Headteacher Updates

7.3.23

Just a quick Monday update as I have some new dates for your diary. We now have a newly elected School Council and they held their first meeting on Friday afternoon. They agreed in this meeting that they would like to take part in more charitable activities and theme days and have asked me to support them in this by raising money for Comic Relief. I am delighted they are thinking so kindly of others so am happy to agree to this request.

They have decided that Friday 17th March will be 'Comfy Clothes for Red Nose Day'. Children should come to school wearing their comfiest or favourite outfit instead of school uniform. I will send a donation to Comic Relief from our School Fund, however if you wish to send small change in to school to show your support, we will pass this on for you. Please don't feel that you have to do this or buy special outfits for the day. Let's just have a fun day together.

Just prior to that there are still teacher strikes planned on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th March. If these strikes do take place then the same arrangements as previously will be in place. School will be closed to all classes except Little Oaks. However, some children will be invited to attend - you will receive a text if this applies to your child.

The longer update will be back on Friday.

See you then,

Mrs Hignett

 

3.2.23

Hello everybody,

Yesterday we celebrated World Book Day. We did this slightly differently this year. Each class has written their own book which has been sent off to publishers to create their very own real copy for their classroom and we also enjoyed looking at new and special books together (with treats of course!) in the afternoon. Although we all had a really lovely day, I take on board the feedback I have received from some children and parents and will happily review plans for next year's celebration when the time comes.

In the meantime, our next celebration will be on Friday 5th May for the King's Coronation. We are planning classroom parties and lots of inflatables on the field similar to our Jubilee party - let's hope for sunshine this time!

Another date for your diary is Parents Evening - this will take place on either Wednesday 29th March or Thursday 30th March - you'll be notified of the date for your child's class next week. We have chosen to run these over 2 days so we can use the hall to start the appointments earlier - we know that 5 minutes was not quite enough last time to tell you all about your child's achievements.

Congratulations to Thomas H (Y4) and his family who were the lucky winners of the tickets to the Saints game in our free prize draw. Some Y6 prefects helped me draw the winner this morning. Thank you Summer and Darius.

Y1 are having a great time today at the safari park. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it later.

A big thank you to Hivis.co.uk who have very kindly donated 20 amazing jackets for our prefects and children with student responsibilities in school. Don't they look fabulous?

On Monday 13th March between 8.30am and 10.00am there will be a drop in session here with the Community Nurse for any advice or support you need around your child's health or development, please just come along - no need to book an appointment.

If you have any questions about any of the above or anything else, please come and see me or any staff on the playground or contact the school office.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mrs Hignett

 

27.02.23

Good Morning everybody, I hope you all had a restful weekend. Tomorrow Tuesday 28th February school will be closed due to the Teacher Strike.

Little Oaks will be open for all children as usual. Just a reminder, this strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government and not because of any issues at our school.

Some children (those with critical worker parents/carers or receiving extra support) will be invited to attend. You will receive a text to notify you today if your child is in one of these groups.

Please see the Strike letter above for more information.

Thank you for your support.

Mrs Hignett

24.2.23

Happy Friday! Like I said earlier in the week, we've got off to a great start here. I am very proud of everyone for such a settled start to the Spring Term 2.

We are still awaiting the outcome of talks to postpone strike action by teachers on Tuesday 28th February. As explained below, if the strike takes place, school will be closed to all year groups except Little Oaks which will open as usual. However, some children will be offered places. If your child is able to attend, you will have received a text message with a link to a form. Please complete this form if you wish your child to come in to school during the closure. If you think your child is eligible for a place because you are a critical worker or receive additional support from other agencies then please let us know on Monday.

Y1 are looking forward to a trip to Knowsley Safari Park on Friday next week and World Book Day also takes place just before then on Thursday 2nd March. We will be doing lots of exciting activities around books and stories and I know we will have a lovely day together. This year, we will not be dressing up and children should come to school in their uniform as usual please.

Just a quick reminder that whilst it's great to see children being active on their bikes and scooters, these should be walked across the playground to avoid accidents. I've spoken to all the children in assembly about this so they know we are trying to keep everyone safe.

We've started to make plans to celebrate the King's Coronation in May - watch this space for more details soon.

Finally, we are delighted to be able to offer a Family ticket (2 adults, 2 children) to Saints vs Wakefield on 31st March. If you would like to be in with a chance of winning this ticket, please complete this form: https://forms.office.com/e/0msW6kz3A3

One entry per family please, the draw closes at 5pm on Thursday 2nd March and the winner will be announced next Friday. Thank you to the Saints Community Foundation for their kind donation.

Have a lovely weekend everyone,

Mrs Hignett

22.2.23

Welcome back everybody! I hope you all had a lovely half term. Spring term 2 has got off to a great start here - it's been nice to see the sunshine. 

I will write a longer update on Friday but just wanted to share some advance information about the planned upcoming strike by Teachers on Tuesday 28th February. Please remember this strike is a national call for action to the government and is not about any concerns in our school.

Talks are ongoing to avoid the strike. However, if this strike takes place, the main school will be closed to all classes. Little Oaks will be open for all children as usual.

Some children (those with critical worker parents/carers or receiving extra support) would be invited to attend. You will receive a text with a link to a form to be completed if your child is in one of these groups.

As soon as I have further information, I will update you.

Thank you for your support.

Mrs Hignett

27.1 23 - 20.2.23

Unfortunately the HT updates for this period have been lost due to a server issue with School Spider, the website host. Please see the school office for any information required relating to this period, this includes industrial action on the 1st February and Family Value Awards.

20.1.23

Yet another busy week. Well done to the Y4 Dodgeball Team who made it through to the next round of the local schools competition and to our Y6 girls football team who performed well in their competition too - they didn't concede a single goal. We've also welcomed a visiting artist in school today as well as continuing our Bikeability training in Y5. It was also brilliant to see so many parents and carers attend our SEND information afternoon - there were that many we had to change rooms! I hope you all found it useful.

On Monday, there will be a change to school lunch. To celebrate Chinese New Year, sweet and sour chicken will be served for the hot meal option followed by mango pudding. Sandwiches and jacket potatoes will also be available. 

Thank you for your support with the trial of closing the gates to the front car park. This has made the area much safer for our Little Oaks and Nursery children. We will continue with the trial over the coming weeks. 

Just a reminder that if children enter through the main entrance doors, they must be signed in by a parent. Where possible, chidlren should always enter through their classroom doors - this gives them a much more settled start to the day and avoids a late mark. Please do not drop children at the front doors and send them in by themselves - we need to make sure everyone arrives at school safely.

It has been very cold this week and I understand children have been wearing lots of layers to keep warm. However, please do try to send your child to school in full uniform. All items of clothing in our uniform are chosen to be practical and suitable for all weathers. When wearing their uniform children look smart, act smart and show they are part of our family. Please support us with this.

I'm sure you have heard in the news about the planned strike action by the NEU, one of the teaching unions. The first day of the strike is Wednesday February 1st. This strike is happening because of a national dispute between the unions and the government and not because of any issues at our school.

I am working closely with our staff, the Local Authority and unions to keep up to date with the situation and I will inform you of the final arrangements as soon as I can.

However, it is likely that learning will be disrupted so you may wish to think of alternative arrangements for childcare if you need to do so on this day. If you have any questions or concerns, please do come and see me or contact me via the school office.

I hope you have a lovely weekend - I am glad the snow has gone!

Mrs Hignett

13.1.23

The end of our first full week back in 2023 has arrived - we're all feeling tired after lots of learning, Bikeability sessions in Y5, parent workshops in phonics and a visit from our Paths Coach. A restful weekend is much needed! Attendance has been better again this week, look out for news coming soon about different ways we can suppot you in making sure your child attends as much possible.

It has been great to see some of our children going to the after school care club at Little Harvards. We are delighted to be working with them to offer wraparound care for our children. The club provides breakfast and after school childcare and Little Harvards staff drop off/collect pupils straight from Broad Oak. If you would like more information about this, please contact the school office.

From Monday we will be trialling the closure of the front car park from 8.45am to 3.30pm. This mean cars will not be able to drive into the car park between these times. This is a safety measure to keep everyone safe. Similarly, please take care when travelling down Provident Street. Stopping on the zig zag lines outside school is illegal and unsafe. Please keep this area clear. Wherever possible, walking to school is the best way to arrive. It's healthier and cheaper than driving.

On Wednesday 18th January from 2pm there will be a coffee afternoon for parents of children with additional needs. If your child has an Individual Education Plan or you would like to talk about your child's learning needs, please do come along.

Unfortunately, there have been increased reports of headlice cases across school. We know headlice is a common issue in every school so please check your child's hair regularly and treat if neccessary. We do have combs and conditioner available free of charge from the school office to help you with this.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, lots to look forward to next week so be sure to be in school, on time, every day.

Mrs Hignett

6.1.23

Happy new year everybody! Welcome back - it's been great to see so many children back and settled in their classes straight away.

As we have only been back for a few days, this update will be short (I will send more information next week) but I couldn't let the amazing achievement of one of our families go unmentioned. A huge well done and congratulations to Mr Smith on winning the World Darts Championship. It was amazing to see Michael and Kasper (and Mrs Smith!) looking so proud with the trophy on Wednesday. The Broad Oak Family is beyond proud. #TeamParr

Have a lovely weekend all. See you Monday.

 

20.12.22

This is my final update of 2022 so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support throughout the year. It’s been a busy year but not a day goes by without the children and staff of Broad Oak making me smile. I’ve really enjoyed seeing you all in school for performances and stay and play sessions. Thank you for celebrating with us.

With your donations from the performances along with some support from local charities, we have been able to provide every child in Reception to Y6 with an extra gift to take home as well as a present from Santa. Y6 children have all also had a special gift of their very own Broad Oak 23 hoodie. They look really smart in them.

A huge thank to all of our staff (classroom, admin, caretaking and lunchtime) who make all the Christmas magic happen - it isn't easy and they go above and beyond. We are very lucky to have such a special, talented and committed team in our Broad Oak Family.

Christmas is the only holiday in which we close completely but we will be available from 8am on the 4^th  if you need any help or support.

In the meantime, you can contact the local Foodbank here:  https://sthelens.foodbank.org.uk/contact-us/ and there is a list of local warm spaces here: https://sthelens.gov.uk/warmspaces

As always, there is lots to look forward to in 2023 so make sure your child attends as often as they can so they don’t miss out.

School reopens on Wednesday 4^th January – Breakfast Club will be open as usual on this date.

PE days are as follows and lessons will begin straight away as we return.

Monday: Y1

Tuesday: Y4 and 2W, 2G

Wednesday: Y5, 6SM, 6CB

Thursday Y3, 6M

Friday: Reception, 2A

I hope you have a lovely, peaceful holiday, take care and I’ll see you all in 2023.

Mrs Hignett

 

16.12.22

What a lovely week filled with Christmas performances - I am so proud of all our children and staff, they did an amazing job. Well done everyone.

Next week there are stay and play sessions for Nursery and Little Oaks, a visit from a special someone and party day on Tuesday. Children are welcome to wear their own clothes or party outfit on this day. We will have great fun, they won't want to miss it!

School closes at 2pm on Tuesday for the holidays. We re-open on Wednesday 4th January.

Christmas is the only holiday that school is closed throughout. We do have food parcels available next week so please do let us know if you think you will require one over the two weeks.

The weather has been very, very cold this week - thank you for your support in using the gritted paths. We have tried to keep the grounds as safe as possible for everybody.

I will send a further update next week before we close.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs Hignett

9.12.22

It has been lovely to watch the first of our Christmas performances this morning - well done 6M and 5R for getting us off to a great start. The dates and times for other performances are in the letter above. Please only arrive 10 minutes prior to the show - there is only one class at a time so plenty of room for everybody.

We are still selling raffle tickets and offering the opportuntity to have a festive photo after school next week for a small donation, just like Rose-Anne did on Christmas Jumper day. All money raised will be used for treats at the Christmas party.

If you are looking for ways to celebrate Christmas in the community, there are a number of services at the churches in Parr. See below for times and dates - all are welcome.

It has been extremely cold this week. Please ensure your child brings a coat to school everyday. If you need help keeping warm, there are a number of warm spaces in St Helens that can offer support. You can find a list here: Warm Spaces - keeping St Helens warm this winter - St Helens Borough Council

We know that this time of year can bring worries as well as celebrations - if you need help with food or anything else, please do come and see us. We are here to help.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mrs Hignett

 

 

2.12.22

December has arrived.  Our Y6 choir have been in demand this week, performing at the Earlestown Light Switch On and the Music Service Carol Concert. They will also be performing on Monday 5th December as part of the Parr Christmas Light Switch On. This takes place outside St Philip's Church from 4pm. Refresments will be available in the Church after the tree has been lit. It'd be lovely to see you there.

As part of the Holiday Activity Fund (HAF), there will be some activities with food provided across St Helens during the Christmas break for chidlren eligible for free school meals. Bookings for these activities will open at 9am on Monday 5th so be quick to make sure you don't miss out. Click on the picture below for more information and the booking link.

Our festive events in school begin on Thursday 8th with Christmas Jumper/Favourite outfit day and Y1-Y6 children enjoying a performance of Aladdin.

On Friday 9th December, we will have our Christmas lunch which is a turkey barm, chips with festive trimmings.

The classes below are also excited to present their Christmas performance in the hall on this day. Doors will open 10 minutes before the show and as there is only one class, there will be plenty of room so please don't arrive any earlier. Just a reminder that all clases in Y1-Y6 will be giving a short retelling of the nativity story with a small number of songs. We don't want to overwhelm our chidlren. You are welcome to take Y1 and Y2 children home after their performance (although we'd love them to stay until 3.15pm) brothers and sisters can't be collected until the end of the school day.

9.30am Y6M

10.30am - Y5R

1.45pm - Y2G

2.30pm - Y1M

This week you should have received a letter about after school care offered by Little Harvards. I've saved a copy at the top of this page in case it didn't make it home! Some of our families have told us they would find this useful so we have looked for a provider to help us. If you are interested in using this service please return the slip or let us know by phone or text.

