Home Farm Primary School

Good morning I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to all parents for your support and understanding during what has been a very difficult and challenging week at HF. To know that we have you behind us and your trust really does means the world to us. Thank you to those who have spoken to me on the drive and passed on good wishes to the staff members affected. I think we have seen this week what a very special community we are and I can't wait for us all to be back together again. Take care Mrs Poole

Good Morning Teachers in Key Stage 2 (particularly in years 4-6) have noticed a number of children discussing their use of the app. The app is rated 16+. So I thought it might be helpful to send parents some information about the app, and why it has such a rating. What you should know: You can have private or group chats - WhatsApp lets you have private chats or group chats with up to 256 people. In group chats, people can be invited to join by you or by others in the group, if you have admin rights. This means your child could be added into a group chat with people they don’t know. It’s easy to add people you don’t know from group chats (or for them to add you). The tricky thing about group chats is that everyone in the chat can see your child’s phone number. Even people who they don’t know or have added to contacts, meaning anyone could choose to contact your child separately. If this does happen then it’s important to block the number. Click the link to see tips on how to report, block and keep chats as private as possible. https://www.net-aware.org.uk/networks/whatsapp/#topTipsBlock You can video chat on WhatsApp - You can video chat with up to eight people on WhatsApp. People in video calls can be added by you or by others in group, meaning your child might be in group video call with people they don’t know. When you’re invited to join a group video call your screen will show the people currently on the call. Remind your child not to answer if they see people or numbers they don’t recognise. If they see anything upsetting or inappropriate remind them they can exit the chat and tell an adult. This link shows more advice on video chat, video sharing and livestreaming - https://www.net-aware.org.uk/news/video-livestreaming/ You can also share personal information on WhatsApp – including your live location. You can share written messages, photos, videos, voice messages, documents, your location and your phone contacts on WhatsApp. ‘Live location’ lets you share your current moving location for 15 minutes up to 8 hours. WhatsApp also lets you forward messages from your conversation, which means something you send could get sent to other people For furthe online safety information click this link - https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/talking-child-online-safety/ Please help your child to stay safe online.

Good morning I am writing with further information following a confirmed case of Covid 19 in school. The staff member affected has not been in school since they developed symptoms and has been self isolating as per government guidance. Following the advice received from the DfE this morning, Nursery has now closed - staff and children affected have been advised to isolate until Monday 12th October when the class will reopen. Remote learning activities are in place for the children in Nursery. Siblings can still attend school but children from Nursery can not enter the school site. I attach a letter with further information for all parents. Can I remind parents that if anyone in your household is displaying symptoms or anyone in your household is waiting for test results, the whole household must self isolate until a negative result is received - until then no one from the household should enter the school site under any circumstances. If you have any questions please call the school office. Many thanks Mrs Poole

Good morning I am writing with further information following a confirmed case of Covid 19 in school. The staff member affected has not been in school since they developed symptoms and has been self isolating as per government guidance. Following the advice received from the DfE this morning, Hedgehog class has now closed - staff and children affected have been advised to isolate until Friday 9th October when the class will reopen. Remote learning is in place for the children in Hedgehog Class. Siblings can still attend school but children from Hedgehog class can not enter the school site. I attach a letter with further information for all parents. Can I remind parents that if anyone in your household is displaying symptoms or anyone in your household is waiting for test results the whole household must self isolate until a negative result and must not enter the school site under any circumstances. If you have any questions please call the school office. Many thanks Mrs Poole

Good afternoon All schools have been asked to share a letter from the government about booking coronavirus tests. Please click on the link to view: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-parents-and-guardians-when-you-should-book-a-coronavirus-test-for-your-child?utm_source=25%20September%202020%20C19&utm_medium=Daily%20Email%20C19&utm_campaign=DfE%20C19 Many thanks Mrs Poole

Good morning Can I remind all parents that if any person in your household is displaying symptoms or is waiting for test results - the whole household must self isolate for 14 days or until the negative test result is received. Until then, no one from the household should come on to the school site at all. If you have any queries please contact the school office and we will do our best to advise. Many thanks Mrs Poole

Good afternoon to all our children and families, Please find attached the newsletter for Autumn 1 Best wishes Mrs Poole