St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Swindon

What is a Parent Governor? School governors are volunteers who help in the leadership of the school. Most schools work with a group of school governors - together they are called the 'governing body' or ‘board of directors’ (if the school is an academy). They get involved at a strategic level, eg overseeing the budgets and curriculum, rather than the day-to-day running of the school. Governors also help to make decisions about the school’s long-term goals. At St Mary’s School, they support the Executive Head Teacher, but also ask questions to make sure the Senior Leadership Team is taking the school in the right direction. St Mary’s School believes very strongly that it is important to have parents involved in the governance of the school, so please think about applying for the role of Parent Governor. How To Apply Below are the documents that you will need to apply to join the Governing Body of St Mary’s School. The closing date for applications is Monday 19th October 2020. Thank you for your support

Good afternoon Please find below the flu link for parents to consent for the flu nasal spray in school http://schoolimms.virgincare.co.uk/flu/2020/wilts This can be copied and pasted into your search browser. "If for any reason you need to change any information or consent please do not complete a second form alternatively please contact the team on 0300 247 0082 (09.00 – 16.00) or via. VCL.Immunisations@nhs.net, where they can manually change any information and avoid any duplicates and errors. This is particularly important if you wish to decline the consent having already given a positive consent in which case we ask that you also inform the school that you have declined consent in order that we can inform the team when they attend." At the moment we have a provisional date of 8th December 2020 booked in with the immunisation team, they are looking to bring this forward so please complete the consent as soon as possible. Many thanks

Good afternoon, please see attached information for parents/carers regarding Covid 19 symptom response procedures. Many thanks

Good morning Following a governors meeting last night, I would like to update you on changes which have taken place at school over the last couple of days. We have updated our whole school Covid risk assessment to reflect the National changes which have been introduced, to consider the well being and safety of children and staff. We have asked all staff to wear a face covering when they move outside of their 'bubble'. This means staff will be wearing a face covering in corridors and communal areas. A number of staff have been wearing face coverings over the last week or so and with the UK moving from Coronavirus alert level 3 to level 4, we feel this is an appropriate move. Staff will once again explain the changes with the children and reassure any worries they may have. As we have always said we will adapt our approach as things change to maintain confidence for staff, children and our community. We will continue to keep you updated with any changes or adaptations to our approach. Thank you for your ongoing support. Andrew Henstridge

Good morning please find attached the September Newsletter from Mr Henstridge. Many thanks

Good afternoon everyone I would like to reassure parents that we have had NO confirmed cases of Covid-19 at school. We all recognise how tricky it is at the moment making decisions about whether children should be in school. Lots of you have been speaking to us about symptoms and testing. As a reminder, the three main symptoms of Covid-19 are: - A fever - A new continuous cough - Loss of taste and smell If your child has a sore throat or general sniffles, they should be in school unless they are feeling too poorly to be here or have had sickness or diarrhoea and then the normal 48 hours applies. The whole testing system is under pressure at the moment and we recognise how difficult it is to get a test. Unfortunately, this is leading to families having to self isolate for the whole 14 days. This is a national problem and the rules around the isolation are set by the NHS. Please keep in touch if you are worried but children should only be at home if they are not well enough to be in school or are showing one of the three symptoms above. Many thanks for your ongoing support Andrew Henstridge Executive Headteacher

Term dates 2020-2021

REMINDER: If your child has suffered with sickness and/or diarrhoea they will not be able to attend school until 48 hours have passed from the last time of sickness. This is our school policy that runs in line with NHS guidelines. Many thanks

Good afternoon, the side gate for Breakfast club opens at 7:30am and closes at 8:15am this is due to the fact that the gate needs to be locked for safeguarding purposes. For those arriving after 8:15 (Drop off) please use the door bell on the gate so that a member of staff can let you in. All gates will then be opened at 8:30 for Upper phase/siblings school drop off. Please note: Breakfast is now served at the earlier time of 7:45am. Many thanks

Good morning please see attached letter from Mr Henstridge. Many thanks