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• Home Learning Update

  Mon 08 Jun 2020

   

  As per the letter from Mrs Pridgeon last week, each year group has put together a suggested timetable of activities and these can be found on the Home Learning page within the Children section of the website.

   

  Dear Parent / Carer,

   

  As you are aware after half-term school will remain closed to the majority of pupils in line with government guidance. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for the work you have been doing with your children at home and to share details of our remote-learning offer for the summer term.

  • All pupils should access Education City where Maths, English and Science activities will be assigned on a weekly basis.
  • Pupils from Year 2 upwards have access to Times Table Rockstars where appropriate times tables practice will be assigned.
  • Parents of pupils in Early Years will be directed to appropriate activities by logging on to Tapestry
  • There will be a list of useful online activities, including links to websites, on the school website
  • Each week a suggested timetable of activities will be uploaded to the school website. This will include suggestions of television programmes; online work and activities that can be done with your child in and around your home.
  • Support in accessing digital resources is available from school at all times.
  • Paper based alternatives will be made available upon request for those families that cannot access digital resources
  • We cannot send reading books home at this time but can direct you to online reading resources

  We really appreciate the efforts that parents are going to in ensuring that their children’s learning can continue throughout this time away from school. It is important that you continue to support your child to complete school work each day. Having a clear routine for working will really benefit your child, both during this time and when they eventually return to school. Please include the following in your daily routine:

  • Encourage your child to complete a daily Maths and English activity online or on paper – there is value in revisiting previous activities for further practise. Staff will be monitoring access to online resources and may contact parents in relation to this.
  • Read with your child and encourage them to talk about what they have read
  • Complete an activity linked to another curriculum area such as science
  • Complete an activity that requires your child to move about and be active
  • Share a game with your child that involves them needing to speak – board games are great for this.

   School staff are available throughout the week should you need any assistance with home-learning. Thank you for your continued support during this time,

   

  Yours sincerely

  Mrs Pridgeon

  Headteacher

• Important update regarding school re-opening

  Fri 05 Jun 2020

  Following on from our last update, we are still waiting to hear from the Local Authority when we can open school to children in Reception, Year 1 & Year 6.  We will inform parents as soon as we have confirmation.  In the mean-time, provision for key worker children will continue as normal.   Thank you for your continued support.

   

• Thank you

  Mon 01 Jun 2020
  One of our key workers kindly sent our school a thank you gesture to say thank you to our school being open for key workers during this difficult time. Well done everyone for your hard work and continued efforts! 

  

• School Reopening Update

  Tue 26 May 2020

   

  Dear Parents

   

  This morning we have been sent the email below from the LA:

   

  ‘You may have seen the documentation provided by Sage published on Friday.  As a result, we are advising schools to delay the return for pupils in those year groups identified by the DfE until 15^th June, 2020, maintaining provision for vulnerable children and children of key workers during this time.’

   

  I appreciate that this may cause you confusion, disappointment or inconvenience, but we all want the best for our children, so will be following the guidance from the LA.

   

  We still intend to admit the children in a staggered way over a number of days, but will obviously now need to delay doing this until the 15^th June. When we are in a position to do this we will be in touch to give you further, more detailed information.

   

  Thank you for your continued support.

   

  Yours sincerely

  Mrs Pridgeon

  Headteacher

   

• Important update regarding school closure / re-opening

  Thu 21 May 2020

  Thank you to the parents in Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and 6 who have been in touch about their intentions around sending their children back to school in June. When we are in a position to confirm start dates we will be in touch. As it stands, I do not expect this to be the first week in June at the moment. Provision for key worker children will continue. Please can you confirm with the office the days you will need after half term.

   

   

   

• Eid Mubarak!

  Thu 21 May 2020

  The staff at Marland Hill would like to wish you all Eid Mubarak! We hope you enjoy the celebrations as much as you can at this difficult time.  

   

  

• Year 6 Kingswood Residential Trip

  Thu 21 May 2020

  Unfortunately Kingswood have now been in touch with school to confirm that the Year 6 residential next month will not be able to go ahead.  We are awaiting a refund to school for our booking and will then get in touch with parents as quickly as possible to arrange refunds for all payments made to date. Please bear with us for now.  Thank you.

