Letters and Forms
Useful Information
Admissions Application Form
Please complete this data sheet IN FULL and send. Alternatively, you may download & print the form, and return to the school office together with your child’s original Long Form Birth Certificate and 2 recent (within the last 3 months) utility bills.
Severe Weather Procedure
Dear Parent/Carer,
There may be an occasion where it is decided to close the school due to severe weather conditions. Any decision made is taken after considerable thought and is based on the safety of the pupils, school site, ability to provide sufficient staffing, pupil transport arrangements and the weather forecast for each day.
At Leagrave Primary School, we follow the advice from the Local Authority that has been issued to all schools.
We will endeavour to text or email each family in the event of the school being closed therefore please ensure we have up to date contact details for you. Parents can also check the Luton Borough Council website, which gives am list of emergency school closures – please visit www.lbc.gov.uk.
Parents are also asked to check our website, where we will post up-to-date information on whether or not the school is open.
Closing a school due to bad weather is always a difficult decision due to changeability of conditions. In the event that the school may need to close due to severe weather during the school day, you will be contacted by email or text and asked to collect your child as soon as possible. Pupils will be cared for by members of staff until they can be collected. We may also only use one gate to enter the school site depending on the severity of the weather.
Please do not phone the school to check if the school will be open as this will block the phone lines. If the school plans to close early because of severe weather we will contact parents via email and/or text. The home page of the school web site will be updated with the latest information regarding pupil collection procedures.
Local radio stations will be notified alongside Luton Borough Council website (see above) although parents should be aware there can often be a delay in up-to-date information being broadcast on the radio stations and their Web sites.
In this cold weather, children should come to school suitably dressed in warm clothes with a coat, hat, gloves, etc.
Thank you for your continued support.
Yours faithfully
Mrs E Gillespie
Headteacher
Dear Parents and Carers,
Breakfast & After School Club Update
Thankyou to those families who expressed an interest in our Breakfast and After School Club from September 2021. I can confirm that we will be re-introducing this provision from Monday 6th September and we will be accepting bookings and payments online from Wednesday 1st September. Please go to the Online Payments link on the school website to make your booking. If you have any difficulties, please contact the main office.
Despite the suggestion that all restrictions will be lifted on 19th July, schools are still expected to have measures in place to support hygiene and social distancing, so please note the arrangements below from September 2021 to ensure that we do everything possible to continue to control the spread of the virus. This also includes some additional changes agreed by governors this term, such as: increased number of places from 20-25, amended cost, earlier finish time of 5pm for After School Club.
Breakfast Club Arrangements
- Breakfast Club session is available from 8am until the start of the school day
- The cost of the Breakfast Club session including breakfast is £3.50 regardless of what time you arrive
- There are only 25 places available – this enables appropriate staff to pupil ratios
- Places must be booked and paid for in advance via Scopay on the school website
- Entry will be via the main playground gate using the intercom system – children must be escorted to the Breakfast Club door by an adult over 16yrs old
- Children will sanitise hands on entry to the Breakfast Club; any child presenting with Covid symptoms will be sent home
- In the setting, children will be asked to remain in their year groups; tables and activities will be set up accordingly and breakfast will be available at their tables – this will minimise movement around the space and ensure social distancing between year groups – this will be reviewed on a termly basis in light of any covid safety guidance
- At the end of Breakfast Club, children will be escorted to class, where they will wash hands prior to entering the classroom
After School Club Arrangements
- After School Club will be available from the end of the school day until 5pm – this includes on Fridays where school finishes earlier#
- The cost of the After School Club session Mon-Thu is £3.50 until 4pm or £5.00 until 5pm
- The cost of the After School Club session on Fridays is £5.00 until 3.30pm or £8.50 until 5pm
- A light snack can be ordered in advance and will cost an additional £2.50
- There are only 25 places available – this enables appropriate staff to pupil ratios
- Places must be booked and paid for in advance via Scopay on the school website
- Children will be escorted from their classroom to the After School Club provision in the dining room at the end of the school day
- Pick up will be via the main playground gate using the intercom system – children must be collected by a nominated adult over 16yrs old
- Children will sanitise hands on entry to the After School Club; any child presenting with Covid symptoms will be sent home
- In the setting, children will be asked to remain in their year groups; tables and activities will be set up accordingly and food will be available at their tables – this will minimise movement around the space and ensure social distancing between year groups – this will be reviewed on a termly basis in light of any covid safety guidance.
