Primary School NEWSLETTER Strangers Way, , Beds LU4 9ND Tel: 01582 571951 Fax: 01582 509539 26th March 2021 E-mail: [email protected]

Headteacher’s Corner Dear Parents/Carers,

It has been so wonderful to see the children back in school over the last 3 weeks. We have been very busy with our learning and children have enjoyed being back with their friends. Learning walks have told us that children are working hard and there is All staff at a lovely buzz of activity around the school building. Children at Leagrave continue to Leagrave Primary be so kind and thoughtful towards each other, which makes us extremely proud. School would like to say happy Extended day sessions will start for some children after the holidays. This is part of birthday. the school’s strategy to further support children’s learning, so that they can reach their potential. Please support your child’s attendance at these sessions and ensure Hoorain A Ladybird punctual drop off or pick up. Kareem S Ladybird You will have also seen the letter outlining that we are starting to deliver some extra Yusra K Butterfly curricular clubs in year groups bubbles after Easter. Please encourage your children Austin O Butterfly to take advantage of these opportunities; as it is good for their physical, social and emotional wellbeing. Fouzia I Honeybee All classes took part in a minute silence on Tuesday 23rd Ashleigh O Honeybee April in recognition of the National Day of Reflection. Zahir S Honeybee It is hard to believe that it is a year ago, when the Farhan I Honeybee school first closed to the majority of children due to the pandemic. Please continue to follow the rules as we Aaliyah W 1T come out of the national restrictions; this will ensure Sameen K 1T that we keep our community as safe as possible. Further information regarding testing and reporting positive Daniel W 1J cases over the holidays is attached to this newsletter. Muhammad H 1J Finally, with the vaccination centre and the building works due to start, Strangers Amelia B 2MC Way is likely to get very busy. Parents should ensure children are well supervised, Safah Y 2MC even when dropping off by car and ensure that you park legally to avoid receiving a fine from the traffic observation camera. Igor G 2M Yasin R 2M Wishing you all a safe and wonderful Easter break.

Mason J 3B Kind regards, Tijani P 3B Mrs E Gillespie (Headteacher) Qusay A 3B

Madison D 3SC Ryaan S 3SC Parents’ Evening Spring 2021

Hishamalhadi K 4P Letters were emailed to all parents on Friday regarding our virtual Parents’ Evening which will take place on Wednesday 21st April 2021 between 3:30pm and 7:00pm. Osman M 5A Zyan M 5O The platform we will be using is called 'SchoolCloud', and it will enable our teachers to conduct secure video meetings with you. Danielle W 6C Farooq Q 6E To book your consultation appointment, please visit https://leagrave.schoolcloud.co.uk/. To log in, you will need to enter your child's legal name rather than any preferred name they may use. Two short guides to booking and attending appointments were emailed with your letter. You will be able to book or reschedule appointments at any time from Saturday 20th March 2021 until midnight on Sunday 18th April 2021. Arrangements for reporting suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the Easter holidays

For the first 2 days after the school term has ended, the school has been asked to assist in advising self-isolation and identifying close contacts of any pupils who test positive for coronavirus (COVID- 19), having developed symptoms within 48 hours of being in school. This is because they may have been infectious whilst in school.

At Leagrave Primary School, the last day of term is Friday 26th March. The school’s track and trace responsibilities are up to and include Sunday 28th March.

What we need you to do: • If your child has been in school up to and including Friday 26th March and develops symptoms between then and Sunday 28th March, please book a test for them online at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by phoning 119 if you are unable to access the internet.

• If the test result is positive, you must email the school on [email protected]

• If your child develops symptoms after Sunday 28th March 2021, you will need to follow NHS and government guidelines, book a test and self-isolate.

• School will inform you via text, up to 28th March, if your child needs to self-isolate because of a positive test result from someone in their bubble. THE SCHOOL WILL ONLY CONTACT YOU VIA TEXT AND WILL NOT BE MAKING INDIVIDUAL PHONE CALLS.

• The school will not be able to take calls or respond to queries. Please check the website for further information: https://m.luton.gov.uk/Page/Show/Health_and_social_care/coronavirus/Pages/new-default.aspx

PCR and LFD Testing During Ramadan The British Islamic Medical Association’s view is that taking polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or lateral flow device (LFD) tests during Ramadan does not invalidate the fast. People may feel more comfortable doing the tests when they are not fasting. Tests can be carried out at any time.