I can't wait to welcome you all into school to celebrate together next week. Have a lovely weekend.

Mrs Hignett

25.11.22

Just a brief message today as I have sent an exciting, longer letter home tonight all about Christmas. If you haven't seen a copy, I've attached one at the top of this page for you.

A reminder that school photos must be ordered online on or before 28th November (Monday) in order to be delivered free of charge to school. You can still order after this date but will need to pay for postage for delivery to your home.

As the weather turns colder, we have noticed there are lots more coughs, sniffles and bugs around. However, school attendance is important and your child should be in if they are well enough to be so. Here is a guide to local NHS services if you need advice when your child is ill.

Have a lovely weekend everybody,

Mrs Hignett

18.11.22

Friday again! It's been busy here today with the school photographers. Your child will bring home a card with a QR code for you to view and purchase the photographs if you wish to. If you have more than one child in school, it will be your eldest child that brings the card. 

We've also welcomed lots of parents into school this week for a Reception Phonics workshop and a special performance from our after school choir club. Lovely to see so many of you joining us.

As part of our work in helping children to manage their emotions and resolve conflict, we now have a brilliant group of B Buddies playground friends who help the younger children to play games and get along together at breaktimes. These children were introduced at a special assembly on Monday. Our mid-day supervisors have also had some training on how to support them in this role. Now our breaktimes and lunchtimes will be even more fun!

On Monday, England will play their first game in the World Cup. If they wish to, children will be able to watch the match in school so don't worry, if your child is football mad, they won't miss a minute of the action. Other activities will be available if your child is not so interested. All chidlren should wear their school uniform (or school PE kit if it's PE day) as usual.

Thank you for all your donations of pre-loved Christmas Jumpers. The last day to send these in is next Friday, the 25th November.

Talking of Christmas, don't forget to check the dates in the post below for our festive events. Most of our communication now is via this page or text message because this is the most efficient way to share key messages. Please encourage other parents to check this weekly update too so they don't miss anything.

The Public Health Department have asked for parent views around the National Child Measurement Programme. If you are interested in giving your views, please click the link for more information: National Child Measurement Programme online engagement sessions - St Helens Borough Council

Happy Friday!

Mrs Hignett

 

11.11.22

Children across school have reflected on and honoured Remembrance Day today. Y3-Y6 held a two minute silence outside. Their behaviour was perfect. Thank you for your support in buying poppies and other items to raise money for the Royal British Legion. 

Thank you to the many parents who joined us for our phonics parents session this week. Working together really does make a difference and reading at home (along with good attendance at school) is the best way to help your child succeed.

Don't forget it's school photo day next Friday. There will be no PE lessons on that day so all children should come looking super smart in thier full school uniform.

Children will have only one photograph taken. This will be either:

• A family group with younger/older siblings that you bring them to the hall for between 8am and 8.30am  or
• A sibling picture with their brothers and sisters who attend Broad Oak or
• An individual picture only if they have no brothers or sisters in school

Please contact the school office if you have any questions about this.

I am so excited to tell you that we will be holding short Christmas performances/activities for parents and carers to share again this year. We will be holding these on a class basis as large year group audiences can be a little overwhelming for the children. I apologise in advance for those of you with a few children who will see the same show a few times!

Our Christmas dates are below. We will endeavour to keep to these but if anything unexpected happens, they may be subject to change:

December
Thursday 8th	Christmas Jumper day - we'd welcome donations of outgrown Christmas jumpers
Friday 9th	Christmas dinner- Festive barm and chips with all the trimmings.
Friday 9th	9.30am Y6M	10.30am - Y5R	1.45pm - Y2G	2.30pm - Y1M
Monday 12th	9:30am Y6CB	10:30am Y5BD	1:45pm Y3M	2:30pm Y1S
Wednesday 14th	9:30am Y6SB	10:30am Y5M	1:45pm Y2A	2:30 Y1D
Thursday 15th	9:30am Y4H	10:30am Y4CB	1:45pm Y3F	2:30pm Y2W
Friday 16th	9:30am Y4RB	10:30am Y3S	Afternoon: Reception – times to be confirmed
Monday 19th	Little Oaks and Nursery Xmas stay and play (am and pm sessions times to be confirmed)
Tuesday 20th	Christmas Party – children can wear party clothes, a Christmas jumper or a favourite outfit. School closes at 2.15pm.

We will be putting our outdoor Christmas tree up at the end of November. Look out for more news about this shortly.

Have a lovely weekend everybody,

Mrs Hignett

4.11.22

I hope you had a lovely half term. The chidlren have settled straight back into routine and I've seen some brilliant learning right across school. I've been in Nursery today and enjoyed seeing the children enjoy the Colour Monster story. If your child is in Nursery and is due to start Reception next September, now is the time to apply for a place. All children must apply, places are not automatically allocated. You can apply online here: https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/article/2868/Applying-for-primary-school-for-September-2023   or speak to the school office for more information.

Next week, we have lots of exciting things to look forward to including a KS2 dodgeball competition, the introduction of Y5 B Buddies, a KS1 boccia competition and a Y2 history workshop. We will also be selling poppies and other Remembrance Day items after school from the hall doors. On Monday (Going Green) and Thursday (VIP) next week we have a special menu:

As it's now November, it's ok to talk about Christmas! As part of our celebrations this year, we will be taking part in Christmas Jumper day. We would welcome donations of outgrown Christmas Jumpers that can be loved and worn by other children - please send any jumpers into the school office. Thank you.

Have a lovely weekend, please be careful if you are outside enjoying fireworks. Organised displays are always best. 

See you Monday,

Mrs Hignett

20.10.22

I really enjoyed giving out our first Family Value Award Winner Medals today. Congratulations to all our well deserved winners who have shown the true value of friendship throughout this half term. I also enjoyed awarding Prefect badges to some of our Y6 children who have demonstrated excellent effort, attitude and attendance this half term too.

It was brilliant to see so many of you in school for Parents Evening last night. It was very well attended and staff really enjoyed telling you all about your child's learning.

I've been asked many times since September if school photographs will be taking place. These haven't been done in school for a while due to restrictions through the pandemic. However, I've listened to your requests and am pleased to tell you that school photos will be taken on Friday, November 18th. More details will be sent out nearer to the time. 

School closes today for half term at the usual time of 3.15pm and after school clubs are still taking place. We re-open on Tuesday 1st November. Halloween falls during the break. There is a letter attached to the top of this page from Merseyside Police about keeping safe at this time of year.

As usual, school will be open on Tuesday (the 25th) from 10am till 12pm if you need any help or support. Food bags will also be available.

Have a lovely holiday everybody, see you on the 1st!

Mrs Hignett

 

14.10.22

Hello everybody. This week we've had an inspiring visit from the Tongan National Rugby team as they prepare to play in the World Cup.

To celebrate the World Cup games that are taking place in St Helens, there is a special lunch menu next week:

Letters for Parents Evening have gone out this week. If you've lost your slip or didn't receive a letter then don't worry, just speak to your child's teacher or the school office to make an appointment. We are delighted to welcome you back into school but the evening is by appointment only so make sure you get your slot. Don't forget there's also a meeting at 5.15pm  on the 19th for all parents who would be interested in paying for after school care at Broad Oak.

Just a reminder to all parents and carers that school finishes at 3.15pm and all children should be collected from their classroom doors. We have an increasing number of children who are collected later than this. This can be upsetting and unsettling for them so please arrive promptly to pick your child up. If we are concerned that late pick ups happen often or there is a long, unexplained delay before your child is picked up, we may contact other services for support.

It's just a 4 day week next week as school closes for half term on Thursday 20th October at 3.15pm. There's still lots going on though with Family Values Award Winners to be announced and so much great learning that will happen so make sure your child is in every day they can be so they don't miss out.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs Hignett

7.10.22

What a busy day. Thank you for your donations to Teardrops today, we will make sure the charity receives them as soon as possible. Some Y2 children have enjoyed learning about the Great Fire of London in a special workshop today and children across school have been given the flu spray vaccination if you provided consent. 

There has been a great uptake of our free breakfast bagel offer, Don't forget there are 2 stations now - one in the hall and one by Reception classrooms. All children are welcome to help themselves to food on the trolleys. Our bagels are provided by Magic Breakfast. They'd love to hear your views about breakfast provision. Click here to complete a short survey and you will be entered into a prize draw: https://surveys.qaresearch.co.uk/magicbreakfastparent.asp

Free breakfast isn't just for school days - St Philip's Church are hosting a free breakfast club tomorrow (Saturday 8th). All are welcome for food, friendship and a great start to your Saturday!

As you know, our family values here are an important part of our work. We use PATHS to support our work on managing emotions and establishing healthy relationships. Sometimes we collect information to help us improve children's learning. Please read the privacy statement on this page: Broad Oak Community Primary School: PATHS and let the school office know if you would like to withdraw your child from the data collection.

Attendance has dipped a little this week at school after such a good start. It is important that children attend every day if they are well enough to do so. Our school attendance policy is here: Broad Oak Community Primary School: Attendance and School Opening Hours   This page also contains important information about what happens if your child doesn't attend regularly and how the school manages unauthorised leave of absences.

A reminder that Parents Evening takes place back here at school (no more video calls thankfully) on the 19th October. A letter will be sent out about appointments next week. If you don't live with your child but would like to speak to their teacher, please make an appointment with the school office.

On the 19th there will also be a short meeting to gather ideas about providing after school care at Broad Oak and how much this should cost. If you would be interested in using after school childcare (at an additional charge) please come along to the hall at 5.15pm.

Have a lovely weekend everybody, see you on Monday.

Mrs Hignett

29.9.22

We are coming to the end of another action packed week. Some Y4 children enjoyed taking part in a dodgeball competition, Y2, 5 and 6 after school maths clubs started and there's been great learning right across school. Attendance continued to be great throughout school. Well done everyone.

Next week we will be celebrating Harvest Festival. There will be a special Harvest lunch available on Thursday with some of our favourite foods - chicken strips, chips and cookies. All chilldren in Rec, Y1 and Y2 are eligible for a free school meal so this is a great time to try it. We'd encourage all children in these year groups to take this opportunity to try school dinners. If your child normally has a packed lunch but would like the chicken and chips meal, please let their teacher know by Tuesday. 

To end our Harvest week on Friday 7th October, children can come to school in non-uniform. We'd appreciate a donation for the food bank but don't worry if you're not able to contribute. All children are still welcome to wear their 'own clothes'.

Friday 7th will also see flu spray vaccinations taking place for all children in school. For your child to receive the vaccine, you must complete the consent form here: https://econsent.merseycare.nhs.uk/53 The vaccination will not be given without your consent. If you would like any help or support with the consent form, please pop in to the school office.

I look forward to updating you again next week with more exciting news.

Mrs Hignett

23.9.22

Hello everybody, we have been busy at school squeezing five days of learning and fun into four. More and more children have been enjoying the bagels available from the school hall each morning. Y4B have enjoyed a yoga session, Y3 have been preparing to make their very own erupting volcanoes and Y6 have a visit from an author, William Grill today https://williamgrill.co.uk/books.

Attendance across school has continued to be great - almost all children have been in school every day which means they are learning, having fun, keeping physically active and building friendships and relationships with others. Don't forget that colds, sniffles, coughs and sore throats are common at this time of year and there is no longer any need to keep children away from school with these symptoms if they are well in themselves.

Some dates for your diary coming up:

Tuesday 27th September 3.30pm Seesaw drop in - come and find out how to access Seesaw and get a glimpse into life in your child's classroom

Thursday 29th September Reception and Y6 Height and Weight checks

Friday 7th October Flu spray immunisation takes place in school

Friday 7th October will also be a non-uniform day. As part of our Harvest celebrations, children will be asked (if they are able to do so) to bring a donation for the Teardrops food bank. 

Wednesday 19th October will be Parents Evening. This will be by appointment but I am delighted that it will be face to face back in school.

Thursday 20th October school closes for the Autumn half term. We will re-open on Tuesday 1st November.

Have a lovely weekend everybody, I look forward to another successful week.

Mrs Hignett

 

 

 

 

16.9.22

It has been a calm and settled week at Broad Oak. We have spent time remembering the Queen and reflecting on her achievements as Monarch as well as continuing with our usual daily learning. There have been after school sports clubs for Year 2 and Year 3 - I am proud to say that we have been able to offer a free place to every child who wanted to attend - and it was lovely to see the children active and having fun together.

Attendance at school has been great. It is really important that children are in school when they are able to be. We do daily home visits as part of our work on improving attendance. We may visit your home to offer help and support if your child is absent, even if we have received a message from you. 

It's also really important that we have up to date contact details for you so we can get in touch if we need you during the school day. Contact sheets will be available for you to check from pick up points next week on the following days:

Year 3	Tuesdaya
Year 4	Wednesday
Year 5 and Year 6	Thursday

Please remember to check your details and let us know straight away if you change your contact numbers or address.

School will reopen after the Bank Holiday on Tuesday 20th from 8.40am with breakfast club open as usual. Bagels will be available from the hall doors for everyone.

Have a restful long weekend doing things you enjoy.

Mrs Hignett

12.9.22

The King has announced that, as a mark of respect for the Queen's Funeral, Monday 19th September will be a Bank Holiday.

Following DfE guidance, Broad Oak will close on this day for all staff and children. 

School will remain open for the rest of this week and re-open with Breakfast Club as usual on Tuesday 20th September.

 

9.9.22

At school today, children in Y2-Y6 have had time to reflect together on the passing of Queen Elizabeth yesterday. I was proud of the sensitivity and respect shown by the children as we celebrated the good work of the Queen and reflected on the happy memories we have had recently during the Platinum Jubillee.

I recognise that this sad time will affect everybody in different ways and may be more difficult for some. I have reassured the children that the adults here will listen and answer any questions they have. Similarly, if you would like support or advice in any way, please don't hesitate to contact us.

I am awaiting further guidance from the Department of Education in relation to the Queen's funeral but until then school will remain open each day as usual. I will let you know any further details as soon as I have them.

