Latest News
Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.
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Re-opening - latest news
Fri 29 May 2020Hi everyone,
I understand there is quite a lot of confusion about re-opening schools, especially in light of Nottingham City Council’s decision to tell the schools they are responsible for not to re-open on the 1st June. I thought it would be useful to outline Burford’s position in relation to re-opening. As you know, we had planned to re-open on the 1st June for Year 6 (we have always been open for the children of key workers and vulnerable children – this will continue from the 1st June). I was informed on Wednesday 27th May that re-opening for Y6 pupils would not be possible as Transform (the trust Burford is part of and who holds ultimate legal responsibility for our actions) had taken the decision that all their schools would not open to Year 6 pupils until Thursday 4th June at the earliest. The parents of children affected in Year 6 were contacted on Thursday 28th May.
A key reason behind the decision to delay re-opening was to ensure all schools in Transform had taken the necessary steps to ensure they were safe to re-open. Burford submitted a risk assessment to the executive board of Transform on 22nd May and that has been graded as green. A member of the executive board will visit Burford on Monday 1st June to ensure the risk assessment matches provision on the ground. Whilst it is frustrating for everyone having to wait, it is undoubtedly the right decision to put the safety of our children and staff before opening too quickly.
So, as things stand, the instruction is that we will be able to re-open to Y6 pupils by Thursday 4th June at the earliest. I will, of course, keep you informed of developments.
I have attached a letter from the CEO of Transform which sets out, in more detail, the thinking behind the decision above, plus some detail around how school will likely run when we extend our provision to Year 6, and then to other children. One thing you will notice in the letter is that children will not be expected to wear uniform in school. This seems a sensible decision as children, and staff, will need to wash all their clothing on a daily basis to ensure the highest health standards are observed.
I hope this helps clarify what is happening at Burford (in simple terms we are open for the children of key workers and vulnerable children from the 1st June – watch this space for news of wider re-opening) but please feel free to come back to me if you would like any further questions answered.
Mr Farrington
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Message to all our Year 6 parents/carers whose children are returning to school on 1st June 2020
Thu 21 May 2020Evening everyone,
It's been a long day but it feels like we are almost there in terms of planning for the first phase of re-opening on the 1st June. You were a great help with that on Wednesday when you stood by your phones and gave us quick answers to whether your child would be returning to school or not. I need to ask for your help again tomorrow. Mrs Harding will be ringing the parents of children returning in Year 6, and the parents of children of key workers and vulnerable children, with an explanation of how our social distancing measures will work for you and your child from the 1st June. For example, she will explain where, and how, you need to drop your child off (different groups will have different times). She will start ringing at about 10am so please be on stand by.
Thank you and stay safe,
Mr Farrington
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Behaviour policy appendix
Wed 20 May 2020Hi everyone,
I have written an appendix to our behaviour policy, which can be found in the policies section of the website. Our expectations around how children conduct themselves has inevitably changed in light of C-19. Please take a moment to read, and digest, its contents. As always, please come back to me if you have any questions.
Mr Farrington
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Further update from Mr Farrington regarding plans for re-opening on 1st June.
Tue 19 May 2020Hello everyone,
I am keen to keep you up to date with developments regarding plans for re-opening on 1st June. As I mentioned in recently, school will post a film outlining how we aim to re-open school as safely as possible. This film will be posted tomorrow on Dojo and the school website. Please watch the film and start to make a decision about whether you will be sending your child back to school. This decision is pressing if your child is in F1 (Mrs Dickson's class), F2 (Miss Ashurst), Year 1 (Mrs Fortescue) and Year 6 (Ms Chapleo). These teachers will be ringing all the parents of the children in their class on Wednesday. They will ask for a firm decision from you. We need a clear yes or no to allow us to plan for groupings. If you say no, that is fine and you can change your mind but we will need some notice before your child can return to school (by 11am on the Wednesday before your child can start the following Monday). The simple reason for this is safety - your children will be taught in much smaller groups than normal and they will not be allowed to mix with children in any other group. This is far from ideal but we have no choice at the present time.
