Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Covid 19 update for parents

  Wed 23 Sep 2020

  Dear Parents and Carers,

  
  Update on School Systems and COVID safety

  
  As you may have seen/heard Prof Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance gave a live TV address about the spread of the virus - and what could happen over the next few months. There has been much speculation about further lockdowns and potential implications for schools, this is merely a guessing game. I can assure you that we are doing all that we can to ensure that:

  
  A) all of our families are safe from cross-contamination of potential illnesses including COVID-19 and

  
  B) we are providing the best quality education and interventions that we can to maintain the positive momentum and progress in learning for all of our pupils.

  
  The key points from the scientists address this morning were:

  
  • The virus is now increasing across the majority of the country. "So this is not someone else's problem, this is all of our problem," said Prof Whitty

  
  At the King Alfred Federation we have put in place all that we can to reduce risks and to increase social distancing between ‘bubbles’. In school this is going incredibly well. At the end of the day we need YOU to help us to maintain these high standards:

  
   YOU MUST KEEP 2metre SPACING BETWEEN FAMILIES
   Reduce the number of adults on site- One adult per household to collect from this week please (Mum, please leave Nan/Dad/Aunt etc across the road OR even better at home with the younger siblings if possible)
   Please do not take advantage of the staff on the gate by chatting to them whilst on duty, we are putting our families at risk by policing the gate, we are there to welcome and protect the children. If you need to talk to someone please phone!

  
  • It's a "six-month problem that we have to deal with collectively," said Prof Whitty. He said the seasons are against us with autumn and winter benefiting viruses like Covid

  
  We acknowledge that our children / we are all likely to get ill over the winter months (we normally do)! So we are asking that you take responsibility for your child’s care especially in the intial/most crucial 24-48 hours. If your child has a seasonal cold please keep them at home for a day to monitor their symptoms, you know your child better than us so will be able to monitor things like temperature and the severity of coughs. If they are okay they can return to school the next day, if you’re unsure please give us a call and we can talk it through.

  Norovirus is on its way so if your child has diarrhoea and/or sickness please keep them off of school until 48hours AFTER their last episode.

  
  • The virus is not milder now than in April. Prof Whitty said some people have been saying this - but there's no evidence for it.

  
  All of the systems that we have brought in and all of the requests that we are making are for a reason. The last time the statistics around Coronovirus were this high we were operating as a school for 50 children, most of your families were safe at home, controlling the spread and doing what was necessary. We now have to face this pandemic in the real world, not in the comfort of our homes and the only way that we can do this is TOGETHER.

  
  From today you will see more staff wearing visors/masks at the beginning and end of the day. We are not wearing them throughout the day but we are wearing them to protect each other from potential harm.

  
  As I said last week, we do not have any confirmed cases at our school (yet) but I am guessing that it is only a matter of time before we do. When that time comes I know that our staff can say that we have done all that we can to reduce the risks of transmission in our community… my question is: Can you say the same?

  
  HANDS- FACE –SPACE

  
  Thank you for your continued support at this difficult time, please take care of yourselves and your families.

  
  Yours sincerely,

  
  Mrs Nathalie Dummer

• Information for Year 6 parents on secondary school virtual visits

  Wed 09 Sep 2020 Mr Simms

  Click here to find out when secondary school open days are happening across Lewisham.

   

  Also please ensure you let us know whether you will be attending the virtual information evening or attending in person on the 15th September at 16:30.

   

  A copy of the letter about the meeting is available in the letters section of the website.

• Information for a safe re-opening in September

  Fri 28 Aug 2020
  Information regarding the safe opening of school on September 3rd can be found on the parents page https://www.athelneyprimary.org.uk/letter-and-information-for-september-2020/  for further information.

• Currently we are unable to take any more children as all of our bubbles are full.

  Thu 18 Jun 2020

  As of Wednesday 10th of June the school increased the number of key worker children places. All of our bubbles are now full and we are currently unable to increase the number of places. We have a waiting list for additional key worker children places and will be in contact should we be able to offer you a place.

   

  We understand these are difficult times and we are really eager to get all of the children back, but we will only increase the number of places that are available when we are fully confident it is safe to do so.

• New web page for our September 2020 Reception children

  Sun 14 Jun 2020

  If your child is due to start in Reception in September please keep an eye on our new web page designed just for you.

   

  https://www.athelneyprimary.org.uk/new-reception-parents/

• Update on reopening of school for some groups

  Wed 03 Jun 2020 Kathryn Wong

  3rd June 2020

   

  Dear Parents and Carers,

   

  Further my letter before half term I am writing to update you with our plans for the wider re-opening of both Athelney and Elfrida.

   

  In my last letter I said that the once the date for schools re-opening was confirmed by the government, priority will be given to children in the following categories:

  1. The children of Critical Workers, and those employed in the fight against Covid-19 
  2. Children who have a Child In Need Plan, a Child Protection Plan or who are a Looked After Child (who are not already attending school)
  3. Those children who have an EHCP and it is determined, following risk assessment, that their needs can be as safely or more safely met, in the educational environment
  4. Children who have been assessed as vulnerable, and who could therefore benefit from continued attendance. For example, those living in cramped housing conditions, with no access to outside space or in temporary accommodation.
  5. Year 6 pupils

   

  Since the easing of some lockdown measures we have had a significant increase in requests for places for children of critical workers, children with EHCPs and children who are vulnerable. Therefore we will be splitting the Federation hub from the week of the 8^th June. This is so we are able to offer more places for pupils from those three groups whose parents have already registered their interest and are eligible.