Attendance at school has been excellent this week. Thank you for your support in bringing the children to school each day. Don't forget all children are welcome to come to the hall from 8.40am to enjoy a bagel for their breakfast. There are plenty for everybody.

Next week the annual data collection will start. It is important that school has accurate contact information and medical notes for your child. Members of the admin team will have a copy of your child's information on the playground from 3pm. Please go and see them to check and sign your child's sheet. This will take place for Y1 children on Wednesday 14th and for Y2 children on Thursday 15th. Other year groups will follow the next week.

I hope you all have a gentle weekend and are able to do things that make you and your family smile - this is especially important at this time.

Look after each other #BroadOakFamily

Mrs Hignett

2.09.22

Welcome back to the new school term. It has been lovely to see the children looking so smart and keen to be in their new classes. Everyone has been settled and happy - a lovely start to an exciting new year. A big welcome to our new families in Reception and throughout school - we're so plea

sed to welcome you into the Broad Oak family.

PE lessons will start next week, see the table below for days. Just like last year, children should come to school in their PE kit on their PE day. 

Please don't send children in expensive tracksuits or bright, patterned clothing or leggings as this is not part of our uniform and is an extra expense for you.

 

Monday	Y2
Tuesday	Y4, 1M, 1S
Wednesday	Y5, 3M, 3F
Thursday	Y6, 3S
Friday	Reception, 1D

 

As the new term starts, if you have any questions, concerns or would just like a chat, please don't he

sitate to speak to us on the playground, pop into the office, email or text - we are always happy to help.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs Hignett

11.08.22

I hope you are all having a lovely holiday, let's hope the sunshine continues.

I'm sure now we're halfway through the break, many of you are starting to prepare for September so I thought you might find the uniform list below handy. Please remember that items do not need to have the school badge so can be bought from any supermarket - I've seen some really good value uniform in Aldi and Lidl this year as well as Asda and Tesco. Grey joggers can be worn as an alternative to trousers or a skirt or pinafore but leggings are not part of our uniform or PE kit so please don't purchase these for daily wear or PE lessons.

Children will come to school in their kits on PE days again so there is no need to buy a PE bag. PE also won't start until the first full week back so don't worry about which day it is yet.

School reopens on Thursday 1st September from 8.40am for Reception to Y6. There will be plenty of staff on the playground to help you find the right classroom. Little Oaks and Nursery have different arrangements. If you need a reminder of these, please contact the school office on Tuesdays between 10am and 12pm before we return. Breakfast Club will reopen on Monday 5th to allow for staff training.

The first few days of school are really, really important to help your child settle into their new class and new routines. If they miss them, they miss out so please ensure your child attends from the 1st of September.

Enjoy the rest of the break, don't forget that school is open every Tuesday from 10am to 12pm if you have any questions or need any support. Please don't hesitate to pop in or call.

See you soon - I'm looking forward to it.

Mrs Hignett

 

 

20.7.22

The final day of the year has arrived. I'm really proud of everyone in the Broad Oak Family for their resilience, hard work and positive attitude throughout the year. I'd like to say a huge thank you to our talented and dedicated staff who go above and beyond each and every day. We are very lucky to have such special people in our team. 

School will be open each Tuesday morning throughout the holidays from 10am to 12pm so if you need anything, please do call or drop in. We'd love to see you.

We re-open on Thursday 1st September from 8.40am. Can't wait to hear all about your summer.

Thank you for all your support and encouragement - it makes our great job easier - and for trusting us with your amazing children.

Happy holidays!

Mrs Hignett

 

17.7.22

The last few days of the school year are upon us already. As you know temperatures are forecast to be very high on Monday and Tuesday. School will remain open to all children with precautions in place.

We will be following all the Public Health advice to help us keep our children safe. This includes (but is not limited to) reduced time outside, using shaded areas and opening doors and windows and closing blinds to reduce room temperature. We have some air conditioned rooms in school so will use these creatively to keep children cool. We will also:

• allow children come to school in non-uniform so they can wear light, loose clothing
• give children access to water throughout the day as usual. You may send in bottles of juice if you prefer.
• open the doors early from 3pm to avoid parents and carers waiting in the heat and enable you to be home before the temperature hits its highest at 4pm

Please send your child to school wearing suncream and a hat. 

Thank you for your support, together we can look after our children and enjoy the sunshine safely.

 

5.7.22

Hello everybody! It was lovely to see lots of you enjoying the year group sports days last week. The weather was mostly kind with just Y6 and Y2 events cancelled and they will take place today. It was also great to see Nursery parents at the PATHS workshop too. PATHS is part of our personal, social and emotional curriculum and helps children to identify their emotions and find their way through social situations. You can find more information about PATHS here: Broad Oak Community Primary School: PATHS

Everyone is hoping for dry weather on Friday for the second part of our Jubilee celebration outside. Children should come to school in non-uniform - comfy clothes suitable for bouncing, jumping, climbing etc. You might like to send a spare of socks in too. There is no charge for this event but if you are able, we would welcome a donation for our food parcels. Thank you for all the donations we've had so far, they will really makea difference.

School reports will be sent home on Wednesday 13th July. If you require a second report to be sent to a parent at a different address, please let the office know asap. Your child will also bring their books home on Friday 15th July. We hope you enjoy looking at them together and celebrating the progress they have made. If you would like to talk to your child's teacher about their report, please let them know and they will arrange a suitable time.

Through the Summer, the council will again be running the Holiday Activity Clubs across the borough for children eligible for Free School Meals, including a activity club right here at Broad Oak. As soon as we have further information we'll let you know but keep a look out on Council social media as it may be there first. We have also had confirmation that supermarket vouchers for children eligible for FSM (as at 1st July) will also be given out. Again, we will send more information when we have it.

Have a great week everybody,

Mrs Hignett

 

24.6.22

We're keeping our fingers crossed for dry weather for Sports Days next week. We will send a text out if the events are NOT going ahead. If you don't hear anything, just come along. We can't wait to see you.

You should have received a letter earlier this week about food donations for our school foodbank. We are grateful for all donations which should be sent into your child's class anytime on or before 8th July but please don't worry if you can't help this time. The list of foods that will help are here:

Jars of pasta sauce	Pasta	Rice	Noodles
Hot dogs/meatballs	Tinned ham, chicken or tuna	Tinned curry or pies	Multipacks of crisps
Biscuits	Individual cakes or jellies	Longlifemilk	Longlife fruit juice
Jam	Crackers	Tinned vegetables	Jars of paste
Soup - jars or packets	Tinned potatoes or instant mash	Breakfast cereal	Tinned fruit

The same letter also had details of our Broad Oak Jubilee party (part 2) on 8th July when we hope to have inflatables on the field for a summer celebration. The rain put paid to our plans back in May so we're really hoping it can go ahead this time. Children should come to school that day in comfortable clothing (non-uniform) ready to bounce. They may like to bring a spare pair of socks too.

School reports are due out very soon along with details of next year's class allocations. If you require a second copy of the report to be sent to a parent at a different address, can you please let the school office know as soon as possible.

Have a lovely weekend everyone, let's get the rain out of the way for a dry Monday.

Mrs Hignett

17.6.22

Friday again already! This week we have finalised the dates for our sports week as follows and I can't wait to see parents cheering their children on. Please enter the school field via Provident Street

TIMETABLE

	9.15 AM	2 PM
Monday 27th June	Year 6	Year 2
Tuesday 28th June	Year 5	Year 1
Wednesday 29th June	Year 4	Reception
Thursday 30th June	Year 3
Friday 1st July	Year N (am) 10.45am	Year N (pm)

 For their allocated day, children should:

• Wear a PE kit and suitable trainers on the day of their event
• Apply sun cream before school and wear a hat if the weather’s nice
• Water bottles are also recommended.

Nursery, Reception, Y1 and Y2 children can be collected after their events from the classroom doors and taken home straight away but brothers and sisters in other year groups can only be collected at 3.15pm as usual. This is to keep all our children safe and accounted for. Please remember that dogs are not permitted on our school site and adults are asked to refrain from smoking/vaping on school grounds.

Just to let you know, we are still collecting donations of good quality school unfiorm including pe kits, shoes and pumps. please send any outgrown items into school.

The school holidays are approaching and whilst this can be a time of fun and memory making, it can also be a stressful time with children at home each day to feed and mounting bills. School will be open on each Tuesday through the break for food parcels and support. Saints will also be holding their activity sessions on site - more information to follow.

To support our food parcels, we are asking for each family (if they are able) to provide one low cost item of food from a list which can distribute through the break. Watch out for the letter.

Have a lovely weekend everybody.

Mrs Hignett

10.6.22

Welcome back! I hope you all had a brilliant half term and enjoyed all the Jubilee celebrations. The children looked great with their medals and badges on the last day of term and we enjoyed our party despite the rain. 

I am really proud of our Y1 and Y4 children this week who have been trying really hard in their phonics screening and times table check. I can see how much progress they've made. Well done everyone.

I'm also really proud of Villo in Y3 whose art work has been selected out of hundreds of entries to be displayed in a special exhibition in Blackburn. Great job.

There are 6 weeks ahead of us in the summer term and lots to look forward to including Y6 leaver celebrations, days out and special visitors. It's really important for children to attend school each day. They miss out on so much learning and fun when they are off. Please let us know if your child is not attending school. We are currently doing home visits so may call and check in if your child isn't in school.

As well as all our other activities, Sports Days will return during the week beginning 27th June. I'm thrilled to tell you that we will be inviting parents and carers back to cheer us on again this year. Watch out for more information soon.

Have a lovely, sunny weekend.

See you Monday,

Mrs Hignett

 

26.5.22

Half term is upon us already. Y6 children have had a brilliant time at PGL, Y5 enjoyed some time in the space dome, lots of parents joined us for after school club events, Y3 visited St Philip's church, The Lookout performances took place at the weekend and, of course, we are celebrating the Queen's Platinum Jubilee altogether. A big thank you to all the staff who work hard to plan and lead such exciting activities for our Broad Oak family.

School will be open for calls, texts, emails or drop ins on Tuesday 31st May between 10am and 12pm. If you need a food parcel, help or support in any way please do come and see us.

I am delighted to announce that Angela Riley (Alex Y3) and Logan Howlett (Charlie Y4) have been elected as our new parent governors. I am really looking forward to working with them to make our school even better.

Have a lovely half term break. School reopens on Monday 6th June. Lots of learning and transition activities are planned as we head into summer - make sure your child is in everyday so they don't miss out.

Have fun!

Mrs Hignett

20.5.22

Friday again already! This week Y6 have enjoyed a trip to Liverpool, Reception have had fun learning all about the Fire Service with a special visit from the local crew w

ith their Fire Engine and Y5 have been rehearsing for their Art project which takes place today and tomorrow.

 

Just a quick reminder about uniform. As the weather gets warmer, it is fine for children to wear shorts but these should be grey school style shorts like this:

rather than cycling shorts or leggings please which are not part of our uniform. If you are struggling to provide the correct uniform, please let us know and we can help.

Although everyone in school has been happy, we are unfortunately hearing of more and more incidents of children becoming upset by things that happen on social media or pictures/videos they have seen. Please remember to check the age limits of apps your child is using, look at the things they are watching and the messages they are sending and receiving. This helps to keep everyone safe.

Enjoy the weekend, just 4 days of school next week as we close for half term at 3.15pm on Thursday.

See you next week,

Mrs Hignett

 

13.5.22

Hello everybody. I want to start this week by saying a huge well done to our Y6 children who have completed their SAT tests this week. I was really proud of their mature attitude, they were calm and tried their best. Great effort everybody. They enjoyed breakfast everyday including bacon or cheese sandwiches yesterday and will be having an ice cream treat later. They also have a trip to Liverpool Museum and their PGL adventrue coming up soon.

Y1 parents are all invited to a short meeting about the Phonics Screening Check on Wednesday 18th May at 3pm in the hall. Y1 children will be dismissed from the hall on this day.

Your child will bring home a voting slip tonight for our Parent Governor election. As we need two governors, please mark 2 crosses on the slip and return it to the ballot box in the office area by the closing date. Every parent is eligible to vote so if you require a second slip, please let us know.

Just a reminder that school closes at 3.15pm each day and it is important that children are collected on time. If a child is continually late to be collected, it can be distressing for them and is a safety concern so we may need to take further action. If you require support or have any concerns around this, please contact our Pastoral Team.,

Have a brilliant weekend,

Mrs Hignett

6.5.22

I hope you had a lovely long weekend. It's been busy at school squeezing 5 days learning in to 4 but, as ever, the children and grown ups have worked really hard to get the job done.

Y2 children have started their end of Key Stage assessments this week and Y6 tests take place next week. Please don't worry if your child is in one of these year groups. The assessments are a chance to celebrate what children know and show how much progress they've made. The children are well prepared and classrooms feel calm, supportive and encouraging. 

Reception and Y1 parents have been in school this week to see how we teach phonics and reading at Broad Oak. If you missed these sessions and would like some more information, please see Mr McGowan, our phonics lead teacher.

As the summer term continues, our thoughts will soon turn to September and the new year ahead. We do still have some places available in our brilliant Little Oaks and Nursery settings for September. If you, your family or friends have a child who turns 2 or 3 on or before 31st August they may be eligible for an absolutely free 15 hour or 30 hour place. Pop into the school office or call for more information. We often end up with a waiting list so don't delay!

Finally, just a reminder that school will close for half term following our Big Broad Oak Jubilee Party on Thursday 26th May and reopen on Monday 6th June. This is a change to previously published term dates to allow for the additional bank holiday.

I hope you have another lovely weekend.

Mrs Hignett

29.4.22

Welcome to the Summer term. The children have settled quickly back into school after the Spring break. This term is a busy one with Y6 and Y2 assessments, the Y6 residential to PGL and a Y5 Art project all taking place as well as our big Broad Oak Jubilee Party on Thursday 26th May to look forward to. Just to give you advance notice, children will be welcome to wear red, white and blue clothes to celebrate on this day but it will be a very active party with inflatables and other outdoor activities so no fancy outfits are needed - sportswear will be great.

