Parents' Area

Updates

Wednesday 8th November, 2023

Remembrance Assembly – 08.11.23

Two members of West Mercia Constabulary visited Apley Wood today to deliver a whole school assembly about Remembrance. The children were interested to hear about how the Tommy figures were made at The British Ironwork Centre and the significance behind them. We are all looking forward to creating our own poppy field in school to pay our respects.

Wednesday 8th November, 2023

Yr5/6 Boys Progress into the Quarter Final.

Apley Wood Boys progress to the quarter final after beating Priorslee academy  3-2. The Boys went 1-0 down in the first 10 minutes but this didn’t stop them passing the ball as a team and creating chances, Apley Wood equalise to make it 1-1 with a well work goal, 1 minute towards half time Priorslee scored to make it 2-1. Second half Apley Wood didn’t give up and manage to score two to make it 3-2 and came out winners.

Tuesday 7th November, 2023

Attendance

We are following the DFE attendance guidance, ‘Working Together to Improve School Attendance’ (DfE May 22).

For children to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly, and your child should be at school in good time for the start of the school day, every day the school is open, unless they are genuinely ill or there is some other unavoidable reason.

Some children are reluctant to go to school and say they do not feel well. It is for you as the adult, to judge whether they are genuinely unwell, or just unwilling. It will be better for them in the long run to go to school, rather than avoid it, as days off mean they will fall further behind and make them even more reluctant. As the parent, it is your responsibility to work with school to encourage them to attend. If you have concerns about your child attending, please contact school via the main email and we can discuss your concerns and support if necessary.

Thank you to everyone for your support with the timings at the start of the school day.  The vast majority of pupils are now in school on time, before classroom doors close at 8:50am which is ensuring a really smooth start to the day in our classrooms.

You may wonder why school would be concerned if your child’s attendance is 95% or below, and why you may be receiving communication from us about this.

This may make it easier to understand:

Even the most enthusiastic learner will find it hard to keep up with their work with these levels of absence. That is why we encourage the highest attendance possible and we thank you for your continued support.

Thursday 26th October, 2023

Farm and animal contact: Information for parents and carers

The Health Protection Hub have asked us to share the following information with parents and carers:

With half-term approaching you may be considering taking your child/children on a farm visit.

All animals naturally carry a range of micro-organisms, some of which can be transmitted to humans, where they may cause ill health. Some of these, such as E.coli O157 or Cryptosporidium (Crypto), have the potential to cause serious illness, which may be particularly severe in young children  We see many cases of Crypto each year in the Health Protection Hub, particularly among children, and it’s a miserable experience for them and their parents/carers.

Follow these practical steps to help keep your child safe and healthy:

  • Avoid touching faces or putting fingers in mouths while in farm environments.
  • Don’t kiss farm animals or allow children to put their faces close to animals.
  • Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water after touching animals, fences or other surfaces in animal areas.
  • Don’t eat or drink while touching animals or walking round the farm and only eat and drink in picnic areas or cafes.
  • Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before eating or drinking.
  • Remove and clean boots or shoes that might have become soiled and clean pushchair wheels, then wash hands thoroughly with soap and water.
  • Don’t use gels or wipes instead of washing hands with soap and water – gels and wipes don’t remove E. coli O157 or Crypto.
  • Supervise children closely to make sure they wash their hands thoroughly.
  • If someone in the family has diarrhoea or vomiting after visiting a farm or animal visitor attraction, take the following steps:
    • Wash all dirty clothes, bedding and towels in the washing machine on the hottest wash cycle possible.
    • Encourage good hand hygiene after using the toilet, washing hands thoroughly with soap and running water.
    • Clean toilet seats, toilet bowls, flush handles, taps, hand basins and any other areas that might have been soiled with detergent and hot water, rinsing with household disinfectant.
    • Visit the doctor and explain that they have had recent contact with animals.
    • Please also contact the attraction you visited and inform them of the illness.
Tuesday 24th October, 2023

NHS Advice – Is my child too unwell for school?

