THIS PAGE IS NOW CLOSED - ALL INFORMATION WAS RELEVANT TO THE SCHOOL CLOSURE DURING THE LOCKDOWN BETWEEN MARCH AND JULY 2020.

FOR THE MOST RECENT INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SCHOOL'S RE-OPENING PLAN IN THE AUTUMN 2020 - PLEASE CLICK HERE.

Friday 10th July 2020

FOOD HELP DURING THE SUMMER

Our school will be closing today for the six-week summer holiday.

We have made arrangements for eligible families to continue receiving their Free School Meals e-vouchers each week during July and August.

However, in the event of families struggling for food during the summer break, please visit this Leicester City Council webpage for more help:

Holiday Food Provision

Wednesday 8th July 2020

FREE SCHOOL MEALS VOUCHERS - SUMMER HOLIDAY

Following the Government's announcement that Free School Meals e-vouchers will continue to be provided over the summer holiday, we have made arrangements to ensure that all eligible families will continue to receive their weekly e-codes and e-vouchers.

Eligible families should continue to receive their weekly e-code via email from Edenred for each week of the summer holiday.

We understand that the FSM e-voucher scheme will stop at the end of the summer break, just before the children return to school on Tuesday 1st September.

If you have any issues with your vouchers, please approach Edenred directly or email office@buswellslodge.leicester.sch.uk - please note that due to the summer break, our school office emails may not be checked every day.

Tuesday 30th June 2020

LEICESTER LOCAL LOCKDOWN

Yesterday evening the Government announced that Leicester will be subject to an extended two-week local lockdown due to the recent rise in cases of Covid-19.

As a result of this, and following the Government's directive, our school will CLOSING at the end of the day today for the children in Foundation Stage 2, Year 1 and Year 6 who had returned to school at the beginning of June. They will not return now for the rest of the summer term.

School will re-open to ALL pupils on Tuesday 1st September 2020.

Information about how our school will be re-opening will be posted on the Coronavirus School Re-Opening Plan page on our website which can be found under the Key Information tab on the homepage.

Monday 1st June 2020

PARTIAL SCHOOL RE-OPENING

Our school is partially re-opening today for children in Year 1 and Year 6 with children in Foundation Stage 2 due to start back on Monday 8th June.

Please note, our school is only open to children whose parents have told us that they are definitely returning - our small groupings and staffing have been arranged around the number of children we are expecting.

If you have told us that your child is NOT returning to school, or did not inform us at all about your intentions and have changed your mind about sending your child to school, please DO NOT send them without contacting the school office for a start date as we will need to review our group sizes and staffing first.

We are looking forward to seeing our children returning to school!

If your child is not returning to school, please make sure that they complete the Seesaw work being set every day by their teacher.

Wednesday 27th May 2020

LETTERS TO PARENTS ABOUT SCHOOL RE-OPENING

The letters below have been sent to the parents of children in Foundation 2, Year 1 and Year 6 who have told us that their children WILL be returning to school at the beginning of June.

If you have told us that your child will NOT be returning to school, but have since changed your mind, you MUST NOT send your child to school without contacting the school office first and agreeing a start date as this will affect our group sizes and staffing plan.

Wednesday 27th May 2020

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT RE-OPENING OUR SCHOOL

The governors of our school met virtually yesterday evening and have agreed the following plan for the partial re-opening of our school.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE PLANS ARE SUBJECT TO GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS AND MAY CHANGE – WE WILL INFORM PARENTS AND FAMILIES AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE IF OUR PLANS CHANGE.

Children in Year 1 and Year 6 that parents have told us WILL be returning can come back to school on MONDAY 1^st JUNE. They will come to school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (NOT Wednesdays).

Children in Foundation Stage 2 that parents have told us WILL be returning can come back to school the following week on MONDAY 8^th JUNE. They will come to school on Mondays and Tuesdays ONLY.

Apart from Foundation Stage 2, Year 1 and Year 6, no other year groups will be returning to school at the moment.

If you are a parent of a child in Foundation Stage 2, Year 1 or Year6 who has told us that your child WILL NOT be returning to school, but change your mind, you MUST NOT send your child to school without contacting the school office first to agree a start date as this will affect the numbers in pupil groups and the staffing plan.

YEAR 1

Start time:    9.00am on the Key Stage 1 playground

Hometime:   2.50pm on the Key Stage 1 playground

YEAR 6

Start time:    9.00am on the Key Stage 2 playground

Hometime:   3.00pm on the Key Stage 2 playground

FOUNDATION STAGE 2

Start time:    9.30am on the Key Stage 1 playground

Hometime:   3.15pm on the Key Stage 1 playground

It is very important that parents and families support us by being on time both in the morning and at hometime so that it does not cause issues with other year groups on the staggered timetable. Please do not be late.

SMALL CLASS SIZES AND STAGGERED TIMETABLE

The children will be in a small group of no more than 15 children and will be in a big classroom space with the same school staff on both days. The groups will have separate playtime and lunchtime plans and will not mix with other groups of children in school.

WHAT TO BRING TO SCHOOL

The children can bring a water bottle and their packed lunch if they have one. As the hot weather is now starting, please make sure your child has a named water bottle with them every day as they will not be allowed to use water fountains. They MUST NOT bring their book bag, PE kit or anything else like toys from home.

