Week 8 05.11.21

We have started this half term with a real focus on what our learning behaviour policy translates to in practice. The children have been discussing the ideas that support the approach and considering how we can, even more, support each other to be safe and able to learn. Thank you to the children that created the brilliant poster above - How to get on, when you don't get on that helps us all to remember that we don't have to like other people, but we do have to show kindness and tolerance and get support when we or they need it.

#Experiencesshapethebrain #Childrendon'tchoosetheirexperiences #BehaviourCommunicates #CommunityWellbeing

This will also link to the Hertfordshire Kindness Week (See next item) coming in two weeks time and a relaunch of our play and lunchtime guidance to support the right and responsibility for happy excited play, alongside the right and responsibility for all children to experience a safe and kind environment. #Community Wellbeing!

Some lovely support in driving kindness across Hertfordshire is available from the Herts' Kindness Week. We will be using this to further drive our supportive approach to behaviour, whilst ensuring everyone's right to a safe and kind learning environment. One great tip I am trying to achieve in my own speech is the rephrasing of don't into the DO! Instead of, don't ride your scooter, Well done for riding, you're showing me being safe on the school grounds! for instance. Hopefully, using positive language to promote kindness and safety.

We will be exploring the complexity of supporting children to learn, take risks and make mistakes, alongside our responsibility to manage the risks reasonably. Too much risk 'avoidance' stops children learning and being ready for the real and, sometimes, dangerous world we all live in. Too much child freedom fails to recognise that children are not yet experienced, mature, able to self-regulate or able to grasp the complex and sometimes subtle dangers that adults are, usually, more aware of.

The Road Safety Council met on Tuesday and are driving two elements agreed before half-term:

1. Posters and signs being created by the end of November, to remind everyone to be safe on the roads.

2. The staff will be discussing the logistics of creating a stagger for Year 5 and 6 children.

Thank you for all the positive comments following my letter this week. I would usually reply to each one individually but the response was positively overwhelming! There is clearly a strong will to make things better - let's see if we can turn this will into effective action!

I found this link on the Three Rivers website:

https://www.threerivers.gov.uk/page/report-it and one option is to report anti-social behaviour.

Here's a Herts' Police Road Safety twitter:

https://twitter.com/roadsafetyherts?lang=en

We also recommended 101 for all concerns and writing to your council.

Do let me know if you have any other ways we can make those responsible aware of our very real concerns: admin@littlegreen.herts.sch.uk

We had 8 positive cases reported to us during the half-term with 6 of these in Year 4 spread across all the classes. With the ten day closure of school during half-term - from Friday 22nd October until Monday 1st November, there has been a 'break' period related to the school and we hope this 'break' will have supported a reduction in transmission.

As always, we follow the guidance carefully and monitor the wider Covid news and numbers locally and nationally. The model the government is following predicts a significant decrease in cases over the coming weeks. We shall see.

You will have also seen the mask 'recommendation' letter sent this week from HCC that we are applying in our setting.

Key Dates:

Mon 8th Nov: Poppies on sale in school to pupils.

Wed 10th Nov: 6E swimming at York House 10am - 11am

Hertfordshire County Council is running a consultation on the proposed admissions arrangements for the school year 2023/24 and is seeking responses from parent/carers, schools and community groups.

The proposed changes are:

1. To amend the definition and explanation for home address, where two applications are received for the same child

2. To amend the oversubscription criteria for Pirton Primary School

3. To reduce the published admission number (PAN) at five community primary schools.

The consultation period runs until 12 December 2021. Please visit www.hertfordshire.gov.uk/admissions2023 for more information and to respond online.