Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Coronavirus Update 17.03.2020

  Tue 17 Mar 2020

   

  Coronavirus Update – 17^th March 2020

   

  As you are probably aware, the government’s guidance on the coronavirus has changed from the ‘contain’ phase to one of delaying the spread of the virus. We are getting in touch to let you know what we are doing in light of this, and what we expect from all of you, to help make sure our school community keeps safe and calm.

   

  We would like to reassure you that at Newtown C of E Primary School we are taking all of the necessary steps to protect our community and are continuing to follow official guidance from the Government and the Department for Education.

   

  What is the current situation?

  • The school remains open – this is reviewed daily, dependent on staffing.
  • All school events and activities have been either cancelled or postponed (please see earlier correspondence)
  • If you, your child or anyone you live with has these symptoms, you must follow guidance to stay at home:
    • A new, continuous cough and/or
    • A high temperature
  • We are also advising all those children who are at increased risk of severe illness from the coronavirus to be particularly stringent in following the social distancing measures for up to 12 weeks. This is parental choice. This group includes:
    • Chronic (long-term) respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
    • Chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
    • Chronic kidney disease
    • Chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
    • Chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), a learning disability or cerebral palsy
    • Diabetes
    • Problems with your spleen – for example, sickle cell disease or if you have had your spleen removed
    • A weakened immune system as the result of conditions such as HIV and AIDS, or medicines such as steroid tablets or chemotherapy
    • Being seriously overweight (a BMI of 40 or above)
    • People who have received an organ transplant and remain on ongoing immunosuppression medication
    • People with cancer who are undergoing active chemotherapy or radiotherapy
    • People with cancers of the blood or bone marrow such as leukaemia who are at any stage of treatment
    • People with severe chest conditions such as cystic fibrosis or severe asthma (requiring hospital admissions or courses of steroid tablets)
    • People with severe diseases of body systems, such as severe kidney disease (dialysis)

   

  • If your child is unwell, is self-isolating, or is following social distancing, report this as you would normally by telephoning the school absence line 02392 584048
  • We will keep you up to date with any changes to the current situation

   

  What we are doing to protect and support pupils and staff

  • If a pupil feels ill or is displaying symptoms on the school premises we will telephone parents to collect their children
  • We are increasing our cleaning procedures throughout the day
  • Pupils and staff are hand-washing on arrival to school, before break, before lunch and before they leave.
  • Cancellation or postponement of all school events and activities, including year 5 swimming and all other actions stated in previous correspondence.
  • Allowing staff and parents to do what they think is right to protect their families and children.
  • Authorising all health absences regarding the Coronavirus and government advice.

   

  What we need you to do

  • If you have recently changed your contact details, please inform the school office as soon as possible via the school office 02392 584048.
  • Report all pupil absences in the usual way.
  • Talk to your children about the coronavirus. It is an anxious time and we should make sure children feel supported. BBC Newsround has regular updates for younger children and YoungMinds has practical steps older children can take to help with anxiety.
  • Come and collect your child straight away, if we ask you to (we’ll contact you if they become ill with either a temperature or a new, continuous cough)
  • Check that you and your child has access to the school website www.newtownceprimary.co.uk from home. This is where all home learning will be posted in year group folders for all to access. Once on the website visit the Children section and click on the Home Learning Resources pages.

   

  What happens if the school has to close?

  We will only close if we’re either officially advised to do so or if we do not have enough staff to safely open and run the school.

  In either case, we will:

  • Alert parents to the school closure, such via Parentmail, the website and Facebook
  • Communicate to you daily and will let you know when the school will be reopened
  • Monitor the school adminoffice@newtown.hants.sch.uk email account and respond to all messages and queries from parents.

   

  If you have any questions

  Please consult the:

  • Senior Leadership Team via the school office if you have any questions about our response to this issue
  • NHS, if you want to know more about the symptoms of coronavirus. If you think you or your child may have the symptoms, use NHS 111 online if at all possible before calling 111
  • Department for Education’s coronavirus helpline: 0800 046 8687, if you have any questions about the government’s response to coronavirus in relation to schools
  • Government’s travel advice, if you want to know whether any upcoming trip or holiday you’re taking abroad should go ahead

   

  It is a tricky time and we know you are worried about the impact this might have on our community. It is important we keep each other safe and talk about these events to help with any anxiety.