UNIFORM

When school re-opens and for the weeks leading up to the summer holiday, there will be no expectation for children to wear school uniform. In accordance with government hygiene guidance it would help us if your child could wear clean clothes each day they are in school to reduce the chances of cross-contamination and bringing contagion into school.

ARRIVING AT SCHOOL

Children will need to wait at the gate to the correct playground in the morning. It is very important that children arrive at school on time, please do not be late. We will not be unlocking the school gate until just before the school day starts.

At the start of the day, we will NOT be allowing parents to come onto the playground.

Staff will be on the playground to escort the children safely into the building.

DAILY TIMETABLE

The children will remain in the same group all day, including at playtime and lunchtime, the other groups will not mix and there will never be more than 15 children on a playground at one time. Their day will be staggered to ensure that different groups of children and staff do not mix together. They will taught by a teacher that will also remain with the same group throughout the day and will not mix with other members of staff.

HYGIENE

Children will be encouraged to wash their hands regularly and often, especially after using the toilet. We also have hand sanitiser gel available for the children and staff to use every time they come into the school building such as after playtime and lunchtime.

Staff will also regularly clean the classroom and toilet using anti-bacterial spray throughout the day and every time the children leave the room.

SCHOOL DINNERS

Our school kitchen will be open and will continue to provide a daily hot meal for the children if required. Children will line up for their meal using the social distancing markers on the floor in the hall. There will be a daily meat or vegetarian option – there will not be a Halal choice until the new school year. Kitchen staff will plate the food for the children and they will sit with their class in socially distanced tables in the hall. Once the children have eaten they will be taken out to play. Year 6 can have a free school dinner until the end of the summer term required.

HOMETIME

We will be operating a staggered hometime. Just like in the morning parents, will need to come to the correct playground gate. It is important that parents arrive on time, please do not be late. The playground gate will remain locked until just before school finishes. While parents are waiting, they should wait on the social distancing markers on the pavement outside the gate. Once the gates open, parents should follow the directions of staff on the playground.

MEDICATION

If a child has medication such as an asthma inhaler and has a care plan in school, parents MUST send the child’s medication with them on their first day back. On the first day back, after dropping their child off, parents should give the medication to a member of staff who will check it with them.

Please note: children WILL NOT be allowed to return to school if they do not bring their medication with them.

ILLNESS

If a child is poorly and cannot come to school, parents MUST phone the school office and let us know. If a child develops symptoms of covid-19, the child should be kept them at home and school should be told IMMEDIATELY so that we can take action.

If you have any questions about this plan, please call the school office.

Monday 25th May 2020

SCHOOL RE-OPENING PLANS

We are working hard on our plans to re-open school to children in Foundation Stage 2, Year 1 and Year 6 and would like to give you an update on our progress so far. Over the past week we have:

• spoken to the majority of parents in Foundation 2, Year 1 and Year 6 about whether or not their children will be coming back to school
• held a Governors' meeting to discuss and agree our re-opening plans against the government and local authority guidance
• put social distancing markers on Beauville Drive outside the Key Stage 2 playground gate, in the jitty by the Key Stage 1 playground gate and outside the gate near the main entrance
• placed social distancing markers in school in the halls and main corridor
• installed hand gel dispensers next to every external door around school
• audited our cleaning resources and ordered additonal supplies
• supplied a cleaning kit to every class base and communal area for staff to use
• reviewed our staffing plan and ceated a detailed re-opening plan
• completed the Local Authority's whole school re-opening risk assessment which has been presented and approved by governors and shared with staff, unions and posted on this page on our website
• briefed staff on our initial plans, including health and safety, hygiene and social distancing procedures
• ordered PPE for staff to use in the event of providing first aid to a pupil with suspect covid-19 symptoms
• moved furnture and set up class bases ready for use
• placed social distancing markers on both playgrounds and around the outside of the building

What are planning to do next? This week we will:

• hold another Governors' meeting to review our updated plans and agree the start dates for Foundation 2, Year 1 and Year 6 to return 
• Share our updated plan with staff so they can prepare for schoolto re-open
• contact parents of children returning to school with important information about their child's start date and the plan 
• ensure that our PPE and additonal cleaning resources have arrived in school and are ready for use
• put up signage around school to remind everyone about the importance of hand washing, using hand gel and maintaining social distance
• reviewing our school re-opening risk assessment to ensure that everything is ready for the children to return

More information will be posted here following the Governors' Meeting on Tuesday 26th May about our re-opening plan, the start date and the timetable.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through the school office.

Mr. S. Fewster

Headteacher

Monday 25th May 2020

LETTER TO PARENTS FROM LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL

Following a statement about the re-opening of schools by Leicester City Mayor, Peter Soulsby, last week, please see below a letter to parents and families from the City Council.

Monday 18th May 2020 

PLANNING FOR OUR SCHOOL TO RE-OPEN

I would like to say thank you to all the parents who responded to my text this morning informing us about whether their child in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 will be returning to school if the Government goes ahead with its plan to re-open schools on June 1st,

Some parents have asked for more information about our plans.