Attendance Class Attendance Year 4 Easter Poems Honeybee 92% 4P 94% Butterfly 99% 5O 99% Instead of our usual Easter assembly, Year 4 1T 95% 5A 97% invite you to share their Easter poems, 1J 99% 6E 95% which can be found on the website under ‘Latest 2M 93% 6C 98% News’. 2MC 95% 3SC 96% They have been learning about the meaning behind the Easter celebrations as well as 3B 93% reflecting on the seasonal changes we see in 4W 91% Whole School 96% Spring. We hope you enjoy the poems and have a Our whole school attendance target is 97%. lovely holiday. Please try to ensure that your child comes to school everyday and on time! The Big Pedal Coming Soon

We're taking part in The Big Pedal from Monday 19th April - Friday 30th April. We're encouraging children to have active journeys to school e.g. bike, scoot, walk. Classes will record every day how many active journeys they have and we will run a competition to see which class is the most active. To continue the ‘ACTIVE’ spirit, we will also be hosting a fundraising event to support the education of Korika, who is a young girl that the school sponsors in The Gambia. This will take place on Thursday 29th April, where all classes will have the opportunity to complete an outdoor sponsored Circuit Event within a set time limit. More information to follow about this event the first week back after Easter. Get warmed up over the holidays so you are ready for the challenge!

Free Home Test Kits Although it is not compulsory we would encourage you to test twice a week. Asymptomatic testing identifies positive cases, followed by household self-isolation, is a really important way of reducing community transmission.

Families are able to collect home testing kits from the community testing sites at , Vicarage Street and . There is a maximum of 2 boxes per person. Each box contains 7 testing kits. Eligible people are:

• Secondary school pupils and college students

• Staff of primary and secondary schools, nurseries, EY settings and colleges

• Household, childcare and support bubbles of early years children, nursery children, primary and secondary-age pupils and college students

• Households, childcare and support bubbles of staff of nurseries, primary and secondary schools, and colleges

• Anyone who works in an occupation related to a childcare provider, school, nursery or college, and their household, childcare and support bubbles

A world of reading awaits you!

We are excited to tell you that your child can continue their reading journey at home by accessing the literacy platform myON. myON by Renaissance offers every child unlimited access to an enhanced digital library with thousands of free digital books online and offline, anytime, anywhere.

Please refer to the short guide that you have been sent for how to login. This is also available on our Latest News section of the school website. Happy Reading! Vaccination in Luton – this weekend

In Luton we have a great opportunity for a community vaccination pilot project.

A number of temporary walk in vaccination centres are being opened in the town this weekend, on a time limited basis, from Friday 26 – Sunday 28 March, as part of a national pilot to give residents more choice in where they can get their Covid-19 vaccination.

Residents over 50 and / or critically clinically vulnerable, are being urged to visit one of the temporary vaccination centres. You do not need to pre-book an appointment and can just ‘walk in’.

GPs have raised concerns that with infections starting to rise again in the town, this could delay plans to ease restrictions and bring back some normality this summer. The vaccine is halal, kosher, vegan and safe and has been endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

You will not need any official paperwork, but we do ask residents to provide proof / evidence of their postcode on arrival.

Temporary sites are being opened in:

 Luton Central Mosque, 2-12 Westbourne Road LU4 8JD 12 noon – 7pm Saturday, Sunday

(main entrance) George Street LU1 2BQ 12 noon – 7pm Saturday, Sunday

 Mobile Bus, Sainsbury's carpark, 34 Road LU1 1DY 10am – 5pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday

Residents will also be able to walk in to existing sites without an appointment:

 Redgrave Children & Young People Centre, 27 Redgrave Gardens, LU3 3QN 12 noon – 7pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday

 Inspire Sports Village, Road, LU2 8DD 12 noon – 7pm Friday, Saturday, Sunday Financial support if you have to take time off work to care for your child while they are self-isolating

If you are on a low income and you need to take time off work to care for your child while they are self- isolating, you may be eligible for financial support from your local authority through the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme.

The Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is open to people who live in England and who meet the following criteria:

 They are the parent or guardian of a child or young person in the same household and need to take time off work to care for them while they self-isolate; this is limited to one parent or guardian per household for the child or young person’s self-isolation period  Are employed or self-employed  Are unable to work from home while undertaking caring responsibilities and will lose income as a result  They are currently receiving or are the partner of someone in the same household who is receiving at least one of the following benefits:  Universal Credit  Working Tax Credit  Income-based Employment and Support Allowance  Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance  Income Support  Housing Benefit  Pension Credit  Their child or young person: o is aged 15 or under (or 25 or under with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) and normally attends an education or childcare setting o has been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or by their education or childcare setting because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 Discretionary payments are also available for people on low incomes who are not on means-tested benefits but who may still face hardship as a result of the requirement to self-isolate. Your local authority may have additional eligibility criteria in place for discretionary payments.

If you are eligible, you will receive a £500 payment from your local authority in addition to any benefits and Statutory Sick Pay you receive currently. If you are unsure which local authority you should claim from, you can check on Find your Local Council on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/find-local-council Your local authority will contact your child’s school to verify the information you provide about your child as part of the process of confirming whether you are eligible for a payment.

You can see the full eligibility criteria for the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme and find out how to apply at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme-claiming-financial- support/claiming-financial-support-under-the-test-and-trace-support-payment-scheme.

If you think you meet the eligibility criteria listed above and would like to apply to your local authority for a payment from the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme, you should provide this letter to your local authority to support your application. You will not be able to make an application for a payment from the Test and Trace Support Payment scheme without this letter.

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/