   

  Following the daily briefing by Mr. Johnson, Prime Minister tonight, I will update all parents if this has any further implications for Newtown C of E Primary School.

   

  Thank you for your continued support.

• CORONAVIRUS UPDATE: 5pm 16th March

  Mon 16 Mar 2020

   

  Following the Prime-minister’s press conference this evening. The following guidance has now been given:

   

  If your child has an underlying health condition, it is absolutely parental choice if you choose to implement the social distancing guidance, please follow the pupil absence reporting systems in the morning.

   

  In addition, if one person in the family has any Coronavirus-like symptoms, such as a cough or high temperature, the entire household must self isolate for 14 days from tomorrow. 

   

  Please report any pupil absences in the usual manner tomorrow morning.

   

  Mrs Howlett will write to everyone again tomorrow with any further updates in detail.

• Coronavirus update 16.03.2020

  Mon 16 Mar 2020

   

  The current situation regarding the Coronavirus is changing daily and we have today updated our risk assessments following updated advice received over the weekend.

   

  Therefore, following my letter to you all on Friday, the following events and activities have been either postponed or cancelled so that we can limit the spread of infection and to ensure that we are in control of all hygiene measures:

  • Newtown Community Bookshop – closed until further notice
  • All scheduled trips – postponed until further notice
  • Parents’ Evening - postponed (please see information below regarding telephone appointments)
  • Family Collective Worship – Cancelled until further notice
  • Year 4 sleepover - on hold until further notice
  • Stay and Play – Cancelled until further notice
  • Easter Church Service and all Easter events – cancelled
  • School Disco – Postponed until summer term
  • Rock Steady Concert – Cancelled (Lessons will go ahead as normal at present)
  • Share the Miracle – On hold - if you have already donated, these Easter eggs will distributed to those as planned)
  • Yoga – Cancelled, we cannot guarantee the hygiene of the mats and equipment
  • Karate – Cancelled until further notice – Karate will be contacting all parents

   

  At the moment all after school clubs will continue as planned (except for Mr. Bagley’s football and this is due to Mr. Bagley’s paternity leave; all affected families have been contacted).

   

  Parents’ Evening: Although parents’ evening has been postponed, if you would like to discuss something urgent with your child’s class teacher, the school office would be happy to arrange a telephone appointment for you. Please contact the school office to arrange this.

   

  Pupil Absence: Due to an increased number of pupil absences this morning, please can I draw your attention to the letter that was sent home on Friday with regard what to do if your child presents symptoms or is unwell. In the case of a pupil absence, there are websites you can access so that your child can access home learning whilst they are not in school. Please visit our website www.newtownceprimary.co.uk/home-learning-resources/

   

  I will of course update you with any further news or developments as soon as I can. Thank you for your continued support.

  Mrs Howlett, Headteacher

• Coronavirus update 13.03.2020

  Fri 13 Mar 2020

   

  As I’m sure you will appreciate, we are currently dealing with a complex and rapidly changing situation. My first priority will always be the health and safety of the pupils and staff in our school. Now more than ever, this remains our primary focus.

   

  We will do all we can to remain and stay open.

   

  Already in school we have:

  • Updated our Emergency Covid-19 Action Plan
  • Updated all risk assessments
  • Planning work for all children should the school close
  • Increase handwashing of all pupils, staff and visitors:
    • On arrival
    • Before break time
    • Before lunch
    • Before leaving school
  • Amended our absence policy (see below)
  • Withdraw the use of communal water coolers, please ensure your child has a FULL, water bottle provided from home, on arrival to school. This can be replenished by adults at certain points throughout the day.  
  • Increased our cleaning routines throughout the day

   

  This is an entirely unprecedented situation and we are following official advice from the government and the NHS. This advice is being added to on a daily basis and we are monitoring and responding to that as it is published. This official advice will underpin all the actions we take.