I am, of course, putting the safety of children and staff first and have been working hard on a re-opening plan and risk assessment with the school leadership team. This plan will be presented to governors on Tuesday 19th May and then to school staff on Wednesday 20th May. After that I shall be contacting parents of children in Foundation Stage, Year 1 and Year 6 by email with detailed plans about how school will re-open.

This plan currently involves:

• having a minimal number of children and staff in school at the same time - only one class in each of the three targeted year groups will be in school at once
• smaller classes - children will be working in groups of no more than 15 children and they will work with the same staff at all times
• larger class spaces - one group of 15 children will be using a double classroom space so that desks can be spaced out and we can ensure that children are distanced
• a staggered timetable - arrival time, playtimes, lunchtimes and hometimes will be staggered over the day to minimise the number of people in areas of the school at once- this will ensure that no more than 15 are on a playground at one time and the groups will not interact with each other in order to ensure social distancing
• hand washing and sanitiser gel will be available and used regularly - only one child will be allowed to use the toilet at once - children must wash their hands after using the toilet and before lunchtime and sanitiser gel will be used every time children enter the building, for example, when they come in after playtime
• classroom areas will be cleaned every time children leave their class area, for example, the classroom will be cleaned when the children go out for playtime
• social distancing markers will be used on the playground, around school and in the streets outside school to help parents and children stay apart
• children will be issued with a named school pencil case containing the equipment they need so that they do not have to share pencils, rubbers and other resources
• government guidance says that school staff do not need to wear PPE unless giving first aid to a child who is displaying symptoms of covid-19 - school has purchased the necessary PPE for use in our first aid room

I hope this gives some indication of the work we have been doing so far and more information will be posted here on this page of our website and by email later this week.

If you have any questions, please email office@buswellslodge.leicester.sch.uk or call me in the school office and I will be happy to help you.

Mr. S. Fewster

Headteacher

Monday 18th May 2020

SUSTRANS 'OUTSIDE IN' PROJECT

Before the lockdown our school was working with Sustrans to promote healthy lifestyles and exercise, particularly cycling through our 'Two-Wheel Thursdays' and Dr. Bike activities.

Sustrans has just launched a new project for families during the lockdown to continue to promote the importance of healthy lifestyles. You can visit their website and find out more by clicking here.

Friday 15th May 2020

PLANNING FOR A PARTIAL RE-OPENING OF SCHOOL ON THE 1st JUNE

Following the Prime Minister's announcement last Sunday about the intention to re-open schools for children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6, I would like to give you an update on our planning process.

We have been working hard in school this week using Government and Leicester City Council guidance in order to create a plan for our school to potentially re-open on Monday 1st June. This plan is being written playing close attention to the safety of children and staff.

It is my intention to be in a position to share this plan by the middle of next week, once the governors have had a chance to review and discuss it. The re-opening plan will be shared here on our school website and via letters which will be emailed out to parents in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. We will also send a text message out to parents to inform them that the plan is available on our website.

If you haven't already done so, could you please email our school office:

office@buswellslodge.leicester.sch.uk with your name, your child's name and class so that we can add your email address to our records.

In this challenging time, the safety and health of our school community - children, staff and parents - continue to be our priority.

Keep safe and keep well!

Mr. S. Fewster

Headteacher

Monday 11th May 2020

PRIME MINISTER'S ANNOUNCEMENT

The Prime Minister appeared on television yesterday evening to announce his 'roadmap' towards easing the current lockdown. The potential re-opening of primary schools for certain year groups was a part of this plan.

At school, we heard this announcement at the same time as you and are currently waiting for further guidance from both the Government and Leicester City Council before we begin to finalise our plans.

Please bear in mind that the re-opening of schools is only a possibility at the moment. The decision will need to be based on the Prime Minister's five-point plan and will need careful preparation in order to ensure that everyone - children, staff and parents - are protected.

In the short term, nothing has changed, our school is still open only to children of key workers and families should continue to stay at home. Children should continue to access school work through Seesaw, our online learning platform, so that they can stay in touch with their teacher.

Please be assured that we are working hard on this and will communicate with parents by text, here on our website and by email as soon as we can in order to ensure that all families receive the information they need.

Keep safe, keep well and look after yourselves.

Mr. Fewster

Headteacher

Monday 4th May 2020

REMOTE LEARNING GUIDES

As our new online learning platform, Seesaw, is now being used by children, we would like to draw your attention to two handy guides about remote learning.

The guides are available below and also on our Safeguarding page.

Monday 4th May 2020

SEESAW - ONLINE LEARNING

Log-in codes for Seesaw, our online plearning platform, were posted out to families at the beginning of last week meaning families should have received them by now. It is good to see that many children have successfully logged on and are starting to complete the work set by their teacher.

If your child has not accessed Seesaw yet, it is very important that they log on regularly and complete the work being sent by their teacher - it is vital that their learning continues while our school remains closed.

If you have any issues with your child's log-in details for Seesaw, please contact the school office.

You can access the Seesaw website by clicking here.

You can also watch a useful Seesaw help video by clicking here.

Friday 1st May 2020

E-SAFETY INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

We would like to remind parents and families that we have lots of useful information and guides about popular online social media platforms to help keep children safe on the internet.

The parents guides produced by National Online Safety can be found by clicking here.

Wednesday 29th April 2020

PLEASE HELP KEEP CHILDREN SAFE!