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school when they’re unwell.

There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn’t.

If your child is well enough to go to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, let their teacher know.

For other common illnesses, follow the NHS guidance below.

Coughs and colds

It’s fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a fever, keep them off school until the fever goes.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues and to wash their hands regularly.

High temperature

If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away.

Chickenpox

If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over.

This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared.

Cold sores

There’s no need to keep your child off school if they have a cold sore.

Encourage them not to touch the blister or kiss anyone while they have the cold sore, or to share things like cups and towels.

Conjunctivitis

You don’t need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis.

Do get advice from your pharmacist. Encourage your child not to rub their eyes and to wash their hands regularly.

COVID-19

If your child has mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, and feels well enough, they can go to school.

Your child should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if they have symptoms of COVID-19 and they either:

  • have a high temperature
  • do not feel well enough to go to school or do their normal activities

What to do if your child has tested positive

Your child is no longer required to do a COVID-19 rapid lateral flow test if they have symptoms. But if your child has tested positive for COVID-19, they should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people for 3 days after the day they took the test.

Ear infection

If your child has an ear infection and a high temperature or severe earache, keep them off school until they’re feeling better or their high temperature goes away.

Hand, foot and mouth disease

If your child has hand, foot and mouth disease but seems well enough to go to school, there’s no need to keep them off.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues straight away and to wash their hands regularly.

Head lice and nits

There’s no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice.

You can treat head lice and nits without seeing a GP.

Impetigo

If your child has impetigo, they’ll need treatment from a GP, often with antibiotics.

Keep them off school until all the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after they start antibiotic treatment.

Encourage your child to wash their hands regularly and not to share things like towels and cups with other children at school.

Ringworm

If your child has ringworm, see your pharmacist unless it’s on their scalp, in which case you should see a GP.

It’s fine for your child to go to school once they have started treatment.

Scarlet fever

If your child has scarlet fever, they’ll need treatment with antibiotics from a GP. Otherwise they’ll be infectious for 2 to 3 weeks.

Your child can go back to school 24 hours after starting antibiotics.

Slapped cheek syndrome (fifth disease)

You don’t need to keep your child off school if they have slapped cheek syndrome because, once the rash appears, they’re no longer infectious.

But let the school or teacher know if you think your child has slapped cheek syndrome.

Sore throat

You can still send your child to school if they have a sore throat. But if they also have a high temperature, they should stay at home until it goes away.

A sore throat and a high temperature can be symptoms of tonsillitis.

Threadworms

You don’t need to keep your child off school if they have threadworms.

Speak to your pharmacist, who can recommend a treatment.

Vomiting and diarrhoea

Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours).

Tuesday 24th October, 2023

Children in Need 17th November

Pay £1 to wear your Spotty or yellow clothes to school on  Friday 17th November

Wear your trainers too as we will be doing lots of ‘Bear-pees’ and dancing.

 After half term we will be selling  a small stock of Pudsey merchandise in school for the children to buy.

 Thank you for your support,

 from the Year 6 House Captains.

 

Monday 23rd October, 2023

Reporting pupil absences – new dedicated email

After half term, we are launching our dedicated absence email.  To report an absence, please either phone 01952 386180 or use the dedicated absence email.

Apleywood.absence@taw.org.uk

This will ensure the absence is reported directly to Mrs Cartwright, as part of our attendance team, rather than into the main school email.

Thank you for your continued support.

 

Friday 20th October, 2023

Indoor Athletics 2023

What a week for sport at Apley Wood, 38 Children representing the school in the indoor Sportshall Athletics. They all did incredibly well with KS2 finishing 13th out of 20 then we had KS1 finishing 5th out of 15 then yesterday yr5/6 finishing 1st place overall!!!

Thursday 19th October, 2023

Kids4£1 is back this October half term!

Take a look at the brochure for all the activities on offer which includes badminton, fun and floats, driving range, bike hub, tobogganing, tots donuts and tennis. Activities are on offer from Monday 30 October to Sunday 5 November 2023.