Coronavirus Crisis – Head Teacher’s Update

Dear Parents and Carers

I hope you and your family did manage to enjoy something of an Easter break, despite the challenges we currently face. We also hope that you are  safe and well and that you are receiving all of the support you need.

Emergency Child Care for children of key workers

At present Pentrehafod remains open for Emergency Child Care; all parents and carers are advised that this provision should ONLY be used when there is no other alternative available and that you need to use this service because you are a Key Worker. We do ask that you contact the school to let us know when you need this provision so we can staff it accordingly. We are occasionally using our primary schools to support this too, but that is only when we have a single child in school.  We have offered weekend provision but, to date, there has been no uptake. This may change and we are  in regular contact with the Local Authority regarding Emergency Child Care provision.

Please remember that  whilst the school is only open for Emergency Child Care,  staff are available to deal with your queries. Please email or ring reception.

Free School Meal support

The Local Authority continues to run the ‘Grab and Go’ bags. These are available from Pentrehafod School from 12 – 1pm from Monday to Friday. Please contact reception should you want to use this service.

Teaching and Learning

As you are aware, we have used our website as a base to direct  students to a variety of work and this is proving to be a useful tool.  We have emailed out a questionnaire this week as we want to find out more about any barriers to learning, especially digital ones. Thank you to those parents/carers who have returned them. If you have not done so then please check your email or ring the school on Monday so we can resend. Thank you to those parents/cares who have rang in with queries regarding HWB Teams; please see the useful online guides on our website as they are designed to support you. Please could you continue to encourage your son/daughter to continue with their study habits; they can email their class teacher directly with subject queries if they do not understand the work. There is also a weekly check-in from your child’s for teacher and this is another opportunity to raise concerns.

There will be a strong focus on Teaching and Learning from Monday (following the Easter fortnight)  as we know that our young people need to follow routines and keep their brains active. Work will be available online or as a paper copy. Check the website next week for an update.

We are also an Empathy School and there is a section on our website called EmapthyLab. Please encourage your son/daughter to read as widely as possible. If they prefer to listen to books there are now a wide range of books available to download for free (many sites have chosen to do this now that schools are closed).

Wellbeing Support

We hope that you are all finding ways to support the wellbeing of each other.

This situation is concerning for us all but I feel that we need to ensure that our young people have the support they require to deal with some of the important questions and concerns that they have. Remember that people react differently to significant events.  Some people – adults and children – may feel worried, whilst others  may show no anxiety at all.  Be reassured that different reactions are normal and ok.

If your child seems worried, it may be good to distract them with something that takes their mind off their worries.  You might also want to set aside 10-15 minutes each day for them to talk about any worries, and to reassure them.

Remember to keep things positive and give children hope. There are many ‘feel good’ stories in the media now and this can be incredibly uplifting.

Do positive things together, and keep active.  Make a plan and suggest some regular family times where you can play games, do some exercise together, or do other things that you know most of you like. Try to find a good balance between time together, and screen time.

Keep in good contact with family and friends (via Facetime, Skype WhatsApp etc.; following NHS guidance on ‘social contact’).  This will help children connect with others and know that others are thinking about them.  It will also reassure them that others are well. Encourage acts of kindness; it is a difficult time, but there are ways where we can support others.

As a parent/Carer you may be concerned yourself.  Take e care of yourself and make sure you have breaks, time to relax, and ask for help from others if you need.

There are a range of resources on the Health and Wellbeing section of the website. Please try these as a family.

We will continue to update the website; some sections are updated daily so do keep checking.

On behalf of all staff and Governors, please do everything possible to keep safe,

Jennifer Ford

Headteacher