Leicester City Council have launched a new campaign to help make everyone aware of children's safety and welfare during the lockdown.

The 'Their door is shut. Ours is open' campaign has been launched following an fall in the number of calls to Social Care since the introduction of social distancing measures.

Residents are asked to look and listen out for signs that may indicate abuse: 

• Very young children being left on their own
• Children looking dirty or not changing their clothes
• Children are withdrawn or anxious
• Aggressive or repeated shouting
• Sounds of hitting or banging and things being broken
• Children crying for long periods of time
• Relatives denied access to talk to children by phone or video call 

You can visit the Campaign website by clicking here.

If you have any concerns about the safety or welfare of a child, please call

0116 454 1004 or you can visit www.leicester.gov.uk/health-and-social-care

Tuesday 28th April 2020

ISSUES WITH FREE SCHOOL MEALS E-CODES

We have had a number of phonecalls to our school office this week from parents receiving Free School Meal e-codes from Edenred but have been getting error messages when they try to redeem them.

We are checking the database from our end, but due to the incredibly high demand on the Edenred website, it is taking a long time to check all parents' accounts as each webpage is taking a couple of minutes to load. Please bear with us, we are doing our best to help.

We have also emailed Edenred about the issues with this week's e-codes and have had the following response:

The e Code isn't working when I try to redeem it.

If you have received an error message when trying to redeem your eCode, you may have entered the incorrect code.  Please try to enter your code again. 

If your code is still not accepted, please delete the browsing history on your device, as your device may be storing the incorrect code from its memory.

If you are re-entering your code because the system had frozen or timed-out, and you are getting an invalid code message, this is because the redemption was successful and you should receive your e-Gift card within 48 hours.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your patience and consideration at this time.

The Edenred Team

You can contact Edenred directly by calling 0333 400 5932 or by emailing

freeschoolmealsparentscarers@edenred.com

Tuesday 28th April 2020

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS AND SUPPORT

Leicester City Council has asked schools to share information with parents and families about support available for victims of domestic violence.

If you, or someone you know, is a victim of domestic abuse, please seek help.

The UAVA Helpline is 0800 80 200 28 or their textline is 07715 994 962

You can click this link to visit leicester.gov.uk/domesticabuse

You can also call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or, in an emergency, call 999

Monday 27th April 2020

ONLINE RADICALISATION - GUIDANCE FOR PARENTS

Leicester City Council have provided schools with guidance to share with parents and families about the dangers of online radicalisation, especially if children are spending more time online due to the current coronavirus pandemic lockdown measures.

The guidance can be found by clicking this link:

ONLINE RADICALISATION INFORMATION AND SUPPORT FOR PARENTS (Leics)

Please take the time to have a look as it contains some useful information.

Monday 27th April 2020

FREE SCHOOL MEALS VOUCHERS - EDENRED HELPLINE

Please see here a tweet from the Department of Education regarding queries about the Free School Meals e-codes and e-vouchers.

If you have an issue with your Free School Meals e-codes or e-vouchers, inlcuding if you are not receiving them, you can contact the supplier, Edenred, directly by emailing:

freeschoolmealsparentscarers@edenred.com

or by calling 0333 400 5932

Monday 27th April 2020

FOODBANK INFORMATION

Please see here a tweet from Leicester City Council regarding the Food Banks that are available to help during this difficult time.

If you, or someone you know, needs help, please email:

C19support@leicester.gov.uk

Friday 24th April 2020

ONLINE HOME LEARNING - SEESAW - COMING NEXT WEEK!

In order to support your child’s learning while our school remains closed, we have already provided children with a homework pack and teachers have been posting work on the Class Pages on our school website.

We are now introducing another way for your child to continue their learning at home using the remote learning platform Seesaw. You can access Seesaw through a computer, tablet or smartphone by going to https://app.seesaw.me

We are currently posting out important information on how to access Seesaw, including your child’s personal log in code. Please keep this information safe when you receive it as it is your child’s password for the site. The password is a 12-letter code and/or QR code.

Teachers will be regularly posting work for their classes on Seesaw which the children will be able to access and complete. Once completed, the work can be returned to the teacher through the platform who will then be able to mark it.

Can your child please log in to Seesaw using their password by Friday 1^st May in order to ensure that they can activate their account and complete their first activity.

Please click here to view a useful video about how to use Seesaw.

Thursday 23rd April 2020

ALDI JOINS THE FREE SCHOOL VOUCHER SCHEME

It was announced on Tuesday this week that Aldi has joined the national Free School Meals voucher scheme.

This means that eligible parents in receipt of the government's Free School Meals e-vouchers can choose to shop at Aldi as well as Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose or M&S Food.

We are aware that many parents have not received their e-codes or e-vouchers yet, or have received one voucher but none since. This is due to a significant delay with the government's Edenred website which is processing hundreds of thousands of emails.

All eligible Buswells Lodge parents' details have been successfully processed by the Edenred website and are in the queue to be sent their e-codes and e-vouchers, please be patient.

Tuesday 21st April 2020

BBC BITESIZE - HOME LEARNING

The BBC have launched a new website designed to help parents with home learning. The website is divided into year group sections and contains activities for a wide range of school subjects.

