Newsletter

14th October 2022

Principal's Message:

In the penultimate week of the term we are still going full steam ahead with our learning. The academy has been a real hive of activity with Year 5 pupils preparing delicious treats to raise money for a homeless charity, Year 6 pupils having taken part in the "Restart a Heart" workshop and our Reception classes having had a visit from PC Tony Ingram. Next week is also shaping up to be just as exciting with World Values Day taking place.

Car Park

We are receiving an increasing number of concerned emails in regard to the appropriate use of our car park. I have to agree with these concerns and I am becoming increasingly concerned too. I would therefore like to offer a few reminders;

  • Staff parking is reserved for staff parking only. Parents and carers should refrain from parking there.

  • The drop off zone is for dropping off only and cars should not be parked there as it impedes its function.

  • There should not be any double parking or parking on zebra crossings as this makes the whole area incredibly unsafe.

  • Car engines should not be left running as this is harmful to the environment and our children's health

As you know, the car park area has been something of a challenge since the inception of the school. I am therefore extremely pleased to share that we have been given the green light to redesign the layout of the car park and install automatic gates. Hurrah, I hear you say! Things to look forward to in the remodelling will be;

  • Clearer walkways for pedestrians

  • Zebra crossings moved and placed in more sensible locations

  • Drop curbs moved and installed elsewhere

  • Increased parking spaces in the staff parking area allowing for more visitor parking spaces. This will mean that there will be no space for parents to drop off in the staff parking area.

The groundworks for this site work will begin during the October half term with the automated gates being installed before December (providing there are no delays in the supply chain).

I am so pleased to be able to share this with you and I know that, as a community, you will be relieved that we have made such a huge, positive step forward with this.

Have a lovely weekend.

Miss Brading

Office Messages and Reminders:

World Values Day

A letter was uploaded to My Child at School this week regarding World Values Day on Thursday 20th October during which we will be recognising and celebrating the many different cultures and ethnicities within our school community. To support this, we are asking for parent/carer volunteers who may be willing to come into the academy on World Values Day, representing their culture through an activity of their choice and joining in with our diversity celebrations.

Please do reach out to Mrs Dunn, Mrs Carter or staff in the academy office should you be interested - a full list of the countries and cultures our staff and pupils will be exploring are detailed in the letter published to My Child at School so please do refer to this if needed.

Tree Planting

The academy is preparing for a delivery of trees from The Woodland Trust; these are due to arrived during the first week back after half term. We would like to ask if there are any parent/carers that might be prepared to come in and help with planting the trees as this does need to be done soon after they are received.

If you would be able to spare an hour or two to help with the planting of the new trees, please let academy office staff know. Thank you in advance for your anticipated support with this.

E-Scooters

We have received some information and advice regarding the use of e-scooters throughout communities. As these are become increasingly popular, we thought it might be useful to share the following points with you:

  • Only approved rental e-scooters operating in government led trial areas in the UK are legal for use. The only rental trial currently operating in Kent is in Canterbury, through operator Bird. To hire a Bird trial e-scooter, individuals must be over the age of 18 and hold a valid driving license. This trial is in place until the end of November, after which there will be no other e-scooter rental trials taking place in any part of Kent.

  • All other e-scooters, including those that are privately owned, remain illegal and cannot be used on roads, in cycle lanes, on pavements, on footpaths of any kind or in any public spaces.

  • Private e-scooters are only legal for use on private land, with the landowner's permission.

  • Kent Police have the right to seize any e-scooter being ridden illegally under Section 59 of the Police Reform Act and Section 165 of the Road Traffic Act. The penalty for riding an e-scooter illegally can also include a fine of up to £300 and up to 6 points on a driving license (where relevant).

  • For further detailed information regarding e-scooters please visit www.gov.uk and search for 'powered transporters'.

If you have purchased, or intend to purchase, an e-scooter for your child, please do be aware of the above guidance and risk of penalty should laws around their use be breached.

Contacting the class teachers:

If you have concerns that you would like to raise with the academy, please do so via the academy office email address on contactus@langleyparkprimaryacademy.org.uk and it will be directed to the relevant members of staff. Please do not email individual teaching staff directly as this is a circumvention of our communication procedures and you therefore risk not receiving any response at all.

Whole School Attendance:

94.68%


Weekly Class Attendance Award:

Melrose

96.10%


Key Dates:

Wednesday 19th October Guide Dog Association visiting Year 1 pupils

Thursday 20th October World Values Day

Friday 21st October Last day of Term 1

Monday 7th November Return to school for Term 2

Please note that these are confirmed dates but should we need to change any due to unforeseen circumstances, we will communicate this with you with as much notice as possible.

National Online Safety

The online world is posing an ever-increasing risk to children, and it is important that schools, parents and carers work together to take an active role in teaching children about online dangers. Learning how to act safely when using the internet is an incredibly important part of safeguarding our children.

We are therefore delighted to announce that at Langley Park Primary Academy we have shown continued commitment to protecting our pupils online by working with National Online Safety- providing resources for all parents and carers.

The resources include Parents & Carers courses (presented by Myleene Klass), online video resources and weekly guides covering a huge range of topics, including:

· Online Relationships

· Fake Profiles & Social Bots

· Online Bullying

· Online Grooming

· Child Sexual Exploitation

· Sexual Harassment & Violence

· Sexting

· Live Streaming

· Online Identity

· Screen Addiction

· Online Challenges

· Overspending

· Social Media Platforms

· Online Gambling

· Radicalisation, Terrorism & Extremism

· Age Inappropriate Content

· Copyright & Ownership

· Hacking

· Fake News

· Online Fraud

· Online Reputation

· Personal Data

· Pornography

· Targeted Adverts & Pop-Ups

· The Dark Web

· Games & Trends

To create your account, please follow https://nationalonlinesafety.com/enrol/langley-park-primary-academy

Please complete your details and when you are set up, select ‘Parent/Carer’ as your user type.

You can access National Online Safety online via any device - including via our brand-new smartphone app. To download the app, please go to:


https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/national-online-safety/id1530342372

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.nationaleducationgroup.nos


Alternatively, search for ‘National Online Safety’ in the App Store/Google Play Store.

Answers to frequently asked questions and customer service can be accessed at https://helpdesk.thenationalcollege.co.uk/helpcentre