   

  Whilst I appreciate that there will be a wide range of different views about how we should be responding and what action should be taken, I hope you will appreciate that I am duty bound to follow the official advice from government.

   

  Therefore in addition to the above action, from today the following will apply in order for the school to mitigate against the virus spreading within our school:

   

  Absence and Illnesses in children

  • If pupils have a persistent cough or high temperature, they should remain at home for 7 calendar days       
  • If pupils arrive and have either a persistent cough or high temperature, we will contact families to collect their child and must remain home for a period of 7 calendar days
  • If a pupil has an unexplained absence, school will immediately contact the family to ascertain the reason for absence

   

  Suspected symptoms with a family member

  • If a family member of a pupil has suspected symptoms, the child can still attend school
  • Please ensure your child washing his/her hands before leaving the home
  • School will continue to heavily monitor your child

   

  Confirmed case with a family member

  • If a family member has a confirmed case of the Coronavirus, the pupil living with that family member must remain home for 14 days.
  • Please telephone the school to confirm this and we will ensure the necessary actions are taken in school to prevent further infection.

   

  Confirmed case with a pupil  

  • Parents to immediately notify the school
  • Public Health England Protection Team will contact the school to discuss with the Headteacher what action to take (This will also happen in the event of a staff member being a confirmed case)

   

  Family members travelling back from affected countries

  • The list of countries is changing all the time. Please refer to the following website for advice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-specified-countries-and-areas/covid-19-specified-countries-and-areas-with-implications-for-returning-travellers-or-visitors-arriving-in-the-uk

   

  Staff shortage planning

  • We have plans in place to remain open and have plans in place to stay open should staff have symptoms and need to stay at home for the 7 calendar day period.

   

  Reducing contact point activities

  • We have taken the decision to limit all planned trips and activities for the foreseeable future, this will include:
    • Newtown Community Bookshop will be closed
    • All scheduled trips will be postponed including the Year 3 Search trip planed for the end of March
    • Parents’ Evening will be postponed
    • All Family Collective Worship will be postponed
    • All non-essential training for staff will be cancelled
    • The year 4 sleepover will be on hold until further notice
  • Please note that the school office will be busy during this unprecedented period. Please can all parents limit phone calls and messages to the school unless absolutely urgent and necessary.
  • Please ensure all changes to pick up and collection arrangements are planned for in advance and please limit the amount of last minute notifications to the school office regarding changes to arrangements

   

  I am aware that you may have additional questions, worries or thoughts regarding the current situation. Please can I reassure all parents and carers once again that I am doing all I can to ensure the school remains open. However, I am duty bound to follow all official advice from the Government, Department for Education and Public Health England.

   

  I will of course continue to keep you updated with any further developments as and when they happen. Please refer to the NHS website for all Coronavirus queries: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

   

• Corona-virus Update to Parents

  Wed 11 Mar 2020

   

  Coronavirus Update   
   
  I wanted to write to let you know the proactive steps that we are taking as a result of the current Coronavirus situation.  I am sure you will appreciate that this information is correct at the time of writing but that the situation is changing rapidly.  

   

  What are we doing? We are:

  1. Monitoring the situation very carefully and following all advice and guidance from the government and health associations with regard to maintaining the health, safety and welfare of pupils, staff and their families as paramount;

  2. Limiting travel by staff where appropriate - training for example;

  3. Ensuring, as always, cleaning is of the highest standard in our facilities and providing additional hand sanitization in classrooms and meeting rooms;

  4. Stopping shaking hands at the start of meetings with parents/carers and with visitors to the school when they arrive;

  5. Increasing signage around key areas with regard to the importance of handwashing and not touching your face;

  6. Responding as appropriate with regard to trips and visits that we have planned for pupils in accordance with guidance from Public Health England and the Department for Education;

  7. Going to turn off all water coolers.  Pupils need to bring a full, preferably reusable water bottle with them to school each day.  Should they require it to be refilled, they can ask a member of staff to fill it up before break or lunch time; the water will come from a tap with drinking water accessible only to staff;

  8. Preparing online learning resources for pupils to access should the school be directed to close;

  9. Proactively talking to pupils about their role in reducing the spread of the infection through their own personal hygiene routines and reassuring them that the school is following all guidance required to ensure their health and welfare.  