The BBC Bitesize website can be found here.

Tuesday 21st April 2020

E-SAFETY ACTIVITIES FOR PARENTS AND CHILDREN

The Government's ThinkUKnow website has published some online activities for parents to use with their children at home in order to show the importance of staying safe online.

E-Safety resources for children aged 4-5 can be found here.

E-Safety resources for children aged 5-7 can be found here.

E-Safety resources for children aged 8-10 can be found here.

E-Safety resources for children aged 11 and over can be found here.

Please talk to your children and use these resources in order to help keep them safe online.

Friday 17th April 2020

HELP LOOKING AFTER YOUR MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

The Government have published a website page containing lots of useful information and guidance on how you can look after your mental health and well-being during the current lockdown.

The website page can be found here.

Friday 17th April 2020

HELP FOR PARENTS REDEEMING FSM VOUCHER E-CODES

Many parents have contacted our school office asking for help redeeming the 16-digit e-code in the Free School Meals email from Edenred.

Please see the guide below on how to redeem your e-code and get your voucher.

Whilst the photo guide shows Asda as the selected supermarket, the process is exactly the same for other supermarkets, e.g. Tesco.

However, due to the sheer volume of parents and schools using the Edenred website, please be aware that there will be a delay between redeeming you e-code and receiving your voucher.

Further help and guidance can also be found on the Leicester City Council website.

Thursday 16th April 2020

THANK YOU TO OUR WONDERFUL NHS!

The children of key workers currently attending school have created this tribute to the wonderful staff of the NHS as part of a nationwide thank you today.

On behalf of all the staff, governors, children and families of Buswells Lodge Primary, I would like to say a sincere thank you to everyone who works for the NHS and for everything they are doing during this present crisis.

Tuesday 14th April 2020

HELP REDEEMING FREE SCHOOL MEALS VOUCHERS

Many parents are now receiving their Free School Meals online e-vouchers and some have asked for help about how to use the 16-digit code to get their voucher.

The email you receive from Edenred, the company organizing the voucher scheme, will contain a 16-digit e-code.  Please write this down so that you can use it on the next step.

From the email, click the blue box that says 'Redeem your code'. When you reach the new page, enter your 16-digit e-code. From here you can then select which supermarket you want to use the e-voucher at.

It will then ask for you to enter some personal information including your email address.

Once the process is complete, you will receive another email containing your

e-voucher which you will be able to take to the supermarket.

Please be aware that there will a delay between sending your code and receiving your e-voucher - please be patient.

Please use this link to visit the Frequently Asked Questions page on the Edenred website:

https://www.edenred.co.uk/Documents/DfE/DfE_FreeSchoolMeals_ParentCarerFAQs.pdf

Tuesday 14th April 2020

HELPLINES AVAILABLE DURING THE LOCKDOWN

During the lockdown period, we would like to remind our families that help is available at the end of the phone:

CHILDLINE:        0800 111

SAMARITANS:    116 123

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE:   0808 2000 247

THE SURVIVORS' TRUST:   0808 801 0181

MIND:   0300 123 3393

AGE UK:   0800 169 6565

Friday 10th April 2020

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE FOR FREE SCHOOL MEALS?

As you may have seen in the news this week, the government are providing all children who are entitled to Free School Meals with vouchers. These vouchers can be redeemed at a range of supermarkets and will be provided for families during the period schools are closed.

Please be aware that vouchers will only be provided for children that receive means-tested Free School Meals and not infant-aged children who all qualify for the Universal Free School Meal programme which was introduced in 2014.

If you receive any of the benefits listed below, you may be entitled to means-tested Free School Meals and to receive Free School Meal vouchers:

• Income support

• Income-based jobseeker's allowance

• Income-related employment and support allowance

• National asylum seeker support

• Child tax credit (provided you’re not also entitled to working tax credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)

• The guaranteed element of state pension credit

• Working tax credit run-on - paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for working tax credit.

• Universal credit with annual net earned income of less than £7,400

If you believe that your child/ren could be entitled to Free School Meals or your circumstance have recently changed, please use the link below to see if you are eligible.

https://freeschoolmeals.leicester.gov.uk/

Wednesday 8th April 2020

SUPPORT WITH HOME LEARNING

Our school has shared a number of different ways you can support your children with their learning while our school is closed:

• Each child has been provided with a homework pack containing their log in details for fun websites such as Mathletics and TT Rockstars
• The Class Pages here on our website are being updated every week with new ideas and activities for your children

We still have some uncollected homework packs in our school office, they can still be collected between 9.30am and 2.30pm during the week.

Leicester City Council's School Development and Support Agency has also launched a new website called Off School, which contains lots of good ideas for activities and home learning. Their website can be found here.

Tuesday 7th April 2020

FREE SCHOOLS MEALS VOUCHERS UPDATE #2

Edenred, the Government's chosen company to deliver the Free Schools Meals vouchers, has delivered over 300,000 vouchers so far to families since the scheme was announced last week.

However, there is a huge demand for vouchers across the country and so not all vouchers have been delivered yet and are still being processed.

If you are eligible and have not received your Free School Meals voucher by email yet, please be patient as they are being processed and sent as quickly as possible.