   

  During the week of the 8^th of June both Athelney and Elfrida will be open to children from all year groups allocated a place using the above criteria. Children will be allocated one of six bubbles of up to 8 children. These bubbles will be taught, eat and play in isolation from each other and a number of social distancing and enhanced cleaning regime measures will be put into place. Whilst every effort will be made to socially distance children within the bubble we cannot guarantee this will always be possible due to the age of the children and the school environment.

   

  Our ultimate priority is the safety of your children, so before we introduce more bubbles into the school, we need to be confident that we can manage the safety of children and staff within this new structure.

   

  The school offices will remain closed to parents and visitors but are contactable by telephone and email from 8am – 4pm every weekday. Parents and visitors will not be allowed on site in order to protect the children and staff.

   

  We will continue to provide on-line learning and class teachers will continue to provide online learning and to make contact with your children by telephone or class email.

   

  Parents and Carers of children with allocated places will be contacted with the new safety arrangements, a starting date and the start and end times for their children.

   

  I understand how difficult this situation is for you and I want to reassure you that we are committed to making the best judgements we can for the safety of our families and school staff and their families. These are challenging times and your support and understanding is paramount.

   

  We hope that if our new system proves manageable and safe, that we may be able to consider opening to more children after these first 2 weeks. We will contact you again, nearer the time to update you with our plans.

   

  Children should only return to school when they have received a start date and an email or letter confirming this from us and not before. Only children who have a confirmed allocated space may attend.

   

  Yours Sincerely

   

  Kathryn Wong

• Nursery Places for September 2020

  Tue 19 May 2020 Mrs Samuels

  Dear Parents / Carers,

   

  Expression of Interest in 15 hour and 30 hour places at Athelney Primary School’s Rockets Nursery

   

  During the Summer Term we will be allocating nursery spaces according to our Nursery Admissions Policy.

   

  We currently have vacancies for three and four year olds born between 1/9/2016 – 31/08/2017 to start nursery in September 2020. We offer 15 and 30 hours places; if you would like to be considered for a place in our nursery please contact the office to put your child’s name on our waiting list or visit the Admissions section on the website. Closing date 31 May 2020.

   

  If you do not have a 30 hour code yet, but think you meet the criteria for a 30 hour place, you can still express your interest. However, please note that any offers made will be subject to our receipt of a valid 30 hour code.

   

  More information about eligibility and details of how to apply can be found at:

  • www.gov.uk/childcareaccount,
  • www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
  • www.lewisham.gov.uk – search for ‘30 hour childcare’

   

  Yours Sincerely

  Mrs Samuels

  Admissions, Attendance and Dinners Officer

  Athelney Primary School

• Reopening of School

  Mon 18 May 2020 Mrs Dummer

  17/5/20 
   
  Dear Parents and Carers, 

  
  I hope you and your families are safe and well at this challenging time.  

  
  As I am sure that you are aware, the government has announced plans for some children to start to return to school from Monday 1st June (at the earliest).  This date is not yet confirmed and the government will make further announcements.  Since the announcement last weekend we have examined every publication and guidance document that the government has put forward, we are taking our responsibility for our community very seriously. As I said in my text message last week, please do not worry. 

  
  We know you will have questions about when your children will be able to return to school and we are really looking forward to welcoming children and families back. We are asking you to give us time to work on our plans for this, to make sure arrangements are in place so that all children and adults can be as safe as possible while they are here.

   
  In the meantime, only children of critical workers and those identified as vulnerable can come in to school with the agreement of the Head of School. If you think your child can be in school under these criteria and have not already taken up a place but would now like to please call the school office on 020 8697 2945 by Tuesday 19th May 3pm. If you are successfully allocated a place you will be contacted with a start date (1/6/2020 at the earliest).  

  
  Once the date for the wider re-opening of schools is confirmed, we will contact families individually to let you know when your child can come in. This is unlikely to be at the same time for all children, even in the same year group. Children should only return to school when they have received a start date from us and not before. 
   
  We will tell you more as soon as we have made progress with our plans and have a date confirmed by the Local Authority and Government. 

  
  If you have any concerns or questions please contact the school office via email on admin@athelney.lewisham.sch.uk. 

  
  Stay safe and take care of each other. 

  
  Yours Sincerely  
   
  Nathalie Dummer

  Head of School

  Athelney Primary School

  King Alfred Federation 

• Our amazing support staff are missing you too!

  Fri 15 May 2020 Mr Simms

  Happy sunny Friday,

   

  Our amazing support staff have put together a video as they are missing you very much too. 

   

  https://youtu.be/YjHx1kuT5qs

   

  As always take a look at your child's class page to access activities set by their teachers. Remember don't stress about the work do what you can when you can. 

   

  https://www.athelneyprimary.org.uk/class-pages/

   

  Have a great weekend 

• Virtual Coffee Morning facilitated by Lewisham School Wellbeing Service

  Wed 13 May 2020 Mr Simms

  The Lewisham School Wellbeing service (based at Athelney) are now offering virtual coffee mornings for small groups of parents.

   

  It is a safe space for parents/carers to:

  •Hear about the new service and connect with others

  •Share and/or listen to experiences

  •Think about challenges during this time

  •Discuss ideas 

   

  All parents and carers are welcome 

  Online every Friday @ 11am to 12pm

   

  The team would also like to hear what support might be helpful to parents over the next few months in these challenging times.

   

  You  can email or call school to express an interest and then someone from the Wellbeing team will be in touch with the coffee morning details. 

  Obviously this is all being done virtually as services are not offering face to face support at the moment.

   

  Details are on the attached flyer