The teachers will keep ringing you until they get an answer but please make it easier for them by having your phone on. The cut off point, though, will by 17.00 on Wednesday 20th May. If we have been unable to contact you by this point, your child will not be able to access a school place in the first week of their class's return to school.
I know this sounds very strict but I do hope you understand the reasons behind this approach.
As children will be taught in small groups of no more than ten, and not mix with any child from another group so we minimise the risk of C19 spreading, we will be unable to offer Breakfast and After school club for the time being. I appreciate this will make life harder for many of you and this is something I regret. However, the safety of our children and staff has to be our number one priority. We will, of course, regularly review this and hope to open both clubs as soon as it is safe to do so.
I know this is a lot to take in. Please take some time to think things through and please discuss any issues you have with your child's teacher when they ring on Wednesday.
Take care,
Mr Farrington -
Update from Mr Farrington about possible reopening on 1st June 2020
Fri 15 May 2020Hi everyone,
I’ve had several meetings over the past few days about how to safely re-open the school for the children in F1, F2, year 1 and year 6 from the 1st June. The guiding principle in all these discussions has been to maximise the safety of our children and staff. I am keen to let you know about the school’s plans as they currently stand:
Monday 18th May – Ms Chapleo, Miss Ashurst, Mr Nightingale and I will conduct a site survey to establish how best we can ensure social distancing guidance is observed in school. This will lead to a video being produced by school. This film will illustrate for children, parents and staff the measures we will introduce. This information film will allow parents to make an informed decision about whether they want to send their child to school, or not. Current guidance is clear that parents will face no sanctions should they decide against sending their child to school. I believe this is crucial because whilst we will make every effort to encourage children to remain 2 metres apart, this will prove virtually impossible for our youngest children.
Tuesday 19th May – The film mentioned above will be made available on Dojo and the school website.
Wednesday 20th May – Teachers of children in F1, F2, Year 1 and Year 6 will ring parents to establish if they intend sending their child to school. We do need a definite indication from parents to allow us to plan. We need to put your children into smaller groups than normal which has implications for staffing and space in school.
We will use the rest of the week, as well as half term week, to plan for re-opening. To make planning for re-opening possible, school will be closed to children during half term week (w/c 25th May).
Schools across Transform Trust have made one definite decision. All schools in the trust will open for Year 6 only during the week of 1st June. Being open for one year group only will allow us to test whether the social distancing measures we have introduced are effective. We have chosen to do that with our Year 6 pupils because they will be with us for the shortest amount of time and they should, as our oldest children, be best able to follow social distancing guidance.
As I said earlier, our guiding principle in terms of re-opening is to maximise the safety of our children and staff. This may mean things take longer to organise than we would like but I make no apology for that. I do promise you, though, that I will keep you informed every step of the way.
Stay safe
Shaun -
WE NEED YOUR THOUGHTS
Wed 13 May 2020We are keen to hear your thoughts on the government's recent announcements around school potentially reopening for some children on the 1st June at the earliest.
Transform Trust have created a survey for each school so that we can gather your views. We would really appreciate it if you could complete it as soon as possible for all BURFORD children in your household so that we can use your views to help to inform our planning.
Thank you,
Mr Farrington
Please click the below link:
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Could you be eligible for Free School Meal vouchers?
Thu 07 May 2020Hello everyone,
I am keen that all parents who are eligible for free school meals claim the money they are entitled to.
Your child may be able to get free school meals if you get any of the following:· * Income Support
· * income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
· * income-related Employment and Support Allowance
· * support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
· * the guaranteed element of Pension CreditChild Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
· * Working Tax Credit run-on - paid for 4 weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
· * Universal Credit - if you apply on or after 1 April 2018 your household income must be less than £7,400 a year (after tax and not including any benefits you get)
If you believe that you qualify for any of these, please email zoe.flowers@burford.nottingham.sch.uk who can provide you with an application form to complete.
Thank you
Mr Farrington