Thank you for your patience as we have taken time to ensure this provision can be offered safely without increasing the risk of bubble closures in the wider school and thus impacting on children’s education.
If you have any further queries regarding the provision, please contact the school office
Yours sincerely,
Mrs E Gillespie
Headteacher
LEAGRAVE PRIMARY SCHOOL
Parent/Carer Consent to Administer Prescribed Medicine
• All prescribed medicines must be in the original container as dispensed by the pharmacy, with
the child’s name, the name of the medicine, the dose and the frequency of administration, the
expiry date and the date of dispensing included on the Pharmacy label.
• A separate form is required for each medicine.
TEMPORARY PUPIL COLLECTION DETAILS
Please note the following temporary collection details:
Dear Parent/Carer
Re: Requests for Leave in Term Time
I would like to take this opportunity to inform all parents/guardians of the current guidelines which have been laid down by the Department for Education/Local Education Authority regarding leave during term time and which the school is duty bound to implement.
The law does not grant parents/guardians an automatic right to take their child out of school during term time. Any absence from school will disrupt your child’s learning. You may consider that the leave will be educational but your
child will still miss out on the teaching that their classmates will receive during their absence.
Children returning from term time leave are also unprepared for the lessons which build on the teaching they have missed. Teachers then have to give more time to help individual children catch up on missed work. This poses a
potential risk of the under achievement of other students in the class. This is something we all have a responsibility to avoid.
The Department for Education allows a Headteacher the discretion to consider authorising leave in term time only in “exceptional circumstances”. If you consider that your request for leave is exceptional you must complete the form on the reverse of this notification. A response will be sent to you as soon as possible. If the leave is not considered to be an exceptional circumstance, and you nevertheless take your child out of school, the absence will be recorded as
unauthorised. In these circumstances, you are still required to complete the attached form.
Where a parent/carer has taken their child on leave of absence during term time for 5 consecutive school days or more, without the Headteacher’s authorisation, you could receive a Penalty Notice. In these circumstances a warning will not be given. Penalty Notices are per parent, per child as appropriate, so if there are 2 parents both will need to pay the fine for each child. Penalty Notices will need to be paid within 21 days at £60 or £120 within 28 days; part payments are not accepted. There is no appeal process for a Penalty Notice. Unpaid Penalty Notices will result in prosecution in the magistrate’s court for the absence. Please note all adults with care of the child are usually liable.
Penalty Notices are an alternative to prosecution for failing to ensure a child’s regular attendance and will only be used once per pupil in an academic year before prosecution takes place.
From this point in time, all requests for leave must be completed on the attached form; letters will not be accepted. The form should be returned to the school at least 14 days before the start of the holiday. Please also refer to the
school Leave of Absence Policy on our website before completing the application.
I hope you will support our efforts to raise attendance and attainment at our school.
Yours sincerely
Mrs E Gillespie
Headteacher
RELAY Protocol – Domestic Abuse Notifications
Dear Parents/Carers,
I am writing to inform you that Leagrave Primary School is part of a jointly run scheme between Luton Council, Bedfordshire Police and Luton schools, called RELAY. This local scheme is in response to the national scheme ‘Operation Encompass’ (www.operationencompass.org)
RELAY has been set-up to help schools provide support to children who may have been affected by incidents of domestic abuse in the home. We know that children can be significantly physically or emotionally harmed when they are involved in, present at or witness to domestic abuse. Under this scheme (RELAY) the school will receive notification from Luton Council following any
domestic abuse incidents reported by Bedfordshire Police, where a child in the school may have been affected.
The school has designated Mrs Bastin as the Key Lead for this scheme. The Key Lead (known as the the Nominated RELAY Single Point of Contact or SPOC) has received guidance (RELAY Protocol and Associated Information Sharing Agreement) and training from the Council to allow them to use the information that has been shared in confidence and to make sure the right support is available for children and their families.
We are keen to offer the best support possible to our pupils and we believe this is going to be extremely beneficial for all those involved.