Our Family Value this term is 'Learning Together'. We will be thinking about how we can support one another, both at home and at school, to be the best we can be.

Now Covid restrictions have eased, there have been a number of parent events and extra-curricular clubs taking place in school. These have included parent information meetings, stay and play events, Maths club, Sewing club, Cooking club, Mindfulness, Football and more. Keep an eye on your text messages and Seesaw for events available for you and your child.

Monday 2nd May is a bank holiday so school will be closed for the day. We reopen on Tuesday 3rd May from 8.40am. I hope you all enjoy a lovely long weekend.

Mrs Hignett

1.4.22

What a great end to the term. Well done to all our Family Value winners who have shown the quality of independence to earn their special certificates and medals.

It's been good to see so many parents and carers back in school to share great learning in Reception, Y3 and Y5. I know you will have been impressed with the children's effort at school. Thank you to all our amazing adults in school who go above and beyond for the Broad Oak family and make these events happen.

We had a special visit today from Easter Bunny who dropped in to wish everyone a brilliant break. School reopens at 8.40am on Tuesday 19th April. However, we will also be open for visitors or phone calls on each Tuesday during the holiday between 10am and 12pm. If you need a food bag, help or support just let us know.

During Summer term we will be focusing again on high standards of uniform, punctuality and attendance. We need every child in every day looking smart to be learning smart. Working together we can help our children be the best we can be. Please see the uniform letter attached on this page and sent home today to remind you of our policy. Children can also wear summer uniform which is a red, gingham dress or grey shorts with a white polo top.

Thank you for your support this term, have a fantastic Easter.

Mrs Hignett

25.3.22

Friday again and what a lovely sunny week it's been. Our children have enjoyed using the field for the first time this year and hopefully this will be the first of many happy, outdoor days.

Well done to the Y5 children who represented Broad Oak in a curling competition on Monday. They placed an impressive third, a great achievement as all children were new to the sport. Congratulations everybody.

Parent information meetings about upcoming assessments will take place shortly for Y6 and Y2. Look out for a letter if you have a child in these year groups.

There are also parents events happening in Reception and Y5 - we are very excited to welcome you back into school. Y1 are looking forward to a trip to Knowsley Safari Park next week too.

Thank you for your support with the Mother's Day raffle. We raised £219 towards our Broad Oak Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Next week is the last week of term and school closes for the Spring break on Friday at 2.15pm. If your child is eligible for free school meals, Morrisons vouchers will be available for collection next week. We will let you know where and when these can be picked up on Monday.

School will be open between 10am and 12pm on each Tuesday during the holidays. Call in, phone or email if you need help or support.

Have a lovely weekend everybody.

Mrs Hignett

18.3.22

Hello everybody,

There's no better way to end the week than by sharing some photos of life at Broad Oak. Well done to our wonderful writers who received their awards for great effort and a special mention to our really brave EYFS children who encountered a rather large visitor in the school hall on Wednesday! Also a huge thank you to our fabulous staff who have, as ever, have worked really hard this week to make our classrooms exciting places to be, fitted in so much learning and looked after not only our children but our families and each other too. They really are a very special group of people.

Looking forward to another great week next week. We will be holding another special raffle with Mother's Day gifts to raise funds towards our Jubilee celebration. Look out for tickets on sale after school.

Thinking further ahead, school will close for the Spring break on Friday 1st April at 2.15pm and reopen on Tuesday 19th April. Saints will be holding activity sessions with lunch for children aged 6+ eligible for free school meals. These sessions take place in blocks of three each week. Your child can attend for either three mornings or three afternoons each week of the holidays, completely free of charge. Places can be booked using the links below or contact the school office if you'd like us to book for you. Please only reserve a place if your child is definitely able to attend. There are always waiting lists and we don't want to waste any spaces.

Morning Sessions https://buytickets.at/saints/670015

Afternoon Sessions https://buytickets.at/saints/670021

Have a great weekend everybody,

Mrs Hignett

 

15.3.22

We've definitely seen some more sunshine this week, spring hopefully has arrived.
Lots happening this week to update you on.

The Book Fair is here and all children will have the opportunity to visit and look at the many different books available. If you want to order, please return the form to the office with your payment. 

As well as enjoying reading together, we have also been celebrating writing this week and there have been some worthy winners of our special writing awards presented by Mrs Atherton. Well done everyone.

Thank you for your support in giving your spare change for the Ukrainian Appeal. We raised £180 from donations and we will also be giving the £100 collected from our 'Name the Dinosaur' event to the Red Cross Appeal. Sarah in Y3 was the lucky winner of Benji the dinosaur, his name was chosen at random by our Chair of Governors.

Shortly, you will be receiving a letter outlining your child's attendance this year. We know and understand that COVID had an effect on everyone and your child's attendance may be lower than it usually is but we hope that it's time now to get back together each and everyday. It's really, really important for your child's learning and wellbeing that they are in school everyday that they can be. Children who attend school regularly achieve better than those who miss days often. We aim for each child to have 95% attendance. Help us to support you and your family by bringing them each day, making routine medical appointments outside of the school day and not taking holidays in term time. Every day, hour and minute counts. 

Tomorrow is Young Carers Action Day. A young carer is a child who regularly provides emotional and/or practical help for a family member (it could be a parent, brother/sister, grandparent or other relative) who is disabled or physically or mentally unwell. There is lots of support available for young carers and their families. Please speak to one of our family support workers or your child's class teacher if you would like more information.

Have a great day everybody.

Mrs Hignett

4.3.22

Today we are celebrating reading, stories and books. It's lovely to see our school filled with characters ranging from Willy Wonka to Mary Poppins to Alice in Wonderland. Everyone looks brilliant. Your child will bring home a book they have chosen from our Broad Oak Big Book Giveaway. We hope you enjoy it together.

Another busy week - some classes have been to visit the library, some Y4 children are taking part in a Boccia competition this afternoon and the Y3/4 gymnastics team came an amazing 3rd out of 14 school teams at a local competition. Well done everybody.

Something different happens at Broad Oak every week and your child does not want to miss out. Please ensure your child is the best they can be by being in school, on time, every day that they are able. Attendance is one of our key priorities this term - together let's make it brilliant!

Our first Broad Oak Family value is friendship. To show friendship and solidarity with the people of Ukraine we will be making a donation from our school fund to the Red Cross Ukrainian Appeal. If you are able to, please send a small contribution to school next week (we suggest 50p) and we will send all money received to help the refugees along with our school donation.

Have a lovely weekend everybody, fingers crossed for some sunshine.

Mrs Hignett

25.2.22

Welcome back! I hope you all had a lovely half term despite the unpredictable weather.

It's been a great start back to school. Y4 children have enjoyed taking part in a football competition with other schools and represented Broad Oak brilliantly. Y6 spent an interesting morning at a careers fair, hearing about the range of jobs and opportunities that they can aim for later in life. It was also great to see Broad Oak on the TV during Granada Reports on Wednesday. Well done to all the children and staff who took part, you did the Broad Oak family proud. If you missed it, click on the first video in this link here: Darts player Michael Smith returns to school in bid to help pupils with maths in St Helens | ITV News Granada

There is so much learning and so many exciting things happening in school, we don't want any of our children to miss out. Children should be in school every day if they are well enough and able to do so (with the exception of Covid isolation of course). If your child is absent, we will contact you and we may come and do a home visit. This is to make sure all our children are safe and able to make the most of all Broad Oak has to offer.

As you know, Covid restrictions were eased in England yesterday. However, the guidance is still in place that if your child has a new, continuous cough, high temperature or loss of smell/taste you should arrange for a test for them. If the result is positive, you should follow the advice given by the NHS.

We are looking forward to World Book Day next Friday. Don't forget children can come in their favourite outfit, comfy clothes or dressed as a book character. Please see the letter above for more information.

Have a lovely weekend everybody,

Mrs Hignett

 

11.2.22

Today sees the end of our first Spring half term. It's been a really busy time with some challenges along the way but we've overcome them together and I am delighted with our children's learning and behaviour.

It was great to welcome Michael Smith back to Broad Oak to introduce children to improving their maths by playing darts. You can read all about it here: https://www.pdc.tv/news/2022/02/09/pdc-launches-bullseye-maths-numeracy-campaign

I'm also really proud of our Y5 football team who represented the Broad Oak fantastically in a St Helens tournament.

Thank you for your support with our Valentines Raffle. We raised a massive £400 towards our Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Congratulations to all our winners.

Looking ahead to next term, don't forget to book your parent's evening slot at https://broadoakprimary.schoolcloud.co.uk/

We will be celebrating World Book Day on Friday 4th March. Children can come to school in their favourite outfit, comfiest clothes ready to read or dressed as a book character. There is no need to buy or make a costume. It's more important we all enjoy stories, poems and information books together.

Your child will tonight bring home a letter about school uniform and PE kit. We know that when we look smart, we learn smart. On PE days, children must wear our school PE kit, shown below. Please do not send your child into school in coloured tracksuits, non-uniform or football kits. If you are finding it difficult to provide a suitable PE kit or uniform for your child, please contact our pastoral team as we can help.

School closes today at 3.15pm and re-opens at 8.40am on Monday 21st Feb. Don't forget our school office is open on Tuesday 15th February between 10am till 12pm if you need a food bag or any help or support. Call in, phone, email or text us.

Have a lovely break,

Mrs Hignett

 

4.2.22

Happy February!

Reception have been celebrating National Story Day today, wearing their comfy clothes and sharing lots of exciting stories together. Y5 have been to Crucial Crew and learned lots about being a responsible citizen and looking after our community.

Next week we will be welcoming Michael Smith and some representatives from the Professional Darts Corporation to take part in some Bullseye Maths sessions and some Y6 children will be working on building resilience through sports. It's certainly a busy end to the half term at Broad Oak!

Looking further ahead, we hope to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in May with a great, big Broad Oak Party on the school field with inflatables, stalls and more. To help us raise funds for this we will be holding a series of activities and events. The first is a Valentines Raffle. Star prize is a beautiful Broad Oak Bear with lots of other prizes including chocolates, candles and cosmetics on offer. Tickets (£1) will be available from the school hall from 3.10pm between now and next Thursday with prizes being drawn on Friday 11th. If you prefer, you can send money into school in a sealed envelope and we will make sure your ticket is entered into the draw.

School closes next Friday, February 11th, at 3.15pm and reopens on Monday 21st February at 8.40am. If you need help or support through the break, the main office will be open for calls, visitors and school parcels between 10am and 12pm on Tuesday 15th.

See you all next week, enjoy the weekend.

Mrs Hignett

 

28.1.22

The end of January is approaching already. It's been a busy month, thank you all for your support as we managed an increased number of Covid cases in our Broad Oak family. I am pleased to tell you that the number of cases has declined rapidly and we are back to a very small number within school. A huge thank you to our brilliant staff who have shown flexibility and resilience and taken on a range of different roles to make sure we could keep school open for eveybody. As usual, they all did an amazing job.

Half term is just two weeks away. School closes at 3.15pm on Friday 11th February and reopens at 8.40am on Monday 21st February. Parents evening will take place on Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th February. This will once again be by video call on School Cloud but if you would prefer a phone conversation please let class teacher know after half term.

Y5 are looking forward to a football competition shortly as well as a visit to Crucial Crew and Y6 are counting the days to their PGL residential trip. Watch out for letters home about these. We are hoping to rearrange the Y1 safari park visit very soon too.

Have a lovely weekend everybody,

Mrs Hignett

14.1.22

Good afternoon everybody, this week has flown by and it's been busy across school. It's been lovely to see some sunshine over the last two days and the children have had lots of fun playing outside.

As you know, Covid rates continue to be high in St Helens and school has also seen a rising number of cases in our Broad Oak family. If you receive a text informing you of a positive case in your child's class, there is no need for alarm. This is just to let you know and to ask you to be vigilant, looking for symptoms or signs that your child is not feeling quite right. You may wish to test your child with a lateral flow. Your child can still attend school as usual unless they develop Covid symptoms.

If your child does have a positive test, you should let us know as soon as you can. Please send the NHS notification with your child's name on via email to broadoak@sthelens.org.uk. There will be work for all children who are isolating on Seesaw. If your child is well enough, they are expected to complete their lessons daily at home as usual. If you need to borrow a device to access Seesaw, just let the school office know.

We've put lots of additional measures in to combat the rising cases. These include additional cleaning and hand washing, a move back to class bubbles and limits on visitors. As we have throughout the pandemic, we are doing everything we can to keep our Broad Oak family as safe as possible.

I want to end this week by saying thank you to our amazing staff who have started the year as they finished it -  by going above and beyond each and every day and adapting quickly to new routines and procedures. They have ensured our children began 2022 settled, happy and excited to be learning. We are very lucky to have them.

Have a lovely weekend everybody.

Mrs Hignett

10.1.22

Hello everyone, as the new week starts I thought it would be a good opportunity to update you with the latest Covid information for schools.

Recent changes have taken place to the close contact guidance. If your child has been in close contact at home with someone who has tested positive for Covid, they should take a lateral flow test for 7 days. If the result is negative, your child can attend school. If it is positive they must remain at home and isolate. From Tuesday 11th January, a PCR test is no longer needed to confirm a positive lateral flow result.

To help keep everyone safe in school, we will inform you by text if a positive case has been identified in your child's class. If you receive one of these messages, we advise that you test your child with a lateral flow for 7 days and look out for symptoms.

The flowchart at the end of this message should answer some of the questions you may have around what to do in different situations.

Thank you for your help and support in keeping our school as safe as we can.

Mrs Hignett

 

 

7.1.22

Happy new year! I hope you all had a restful and enjoyable break. 

The new year brings new PE days as all children have the opportunity to work with different coaches and try different activities.

The table below shows which day children should come to school in their PE kit. Please remember that all children must wear school PE kit. This is dark joggers/leggings, a plain white t-shirt and a school jumper/cardigan or plain red hoodie. These items are all available at low cost in supermarkets, no branded items are needed. If you have any issues providing a PE kit, please contact the pastoral office.