Please remember that the voucher email will not be coming from us at school, but will be from a company called EDENRED. Keep checking your Junk email folder incase it goes there by mistake.

IF YOU RECEIVE AN EMAIL ASKING YOU FOR YOUR BANK DETAILS - PLEASE DELETE IT IMMEDIATELY AS THIS IS A SCAM - THE EDEDNRED EMAIL WILL NOT ASK YOU FOR DETAILS OF YOUR BANK ACCOUNT

The Government has now agreed to pay Free School Meals vouchers for the Easter Holiday, meaning that eligible families should receive their vouchers over the next few days.

Monday 6th April 2020

FREE SCHOOLS MEAL VOUCHER UPDATE #1

Our school has now successfully registered with Edenred, the company working with the government to provide the Free School Meals vouchers to eligible families. We have uploaded the email addresses of eligible parents to their online portal and the vouchers are being processed.

Families should receive an email in the next few days with their voucher and instructions how to use it. 

PLEASE NOTE: THIS EMAIL WILL NOT BE COMING FROM SCHOOL, BUT FROM A COMPANY CALLED EDENRED.

Please check your Junk email folder regularly in case the email has gone there instead of your inbox.

Friday 3rd April 2020

APRIL NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED

Even though our school is currently closed, we have produced a Newsletter for April with an overview of key information that has been shared over the past couple of weeks. The newsletter can be found here:

https://www.buswellslodge.leicester.sch.uk/stream/newsletters/headline/1/-//

Thursday 2nd April 2020

FREE SCHOOL MEALS VOUCHERS - UPDATE

As you will be aware the Government has recently announced a new voucher system to support families with children on the Free School Meals register. This article contains important information about how the scheme will work and how eligible families will be able to access their vouchers.

Please note, the vouchers will only be available during term time, but WILL include the Easter holiday.

We are making arrangements to provide a weekly £15 voucher per child or a combined voucher if there is more than child on the Free School Meals register in the household. The vouchers will be sent via email to the email address provided to us by parents with children on the Free School Meals register.

Once the scheme begins, eligible parents will receive an email from a company called Edenred which will contain a voucher and instructions on how to use it. Eligible parents are asked to check your Junk Email folder in case it does not go directly into their email Inbox.

The vouchers can be used at 6 major supermarkets: Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsburys, Waitrose and M&S Food. These are the only supermarkets that will currently accept the vouchers. The email voucher can be shown on a phone or a tablet without needing to print it out.

Families are welcome to use the voucher to select appropriate food and drink for their child, although we are encouraging families to make healthy choices including fresh fruit, vegetables, salads and milk.

Please be aware that the vouchers CANNOT be spent on age restricted items such as alcohol, cigarettes or lottery tickets, including scratchcards.

We have received our registration for the scheme from the Department of Education and are working hard to get the vouchers sent out as quickly as possible.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE VOUCHERS ARE ONLY FOR FAMILIES ON THE FREE SCHOOL MEALS REGISTER AND NOT THOSE COVERED BY UNIVERSAL INFANT FREE SCHOOL MEALS.

Wednesday 1st April 2020

HEALTHY START VOUCHERS SCHEME

Pregnant women and families with children under four who receive certain benefits can get Healthy Start vouchers. Pregnant women and families with children aged over one and under four years old can get one £3.10 voucher per week.  For children under one year old, they can get two £3.10 vouchers (£6.20) per week. The vouchers be used to buy milk, plain fresh or frozen fruit and vegetables and infant formula milk.

More information and an application form can be found here:

https://www.healthystart.nhs.uk/ or phone 0345 607 6823

Applications are now easier to complete as a second signature from a health professional is no longer required.

Monday 30th March 2020 

COVID-19 - BEAUMONT LEYS - COMMUNITY RESPONSE

Please see information below sent out by E2 - the Beaumont Leys Community Project:

If you need an emergency food parcel, please go to their website and complete the online form or call 0116 212 8491

Their website can be found here:

http://www.e2online.co.uk/

Saturday 28th March 2020

GOVERNMENT ADVICE: CORONAVIRUS - WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

STAY AT HOME

• Only go outside for food, health reasons or work (but only if you cannot work at home)
• If you must go out, stay 2 metres (6ft) away from other people at all times
• Wash your hands as soon as you get home

Do not meet others, even family or friends.

Remember, you can still spread the virus even if you don't have the symptoms.

Thursday 26th March 2020

HOMEWORK PACKS STILL AVAILABLE

We still have a number of uncollected homework packs in our school office for children who were off school before the closure.

If your child did not receive a homework pack, please come to the school office (unless you are in self-isolation) between 9.30am and 2.00pm and we will be happy to help you.

Please remember that home learning for our children is also available on the Class Pages on our website - please follow the CHILDREN tab.

Wednesday 25th March 2020

IMPORTANT: BEWARE OF SCAM EMAILS

The Department for Education has been informed that some parents have received an email stating the following: ‘As schools will be closing, if you’re entitled to free school meals, please send your bank details and we’ll make sure you’re supported’.

We can confirm that this is a scam email and is not official. We urge parents that if you receive any emails like this, please do not respond, and delete it immediately.

Wednesday 25th March 2020

REMEMBER THE ADVICE!

Please remember the Government's guidance to help stop the spread of coronavirus!