If you have any concerns or questions then please contact Mrs Bastin via the school office and she will be happy to discuss this further.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs E Gillespie
Headteacher
Dear Parents and Carers,
RE: Covid 19 Update
Following on from my previous email regarding the recent increase in positive Covid 19 cases at Leagrave, I would like to reassure you that the current risk assessment on the website remains in place focusing on:
- Good hygiene for everyone
- Appropriate cleaning regimes
- Occupied spaces are well ventilated, maintaining a comfortable temperature
- Following PHE advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19
However, due to the increase in cases, Public Health have advised us to reintroduce staggered start and finish times. These will begin from Tuesday 2nd November and the details are outlined below:
Year | Nursery | Reception | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Drop off time | AM 8:30 | PM 12:00 | 8:30 – 8:40am | 8:30 – 8:40am | 8:40 – 8:50am | 8:40 – 8:50am | 8:50 – 9:00am | 8:50 – 9:00am | 8:50 – 9:00am |
Drop Off Location | Early Years Gate, Nursery Door | Early Years Gatem Reception Door | Early Years Gate, 1W Door | Main Playground Entrance. Where possible, please drop off at main gate; if your child is not comfortable with this, please follow the one way system and drop off at the year group door | ||||
Mon – Thu Pick Up | AM 11:30 | PM 3:00 | 2:50pm | 2:50pm | 3:00pm | 3:00pm | 3:10pm | 3:10pm | 3:10pm |
Fri Pick Up | AM 11:30 | PM 3:00 | 12:50pm | 12:50pm | 1:00pm | 1:00pm | 1:10pm | 1:10pm | 1:10pm |
Pick Up Location | Nursery Door | Reception Door | 1W & 1T Door | Yr2 Classroom Doors | Yr3 Side Canopy Area | Yr4 Door | Yr5 Door | Yr 6 Door |
|
Please also note the following:
Breakfast and morning sports clubs will continue as planned, but children will be escorted to classrooms at 8.30am. After school club will continue to be available from the different school finish times until 5pm; children will be escorted to the club as normal. Places must be booked and paid for in advance.
5R swimmers return between 3.00-3.10pm on Mondays, so siblings may not be ready for earlier pick up. We ask that parents socially distance while waiting.
Yr2 phonic workshops and extended day for Yr5 and 6 will continue as planned, but start slightly earlier; parents will be informed of any changes to pick up times separately.
Further temporary measures as outlined in the school’s Outbreak Management plan will also be implemented to protect our school community as much as possible. We would appreciate your support with these:
- Staff, visitors and parents to wear masks in communal areas or where 2 metres social distancing cannot be maintained
- Children to be dropped at the main playground gate on arrival or only 1 adult per family to accompany children onto the playground; parents are asked to socially distance from other families as much as possible
- Children or siblings of a close contact (someone they live with) to present a negative PCR test result before returning to school
- Parents/carers to keep the school informed of any positive or negative test results, so that the relevant protocols can be implemented to protect others and cases can be recorded for Public Health
Testing and Confirmed cases reminders
- If your child or anyone in your household has symptoms, they must stay at home and book a PCR test
- If your child presents with symptoms in school, you will be asked to collect them and book a PCR test
- Parents should inform the school of the PCR results as soon as possible, so that the school can keep a record of positive cases and keep Public Health updated
- Children with symptoms will not be able to return to school until they have received a negative PCR result; any child who has presented with symptoms and returns to school without a negative result, will be isolated until a result has been received by the school or the child has been collected.
- If the PCR test result is positive, they will be required to isolate for 10 days
Please contact the main office by email or telephone if you have any further queries regarding the above arrangements.
Kind regards,
Mrs E Gillespie
Headteacher
Thursday 15th July 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
Covid 19 Update: School Arrangements September 2021
As you will know, from Monday 19th July, the government plans to reduce the current restrictions on everyone’s day-to-day lives. The scientific evidence continues to show that the risk to children is extremely low and the majority of adults have now been offered the vaccine, providing some protection.