   

  What we would like you to do:

  1. Continue to ensure that your child/children attend(s) school as usual;

  2. Talk with your child about the importance of effective handwashing with soap and hot water for 20 seconds or more and not touching their face.  Relentlessly remind them of ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’.  Remind them that soap is the key along with hot water.  Many of them presume that a small blob of antibacterial sanitizer gel is better than soap, it is not, the virus is not bacterial it is viral.  

  3. Reassure your child that everyone is doing everything they can to reduce the spread of the infection and that the NHS is a wonderful healthcare system who will provide fantastic care for those in need; 
  4. In the event that your child develops symptoms, specifically a high temperature/fever with a sore throat and/or coughing; or they have close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with Coronavirus, please do not bring them/let them come to school.  Please call 111, where you will be advised what steps to take. Please let the school know by calling the school office 02392584048 after you have spoken to 111. 
   
  Please be aware that there is a Department for Education coronavirus helpline available to answer questions about Covid-19 relating to education and children’s social care: 
  Phone: 0800 046 8687

  Email: DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk

  Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday)  

   

  Please can I ask that you check your contact details are up to date, including a mobile telephone number. This is extremely important as most emergency communications will be sent to you via text through the parent mail system. Please also refer to the school website and your emails for all communications.  

   

  I will of course keep you informed of any further proactive steps that we decide to take along with any requirements that we are directed to follow and the impact these may have on our school community.   
   
  Mrs E Howlett, Headteacher 

• Newtown helps plant 1000 trees in 1000 days!

  Wed 04 Mar 2020

   

  Newtown C of E Primary School has helped to kick start Gosport Borough Council's initiative of planting 1000 trees in 100 days. 

   

  The Leader of Gosport Borough Council, Cllr Mark Hook, has called for 1000 trees to be planted in 1000 days to help tackle climate change and make local neighbourhoods greener. Following a successful grant application to the Woodland Trust, Newtown C of E Primary School received 185 trees to be planted on the school site to enhance their outdoor learning provision and to provide a Forest School for the children to learn about the environment and to encourage wildlife. 

   

  Cllr Kathy Jones, Mayor of Gosport, visited Newtown C of E Primary School today to visit the trees and the Forest School area that is being developed by the school for the children and local community to enjoy for many years to come. 

   

  In addition, the Mayor was also shown an area of the school site that the school would like to redevelop into a pond area to further enhance the children's learning and understanding through science and natural history. The school would like to know of any local business who could help by donating resources and/or time to build a pond for the local community. If you can please get in touch via the school on 02392 584048. 

   

  Emma Howlett, Headteacher said "Trees and the growth of our Forest School are a vital part of our local landscape. Through our curriculum, we teach our children to have an increasing awareness of the importance of wildlife and the need to protect our planet. Being part of Gosport Borough Council's 1000 trees in 1000 days initiative is something that we wanted to get involved in to support our local community whilst promoting the importance of protecting our local environment".

  

• Pay it forward

  Wed 05 Feb 2020

   

  Here at Newtown C of E Primary School we are always

  trying to find ways of demonstrating our Christian Ethos Values of love, courage and friendship with our families.  Through the ‘Pay it Forward’ project we would like to pass on to our families food and toiletry items for you to take home. 

  With our deliveries each week we have surplus items which we cannot use for Earlybirds or Tea Timers and therefore we would like to pass on these items to our families.  These items will be free of charge and would otherwise be thrown away.

  Each Thursday between 3.15pm –3.45pm, outside the front of the school, the items will be available for you to take home.

   

  

• Year 5 Activities Week

  Fri 31 Jan 2020

   

  Pupils in Year 5 have taken part in a fun activities week at school, as well those that have attended Stubbington. These pictures show the wonderful things the pupils have been doing. Thank you to Drift IT and Sydenhams for the free pallets and equipment for our Bug Hotel.