Tuesday 24th March 2020

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER!

Our school Twitter feed has lots of news and updates - please give us a follow - please remember to click the notifications icon - the bell image marked in red - so that you get an alert every time school tweets!

Tuesday 24th March 2020

FREE SCHOOL MEALS - PACKED LUNCH UPDATE

We are offering a free packed lunch every week day for children who are on our Free School Meals register.

If you would like to receive a daily packed lunch for your child, please contact our school office on 0116 2352129 by 3.00pm today so that we know how many lunches will be required.

Packed lunches can be collected from the school office every day between 10.00am and 12.00pm. Please note, lunches will not be available after 12.00pm as any leftovers are being donated to the local foodbank.

Tuesday 24th March 2020

GOV.UK: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How long will schools and colleges be closed for?

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, schools, colleges and childcare providers will be closed to the majority of pupils until further notice.

Will registered childcare providers, schools and colleges be open over Easter holidays for holiday clubs and childcare?

Where possible, we would encourage childcare providers, schools and colleges to continue to look after critical workers’ children and vulnerable children throughout the Easter holidays.

I am a critical worker or have a vulnerable child but I don’t want to send my child in to school or childcare, do I have to?

Many parents working in these critical sectors may be able to ensure their child is kept at home. Every child who can be safely cared for at home should be.

This is an offer to parents and carers and there is no requirement for parents and carers to send their children to school if they do not need or wish to do so.

For vulnerable children, your child’s social worker will work with you to assess the best option for your child.

What will happen to exams?

Primary assessments, including SATs, and exams including GCSEs, AS levels and A levels will not go ahead this summer.

Further information can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers

Monday 23rd March 2020

PACKED LUNCHES AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN ON OUR FREE SCHOOL MEALS REGISTER

If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, we have arranged a daily packed lunch for them.

Parents and carers WHO ARE NOT IN SELF-ISOLATION can collect their child's packed lunch from the large playground each day between 10.00am and 12.00pm. If your family are in isolation, please arrange for another family member or friend to collect the packed lunch for you.

All uncollected packed lunches are being donated to the local Foodbank.

Monday 23rd March 2020

THE IMPORTANCE OF E-SAFETY WHILE CHILDREN ARE OFF SCHOOL

Now that the vast majority of our children are off school, it is very important to remember to keep them safe online.

Please monitor the websites your children are using and who they may be talking to online - please remind them to be kind if they are chatting to their friends.

Information on e-safety can be found on the Think U Know website:

https://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Sunday 22nd March 2020

HOMEWORK FOR OUR CHILDREN OFF SCHOOL

The teachers have created homework packs for every child in our school so that they can continue their learning at home. The packs were given out last Friday (20th March) before school closed.

If your child was off school that day and you did not receive their homework pack, you can call into the school office - PROVIDED YOU ARE NOT IN SELF-ISOLATION - any day between 9.30am and 2.30pm to collect it.

As well as this, the teachers will also be posting work on the year group pages here on our website every week. Please check your child's year group page regularly for updates and home learning ideas.

The year group pages can be found here:

https://www.buswellslodge.leicester.sch.uk/class-pages/

Sunday 22nd March 2020

LEICESTER CITY COUNCIL UPDATES

Leicester City Council has updated its Coronavirus advice page on its website including information on how to contact the council and guidance on closures of libraries, leisure centres and community centres.

The web page has lots of useful information and can found here:

https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/service-updates-in-leicester/

Friday 20th March

GOVERNMENT ADVICE ON SCHOOL CLOSURES

Please see the following website for government advice on school closures as a measure to prevent the spread of covid-19 (coronavirus):

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers/closure-of-educational-settings-information-for-parents-and-carers

Friday 20th March 2020

KEY WORKER UPDATE

If you work in the following areas and wish to continue to send your child to school, you must contact our school office by 12.00pm on Friday 20^th March:

• The health service
• Police and 999 emergency services
• Social care
• Education and childcare settings
• The justice system
• Religious staff
• Charity workers
• Management of the deceased
• Journalists and broadcasters
• Local government
• Food production, processing and distribution
• Utility services
• Communications and financial services

Please note, we may ask for proof such as work ID or a wage slip. School will then contact you to confirm your place.

ALL other children will need to stay at home.

SCHOOL CLOSURE UPDATE

As you may have seen on the news, the Government has increased its level of response in order to slow the spread of Covid-19 (Coronavirus). As a result of this action and following guidance from the Government and advice from Leicester City Council and Public Health England, it has been agreed that Buswells Lodge Primary School will CLOSE to children apart from those from families of Key Workers from Monday 23^rd March 2020 until further notice.

The following information is to help you prepare for the school closure:

• KEY WORKERS: If you work for the NHS, in a care home, for the Police, a 999 service or are a delivery driver for a supermarket – you must contact our school office by 12.00pm on Friday 20^th March.

• MEDICATION: If your child has emergency medication in school, e.g. inhalers, epipens etc, a parent needs to collect them from school before the closure

• SCHOOL WEBSITE: Information about the school closure, including updates, will be posted on our school website and our school Twitter feed. Text messages will also be sent out to parents with updates. Please check our school website each day for updated information:

https://www.buswellslodge.leicester.sch.uk/

• HOMEWORK: Teachers will provide homework for the children to bring home to complete during the closure. They will also post links to useful learning websites on the class pages on our school website. Please ensure that they also read regularly. Children can also access websites such as Mathletics and TT Rocks

• CONTACT DETAILS: Please check that the school office has your correct contact details so that you will be able to receive text messages from school with updates

• SCHOOL OFFICE: Please remember, as school will be closed to both staff and children there will be no-one answering the school phone so please do not call us.

We hope that you understand that the decision to close our school has not been made lightly and has been made in conjunction with the City Council and Public Health England for the protection of our children, their families and our staff.

During this period of closure, we will attempt to keep parents and families informed and updated via text messages, our school website and our Twitter feed and provide ways for children to engage in their learning whilst they are at home.

I would like to thank our entire school community for its support during this difficult and worrying time. Look after yourselves and keep well.

PGL RESIDENTIAL

In light of the current situation, we have made the decision to POSTPONE our planned Year 5/6 residential which was due to take place next week.

We have been able to rearrange the visit and it will now take place during the week beginning Monday 15th June 2020.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - 16th 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’re doing in light of this, and what we expect from all of you, to help make sure our school community keeps safe and calm.

PARENTS’ EVENINGS

We have made the decision to POSTPONE the planned Parents’ Evenings this week. Parents’ Evenings will now take place on Wednesday 22^nd and Thursday 23^rd April. If you have already made an appointment with your child’s class teacher, they will transfer straight across to the new dates, for example, if your appointment was on Wednesday 18^th March, it will now be on Wednesday 22^nd April.

SICKNESS BUG

As you may be aware, we have had a number of children off school with a vomiting bug recently. To help prevent the spread of germs and sickness, I have arranged for a deep clean of the school to take place during the evening of Tuesday 17^th March. Please be assured that this is to stop the spread of the sickness bug and is not connected to coronavirus.

OTHER UPDATES

We would like to assure you that at Buswells Lodge we are taking all of the necessary steps to protect our community and are continuing to following guidance from the Government and the Local Authority.

Our school remains open – this is in line with current guidance and all school functions, including our Breakfast Club, are running as normal.

Children should continue to attend school as usual unless they feel unwell and have the following symptoms:

• A new continuous cough and/or
• A high temperature

If your child is unwell, you should contact the school office to report their absence as usual.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO

If you have recently changed your phone number, it is very important that you tell the school office so we have your up to date contact information.

Please make sure you drop off and collect your child promptly each day.

The NHS 111 telephone helpline can offer useful advice and help. Please call them if you need to discuss symptoms for any member of your family.

It is a difficult time and we appreciate that families are anxious and worried. It is important that we keep each other safe.

CORONAVIRUS - LETTER TO PARENTS - 4th MARCH 2020

I am sure that you are aware from the media that all public bodies, organisations and businesses are being given regular advice from Public Health England about the Covid-19 virus (coronavirus). The chance of being in contact with the virus in the UK is currently moderate and the current specific advice for places of education is simply to ensure good hygiene practices. Government concern is currently more about a lot of people being ill at the same time, which would make the country harder to keep going, rather than the severity of the virus. Information at the moment shows that it is not as dangerous to life as flu.

Buswells Lodge Primary School is a member of the Leicester Primary Partnership (LPP), an organisation through which all state Primary schools in Leicester work together, as well as through the Local Authority.  The core information in this letter has been agreed by the schools in LPP to explain how we are all following the same guidelines as a precaution. All schools are following the guidance from the Government for educational settings.

We are reinforcing messages about good hygiene in school, including hand washing when children arrive at school, before they go home, before cooking and eating, after breaks and PE and after using the toilet. We make sure children use tissues for coughs and sneezes.  We ask you to ensure that your child washes their hands before leaving home in the morning.

At Buswells Lodge Primary School, we are not aware of any of our families who have recently returned from travelling from Iran, specific lockdown areas in northern Italy, special care zones in South Korea or Hubei province China.  If this were to happen in any LPP school, we would ensure that the family was “self isolating” and having no contact with the school for 7 days.

Public Health England has clear procedures that it would ask a school to undertake, if a case related to the school were to be found. This is to close for a day and undertake a “deep clean”, a special set of cleaning tasks. They do not recommend face masks for the general public, pupils or students, or staff, as there is no evidence of benefit from their use outside healthcare environments.

We have no families currently out of the country or returned in the last 14 days. If you have plans to travel abroad over the Easter holiday please share these with us so we can keep up to date over that period.   

Thank you for your support.

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE - 3rd MARCH 2020

The Department for Education have set up a helpline for parents, families and schools to answer questions about Coronavirus in relation to education.

The helpline is open between 8am and 6pm (Monday to Friday) and can be reached on 0800 046 8687.

Questions can also be emailed to:

DfE.coronavirushelpline@education.gov.uk

Please remember that Leicester City Council also has a website with local information which is regularly updated:

https://families.leicester.gov.uk/coronavirus-update

CORONAVIRUS ADVICE

Leicester City Council have a website which provides useful information for families about Coronavirus. 

It stresses that parents and carers should not be unduly concerned about their children contracting Coronavirus and suggests actions you can take.

The website can be found here:

https://families.leicester.gov.uk/coronavirus-update