St Luke’s CE Primary School Newsletter

13.1.22

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year. It feels very odd to be wishing you that on the 13th of January but my good wishes are still real. I hope we all have a good year in 2022 that our dreams stay big and our worries stay small and we never have to carry more than we can hold. I know there will be ups and downs across the year but I hope that at the end of the year we can all say on balance this year has been ok.

The children have come back in ready to learn, which is fantastic. A number of them have been given smart watches for Christmas that connect to the internet and or can take pictures or films. I would ask that the children do not wear these to school but keep them for home.

Swimming re-starts next week on Thursday 20th for Year 2 and Year 6. They have five weeks of swimming up to half term.

Before we broke up for Christmas I received a number of complaints about the parking outside school. Please remember not to park on the pavements or block people’s drives. It is often better to park a little bit further from school and make sure everyone is safe.

Just a reminder that holidays during term time are not something I can authorise, the rules state:

In September 2013 the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013 came into force. These regulations make it clear that Headteachers should not grant approval for any leave of absence during term-time, including holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances. These regulations also state that holidays cannot be authorised retrospectively.

Any requests should be on an official school absence request form and handed into the school office for consideration prior to any holiday/leave arrangements being made.

You may be issued with a Penalty Notice should leave be taken which is not authorised. If unpaid this could lead to prosecution under section 444(1) of The Education Act 1996.

As you know the number of Covid cases across the county is very high and I know a number of people had covid over the holiday. Since coming back we have already had a number of cases reported to us. Please remember to follow all the guidelines and keep vigilant. The rules for primary school children are that if they are a close contact of somebody who has tested positive they can continue to attend school as long as they have a daily lateral flow test for 7 days. If the test becomes positive or they develop symptoms they must isolate. The isolation period is 10 days unless they test negative with a lateral flow test on day 6 and day 7. These rules also apply to vaccinated adults.

Covid has led to more people becoming eligible for free school meals. If you think your child might be eligible you can apply at checking@derbyshire.gov.uk, by phone 01629 536400/535743 through the website www.derbyshire.gov.uk/freeschoolmeals . Please do apply if you think your child might be eligible even if they are in Key stage 1 and already get a free meal, as school receives additional funding.

PAS is restarting after school clubs next week. I have attached all the information. You can book a place by going on www.pas.uk.com/onlinebookings

Stay happy and healthy

Alice Littlehailes