torbay Council regarding E-scooters.

• E-scooters can only be used on public roads if rented as part of a government-backed trial.
• Private owners of e-scooters can only use them on private land and not public roads, cycle lanes or pavements.
• To use an e-scooter from an official trial, you need to have category Q entitlement on your driving licence.
• Cycle helmets are recommended for e-scooter riders, but not legally required.
• Inappropriate use of e-scooters could lead to riders having it seized, having their accounts to hire one suspended, being prosecuted or fined.

Please note that electric scooters are not permitted on the school premises.

Dear parents and carers,

I am sure that you are aware that over the last couple of weeks we have seen a very significant increase in the number of pupils and wider community members with covid 19. This has obviously led to a number of bubble closures and parents have, understandably, been asking us if this is a problem at Sherwell or more widely. Being in regular contact with the public health team, I have been reliably informed that this is an issue across Torbay and this is one of the reasons that we have kept all mitigating protective factors in place at school until the end of the term. See below a letter from the Director of Health confirming the wider situation and reinforcing the approach that we have been taking at school. We will continue to do our very best to minimise disruption to the children's remaining time at school this term and would ask for your patience and understanding as we negotiate our way through the next ten days.

Best wishes and thank you for your support,

Jayne Keller                                                                                               

14th July 2021

Important notice for parents/carers of children eligible for Free School Meals: 5th Jan 2021

Dear Parents and carers,

As we await instruction from the Government regarding support for free school meal families, we would like to offer your child(ren) a school packed lunch tomorrow (5th Jan 2021). This can be collected from the school between 10am-11am via the Hawkins Ave gate.  

On Wednesday, we will be able to offer a food parcel containing food staples (milk, bread, eggs, etc) that will cover lunches for your child(ren) for the rest of the week. These will be available 1100-1230 from the Hawkins Ave gate.

As soon as we get any other updates in regard to whether we will be continuing with food parcels or using the voucher system we used at Christmas, we will be in touch with those that are eligible.  

In the meantime if there is any other support we can give you please contact admin@svps1.com  

Message from Mrs Keller (12th October, 2020):

I am sure that you are aware that cases of Covid-19 are rising in Torbay. With this in mind, please can I ask you all to follow this process if your child has a confirmed case of Covid-19, at any time, day or night. 

Please email me directly on mrs.keller@svps1.com telling me: 

• The name of your child.

• Their class.

• When their symptoms started.

• What their symptoms are/were.

• The phone number on which I can contact you.

Thank you for your ongoing support in keeping our community safe.

Letter for parents about COVID-19 symptons

Public Health England have produced a letter for parents which explains when a person requires a coronavirus test and what the symptoms of coronavirus are.

Please click on the link below:

Stay at home: Government guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. (updated 10/09/2020)

Please click on the link below: