Gateway Academy Westminster

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Coronavirus Updates

We will update this page with any new information for families about coronavirus, putting the most recent updates at the top. 

Date: 07.09.2020 -  Welcome back to Gateway

 

We are very much looking forward to welcoming the children back this week.

 

In order to ensure there is a smooth and calm transition for all pupils not everyone will return on the same day.

 

The school opens again for Reception, Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 on Monday 7th September.

 

Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 will return on Tuesday 8th September.

 

Reception children who attended Gateway Nursery should enter through the car park gates in Lisson Grove and then through the wooden gate to the Reception classes.

 

All other children should enter via the Capland Street entrance at 8.55am and walk around the edge of the playground until they see their new class teacher. The children will then line up before going to their new classrooms.

 

On Thursday 3 September, we will send text messages letting you know what class the children are in and who their teachers will be.

 

As usual, there will be plenty of staff on hand to assist you when you return, so please do not worry.

 

Things will be a little different to before but some things will remain the same. To help you understand the changes and how we plan to keep everyone safe, we have produced a Return to School Guidance Pack. Please click here to read it.

 

Thank you again for your ongoing support and kind messages for our staff. They are very much appreciated.

  

L. Lochner (Ms)

Headteacher

 

Please click on the image below to find out more about Returning to primary school: what parents needs to know.

 

Date: 17.07.2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

SEPTEMBER 2020

Usually, at this time of year, I would be writing to you to let you know which classes children will transfer to in September. However, at the moment, this is not possible. Whilst the Department of Education has issued some advice that indicates schools will be open to all pupils in September, the final details will not be published until mid-August.

We have already started to make plans for the safe return of all Gateway children in September. Unless the Department of Education informs us otherwise, the arrangements for the start of term are as follows:

The first day of term will be Monday 7 September 2020.  However, in order to ensure there is a smooth and calm transition for all pupils, especially our younger children, some year groups will not return until the following day, Tuesday 8 September 2020.  Please see the details below:-

 

MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2020

The following year groups will return to Gateway :-

NURSERY

There will be a staggered return for Nursery pupils. Mrs Boohan, the Nursery Manager, will be in touch with you directly to confirm your child’s starting date and times.

RECEPTION, YEAR 1, YEAR 2 & YEAR 3

All children will return to school on Monday 7 September at the normal time of 08:55.

Reception pupils should enter the Academy via the fire gates on Lisson Grove and go through to the Reception outdoor area to access the classrooms.

Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 pupils should line up in the playground.

 

TUESDAY 8 SEPTEMBER 2020

YEAR 4, YEAR 5 & YEAR 6 return to Gateway, and join the rest of the school.  Pupils should line up in the playground.

Once the Department of Education publishes the details of their plan for the safe return of children to school, we will then be able to allocate pupils to their new classes.

We plan to send you a text message at the beginning of September, to inform you of your child’s new class.  If you change your mobile number, it is very important that you let the school office know. As usual, there will also be plenty of staff on hand to assist you when you return, so please do not worry.

At this stage, I am able to tell you the names of the teachers in each year group. You will already know many of them but there are also a number of new appointments. I am sure you will give them the usual Gateway welcome.

NURSERY

Mrs Boohan (Year Group Leader)

Mrs Fernandez-Rahman

Ms Broad

RECEPTION

Mrs Meah (Year Group Leader)

Ms Weis

Ms Woods

Ms McCutcheon

Ms Rosin

YEAR 1

Ms Ricketts (Year Group Leader)

Mrs Daka

Ms Griffiths

Ms Larkin

Ms Flanagan

YEAR 2

Mrs Jouied (Year Group Leader)

Ms Fieldsend

Ms Collins

Ms Rosin

Ms Mohammed

YEAR 3

Mr Rowlands (Year Group Leader)

Mr Tait

Ms Kobrus

Mrs Nwandison

Ms Watson

YEAR 4

Mr Coughlan (Year Group Leader)

Ms Elliott

Mr Tait

Ms Youssef

Ms Lharri

YEAR 5

Ms McTaggart (Year Group Leader)

Ms Palamountain

Ms Walker

Ms Henley

Mr Marshall

YEAR 6

Ms Cole (Year Group Leader)

Ms Lattimer

Mrs Amini

Ms Christman

Mr Finlay

Ms Hopton


On behalf of all Gateway staff, may I take this opportunity of thanking you for your continued support during such an unprecedented time for us all.  I hope you will be able to enjoy a good and safe summer and we very much look forward to welcoming you back to Gateway on either the 7 or 8 September. 

With very best wishes,

L. Lochner (Ms)

Headteacher

Date: 21.05.2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

As you will be aware, over the last week the Government has outlined its plan for the re-opening of primary schools. The Senior Leadership Team and Governors have now had a chance to process the guidance regarding the re-opening of schools and believe that we have a strategy that will ensure the safety of all children, parents and staff.

Re-opening the school is enormously complex. To begin with classes will be much smaller and we plan to use every available space to create safer 'bubbles' or groups to reduce contact whilst, at the same time, continuing to provide childcare for key workers and priority pupils. The safety of our community has been the primary concern in our planning and it is clear to us that we cannot welcome back all children safely at this time in the way the Prime Minister has described, whilst maintaining social distancing measures.

The smaller class sizes necessary for social distancing means that, at this point, the children will only be able to attend school for a reduced timetable at different times of the week.

Please be aware that start dates might change. Currently Phase 1 of our ‘Return to School Plan’ is as follows:

Siblings in other year groups will NOT be able to attend at this time.

The school day will look very different from what we have been used to, as will the start and end of the day. It is very clear that we will need your help in managing these changes. It will be extremely important that the whole community understands what we all need to do to keep everyone safe. For this reason, we will be asking parents of all children who will be returning to school to meet with a senior member of staff. At this meeting, we will explain the changes and how you can help. It will also be an opportunity for you to ask questions.

We hope that meeting in this way will help to alleviate some of your concerns and enable you to prepare your children for their return to school.

These meetings will be held from Monday 1 June. Should you decide that your child will be returning to school, a member of the Gateway team will be in contact with you to agree a time and date for the back-to-school meeting. It is very important that you arrive on time for your meeting in order that social distancing measures are adhered to.

For your information, the guidance states that it is not compulsory to send your child / children into school at this time. This is a decision that only you as a family can make according to what you believe is appropriate. Please be assured that we will support whatever decision you make.

We will continue to provide home learning resources and make our weekly well-being calls for all those children not attending school, whatever year group they are in.

We are very much looking forward to seeing the children again.

Yours sincerely,

L. Lochner (Ms)

Headteacher

 

Critical sectors include: health and social care, education and childcare, key public services, local and national government, food production, delivery drivers, supermarket workers, public safety and national security, public transport, utilities and financial services.

Date: 10.05.2020

Westminster Adult Education Service is holding an online festival of learning for families in half term next week and Learning Unlimited will be running a couple of the workshops.  All the workshops will offer opportunities for families to have some fun and learn together at home.  Full details can be seen in this leaflet...

Date: 16.04.2020

Gateway Academy remains open to the children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response and our most vulnerable.

If you qualify for childcare and decide you want your child to attend, please email office@gateway-academy.co.uk and a member of the SLT will contact you as soon as possible.

Critical sectors include: health and social care, education and childcare, key public services, local and national government, food production, delivery drivers, supermarket workers, public safety and national security, public transport, utilities and financial services.

Date: 03.04.2020

 Free School Meal Vouchers

 If you applied for benefits-related free school meals, your children are still entitled to a free school meal.

At this time, our kitchen is closed so last week we bought Tesco vouchers to replace the free meal that your children would have had. 

Each voucher was worth £39.10 and replaced all the school meals your child would have up to 21 April 2020. This includes the Easter holiday.

Some parents collected the vouchers from school on Friday 27 March. All uncollected vouchers were posted to the home address given to the school. We know there are delays within the postal service, but hopefully the vouchers will arrive soon.

Going forward, the Department for Education (DfE) has developed a national voucher scheme. Every child eligible for benefits-related free school meals will qualify for a voucher to the value of £15.00 each week. Over the coming days we will apply for the vouchers and will then post them out to you. The voucher will take the form of an eGift card for Tesco which can be used as soon as it arrives.

If your child qualifies for benefit-related free school meals, it is important that we have the correct address to send the vouchers to. If you think the home address we have on record has changed, it is important that you let the school know. Please email office@gateway-academy.co.uk with your current address if this is the case.

Date: 03.04.2020

Guidance for parents and carers: keeping children safe online

The Department for Education have updated their information for parents and carers to include a section on keeping children safe online. It provides links to online resources that will help support parents and carers in keeping their children safe online.

Full details can be found in section 6.3 of the guidance for parents and carers on the closure of educational settings:

Date: 02.04.2020

Gateway Academy remains open to the children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response and our most vulnerable. However, after consulting with these families, it is clear that, at the moment, parents wish their children to remain at home and not access our childcare provision. This may change after the Easter period.

In order to minimise the risk to Gateway staff and to support and ensure their continued well-being, we have decided to close the Academy over the Easter period. 