Monday	Y5
Tuesday	Y4, Reception
Wednesday	Y2B, Y2E, Y6
Thursday	Y1, Y4B (Archery)
Friday	Y3, Y2S (Yoga)

Like all schools, we continue to manage the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Please help us by:

• keeping vigilant and getting a test if your child is unwell and you think it may be Covid
• letting us know if your child has had a positive test
• testing your child daily with a lateral flow if they have been in close contact with a positive case. 

Despite the challenges, we continue to enjoy school life and are looking forward to an exciting term ahead.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mrs Hignett

17.12.21

It's party day! Everyone is having a lovely time as we celebrate together. We've already enjoyed a big Christmas sing altogether outside and I can see dancing on the playground now as I type! There has been an extra little bit of magic at Broad Oak this week and it has been a pleasure to watch our children toast marshmallows, laugh at the circus, wear their Christmas hat with pride for the Santa dash and receive a special present and selection box from our special visitor yesterday. I hope you've enjoyed hearing about all the fun they've had. A huge thank you to Mission Christmas, Teardrops, Whittaker's Garden Centre, Prescot Rotary, The Skew Bridge, St Omer's Trust and our private donors who have helped us provide presents for everybody. You have all made a massive difference to our Broad Oak family. Thank you.

As the end of year approaches, I'd like to say a huge thank you to all our families for your support over the year. It has been an unusual time again for everybody but you've really helped us follow new routines and encouraged us each and every day. I'd also like to thank our children for making us smile all the time, for trying their best and adapting when things have had to change. They, as ever, have been amazing. Last but definitely not least I want to thank our brilliant Broad Oak staff and governors who go above and beyond to make Broad Oak the very, very special place that is. Without exception they are the most caring, talented and dedicated group. Our school family is very lucky to have them all.

I wish you all a very happy, restful and healthy Christmas.  As you know, we have had a very small number of positive Covid cases in school this week so please be vigilant and take a test if you or your child is unwell.

School re-opens on Wednesday January 5th, doors will be open from 8.40am. Staff will be available on Monday 20th December at school so if you need any help or support after the weekend, please pop in, text or call.

Best wishes, bring on 2022!

Mrs Hignett

 

14.12.21

Everybody has been enjoying some time in the woodland area over the last two days and we're really looking forward to the Christmas Circus tomorrow too.

Today sees the introduction of some new Coronavirus measures in England. We do have a very small number of positive cases in our school family so it is really important that children have a PCR test if they have symptoms of Covid-19. If you child is identified by Test and Trace as a close contact of a positive case, they should be tested daily with a lateral flow every day for 7 days before they come to school. Lateral flow kits are available from pharmacies or supervised testing can be taken at St Mary's Market.

Thank you for helping us keep everyone safe at this time.

Mrs Hignett

 

10.12.21

The celebrations have truly started today! The children and staff look great in their favourite outfits and Christmas jumpers - our festive lunch was delicious too.

Next week we are looking forward to our Woodland Adventure on Monday/Tuesday, Christmas Circus on Wednesday, Santa Dash on Thursday (sports clothes and trainers please) and finally, party day in non-uniform on Friday with a 2.15pm finish. Please make sure your child has a warm coat and suitable outdoor shoes each day as we will be outdoors both for actvitities and playtimes.

We will share Christmas pictures and videos on Seesaw for Y1-Y6 and Tapestry for Early Years. If you need a reminder of your child's log in details, please call Miss Hayes or Miss Hilton in the main office.

Although this time of year can be magical, for some it can also be a worrying or challenging time. We have been very fortunate this year to have been well supported by Teardrops, Mission Christmas, St Omer's Trust and some private donations. If you are struggling to make Christmas special this year or know of any families that may need a helping hand, please let our school office or pastoral team know. We are here to help and want to look after everyone in our Broad Oak family so no one misses out. 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mrs Hignett

3.12.21

Happy December! I hope you have all enjoyed the first week of advent. It has been a busy week in school. The Y6 choir sang brilliantly at the Parr Christmas tree switch on and Y1 had a great time watching Stick Man at the Lowry Theatre. 

Last week I outlined all the Christmas activities for children to look forward to in school. I've copied them in to the end of this post too as a reminder. The children have also been learning about the Nativity story, some have been dressing up as characters and everyone has been learning Christmas songs. Whilst there will be no performances this year, we will be uploading photos and video on to Seesaw for you to watch, keep and enjoy.

If your child wishes to send Christmas cards, it is encouraged to send one card to the whole class which the teacher will share with everybody rather than lots of individual cards - this is better for the environment and your pocket! Alternatively, you are welcome to write a message on a piece of card or a bauble to hang on our tree for all to see. If you email or text us a message for the tree, we can also do this for you.

Don't forget flu spray catch up day is on 7th December - staff will help you to fill out the consent forms if you come to the hall at 8.40am.

Have a lovely weekend everybody,

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

Friday 10th December - Christmas dinner and Christmas Jumper day. Come to school in your Christmas jumper, t-shirt or favourite outfit - please don't feel you must buy a jumper if you don't have one. Christmas dinner will be turkey barm, chips, gravy, mini sausages and stuffing followed by a festive dessert.

Monday/Tuesday 13th & 14th December - Winter Woodland experience - toasting marshmallows and storytelling in our wooded area

Wednesday 15th December - The Christmas Circus is coming to town! All children will enjoy a circus performance in a big top on the field.

Thursday 16th December - Broad Oak Santa dash - Come in sports kit ready to run. Santa hats will be provided for every child to keep by school. We are hopeful of a guest appearance from the man himself perhaps with a present or two.

Friday 17th December - Party day. Come in party clothes ready to have lots of fun.

Friday 17th December - School closes at 2.15pm

School reopens on Wednesday 5th January at 8.40am onwards.

There is no charge for any of our Christmas activities.

 

 

 

 

26.11.21

The end of November approaches and we are definitely hurtling towards the Christmas season. Our outdoor trees have arrived and look beautfiul already. Don't forget you can send a bauble in to school for your child to hang on our Broad Oak Family tree.

The Parr Community tree light switch on takes place on Monday 29th November at 4pm and I'm delighted that some of our Y6 children will be singing before the lights are officially turned on. Please do join us by St Philip's church to enjoy the celebrations.

There are a number of Christmas celebrations we are looking forward to in school. Once again this year, these activities will only be for children not families due to a lack of space for social distancing. However, we will post lots of photos and videos on Seesaw for you to enjoy. Please keep a note of these dates in your diary:

Friday 10th December - Christmas dinner and Christmas Jumper day. Come to school in your Christmas jumper, t-shirt or favourite outfit - please don't feel you must buy a jumper if you don't have one. Christmas dinner will be turkey barm, chips, gravy, mini sausages and stuffing followed by a festive dessert.

Monday/Tuesday 13th & 14th December - Winter Woodland experience - toasting marshmallows and storytelling in our wooded area

Wednesday 15th December - The Christmas Circus is coming to town! All children will enjoy a circus performance in a big top on the field.

Thursday 16th December - Broad Oak Santa dash - Come in sports kit ready to run. Santa hats will be provided for every child to keep by school. We are hopeful of a guest appearance from the man himself perhaps with a present or two.

Friday 17th December - Party day. Come in party clothes ready to have lots of fun.

Friday 17th December - School closes at 2.15pm

School reopens on Wednesday 5th January at 8.40am onwards.

There is no charge for any of our Christmas activities.

Before all that, we also have a Flu spray vaccination catch up day on Tuesday 7th December. If your child hasn't yet had the flu spray and you'd like them to, please come along at 8.40am on the day to the school hall. School staff and nurses will be on hand to help you complete the online consent form. If you want to fill it in before, please click here: https://forms.merseycare.nhs.uk/flu-vaccination Remember this is just for children who have not had their flu vaccination yet. 

Y1 will be visiting the theatre on Thursday 2nd December to see a performance of the Stick Man. We are very grateful to the Lowry Theatre for providing us with tickets for this show. 

So there are busy weeks ahead and we are all looking forward to celebrating together. However, we know that this time of year can also bring extra pressure or worries for families. If you need any support or know of any families that may need a little help with Christmas treats, please do contact our pastoral team. We want all our families to have a wonderful Christmas time.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

12.11.21

It's Friday again! I hope you've all had an enjoyable week. Yesterday everyone stopped at 11am to mark a 2 minutes silence for Remembrance day. Some children held a small service outside with the beginning and end of the silence marked by a bugle player - thank you to Mr McIntyre from the Music service. I was very proud of how respectful all our children were. 

It's almost halfway through November now and I'm sure all our thoughts are turning occasionally to Christmas. This year there will again be a large outdoor Christmas tree on the playground. I'd really like this to be our 'Broad Oak Family' tree for everyone to enjoy. To help with this, I'm asking every child or family to bring a bauble into school to hang on the tree. It doesn't matter what colour, shape or size and please don't buy new. You can make your own, write a message on one you already have or simply choose a favourite that you're happy to share. Unfortunately baubles can't be returned but will be kept to share again in years to come.

As there have recently been charitable collections for both Teardrops and The Royal British Legion, there won't be an event for Children in Need this Year but there are lots of other exciting activities in the weeks to come including Christmas Jumper day and a Santa dash.

I hope you all had chance to look at the parent governor information I shared earlier this week. Please do come and see Mr Affleck or the school office if you'd like to find out more.

Unfortunately, there are a small number of Covid cases in our school community. Please continue to be vigilant, use lateral flow devices to test adults and secondary age children in your households and let school know as soon as possible (even over the weekend or in the evenings) if your child has a positive test result. If someone else in your home has tested positive, please phone the pastoral team for advice. Thank you for your support in keeping everyone well.

Have a lovely weekend everybody, 

Mrs Hignett

 

10.11.21

Would you like to contribute to school life at Broad Oak and play your part in making our school become even better? We are looking for two parent governors to join our governing body. You don't need any special skills or experience, just an interest and enthusiasm for helping our school grow. Being a school governor can also help you to build new skills for future opportunities. For more information, please see the letter above or speak to Mr Affleck or the school office. 

I look forward to working with you.

Mrs Hignett

5.11.21

Happy 5th November! I hope you enjoy watching the fireworks safely this evening. Now we're in November, the weather is definitely turning chillier. Please make sure your child brings a coat to school every day for outdoor play. On PE days, plain black, navy or grey joggers or leggings should be worn with a plain t-shirt and a school jumper/cardigan or a plain red hoodie please. It's too cold for shorts now!

It's been a settled first week back after the half term break and I'm pleased with the great learning in every class. Next week we will be marking Remembrance Day. If you wish to support our charitable collection for the Royal British Legion, poppies and other items are available from the hall doors at the end of each day.

Have a lovely weekend everybody,

Mrs Hignett

 

20.10.21

Good afternoon everyone,

Today is the last day of school before the half term break. We re-open on Monday 1st November. However, school will be open for help or support between 10am and 1pm on Tuesday 26th October. Food parcels will be available on this day for collection too.

When we return on Monday 1st November, all children in Reception to Y6 will be able to have their flu nasal spray. The flu spray will only be given with parental consent. If you wish your child to have their immunisation, you must visit: https://forms.merseycare.nhs.uk/flu-vaccination and fill in your details. If you can't get online, please contact the school office and we will help you complete this here.

Thank you for your support this half term as we settled back into school. The number of Covid cases in our school family has remained low. We've really appreciated your help with our new procedures to keep everyone safe. Please remember to let us know straight away if your child does test positive even if it's the weekend or in the holidays. You can text or email us anytime.

In my last update, I asked you to vote for Jason's poster in the Teardrops competiton. I am delighted to tell you that Jason was the overall winner of the competition and his design will be posted around St Helens in the weeks to come.

I hope you all have a lovely break and enjoy the Autumn celebrations. Our Little Oaks children and grown ups have had lots of fun making an Autumn Scarecrow for the Willowbrook Hospice campaign. Great job everybody. You did Broad Oak proud. Watch out for that Big Bad Wolf around Parr!

Happy holidays!

Mrs Hignett

 

 

 

15.10.21

Hello everybody,

It's the end of our last full week of Autumn Term One - time flies when you're having fun at Broad Oak. School closes for half term on Wednesday 20th October at 3.15pm and re-opens on Monday 1st November. If you need any help or support during the holiday, school will be open for telephone calls or visits on Tuesday 26th from 10am until 1pm. Food parcels will also be available at this time. 

Speaking of food parcels, thank you so much for your support last week for our Teardrops food collection. Our school family amassed a massive 4 van fulls of food for the charity. As you can see, there certainly was an awful lot!

Our children have also been busy designing Christmas posters for Teardrops. Jason K designed Broad Oak's winning entry and he is now in the final 4. You can vote for Jason's poster by liking his photo on the Teardrops Facebook page: Teardrops Supporting Your Community - Home | Facebook. His winning entry is shown here so you know which one to like.

  As you know, we continue to work with lots of protective measures in place to keep everybody as safe as possible through the pandemic. There have been a small number of positive cases in our school. Please be vigilant and take your child for a PCR test if they have symptoms of Covid-19, have been a close contact of a positive case or you just don't feel they are 'right'. Children with symptoms should be tested with a PCR rather than than a home lateral flow test. If you can't get to a test centre, we do have a limited number of PCR tests here that can be collected.

During the weekend and holidays, pelase encourage your child to read as much as possible, share stories together and practise counting, number facts and times tables. These key skills really help your child to fly in their lessons at school.

Happy Friday everybody!

Mrs Hignett

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.10.21

It’s the first of October – Autumn is definitely here. Hopefully the rain will stay away for the weekend.

We’re halfway through the first half term now and our upcoming parents evening will be a chance to celebrate your child’s brilliant learning to date. This will take place on October 13^th and 14^th via video call. Click here to book your appointment: https://broadoakprimary.schoolcloud.co.uk/ 

This system works on all devices but please check before your appointment and if you have any problems, just call or pop in and see our office staff for help.