In light of this, further guidance has been published for schools to reduce the restrictions, but we have been asked to continue focusing on the following control measures to reduce the risk in schools:
1. Ensure good hygiene for everyone
2. Maintain appropriate cleaning regimes
3. Keep occupied spaces well ventilated, maintaining a comfortable temperature
4. Follow PHE advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of COVID-19
We will be making cautious amendments to our risk assessment from 1st September 2021 based on the
advice provided, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our school community. This will include an ‘Outbreak Management’ section, which may require the return of some restrictions if Public Health confirm that the school has had several cases over 14 days. We must still work together to keep each other safe. Please find below a summary of the changes:
School Times & Drop Off/Pick Up Arrangements
Year | Nursery | Reception | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gate Opens | AM 8:30 | PM 12:00 | 8:45 – 8:55am | 8:45 – 8:55am | 8:45 – 8:55am | 8:45 – 8:55am | 8:45 – 8:55am | 8:45 – 8:55am | 8:45 – 8:55am |
Drop Off | Early Years Entrance, Drop off at Classroom Doors | Main Playground Entrance. Where possible, please drop off at main gate; if your child is not comfortable with this, please follow the one way system and drop off at the year group door. | ||||||
Finish | AM 11:30 | PM 3:00 | 3:10pm | 3:15pm | 3:15pm | 3:25pm | 3:25pm | 3:25pm | 3:25pm |
- There is no requirement for staggered start and finishes, but we do ask that families make sensible decisions to keep themselves and other safe, ensuring appropriate social distancing
- Face masks are now optional on the main playground, but we are asking that visitors to the school continue to wear them in the main entrance foyer
- Apart from Nursery, the school day will return to an 8.45am start; drop off is quick and causes less congestion on the playground, as long as families use the one-way system
- Pick up is busier and takes longer, so there is a slight staggering of finish times to reduce congestion and we ask that parents wait in the relevant areas outside classroom exits, at least 3 metres back from the classroom door to support social distancing; teachers have been reminded to be prompt
- Exit doors will no longer be opened earlier than the agreed finish times; in the case of a parent picking up from Yr2 & Yr4, the parent will need to wait 10 mins for the Yr4 door to open ensuring appropriate social distancing
- Children will no longer have their temperature taken on entry; a temperature check will only take place if a child presents as being unwell
- Frequent and thorough handwashing/sanitising will continue to be in place for all children and staff
The Curriculum
- Despite a comprehensive intervention programme to support any gaps in missed learning, the school will continue to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum of all subjects
- There will continue to be strong emphasis on pupil health and wellbeing; parents should notify the class teacher or the main office if they are worried about their child’s wellbeing
- There is no requirement to group children in consistent bubbles anymore, however children will continue to be taught mainly in their class groups with wider curriculum opportunities within their year groups, such as break, lunchtimes and some mixed teaching
- At the moment, the school’s risk assessment will not encourage close contact mixing across year groups; break and lunchtime locations will still be separate
- Lunches will continue to be delivered to classrooms during Autumn 1; this will be reviewed for Autumn 2 to ensure a smooth and safe transition back to the dining room
- Children will continue to be provided with their own pencil cases and equipment
- Windows and doors will be kept open where safe to do so, ensuring a comfortable temperature
- Breakfast Club and After School Club will resume from 6th September; further information regarding this provision will follow shortly
- Morning Sports Clubs will re-start on 6th September for Yr2,3,4,5 on separate days; a letter to book your child’s place will be sent home on 1st September
- Homework will resume on Google classroom from September
- Assemblies and Year Group Performances will be reviewed for Autumn 2
Attendance and Travel Abroad
- School attendance is mandatory for all pupils of compulsory school age
- All children and young people should attend their education setting unless they are one of the very small number of children and young people under paediatric or other specialist care who have been advised by their GP or clinician not to attend
- Any families traveling abroad must also follow any travel restrictions; parents travelling abroad should bear in mind the impact on their child’s education which may result from any requirement to quarantine or isolate upon return; all children should be ready to return to school on 1st September 2021
Visitors to school
- Parents will still be encouraged to communicate with the school by phone or email; where this is not possible, parents can access the main office via the intercom at the front gate; there is a maximum occupancy of 5 people in the main foyer and all visitors must wear a mask
- Meetings between families and staff will continue to be offered remotely if possible; where this is not possible the visitor guidance will be followed ensuring appropriate arrangements to keep all parties safe
- The autumn parent consultation that will take place via School Cloud again; dates will be confirmed in the autumn term
Remote Education