This decision will, however, be reviewed throughout the holiday period. In the meantime, if you qualify for childcare and decide you want your child to attend, please email office@gateway-academy.co.uk and a member of the SLT will contact you as soon as possible.

With the best interests of the children in mind, we have up loaded Easter activities onto the website’s ‘Home Learning’ area. Teachers will also continue to phone home on a Wednesday or Thursday for their weekly chat with the children. Please look out for the call – it will appear as No Caller ID.

Critical sectors include: health and social care, education and childcare, key public services, local and national government, food production, delivery drivers, supermarket workers, public safety and national security, public transport, utilities and financial services.

Date: 26.3.20

Gateway Academy remains open to the children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response and our most vulnerable. Currently those families have chosen to remain at home and not to access our childcare provision.

In order to minimise the risk to Gateway Staff, we have therefore decided to close the Academy. This decision will be reviewed weekly.

In the meantime, if you qualify for childcare and decide you want your child to attend, please email office@gateway-academy.co.uk and a member of the SLT will contact you as soon as possible.

Critical sectors include: health and social care, education and childcare, key public services, local and national government, food production, delivery drivers, supermarket workers, public safety and national security, public transport, utilities and financial services.

Despite the demands on the internet our ‘Home Learning Plan’ is working well. Lots of the teachers have really enjoying their weekly chats with the children. Please look out for next week’s call. Don’t forget to visit this website regularly to find out more about what is available.

Physically the Academy may be closed but as a Learning Family we are still very much open, we are just doing things differently.

Date: 20.03.20

Childcare for children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response

We have been asked to provide limited childcare for children who are vulnerable and children whose parents are critical to the COVID-19 response. If you work in one of the critical sectors listed and need our help please email office@gateway-academy.co.uk and a member of the senior leadership team will contact you by phone.

Critical sectors include: health and social care, education and childcare, key public services, local and national government, food production, delivery drivers, supermarket workers, public safety and national security, public transport, utilities and financial services.

For more information please follow this link:

 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-maintaining-educational-provision/guidance-for-schools-colleges-and-local-authorities-on-maintaining-educational-provision?fbclid=IwAR2GTZ7lMEl-3GA-5YpoB236dWOntg4AFsbjVjanLo_mD_oJ2iiouo8yOWk

Date: 18.03.20

What to do if you or a member of your family becomes sick

 

 

 


What to do if you have symptoms is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection#ending-isolation

 

Public Health England’s current advice for schools in London is that staff and pupils should monitor themselves for symptoms and self-isolate if they experience symptoms. People who do not have symptoms are advised to carry on as normal and do not need to self-isolate.

 

The current advice is to stay at home for 7 days if you have either:

  • a high temperature
  • a new, continuous cough

 

Do not go to a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital. You do not need to contact 111 to tell them you're staying at home.

Read our advice about staying at home.

The links below are also very useful:

 


Dear Parents/Carers  

Gateway Academy is closing this afternoon

 

As you know during the outbreak of coronavirus we have been following all government advice very carefully and monitoring the situation at school extremely closely. At the same time we have been preparing for the probability that the academy would have to close at some point.

 

Today we find ourselves in a position where taking everything into account, including staff and pupil numbers, we consider that the responsible course of action in all respects is to close the Academy from the end of this afternoon.

 

Now the Academy has closed, what should your child be doing each day?

As you know from my previous letters, 10 days of learning has been prepared in a home learning pack with an overview of daily learning expectations to check off.  You should already have received this.   

 

The complete set of resources can also be found on the school website, www.gateway-academy.co.uk  using the Home Learning tab.  We have also included a number of links to online learning resources that your children are familiar with and know how to use.  Passwords have been included in the home learning packs.    Resources will be refreshed every 10 days.

 

Children in years 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 have been practicing using an online learning platform, either DB Primary, Purple Mash or Google Classroom. Teachers will use this to help children with their work.  Children can also ask their teachers questions and seek help through these learning platforms.   

 

Well-being

In addition to providing home learning, the Academy will also run a weekly well-being check. Teachers will telephone once a week to speak with both parents and pupils.  We hope this will be reassuring for the children and helps them to still feel part of the Gateway community.

 

Teachers will phone you on either Wednesdays or Thursdays between the hours of 11:00am and 3:00pm.    Please note the call will show as ‘No Caller ID’.

 

Contact with the Academy

Although the telephones will not be manned, the Academy’s email account will be monitored.  You can email us on office@gateway-academy.co.uk . We will keep you updated of further developments going forward via text message or  the website, www.gateway-acacademy.co.uk , so please do keep a regular check on this.

 

We know this is a very worrying time for everyone but in challenging times, the Gateway community will always pull together and support each other wherever we can.  Many thanks for your understanding and ongoing support.

