St Paul's Catholic Primary School

Dear Parents/Carers,

Firstly…well done for all of the home learning you’ve managed with your children so far.  We understand that it isn’t easy but think it is fantastic how many children are online each day keeping their learning going.  Well done!

This lockdown is very different to the first one we had in March 2020 and the expectations on schools to deliver remote education have changed massively.   During the ongoing pandemic and the enforcement of a national lockdown by the government, schools now have a legal duty to continue to provide new learning for its pupils.  For most pupils, this is via remote learning online.

 We understand this situation is difficult for everyone and that parents are being asked to be teachers – not a job most are trained for!  With this in mind, we wanted to make things as easy as possible for you at home, which is why we made the decision to deliver live lessons daily.  This is so the teachers can do the teaching and you can support your child by helping them to logon, support them completing tasks and emailing work to the teacher and LSA.  The staff are working in a way that they have never had to work before and it is challenging.  However, they are dedicated and are continuing to work tirelessly to do all they can to support your children with their learning so it is important you do your bit at home too. 

 We have lent out all of our school laptops and the DFE ones to families who do not have devices at home so that they can access the online learning and are not disadvantaged by not having access to a device.  We have also created a waiting list for families who still require devices.  Please contact the school office if you are in this situation.  Work can also be accessed on an iPad/tablet.  While we would discourage the use of phones for remote learning, it is okay as a temporary measure until you can get a device or we can lend you one from school.

 We are in the very fortunate position, that we have enough staff who can make phone calls home each day to children who aren’t engaging in the online learning and offer support with this.  The work packs we sent home are to support the online learning and should be used alongside this.  All work is uploaded to the class pages each day so please logon and check this regularly. It is also important to send completed work in via email to your child’s class teacher (if you have an iPhone, you can use the ‘scan’ feature in the ‘notes’ section).

For our working parents, we understand that trying to deliver home learning and juggle your work commitments can be particularly difficult and so we understand that there may be some additional challenges for you.  Please, please contact us and let us know if there is anything we can do to help.  You can contact the class teacher and LSA via email (this can be found on your child’s class page on the school website).

The most important thing to remember through all of this is that we all want what is best for the children.  We want them to keep a routine as much as possible and stay in the habit of learning so that when they are back at school, it won’t feel like they are starting all over again.  Although it is not the ideal situation, it is what we have to face for the next few weeks at least so it is important to establish as much of a routine as possible at home.  It is difficult, but as parents, it is your responsibility to do as much as you can to support your children through this time.  As always, we will continue to support you through all of this as much as we can.

We have had multiple requests from parents to send children into school due to issues with online learning.  It is important to remember that we are still in the midst of a global pandemic and that schools are closed to all pupils except those who are critical workers (and only then if they absolutely need the place) and those pupils classed as vulnerable.  Please just do your best to help your child at home – the more you do to support your child and engage with school, the more likely they are to keep up with learning and come back to school without too many gaps.

As always, thank you for your continued support.

Stay safe and God bless

Mrs N Damms

Principal