- We will continue to support those children who are required to isolate but have no symptoms via remote learning opportunities on Google classroom
- In the event that a whole class is sent home to isolate due to health and safety, the class will return to ‘Live Lessons’ via Google Meet
- We will make reasonable adjustments for those children with SEND, so that they can successfully access remote education
- Free school meal support and technology will be available for those families who require support
Important Reminders on testing, self-isolation and confirmed cases of COVID-19
When an individual develops COVID-19 symptoms or has a positive test
- Children, staff and other adults with Covid 19 symptoms should not come to school and must book a PCR test or isolate for 10 days – other household members including siblings should continue to isolate until a test result confirms a positive or negative test. If the test is negative, all children/staff can return to school, if the test is positive the children/staff must continue to isolate for the remaining 10 days
- If a child develops symptoms during the school day (new continuous cough, high temperature or loss/change of smell/taste), parents will be contacted for immediate collection with siblings. Parents will arrange a PCR test for the child and the family will follow the self-isolation guidance
- For everyone with symptoms, they should avoid using public transport and, wherever possible, be collected by a member of their family or household
- Children who are isolating will resume remote teaching and have access to FSM and technology if required. This will be actioned by the school admin team
Asymptomatic testing (Lateral Flow Device – LFD)
- School staff are invited to continue with twice weekly home tests from September 2021
- Testing will continue to be widely available over the summer and kits can be collected either from your local pharmacy or ordered online
- Families are encouraged to take a lateral flow test before they return to school in September
Confirmatory PCR tests
- Staff and pupils with a positive LFD test result should self-isolate in line with the stay at home guidance. They will also need to get a free PCR test to check if they have COVID-19
- Whilst awaiting the PCR result, the individual should continue to self-isolate along with family members
- If the PCR test is taken within 2 days of the positive lateral flow test, and is negative, it overrides the self-test LFD test and the pupil can return to school, as long as the individual doesn’t have COVID-19 symptoms
Tracing close contacts and isolation
- Close contacts will be identified via NHS Test and Trace; education settings will no longer be expected to undertake contact tracing
- From 16 August 2021, children under the age of 18 years old will no longer be required to self-isolate if they are contacted by Test and Trace; this means that whole bubbles will no longer be sent home
- Instead, children will be informed they have been in close contact with a positive case and advised to take a PCR test. We would encourage all individuals to take a PCR test if advised to do so
This is a lot of information to take in, but we wanted to share these updates with you as soon as possible.
If you have any questions about the changes, please contact the main office, who will be able to help.
This has been a difficult year for everyone with many of us facing different challenges. The one aim we all
have in common is to ensure that the children at Leagrave receive the learning and wellbeing support that they require to thrive. I know we can continue to work together to achieve this.
Kind regards,
Mrs E Gillespie
Headteacher
Dear Parents and Carers,
Breakfast & After School Club Update
Thankyou to those families who expressed an interest in our Breakfast and After School Club from September 2021. I can confirm that we will be re-introducing this provision from Monday 6th September and we will be accepting bookings and payments online from Wednesday 1st September. Please go to the Online Payments link on the school website to make your booking. If you have any difficulties, please contact the main office.
Despite the suggestion that all restrictions will be lifted on 19th July, schools are still expected to have measures in place to support hygiene and social distancing, so please note the arrangements below from September 2021 to ensure that we do everything possible to continue to control the spread of the virus. This also includes some additional changes agreed by governors this term, such as: increased number of places from 20-25, amended cost, earlier finish time of 5pm for After School Club.
Breakfast Club Arrangements
- Breakfast Club session is available from 8am until the start of the school day
- The cost of the Breakfast Club session including breakfast is £3.50 regardless of what time you arrive
- There are only 25 places available – this enables appropriate staff to pupil ratios
- Places must be booked and paid for in advance via Scopay on the school website
- Entry will be via the main playground gate using the intercom system – children must be escorted to the Breakfast Club door by an adult over 16yrs old
- Children will sanitise hands on entry to the Breakfast Club; any child presenting with Covid symptoms will be sent home
- In the setting, children will be asked to remain in their year groups; tables and activities will be set up accordingly and breakfast will be available at their tables – this will minimise movement around the space and ensure social distancing between year groups – this will be reviewed on a termly basis in light of any covid safety guidance
- At the end of Breakfast Club, children will be escorted to class, where they will wash hands prior to entering the classroom.