Yours sincerely,

Ms. Lochner

Headteacher

 

What can you do when there’s no school and you're stuck at home?

 

 

 

 

Date: 17.03.20

Updates on Coronavirus: 

https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus 

Travel advice for those travelling and living overseas: 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-advice-novel-coronavirus 

Public Health England blog: 

https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavir...

Date: 16.03.20

These letters will be given to all parents at the end of the school day.

/Coronavirus-Updates/Coronavirus_letter_to_parents_cancellation_of_clubs_160320.pdf

/Coronavirus-Updates/Coronavirus_letter_to_parents_update_160320.pdf

 

How to talk to your children about the Coronavirus  (Source: https://www.unicef.org.au/blog/news-and-insights/march-2020/how-to-talk-to-your-children-about-coronavirus)

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by everything you’re hearing about coronavirus right now. It’s also understandable if your children are feeling anxious, too. Children might find it difficult to understand what they are seeing online or on TV – or hearing from other people – so they can be particularly vulnerable to feelings of anxiety, stress and sadness. But having an open, supportive discussion with your children can help them understand, cope and even make a positive contribution for others.

 

1. Ask open questions and listen

Start by inviting your child to talk about the issue. Find out how much they already know and follow their lead. If they are particularly young and haven’t already heard about the outbreak, you may not need to raise the issue – just take the chance to remind them about good hygiene practices without introducing new fears.

Make sure you are in a safe environment and allow your child to talk freely. Drawing, stories and other activities may help to open up a discussion.

Most importantly, avoid their concerns. Be sure to acknowledge their feelings and assure them that it’s natural to feel scared about these things. Demonstrate that you’re listening by giving them your full attention, and make sure they understand that they can talk to you and their teachers whenever they like.

 

2. Be honest: explain the truth in a child-friendly way
Children have a right to truthful information about what’s going on in the world, but adults also have a responsibility to keep them safe from distress. Use age-appropriate language, watch their reactions, and be sensitive to their level of anxiety.

If you can’t answer their questions, don’t guess. Use it as an opportunity to explore the answers together. Websites of international organisations like UNICEF and the World Health Organisation are great sources of information. Explain that some information online isn’t accurate, and that it’s best to trust the experts.

 

3. Show them how to protect themselves and their friends
One of the best ways to keep children safe from coronavirus and other diseases is to simply encourage regular handwashing. It doesn't need to be a scary conversation. Sing along with The Wiggles or follow this dance to make learning fun.

You can also show children how to cover a cough or a sneeze with their elbow, explain that it’s best not to get too close to people who have those symptoms, and ask them to tell you if they start to feel like they have a fever, cough or are having difficulty breathing.

 

4. Offer reassurance 
When we’re seeing lots of troubling images on TV or online, it can sometimes feel like the crisis is all around us. Children may not distinguish between images on screen and their own personal reality, and they may believe they’re in imminent danger. You can help your children cope with the stress by making opportunities for them to play and relax, when possible. Keep regular routines and schedules as much as possible, especially before they go to sleep, or help create new ones in a new environment.

If you are experiencing an outbreak in your area, remind your children that they are not likely to catch the disease, that most people who do have coronavirus don’t get very sick, and that lots of adults are working hard to keep your family safe.

 

5. Look for the helpers
It’s important for children to know that people are helping each other with acts of kindness and generosity.

Share stories of health workers, scientists and young people, among others, who are working to stop the outbreak and keep the community safe. It can be a big comfort to know that compassionate people are taking action.


6. Look after yourself

You’ll be able to help your kids better if you’re coping, too. Children will pick up on your own response to the news, so it helps them to know you’re calm and in control.

If you’re feeling anxious or upset, take time for yourself and reach out to other family, friends and trusted people in your community. Make some time to do things that help you relax and recuperate.  

 

Follow the link for  a child friendly explanation of the Coronavirus.

 /Coronavirus-Updates/Child_Friendly_Explanation_of_Coronavirus.pdf

 

Date: 12.03.20

This letter will be given to all parents at the end of the school day.

/Coronavirus-Updates/Coronavirus_letter_to_parents_120320.pdf

 

Date: 11.03.20

Please see this Q&A sheet for parents:

 /Coronavirus-Updates/Coronavirus_Parent_Fact_Sheet.pdf

If you or your child is showing all three symptoms of a high temperature, a cough and shortness of breath, please stay home and call 111, and let us know by reporting the absence in the usual way, sharing as much detail as you can. 

Advice and Guidance

The most relevant guidance can be found, and is updated regularly at:

Government advice: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

Department of education advice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19/guidance-to-educational-settings-about-covid-19