   

  

• Year 5 - Stubbington Residential

  Fri 31 Jan 2020

   

  Year 5 have had fantastic fun at their Year 5 Residential at Stubbington Study Centre, as these pictures show. 

  As per earlier correspondence, our facebook and twitter feeds are not working at the moment, so please see the website and parent mail for any updates.

   

   

  

• We are GOOD...and that's official!

  Mon 20 Jan 2020

   

  Following our recent Ofsted inspection in November and December 2019, I am absolutely delighted to inform you that Newtown C of E Primary School has been graded as GOOD across all of the five key judgements within the new Ofsted Framework. This ends a 14 year legacy of the school being graded as Requires Improvement or below and I am thrilled that Newtown can now be seen as beacon of education within the local community.

   

  As a school we were overwhelmed with support received from parents and carers of pupils, past and present, and cannot thank you enough.

   

  As you will see from the report, the unusual occurrence of the Inspectors visiting a second time was due to the initial Inspection team needed to document more evidence and therefore additional evidence was needed to be gathered by a new Inspection team. This was not due to anything the school did or not do. However this now means that an unprecedented five Inspectors, including two HMI’s, have judged the school as good.

  The inspection report celebrates the incredible pupils and wonderful staff that learn and work here and make it the fabulous place it is. We are delighted to be able to share it with you all (please see Ofsted section of the website). It is also available to download on the Ofsted website from Friday 24^th January 2020.

   

  We are so proud of our school and are thrilled that Ofsted also recognise how hard all pupils and staff work to make it a brilliant place. I am particularly proud of the following key points of the report:

   

  • Pupils enjoy school and feel safe
  • Leaders set the bar high, aiming to help pupils learn that there are no limits to what can be achieved
  • The Senior Leadership team have considerably strengthened the quality of education on offer
  • The school’s curriculum is well designed and sequenced thoughtfully
  • Leaders’ quest to continually improve the school is highly evident
  • The learning environment is positively buzzing
  • The school is inclusive and a hub of activity where all are encouraged to succeed

   

  In addition, the inspectors have identified key areas to continue to develop which I will need to ask for your help as parents. They include:

  • Reading aloud to adults – As you know, reading is a passion at Newtown C of E Primary and children reading out loud regularly to you as parents and carers at home, is equally as important as reading to an adult in School. We will shortly be communicating with you more ways in which you can access our Community bookshop and library as a family.
  • Improving Handwriting – Pupils need to improve their presentation and need support to increase the legibility, consistency and quality of their handwriting.
  • Reducing fixed term exclusions – Behaviour is GOOD at our school but on the minimal occasion that further consequences are necessary, we are updating our behaviour policy to include ways in which consequences can be implemented aimed at a reducing the number of fixed term exclusions.

   

  Another area that I would like to ask for your support with is that the Inspectors agreed that the school are doing all we can to ensure children are at school every day and on time. However we will continue to need your support with this, especially around persistent absence. If any parent is having issues with their child’s attendance or punctuality please contact me or Mrs Bull, Hone School Link Manager, and we will look at the best ways to support you as a family.

   

  I am honoured to lead an amazing team here at Newtown and it is our sense of team in a huge way that got us through an incredibly demanding inspection period. It is the people that make Newtown the place it is and I am so very proud and glad to have such amazing people who show love, courage and friendship each and every day.

   

  As such, I feel it is important to celebrate our many achievements this year and we have organised a whole school reward trip to Marwell Zoo on Thursday 13^th February 2020. I will send out a separate letter about this very shortly. We are also in the early stages of organising a celebration event of our recent achievements for our local school community, centred around an open morning with special visitors, which will be very exciting.

   

  Once again, may I take this opportunity to thank you as parents and carers for your unwavering support as we continue to ensure that your child is happy, inspired and challenged during their primary school years at Newtown C of E Primary School.

   

  Kindest regards

  Mrs Howlett, Headteacher