After School Club Arrangements
- After School Club will be available from the end of the school day until 5pm – this includes on Fridays where school finishes earlier
- The cost of the After School Club session Mon-Thu is £3.50 until 4pm or £5.00 until 5pm
- The cost of the After School Club session on Fridays is £5.00 until 3.30pm or £8.50 until 5pm
- A light snack can be ordered in advance and will cost an additional £2.50
- There are only 25 places available – this enables appropriate staff to pupil ratios
- Places must be booked and paid for in advance via Scopay on the school website
- Children will be escorted from their classroom to the After School Club provision in the dining room at the end of the school day
- Pick up will be via the main playground gate using the intercom system – children must be collected by a nominated adult over 16yrs old
- Children will sanitise hands on entry to the After School Club; any child presenting with Covid symptoms will be sent home
- In the setting, children will be asked to remain in their year groups; tables and activities will be set up accordingly and food will be available at their tables – this will minimise movement around the space and ensure social distancing between year groups – this will be reviewed on a termly basis in light of any covid safety guidance.
Thank you for your patience as we have taken time to ensure this provision can be offered safely without increasing the risk of bubble closures in the wider school and thus impacting on children’s education.
If you have any further queries regarding the provision, please contact the school office
Yours sincerely,
Mrs E Gillespie
Headteache
Thursday 25th February 2021
Dear Parents and Carers,
IMPORTANT: RETURN TO SCHOOL ON 8TH MARCH
You will know by now that all children are returning to school on Monday 8th March and attendance will be mandatory. We are very much looking forward to having everyone back in school and I know the children will be excited to see their teachers and friends again. We will do everything we can to ensure the children’s return to school is smooth and that they quickly get back into a routine. This will support wellbeing, as well as learning needs.
The provision in school for key worker and vulnerable children will continue to be available until Thursday 4th March, but the school will be closed on Friday 5th March for a full deep clean and to allow the site team to complete any final preparations regarding the health and safety of the school site. Families accessing this provision have been informed that alternative childcare will need to be made on this date.
Live learning will continue to be available for all children until Thursday 4th March; classes will celebrate World Book Day on this date and more information about this will follow later today. On Friday 5th March, learning activities will be available via Google Classroom, but there will be no live teaching. This will enable staff to finalise planning and arrangements for the children’s return on the 8th March.
Public Health England have reassured us that the way to control this virus is the same as before, even with the current new variants being more transmissible. The updated advice strengthens the measures we already have in place, to provide reassurance and help decrease disruption to education. To ensure the school is safe and has effective control measures in place, the current risk assessment and procedures will be updated in line with any new guidance from the Government and Public Health; this will be available on the website from Tuesday 2nd March. In the meantime, I have attached some important reminders and updates for you to be aware of. Please take the time to read this information, so that you and your child are fully prepared for a safe return to school.
You will note from the information attached that staff are now being tested twice weekly and we ask that where possible you test children at the rapid test centres before their return to school and then weekly thereafter. This is a free test and will help control the spread of the virus.
We feel very fortunate at Leagrave to have children, parents/carers and staff who have shown great resilience during this time. We know that home learning has been a challenge for all involved, but together we have overcome many barriers to ensure that learning and wellbeing remain a priority. Thank you.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the return to school arrangements, please ensure you contact the main office, rather than engaging the teacher during the live teaching sessions. We understand that some parents and children may be anxious, but we are confident we can resolve most issues. We look forward to seeing you on Monday 8th March.
Kind regards,
Mrs E Gillespie and the Senior Leadership Team
Monday 12th July 2021
Year 6 Walking Home
Dear Parents/Carers,
Children in Year 6 are allowed to walk home by themselves from September 2021, however they must have permission from their parents/carers to do this. If you would like your child to walk home by themselves, please
complete the form below.
Yours sincerely,
Debbie Egbaran
Assistant Headteacher
Monday and Tuesday times will change when extended learning starts, but we will keep you updated. I have explained to my child the safety aspects of walking home on their own.