Another event we’re looking forward to in October is a non-uniform day on Friday 8^th October. Children can come to school in their favourite outfit, sports clothes or fancy dress in exchange for a donation to Teardrops. Teardrops have supported us throughout the pandemic, providing much of the food for our

 food parcels as well as uniform and toys to support our community. It’d be great to give something back by bringing one of the following items into school:

UHT Milk	Large Box Cereal	Custard	Rice Pudding	Tinned Vegetables
Tin Tomatoes	Tin Potatoes	Soup	Tin Fish	Hot Dogs or meatballs
Tin of  Corned beef or Ham	Pasta	Pasta sauce	Pickles or Beetroot	Pack Biscuits
Coffee or Hot Chocolate	Tea Bags	Jam or Marmalade or Honey	Curry sauce	Rice
Instant Mash	Spaghetti Hoops or Ravioli	Fray Bentos	Beans	Tinned Fruit

Finally, just a reminder that if your child has symptoms that you think may be related to Covid-19, please take them for a PCR test. Lateral flow tests are for testing older children and adults without symptoms. If you have difficulty getting a PCR test, we do have a limited number available in school so please just ask. If you child tests positive on either test, please let school know straight away (even at weekends or in the evenings) by email broadoak@stehelens.org.uk or text 07786201172. We have had a small number of positive cases in our Broad Oak family so please be vigilant.

Have a lovely weekend, don’t forget to book that parents evening slot!

Mrs Hignett

 

 

24.9.21

Hello everybody, I hope you’ve all had a great week. I’ve enjoyed spending time in classes and am really pleased to see how enthusiastic and engaged in learning our children are. I’m especially pleased with how hard everybody is trying to remember number facts. You can help by counting, adding up and learning times tables at home. We’ve also been making the most of the sunshine earlier in the week and have enjoyed lots of activities on the field with Mr Mackin, our PE coach, as well as yoga today in the hall for some classes.

Whilst it is brilliant to be back together, we are still being careful to keep everyone as safe as possible. Like all schools, we do have a small number of positive Covid cases in our Broad Oak family. We are continuing to stay in small groups and keeping up the additional cleaning and handwashing throughout the day. You can help us by looking out for symptoms in your child. This could include a high temperature or cough but might also be a sore throat, headache or just being ‘under the weather’. You know your child best and if they’re not right, please take them for a PCR test. If your child has been a close contact of a positive case, you should also take them for a test. These can be arranged quickly online at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test  either at a local test site or to be delivered to your home. We also have a limited number available in school if you have difficulty in getting online.

Using lateral flow tests twice weekly in your household can also help. Don’t forget we have these tests available to pick up anytime from the school office.

Thank you for your support with these measures. We do appreciate your help in keeping Broad Oak well.

Also a big thank you for helping with our information collection this week. It’s really important that we have up to date contact details for you so we can get in touch in an emergency if we need you. More after school events take place on the playground next week for the year groups below:

Y5 – Monday 27^th

Y6 – Tuesday 28^th

If you don’t collect your child or haven’t had chance to check your information for Y1-Y4 yet, please pop into the office during the day to check your information or give one of our friendly office team a call and they will go through the information we have for you on the phone.

Have a lovely weekend everybody,

Mrs Hignett

 

17.9.21

Friday again already! I am pleased with the effort children have put into their learning and behaviour this week and it was pleasure to award our first prefect badges in Y6. Well done to all those rewarded for being an excellent role model in our Broad Oak Family.

It’s really important that we have up to date contact details and information for your child. Over the next fortnight we will be holding our data collection checks after school. Please go to the hall doors and check the information we have on record for your child. Data collection sheets for each year group will be available on the evenings below:

Monday 20th	Y1
Tuesday 21st	Y2
Wednesday 22nd	Y3
Thursday 23rd	Y4
Monday 27th	Y5
Tuesday 28th	Y6

 

If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

Have a lovely weekend, remember to be in school every day, on time next week if you can. There’s another busy week to look forward to.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

10.9.21

Happy Friday everybody! It’s been a lovely week for our Broad Oak family, everyone has settled well into their new classes and still look super smart in their new uniform. Attendance this week has been over 96% - a brilliant achievement. Let’s keep it up.

If your child doesn’t arrive at school, we will text or call or we might do a home visit to see if everything is ok. It’s more important than ever that our children are in school as much as they can be and making sure that happens will be a key part of our work this term. I look forward to celebrating another great week’s attendance in my update next week too.

Like all schools, we take part in the National Flu Vaccination Programme to keep everyone well and able to come in each day. You will be getting a letter tonight that explains more. Vaccination is by nasal spray for children in Reception right up to Y6. It will take place on Monday 6^th November this year. You must give consent by using this link: https://forms.merseycare.nhs.uk/flu-vaccination Paper consent forms won’t be given this year. Your child will not be vaccinated without your consent. If you have problems getting online or using the link, please speak to the school office or one of our family support workers who will happily help.

Another way to keep everyone well is by adults at home testing twice weekly for Covid-19 with a lateral flow test. This helps minimise the spread of the virus. Tests are available free from school, pop into the school office anytime to collect a box.

You really don’t want your child to miss out – there’s so much fun and learning happening at school. We’re working really hard on phonics and number facts – children in EYFS and KS1 are enjoying lots of Fred talk (ask them about this) and children in KS2 are going maths mad with TT rock stars to learn their times tables and other number facts. If you’d like to learn more about how to help your child at home, you can sign up to some online courses using the information on the pictures below.

As always, we are here to support our children and our families. If you need any help at all, please do text, email, phone or, best of all, come in and see us.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mrs Hignett

 

3.9.21

Welcome back everybody! What a brilliant start we've had to our new school year. Thank you for sending our children back to school looking so smart and, more importantly, so ready to learn. Summer was great but it really is good to be back together again.

A special welcome to those children and grown-ups who have joined our Broad Oak family, we are delighted to have you with us.

As we all know, it's been a challenging time for all schools but we hope that Autumn term will see less disruption for everyone. There is a letter and some information about school and the Covid-19 pandemic saved at the top of this page for you to read.

This year we are going to be working hard to make sure attendance at school is great so everyone learns as much as they can, we're also going to be concentrating on phonics, spelling and number facts so our children can fly with their learning. Look out for lots of fun activities, competitions and experiences in the coming weeks.

Next week children in Y1 - Y6 will start to do PE. Remember they come to school on PE day dressed in their kit which should be plain dark joggers or shorts, white t-shirt, red hoodie or school jumper with trainers. PE days are shown below:

Day	Year Group
Monday	Y5
Tuesday	Y4
Wednesday	Y1
Thursday	Y3
Friday	Y2 and Y6

You know there is always someone here to help at Broad Oak so if you have any questions, concerns or comments please do let us know. You can speak to staff on the playground, send us a text, email or pop into the office.

Happy weekend!

Mrs Hignett

 

22.7.21

As the year draws to a close, everyone here at Broad Oak would like to thank you for your support throughout the year. It has been a challenging time for everyone but your messages, encouraging smiles and support for our new and different procedures have really helped us get through.

It’s been a lovely day celebrating the end of the year together. There was a big whole school round of applause for Y6 as they walked out to join everyone on the playground. I wish them all well as they start their new chapter at high school. They will be missed.

School will be open every Tuesday morning throughout August for calls, texts, emails or visits. We will also have food parcels available on these days. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need anything at all.

All children return to school on Wednesday 1^st September. Doors will open from 8.35am and close at 9am. Collection for Reception to Y6 is at 3.15pm. Full school uniform is expected except on PE days (shown below) when children should come to school in a plain white shirt, dark joggers or shorts and their school jumper or a plain red hoodie. The uniform expectations are still saved above if you need a reminder. PE will begin in week 2.

Day	Year Group
Monday	Y5
Tuesday	Y4
Wednesday	Y1
Thursday	Y3 and Reception
Friday	Y2 and Y6

 

I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable summer. I will provide another update here before we return. Thank you again – together we make our Broad Oak family.

Mrs Hignett

14.7.21

Just a few more days left in this school term but still lots to look forward too. EYFS children really enjoyed meeting the visiting farm animals on Monday – never before have we seen a pig, a donkey, a Shetland pony, chickens and a goat on the school field! Today some KS2 children have enjoyed using inflatables on the field and there are still more activities to come next week too inclduing our Big Broad Oak picnic on the last day.

School ends on Thursday 22^nd July. The gates will open a little earlier at 2pm for a staggered finish between 2 and 2.15pm.

We will be distributing food vouchers to children eligible for free school meals before the end of term. We’ll let you know when they are ready. If you require any support over the holidays, school will be open on Tuesday mornings throughout August between 10am and 12pm and there will either be a member of pastoral staff, myself, Mr Affleck or Mr Moore available on site. Please call, text or pop in if you need anything.

Looking ahead to the Autumn term, the annual flu vaccination will take place at school as in previous years. This time, consent will be given via an online form rather than by a paper copy. Please log in here: https://forms.merseycare.nhs.uk/flu-vaccination to either give consent or decline your child’s flu spray.

Enjoy the rest of the week, I’ll update you again before the term ends.

Mrs Hignett

9.7.21

Hello everybody,

Another busy week for our Broad Oak family. It was lovely to see the children enjoying meeting their new teacher on Wednesday – there’s lots of excitement for September already. We’ve also enjoyed singing together outside – our version of ‘It’s coming home’ makes me smile a lot. I definitely think it could be heard in Wembley it was that loud! Looking forward to singing again today - I suspect it will be even louder!

Coming up we have some special visitors on Monday when a farm arrives at Broad Oak to meet our EYFS children. We also have exciting inflatables next week for Y3, 4 and 5 and are really looking forward to the Y6 festival too.

Although there has been announcement that school bubbles and staggered start/finish times will end before the end of term, I have made the decision to keep our bubbles and timings in place until September so there will be no changes to our routines before then. This is to ensure that the risk of infection and isolation is reduced as much as possible. I will keep you updated with any new arrangements for September as soon as I can.

Unfortunately we do have some bubbles isolating at the moment. When a bubble is closed, I work with the Department of Education and Public Health to consider the period of isolation. This may differ from 10 days as the period starts from the last point of contact with the positive case. In school, a child or member of staff may have been absent or we may have spanned the weekend so it isn’t always the full 10 days – this is nothing to worry about, we are just following the advice we have been given. Please remember, if your child does have a positive result, you must let us know by email or text even at the weekend or in the evenings. This also applies even if your child hasn’t been in school.

Looking ahead again to September, we will start the new term in full uniform in line with school policy. The policy was relaxed during the pandemic to support families but we are all excited to get back to looking super smart - there's nothing like a new pair of shoes to make you smile! The uniform policy is attached at the top of this page. Remember, you do not need to buy branded items. Plain jumpers and tops from supermarkets or the high street are absolutely acceptable. This year, I have included the option for children to wear dark grey joggers as an alternative to trousers, skirts or pinafores. This is to reflect our active days in school. Children will continue to come to school in their PE kit on days when they have PE. Again, no expensive items are required, a plain white t-shirt, plain dark joggers and their usual school jumper are perfect. If you have any concerns around providing uniform for your child, please contact the pastoral team.

Have a great weekend everybody – enjoy the football, watch and (hopefully) celebrate safely. It’s coming home…

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

21.6.21

Good morning everyone,

Week 3 of Summer term already! This term we will be holding our Parents Evenings via video call using a system called School Cloud. Those of you with older children have probably already used it for high school events so we hope you'll be familar with it. Letters will be sent home tonight but if you want to take a look straight away, the letter and parent guide are saved above and appointments can be booked straight away.

Unfortunately, as you know, Covid cases are rising locally. Please help us keep our school open by following the local guidance and participating in regular testing. The information in the Council guide above will help us look after each other.

Lots to look forward to this week. We are hoping for dry weather as we enjoy our Sports Week together, planning to get in touch with our new teachers at some point too as well as enjoy some singing events together.

Have a great week,

Mrs Hignett

16.6.21

Hello everybody,

Our last term of this school year is just flying by. We are enjoying the sunshine and looking forward to Sports Week next week. We are sorry that parents and carers cannot attend but will post lots of photos for you to enjoy.  All the information you need is here: http://www.broadoak.st-helens.sch.uk/page/broad-oak-olympics-sports-week/105786

This year, we will be telling the children who their new teachers from September are a little earlier than usual. It has been such a disrupted year for everybody that we want to give staff and children the chance to get to know each other really well before they start in their new classes. We will make sure there are lots of opportunities for everyone to meet so that all are happy, settled and ready to move to the next class.

We are delighted to welcome Miss Shepherd, Miss Edwards, Mrs Sanders and Miss Donoghue and to also welcome back Mrs Monks (who some of you may remember as Miss Whitfield) to our teaching team. We know they will be amazing additions to our Broad Oak family.

There are so many exciting and important activities to look forward including meeting their new teacher that children need to attend school regularly and on time so they don’t miss out. Children can arrive between 8.35 and 9am and although we don’t close the gates until a little later, a late mark will be given to children if they arrive after 9am. Please use the playground entrance and NOT the front office door as this area can get very busy and cramped.

As ever, if you have anything you would like to share or ask, please contact the school office or come and see myself or Mr Affleck on the playground.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

Current class	New class	Teacher
RM	1M	Mr McGowan
RT	1D	Miss Donoghue
RW	1WS	Mrs Woods and Mrs Sharkey
1D	2B	Mrs Bancroft
1WS	2E	Miss Edwards
1H	2S	Miss Southern
2B	3M	Mrs Morris
2G	3H	Miss Howard
2S	3DB	Miss Brown and Mrs Davies
3H	4B	Miss Ballesteros
3M	4L	Miss Lamb
3LB	4H	Ms Horan
4B	5S	Miss Shepherd
4W	5M	Mrs Monks
4K	5LM	Miss Mason
5T	6A	Mrs Atherton
5M	6W	Mr Winstanley
5B	6T	Mrs Thompson

 

 

27.5.21

Hello again,

This week is the last before the half term holidays. It’s hard to believe that the final term of the school year is fast approaching. Everybody has been working well and I’ve enjoyed being in classes seeing the children try so hard with their learning. It’s been especially good to see Y6 proudly wearing their Leaver’s Hoodies, provided by school. They are showing great maturity and effort in their final term here.

