Manor Park Primary Academy

We are including some general reminders in our weekly notices sheets for the benefit of our new parents/carers and which we hope you will find useful. The Weekly Notices and Reminder Sheet is sent out via Parentmail every Friday and includes dates of forthcoming events, reminders of trips and term dates as well. (With COVID restrictions in place, activities are restricted at present but the newsletter does provide such information throughout the year).

SOCIAL MEDIA GUIDELINES

Facebook, WhatsApp etc. should not be used for any school related comments and the complaints and concerns procedures should be followed. If you wish to share, confidentially, parents who are using sites inappropriately please let us know and we are happy to speak to them. All contact between staff and parents should be conducted with politeness whether this is in meetings or on social media. The following guidelines should be followed;

• Parents should use social networking sites or messaging groups sites only as a forum to support one another and uphold the strong reputation of the school.

• Parents should not post pictures of pupils, other than their own children, on social networking sites.

• Parents should not post inappropriate comments about the school and its staff, parents or individual children on social networking sites or messaging groups.

• Parents should share complaints or concerns through official school channels rather than posting them on social networking sites or messaging groups.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Ms Scrase

Executive Principal

ABSENCE THROUGH COVID-RELATED ILLNESS

Anyone of the below symptoms of COVID will require a test before returning to school or a 10 day self isolation

• High temperature

• New, continuous cough

• Loss or change to sense of smell or taste

• Children who have other ailments such as seasonal colds, asthma coughs etc are allowed to come to school if well enough to do so, if they have none of the above symptoms. If you are unsure of whether your child has Covid symptoms or it is something else, such as a seasonal cold, please check with your GP or 111 for advice and let us know.

REPORTING ABSENCE From Wednesday 16th September, all pupil absence will need to be reported via the school website www.manorparkprimary.co.uk. There is a new link called ABSENCE REPORTING which takes you to a brief questionnaire so we can quickly and easily record the reason for your child's absence. Please don't call or email the school to report absence. Your support and co-operation is much appreciated. Thank you.

Department for Education Coronavirus (COVID-19) Helpline Weekend Opening Hours

The Department for Education coronavirus (COVID-19) helpline remains available to answer questions about coronavirus (COVID-19) relating to education and children’s social care. Please listen carefully to the available options and select the most appropriate to your nursery, school, or college’s current situation.

To support the transition back to education, we have extended our opening hours and are now available 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Parents can contact this helpline by calling: 0800 046 8687

Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 8am to 6pm

Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm

STARTING SCHOOL IN 2021

Was your child born between 1st SEPTEMBER 2016 AND 31st AUGUST 2017?

If so, they will be due to start Primary School in September 2021

Please note that there is no priority given to children who are currently attending the school Nursery.

If you have a sibling at Manor Park there is no automatic placement-you must still make an online application.

For more information or to apply online go to www.sutton.gov.uk/admissions

The closing date for applications is midnight 15th JANUARY 2021.

Results for applications submitted online will be available on the evening of 16th APRIL 2021

HIGH SCHOOL PLACES FOR SEPTEMBER 2021

Please note that the deadline for applying for a high school place for your Year 6 child is approaching. All applications must be made via the Sutton website at www.sutton.gov.uk/admissions by 31st OCTOBER 2020

We would suggest you make your application before this date to ensure that it is received. You will receive a confirmation email of your completed application upon submission.

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS

The school photographer will be in school on Thursday 15th October to take individual photographs of the children.

We are unable to take sibling group photographs on this occasion due to maintaining class bubble groups and social distancing measures. Thank you for your understanding.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Manor Park Primary Academy strongly believes that good attendance will ensure that a child can take full advantage of what school has to offer and will gain the educational and social skills necessary for life. The expected level of attendance is 96% and above and awards are given out termly to every child in Reception to Year 6 who achieve a level of 98% or more during that term.

If a child’s attendance falls below the threshold of 90% (a level set by the Government and meaning that they have missed 38 sessions or 19 days of learning) they are monitored by the school and Borough School Attendance Services. Medical evidence may be required to support further absence and failure to comply may result in a fixed penalty notice being imposed. The Executive Principal or Principal are unable to consider any request for leave for an emergency or exceptional circumstance if a child’s attendance is that low. A child who misses 19 days (38 sessions) or more during an academic year will be classed as a persistently absent pupil and, over a five year period, a child whose attendance level is 90% or below would have missed half a year’s learning which will impact immensely on their education!

The Executive Principal or Principal will not authorise time off for family holidays as these should be taken during the school holidays. They will consider an application for leave for an emergency or an exceptional circumstance twice during a child’s time at Manor Park, once in Early Years and Key Stage 1 and once in Key Stage 2 but not in Years 2 or 6. A maximum of 10 days may be requested. A letter requesting leave and addressed to the Executive Headteacher should be handed in to the school office or emailed to the school at least one month before wherever possible. You may also discuss your request with Mrs Shorter in the school office via telephone or email.

LATENESS

Arriving to school on time in the mornings is extremely important for a child as it ensures a good start to the children's learning and their day. It also enables them to see their friends or chat to other children in the playground before school and this enhances their social skills and confidence. Arriving late causes a child to feel embarrassed and unsettled and can also be very disruptive to the class who may have already started their learning or gone into the hall for assembly.

Registration is at 8.55am and children should be in class and ready to start the day by this time. If a child arrives after register has closed at 9.30am this counts as an unauthorised absence on their attendance record. Most of our late arrivals are only a few minutes late in the mornings and we hope that the following suggestions may help if you have difficulty getting your child or children to school on time.

Ensure that your child has a good bed-time routine and a nutritious breakfast in the morning.to set them up for the start of the day.

Allow enough time for your journey to school.

Always have a back-up plan if a problem arises-a family member or another parent who could bring your child to school

FRUIT AND SNACKS IN KEY STAGE 1

Fruit is provided for all children in Reception and Key Stage 1, therefore there is no need for them to be bringing in little boxes with snacks and fruit for break time. May we also remind you that Manor Park is a NUT-FREE SCHOOL. We have children with severe allergies which can be life-threatening so no nuts of any kind please and no sandwich spreads containing nuts or traces of nuts. Thank you for your co-operation.

HEAD LICE

Unfortunately, we have had further reports of head lice in Year 6 Topaz Class. Please check your child or children's hair. Regular vigorous brushing and combing through after applying conditioner is an effective way to deal with lice and their eggs or you can obtain treatment shampoos from your GP or over the counter.

All clubs have now started.

Please click here to see a reminder of the days and times for clubs as well as where to collect your child from.

Early Morning Clubs:

Early morning clubs run between 7.45am and 8.30am. Please drop your child off at the front office (no earlier than 7.40am) in the morning.

How do I know if my child has a confirmed club?

1) Login to your parent portal on Arbor

2) Find the heading called Activities

3) Click on clubs

4) Click on each club individually

5) Find the heading called Memberships - you will see in green writing confirmed

A confirmed club means that your child has a place in that club.

Wednesday 14th October 2020 : LEO Academy Online Safety Parent Workshop from 7.30-8.30pm

Thursday 15th October 2020 : School Photographs (Individual pictures only)

Friday 23rd October 2020 last day of this half term. SCHOOL CLOSES NORMAL TIME FOR A FRIDAY

Monday 26th October to Monday 2nd November 2020 (Inset Day) SCHOOL CLOSED FOR HALF TERM

Saturday 31st October 2020 : Deadline for High School Applications to the London Borough of Sutton