   

• Year 6 Leavers Hoodies

  Thu 21 May 2020

  A text has been sent to Year 6 parents today asking them to contact the school office if they would like their child to have a leavers hoodie.  If you haven’t already done so please contact the office by 4pm on Friday 22^nd May so the order can be made.

   

• Letter from the Local Authority

  Fri 15 May 2020

  Please find below letter from the Local Authority, that we have been asked to share with parents.

   

  Dear Parent / Carer / Guardian,
  We are writing to you about the recent government announcement about the re-opening of primary schools. We are aware that the last 8 weeks have been very difficult for many families.  Along with the loss of routine, families had to get used to home schooling, with many working from home, whilst others have been furloughed or have lost their only form of income. Many of us have experienced the loss of direct contact with friends and relatives. This has had an impact on us, along with the uncertainty about what the future brings. Many people hoped that the Prime Minister’s speech on 10th May would provide some clarity and certainty, but it appears to have created more questions and concerns. This is the reason we are writing to you.
  We have been in touch with the Department of Education and have emphasised that in Rochdale we are determined to do the right thing for our children, families and schools. This may not fit with the expectations or timescale of government. We want the borough’s children to return to school, but only when it is safe for them and for the staff in schools. We are asking our schools to work with us to establish what safe numbers will be and this will differ in each school, because the buildings are all different. We do not want parents to rely on a date suggested by government, that schools may be unable to meet. That is why we are sharing our approach, that is based on doing the right thing in the right way at the right time. We will ask schools to keep you all informed about developments and hope this will also make you as parents feel more confident.
  We won’t be able to answer some of your questions, because we are all in a place none of us have been in before. However, we hope that the work we are undertaking with all schools in
  Rochdale might help you understand and support the approach we are taking. We have been in regular contact with Head Teachers and are planning together for the future. We have working groups of primary and secondary heads that are addressing those issues that will help us plan for a safe return of more children to our schools, within an achievable time frame.
  Our schools have worked incredibly hard over the last 8 weeks, doing their best to support children at home as well as over 1100 children of key workers and those deemed to be vulnerable, who have continued to attend school each week. Any plans to increase the numbers of children in our schools for the rest of this term will also have to take these continuing numbers
  into account.
  Finally, we know that many people will have their own views about what will and won’t work. This is a challenge that we will manage, with safety as our first priority. We know that we won’t be able to satisfy everyone. We will however, work together and do our best to meet the needs of as many children as possible.
  We would ask you not to direct any of the inevitable frustrations you may experience in the coming weeks, at your child’s school or its staff. None of them are responsible for the position in which we all find ourselves. By working together we are confident we can make progress.
  Thank you for taking the trouble to read this letter.
  Yours faithfully
  Gail Hopper

  Director of Children's Services

• School Covid Update

  Thu 14 May 2020

  Dear Parents

  I hope you are all well and have managed to adapt somewhat to the new circumstances under which we are living.

  As you will be aware, over the last few weeks, school has only been open to the children of key workers and those who are vulnerable. On Sunday, Boris Johnson announced that primary schools may start to re-open from 1^st June, and this would be for children in Nursery, Reception, year 1 and year 6, as well as those of key workers and who are vulnerable.

  In advance of this announcement, and since further documentation has been released to support schools, we have been planning on how we will begin to re-open school. These are some of the arrangements we will need to put in place, and are still considering how we can implement:

  • Smaller class sizes. This will mean your child may not be taught by their class teacher, in their usual classroom or with their friends.
  • Staggered start and finish times across a school day
  • Possible part time days for some year groups initially
  • Possible staggered start date for year groups
  • Staggered playtimes and dinnertimes
  • Restricted movement around school
  • Restricted access to resources. For children in EYFS this will mean no soft furnishings/ soft toys
  • The need for some staff to wear PPE on occasions, for example, first aid. This would involve face masks, aprons and gloves.
  • Packed lunches/ grab bags at lunchtimes
  • Supporting children to implement social distancing at playtimes and dinnertimes
  • Additional hand washing/ hand sanitising

  We are obviously still at the planning stage, and will be able to let you know more detail about how school will operate when we are able to, and if we are definitely to reopen.

  Texts are being sent home to parents in the relevant year groups. When you have received your text, please could you reply to school to let us know your intentions, to help inform our planning.

  We will obviously keep you informed, and let you know what the arrangements would be for your child.

   

  Yours sincerely

  Mrs Pridgeon

  Headteacher