School will be closed for the week beginning 31^st May and reopen on Monday 7^th June. The file above has some information about half term activities being provided by St Helens Council. Morrisons vouchers are available in school now for children eligible for free school meals and food bags are also here for collection today. Please do come along and pick up a bag if you think it would help over the holidays. All are welcome.

Whilst it is fantastic that there have been no cases of Covid-19 in our school community since re-opening, we still need to take care so please ensure you or your child takes a full PCR test if they show symptoms of Covid-19 and everyone in the household isolates until a negative result is received. Adults and secondary age children are also encouraged to take a symptom free lateral flow test twice a week. These can be taken at a test centre or collected from various places in the local area:  https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/coronavirus/covid-19-testing/symptom-free-testing/

If your child receives a positive test in the school holidays, you must still inform school via email broadoak@sthelens.org.uk or by text to 07786201172 so that the right action can be taken to keep everybody safe.

As well as being Covid secure, we are also working hard to keep the playground and local area safe. St Helens Council are doing road safety checks so please ensure you park sensibly avoiding yellow lines and school entrances. If children ride their bikes or scooters to school, they must get off at the school gates and walk it over to the racks. If bikes and scooters are ridden on the playground they will, unfortunately, no longer be allowed.

The final term is always an exciting one and this year our main focus will be on using our outdoors for as much learning as possible and ensuring that lots of transition activities take place so children can build relationships with new teachers and are ready for the new year ahead in September. Parents evenings will be held on Wednesday 30^th June and Thursday 1^st July and will focus on celebrating your child’s achievements this year and next steps. These will hopefully take place via video call – technology permitting!

Have a brilliant half term, hopefully in the sunshine.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

17.5.21

Hello everybody!

It’s a new week and the start of some easing of Covid restrictions for us all. Although there are changes for restaurants, cafes and celebrations, Broad Oak is a big school with hundreds of children and staff so we are being cautious and continuing to keep many of our measures in place to make sure we keep everyone as safe as we can.

We will still work in class bubbles although there may be occasions where children come together as a year group outdoors. Children in some classes may move from sitting in rows to small table groups. Our staff will continue to wear face coverings in shared areas and in places where social distancing can’t be ensured. We ask that you continue to wear a face covering if you wish to talk to staff or cannot keep your distance from others on the playground too. Avoiding busy times helps families have space to keep apart so please avoid coming at 3pm and use the extended closing time. Our extra cleaning measures will also continue along with regular handwashing.

We will now allow children to come to school on their bikes and scooters but we want to take care of everybody so these must not be ridden on the playground. They should be locked and secured into the bike racks on the school grounds. If children ride irresponsibly on the playground at the beginning or end of the day, we will give them a warning before asking them not to bring their bike or scooter in future. Please remember that items are left at your own risk and we cannot be held responsible for any loss or damage.

We will evaluate the impact of the small changes we have made over the coming weeks before deciding on our next steps.

It is great to see so many of our children keeping active and walking (or riding from tomorrow) to school. However, we have noticed that there are still a large number of cars coming to school each day. If you need to drive to school, please park sensibly, avoiding the school entrances and ensure your child is safely strapped in until you are stationary. We are working with the local community police to do regular spot checks so that our local roads are a safe place for all.

If you have any questions or concerns about any of the above, please contact the school office.

Have a great week everybody!

Mrs Hignett

7.5.21

Happy Friday everybody! I hope you had a lovely Bank Holiday Weekend and made the most of the sunshine on Saturday and Sunday.

It’s been a jam-packed 4 day week with lots of great learning right across school.

On Monday, children in Y3-Y6 will enjoy a fabulous Scootfit session – watch out for a letter tonight! Children in these year groups should come to school in trainers or pumps on this day please. 

There are so many exciting things happening in school and everybody is working hard to catch up on things we missed during the school closures. It’s really, really important that children attend school each day that they are able to. We continue to follow our school procedures for absence and we will text, call or home visit when children are absent. Research shows that children who attend school regularly do better than those who don’t. We all want the very best for everyone in our Broad Oak family so please ensure your child attends school, on time, when they are well enough to do so.

Have a lovely weekend,

Mrs Hignett

30.4.21

Hello everybody! Another great week has flown by for our Broad Oak family. The children have been enjoying lots of time outside and it has been lovely to see our play equipment being used again – with Covid rules in place of course.

Don’t forget it’s a long weekend and school will be closed on Monday for Bank Holiday. We will re-open on Tuesday.

We have been delighted that all our classes have remained open since March 8th and we have had no positive Covid test results. We still need to be careful though and follow all the rules we have put in place to keep everyone safe. Please help us by wearing a face covering on the playground, only one adult collecting or dropping off and using the extended drop off and pick up times. We have noticed that it is getting very, very busy at 3pm. Please leave a few minutes later, children can be collected right up to 3.25pm and are happy and settled in class so please don’t rush.

Although cases are dropping in our community, we still need to know if your child is having a test and what the result is. You must inform us straight away of a positive result even if school is closed. You can email broadoak@sthelens.org.uk or text 07786201172. These systems are checked regularly at evenings and weekends.

Next week will see the start of some staff changes at school. It is the last week in school for Miss Doward (Y1) and Mrs Longden (Y3) as they await the arrival of their new babies and work safely from home for a little while. Y1D will be taught by Miss G and Mrs Davies will teach the second part of the week in Y3LB following on from Miss Ball. We also congratulate Miss Bennett on the happy arrival of her baby boy. We know you join us in wishing them all well.

We are busy planning our Summer term events. We are excited to be organising Leavers Hoodies for our Y6 children which they will be able to wear as part of their uniform for the remainder of the school year if they wish. There will be other activities for them to enjoy too as they begin their transition to high school.

We will also hold our usual sports week but sadly this will be without parental attendance to ensure we can keep everyone safe. There will also be some celebrations and surprises for all before the year ends too.

As ever, we are here to help and support everybody. Please do contact us with any questions, queries, concerns or just to say hello!

Have a great weekend.

Mrs Hignett

 

23.4.21

Welcome back everybody! The children have settled well back into the summer term and it has been lovely to see some sunshine and make the most of our outdoor space. As the weather does get warmer, please remember to apply suncream to your child and send them to school with a hat and a water bottle. 

Attendance this week has been good across school. It’s really important that children attend and are on time each day. We pack so much learning into every day which means they really do miss out if they are not here.

The Summer term is traditionally a time of fun events and even though things are a little different this year, there is still much to look forward to. I will update you with further information over the coming weeks.

Have a great weekend, take care.

Mrs Hignett

12.4.21

I hope you are all having a lovely break in the sunshine. Don't forget school re-opens next Monday, the 19th, at the usual time. The same rules still apply to keep everyone safe: wear a face covering on school grounds unless exempt, only 1 adult to collect/drop off, use the extended opening and closing times to keep a steady flow of people rather than a crowd and keep your distance from others if you are waiting. 

Please also see the information below from St Helens Council about looking after our community:

Young People urged to follow guidance following cluster of Covid-19 cases 

Residents across St Helens are being asked to remain vigilant and reminded to act within the guidance after a noticeable spread of COVID-19 cases in the borough.  

St Helens had seen a decrease in cases of covid-19 overall, however a recent increase in the last 10 days (29 March to 7 April) of COVID-19 cases has been reported, predominantly in school aged children and their families.

Parents should follow these rules: 

• If your child has been asked to isolate, they should not leave the house for any reason until the end of the isolation period unless it is to get a test if they develop symptoms of Covid-19 or receive urgent medical treatment. This includes a ban on all social activities such as sports activities or meeting with other children.
• During the school holidays and beyond, continue to use the free lateral flow tests and parents should report the results, positive or negative, to their schools.
• If they develop symptoms or test positive through a symptom free test they should book in to have a traditional PCR test to confirm if they have Covid-19.
• With some outdoor sports under way again across the borough sports clubs are also being urged to remember the guidance that only one parent is allowed to attend a match of their child and those not participating should keep their distance and wear a mask if possible when attending games.  ​People should not be attending if they have been asked to isolate, or they or anyone in their household has symptoms of covid-19 (new cough or temperature and or loss of taste or smell).

Sue Forster, Director of Public Health at St Helens Borough Council, said: “Everyone in St Helens Borough has worked really hard to help us bring our rates down from the heights of 870 cases per 100,000 people down to 21.6 cases as we are at the moment. With rates so low now it means when we have cases that are linked together across a number of locations like we have in these two areas we can be clearer on where the spread has come from and warn people to watch out.  

“The key message parents of school children have to remember is to make sure your child is regularly having testing if they have the home test kits and that all the family should also test regularly as a number of these cases have come to light after parents have tested positive. If anyone in the household is feeling unwell and displaying symptoms everyone has to isolate while that person is tested, which includes not sending children to school. Finally please make sure you keep your school up-to-date with the testing record of your child too. 

“Testing is a crucial way to make sure that we can break the chains of transmission, keep our rates low, protect lives and make sure as more services unlock we keep Covid-19 rates low. Now that symptom free testing is open to everyone please make use of the free testing options we have and get tested twice a week to protect our communities.” 

If you do not have COVID-19 symptoms, you can walk in (no appointment required) to one of our symptom-free testing stations for a quick, free, supervised test: 

• St Mary’s Indoor Market, town centre
• Chester Lane Community Centre, Sutton Manor
• Grange Valley Youth Centre, Haydock
• Torus Housing Office, Newton Road, Parr
• Perth Community Centre, Thatto Heath

at the following times: 

• Monday to Friday, 8.30am–6pm
• Saturday and Sunday, 10am–3pm
• Torus Housing Office is open 1pm–6pm, Monday to Friday and 10am–3pm on Saturdays and Sundays
• Perth Community Centre is open 1pm–6pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
• Grange Valley Youth Centre and Torus Housing Office in Newton Road will be open from 8am on Saturday 10 April.

To collect a home testing kit; 

You can also walk in to collect a COVID-19 home testing kit from any of the above sites, as well as the following sites (subject to availability): 

• Fairclough Street Car Park, Earlestown (Monday to Friday, 2.30pm–8pm)
• Haydock Park Racecourse, Newton-le-Willows (Monday to Friday, 2.30pm–8pm)

There is no need to make an appointment to collect a home test kit. Do not visit a collection site outside of opening hours, as they could be used to test people with coronavirus symptoms outside of these times. If you are 18 or over, you can collect two packs of home test kits; each pack contains seven tests. 

You can find out more about testing at www.sthelens.gov.uk/letsgettested including opening hours and how to register for traditional PCR tests too. You can also order home testing kits if you cannot access them from one of our sites via https://www.gov.uk/order-coronavirus-rapid-lateral-flow-tests

29.3.21

 

Welcome to the last week before the Easter holidays. There are lots of lovely activities and surprises planned this week for everyone to enjoy.

We will be distributing free school meal vouchers later this week to all eligible children. There is also a letter attached above which explains the free school holiday food and activity provision that will be provided by the Council during the break. Some of the activities take place here in Parr so click this link:  https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/holidayfun  and book early so you don't miss out.

School will close between 2pm and 2.20pm on Thursday 1st April. We reopen on Monday 19th April.

If your child has a positive Covid test result during the holidays, please inform school immediately via text on 07786201172 or by email to broadoak@sthelens.org.uk. Both are checked regularly and this will allow us to take the right steps to keep everyone safe.

Don't forget, adult family members are eligible to receive lateral flow tests to take part in twice weekly testing to help keep our community safe. Tests can be collected from local centres or ordered online: https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/coronavirus/covid-19-testing/testing-for-schools/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=Orlo

I continue to be very proud of the children's resilience and positive attitude since their return to school. It has been a challenging time for all but they are all trying their best despite having to get used to some new routines and full days back in school. I am also proud of and grateful for our wonderful staff who are supporting them so well. Everyone deserves a well earned rest soon!

Have a great day!

Mrs Hignett

 

 

12.3.21

Happy Friday everybody!

It’s been a great week. Attendance has been very good and children have continued to settle back well into school routines with the help and support of our brilliant staff. I am very proud of everybody in our family.

As the weekend approaches, please remember that you must inform school as soon as possible if your child has a positive Covid-19 test result. You can do this when school is closed by emailing broadoak@sthelens.org.uk or texting 07786201172. This allows us to take the right action to keep everybody safe.

We will be holding a Parents Evening soon to talk to you about how your child is progressing but this will take place over the phone instead of in school due to the current restrictions that are in place. Look out for important information about this coming shortly.

Don’t forget it’s Red Nose Heroes day next Friday, children can wear a costume or favourite colours on this day. I’m looking forward to that.

Have a lovely weekend everybody.

Mrs Hignett

9.3.21

What a brilliant start to the week we’ve had. It has been amazing to welcome our children back. I am so pleased with how well they’ve settled back in to school. I hope they all enjoyed the balloons, banners, singing and planting – it was definitely a Funday Monday. Thank you to everyone in our Broad Oak family for looking after each other on a day that was ever so exciting but also a little worrying for some. Kindness was everywhere. 😊

There have been a couple of staff changes since our return. Miss Brown and Mrs Atherton will now teach in 6B and Miss Flood will be teaching in 3M alongside Mrs Morris.

It was lovely to see you all on our playground. Thank you for wearing face coverings and respecting the 2m distancing guidelines. Our play equipment is out of use due to Covid restrictions so please help us by reminding your children not to use these areas before or after school.

The link to information about lateral flow tests for families of primary school children is here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rapid-lateral-flow-testing-for-households-and-bubbles-of-school-pupils-and-staff and walk-in symptom free tests can also be undertaken at a number of sites in St Helens including the Torus building on Newton Road: https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/coronavirus/covid-19-testing/symptom-free-testing/

Please remember that children must not attend school if they or someone in their household is awaiting test results or has Covid-19 symptoms.

Just a reminder we will be celebrating Red Nose Day with a ‘Heroes’ theme on Friday 19th March. Children can wear a hero costume or clothing in their favourite superhero colours.

Thanks again for all your support. We will be continuing to help our families with another food parcel collection this week and are happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have around the return to school – just make contact through the school office.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

 

4.3.21

Good morning!

Happy World Book Day. Don't forget to log in together to Tapestry or Seesaw to watch our Masked Reader videos. Can you guess the mystery reader? We'd also love to see photos or drawings from children enjoying their favourite books.

Looking ahead to Monday, I've posted some tips on Seesaw on how to prepare your child for the return to school. Try getting into the routine of earlier nights and earlier mornings now so Monday isn't too much of a shock. Take a walk past school and chat about the exciting things to come - seeing friends and teachers again, learning together, the PE challenge and Funday Monday.

When Monday comes, please remember to follow our social distancing guidelines. Wear a face covering on the playground unless you are exempt, utilise the longer opening and collection times, especially if you use the black path or Brunswick Street as this avoids congestion with Holy Spirit. Children are still unable to bring personal items into school so no pencil cases, bags or toys please. A lunch bag if needed and a named water bottle are fine.

Children must not attend if they or anyone in their household has symptoms of Covid-19 or is waiting for a test result. You must inform us immediately if your child or a household member tests positive. Lateral flow tests for those without symptoms are available at the walk in site on Newton Road or can be ordered online. These can be taken twice weekly by families of school age children to help keep the community safe.

St Helens Council have written a letter to all families. It is attached at the top of this page. It has important information about schools re-opening and reminds everybody that school attendance is compulsory again from Monday.

Have a lovely Thursday, see you very soon!

Mrs Hignett

2.3.21

Hello everybody. I hope you are having a good start to the week. I am so excited for next Monday. Remember, school will be open for everybody from our 2-year olds right up to our Y6 classes. In line with government guidance, all children should return.

We have a brilliant ‘Funday Monday’ planned with lots of great activities planned to settle children back into routines, relieve any anxieties and celebrate that we are back together again. Our teachers will still be making phone calls home this week so if you do have any questions or concerns around school re-opening then please do share them and we will do everything we can to help.

The fun doesn’t have to wait till Monday though. We will be marking World Book Day on Thursday March 4th with themed activities on Tapestry and Seesaw as well as here in emergency school. Look out for the special Masked Reader videos – can you guess who the mystery readers are? We aren’t asking children to dress up this year but we’d love to see photographs or drawing of children engaging with and enjoying books.

Another event to look forward to is Red Nose Day on March 19th. The theme this year is ‘Heroes’ so children will be able to come into school in a superhero costume or clothing or wear an outfit in the colour of their favourite superhero. They might even prefer to dress as their hero – a footballer or a pop star perhaps? Watch this space for more information.

You may have seen in the news that as a family with primary age children, you are eligible to receive lateral flow testing kits to test at home twice a week. This helps keeps our school community safe. Kits can be collected from test centres, ordered online or you can use the symptom free testing centre on Newton Road. There is more information here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/rapid-lateral-flow-testing-for-households-and-bubbles-of-school-pupils-and-staff

Once again, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions around our full school re-opening. Please remember that children will wear uniform with trainers or shoes suitable for running as we complete our fitness challenge.

We have an extended opening and closing time to prevent congestion on the playground. Please help us by wearing a face covering, keeping 2m apart from other families and our staff and reminding your children that the play equipment is currently out of use.

I am looking forward to sunshine and smiles all round on Monday – I can’t wait!

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

26.2.21

It’s Friday! Lots of lovely sunshine this week to make us smile almost (but not quite) as much as the news that school will re-open for all children on Monday, March 8th.

Early Bird breakfast club will also re-open for children who have previously been allocated a place.

Children will return in school uniform (please do contact us if you need support with this). However,  to promote our children's's physical and emotional health, we will continue to take part in the 25/50k challenge in school daily. Please ensure shoes are suitable for walking/running – trainers are fine.

If you have a loan device from school, please keep hold of this for now and we will contact you in the first week back to let you know how to return it.

Staff here take part in twice weekly testing as one of our safety measures. I have noticed that there is a new, walk-in, symptom free testing centre now in Parr on Newton Road for everyone to have the opportunity to take a rapid lateral flow test. You can find more information here: https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/news/2021/february/25/symptom-free-covid-19-testing-centre-opens-in-parr/

It remains the same that if your child (or someone in your household) has any symptoms, they should not come in to school and should attend a full testing centre. If someone in the household is waiting for test results, children must not come to school until a negative result is received.

If you have any questions or concerns about the return to school, please do call or email us. We are here to help and will be happy to explain further how we are keeping everyone as safe as we can and we will work with you to make sure we meet your child’s individual needs.

Remember, we had full attendance throughout Autumn term from September to December with just one bubble closure – we have come this far, we can definitely do this next chapter together.

We are so excited to see all our children – we have missed them so much.

I will post another update next week.

Take care, stay safe, reach out if you need us.

Mrs Hignett

23.02.21

Happy Tuesday everybody! I have been waiting (not very patiently!) to write this update. 😊

I am very pleased to say that school will re-open for all children on 8th March. I will provide more information nearer to the time but here are some things to think about in the meantime:

• Children will wear school uniform except on PE day when they will come in their PE kit – a plain white t-shirt and dark joggers please.
• Our soft/opening closing times will continue as in Autumn Term – drop off between 8.30 and 9.15 and collection between 3 and 3.25. Please wear a face covering unless you are exempt. If you use Brunswick Street, please arrive after 8.45 to avoid congestion with Holy Spirit
• We will still learn in class bubbles with social distancing. Staff will wear face coverings in shared areas. Please talk to your child about this and other social distancing guidelines
• We will continue with our enhanced cleaning and sanitising to keep our school as safe as possible

I know that children may have outgrown their school uniform and PE kit. If you have any good quality, clean uniform or kit that no longer fits your child, we would be very grateful if you could pass it into school so we can quarantine it then distribute to other families that may need it – our community has been brilliant in supporting each other throughout this. If you are concerned about providing uniform for your child, please contact us in confidence for support.

I am very excited to see all our children and hear some noise in our school building again!

I will update you later in the week.

Mrs Hignett

12.02.21

It’s Friday and the sun is still shining! Hopefully this is a good sign for the week to come.

Thank you so much for your support this half term. It has not been the start to 2021 that any of us hoped for but together we have managed to have a successful half term. I am delighted with the home learning that has taken place. I know that it’s not easy helping your child at home especially whilst juggling all the other jobs you have to do but you have been brilliant.

A huge thank you too to our brilliant staff and governor team – everybody from our teachers to office staff to cleaners to mid-day assistants to our supportive governors have embraced new ways of working and done as much as possible for our Broad Oak family. I am so proud to work with them all.

And last, but certainly not least, thank you to our children for making us smile each day. Children at emergency school have been enthusiastic and keen to try new things, adapting quickly to new routines and our children at home have shown determination and resilience to move to remote learning.  Well done everybody!

I am still waiting for further information about when school can return but, rest assured, I will be happy and eager to welcome everyone back as soon as it is safe to do so. I can’t wait!

Next week is half term so there will be no remote learning tasks or emergency school provision. It’s really important that everyone takes time to relax, rest and do things together. Who knows what’s coming next but we will face it together.

Keeping active is a great way to spend the half term and to keep everyone physically and emotionally well. I am excited to launch our Broad Oak 25K/50K challenge today. All children attending emergency school will take part next half term but those at home are encouraged to sign up too. Just complete the required distance before 28th March, track your progress – it doesn’t have to be done in one go – and be rewarded with a healthier body, mind and, of course, a special medal!

School have funded the cost of the challenge so one of the best parts is that it is absolutely free. Sign up here: https://www.ukschoolrun.com/broadoak.html

So, thank you again for your encouragement and support- it’s meant a lot to us here. If you need to contact school over the half term, please email broadoak@sthelens.org.uk or send a text to the school number. Those in emergency school, please remember that if your child has symptoms or a positive result you must inform us straight away.

Happy half term!

Mrs Hignett

10.02.21

It’s Wednesday! The sun is shining and although it’s chilly, it’s a lovely day – perfect for enjoying our Wellbeing Wednesday afternoon. Remember, our teachers have set a task for this afternoon that doesn’t need a screen so take some time if you can to enjoy some fresh air or do something creative. Emails and Seesaw posts will be responded to until 12.30pm today and then again from tomorrow morning to make sure everyone gets a break from their device.

Next week is half term and school will be closed for everybody. Emergency school re-opens on the 22nd February. If your child is attending emergency school and has a positive Covid-19 test during the holiday, you must inform school immediately via email or text so that appropriate action can be taken.

We will be offering food parcels on Thursday so please do come and collect one – they are available to all. Once again, a huge thank you to Tesco, Teardrops, Derbyshire Hill Centre and Magic Breakfast for supporting us to be able to offer these regularly.

St Helens Council are providing vouchers for free school meals children over the half term. These have been ordered but not yet arrived. Watch out for a text if you are eligible.

I’ve had a great week looking at the children’s learning on Seesaw. Thank you to everybody who has logged on with their child and started to engage. Those that have just love it – it’s a really quick and easy work to get home learning done! You’ll hear teacher’s voices and be able to interact with them via video and voice note too. Please remember that from Monday 22nd, all learning will be on Seesaw with paper packs available to support if you wish.

As the half term approaches and we continue in national lockdown measures, I urge you all to continue to follow the guidelines and stay safe. Rates in St Helens continue to be very high and it is very important we all continue to look after ourselves and one another. There is more information from our Director of Public Health here: https://www.sthelens.gov.uk/dphblog

Take care everyone, I will update you again before the end of the week.

Mrs Hignett

5.02.21

It’s Friday! I hope you’ve all had a productive week and are looking forward to the weekend. I can’t wait for Broad Oak live later and the chance to have a sing-a-long in my office. 

You should, hopefully, have received your code for Seesaw by text or email. You can find more information about Seesaw here: http://www.broadoak.st-helens.sch.uk/page/seesaw/95502

Next week there will be some activities on there for you to practise using the platform – remember you can download the class app on Google Play, the App Store, Amazon Kindle and Chrome Web Store or get access straight from the web at https://app.seesaw.me/#/login, choosing ‘I’m a student’.

We do still have devices for loan so if you have children sharing a device or working from a phone, please do contact us. We also have data top ups, sim cards and wifi codes to help in that way too.

From Monday 22nd February, all learning activities will be on Seesaw and not on the school website. Paper packs that link to the activities on Seesaw will still be available though, we just ask that if you are using these you take pictures and upload them to Seesaw so we can give feedback and celebrate the brilliant learning that is taking place. Once again, I’ve seen some great work this week. I know it’s tough but it won't be forever, keep going, I am proud of you all.

It is half term during the week beginning Monday 15th February. School will be closed to everyone and no learning activities will be set during this week. Time to rest and recharge for everybody.

Have a lovely weekend, take care.

Mrs Hignett

2.02.21

Happy February everybody. I’m hoping Spring is on the way soon to bring some sunshine and less showers!

Lots to take part in this week whether you are at home or at school:

• Have a go at our weekly Art challenge and see if your work can make it into our Art gallery
• Film your talent and send us a short clip for Broad Oak’s Got Talent
• Get active with our 5K PE challenge
• Step away from the screen in our new ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’ initiative. To give our children, families and staff a well deserved rest from online learning on a device, we will now set a non-screen activity on Wednesdays afternoons. Don’t worry if you can’t complete it right then (we know lots of parents and carers are juggling home schooling with working from home), you can take part on another day or choose another non-screen activity of your own to do. Emails and texts will be answered through Wednesday mornings up to 12.30pm but not during the afternoons to encourage you to step away from technology just for a little while!
• Join in our Friday live assembly (link to follow) which was lots of fun last week. Who knew Miss Mason was allergic to McDonalds and Mr McGowan has a fancy title? I really enjoyed the sing-a-long.
• Be in with a chance of winning an Amazon voucher – send us at least 5 pieces of learning this week and be entered into our remote learning prize draw.

I feel tired already after just writing all that! I’m sure you will have a brilliant week ahead.

This week during our check in calls, we will be asking about how you are finding remote learning and explaining about our new platform Seesaw for Y1-Y6. We will be sending you a code to access this at the end of the week. In the meantime, you might like to download the app to be ready: https://web.seesaw.me/platforms  Be sure to choose the class app for students and teachers

If you have more than one child, we recognise that you might be getting a lot of calls. Some children really enjoy the opportunity of speaking to a teacher from their year group but others might prefer one call to cover all children at home. Please let staff know if you prefer a family call.

Unfortunately, we have had one confirmed case of Covid-19 in our school family last week. This was an isolated case and did not affect any of our class bubbles which are all still open. There is general information about Covid-19 here: http://www.broadoak.st-helens.sch.uk/page/coronavirus/63239

I will update you later in the week, please remember that we are here to help and support in any way we can - whether you need help with remote learning, support with food parcels, access to devices or just another adult to speak to – let us know.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

27.1.21

It’s Wednesday already! I hope you are all well and staying safe. I know from our check in calls and emails that you’ve all been busy not only with remote learning but having lots of fun too. I’ve seen pictures of cakes, bike rides, pets and model making to name but a few. 😊

Remember, our classroom staff are here and ready to help throughout the school day so if your child is finding something tricky, please do call, text or email us for support. If you find it easier to upload your child’s work in chunks rather than daily then that’s fine too – the idea is that we can see what your child is doing so we can give feedback and plan their next steps of learning. If you’d prefer to send a text message or a written email with no photos just letting us know what’s going well and what is difficult then we’re happy with that too.

We will be moving to a learning platform called SeeSaw very soon for children in Y1-Y6. This will make it easier for you to access your child’s learning tasks and send their work back. Check your emails over the next week or so for more information.

We are hoping to have our first whole school virtual assembly very soon. If the technology works (fingers crossed), there will be a link sent to you in your year group email with a time to join us on Microsoft Teams live. Mr Moore will be leading the assembly and there will be a chance to celebrate some of the home learning we’ve seen and take part in a quiz.

For those children attending our emergency school, just a reminder that half term is the week beginning Monday 15th February. The government announced yesterday that schools will close completely for half term and not remain open for critical workers as in the last lockdown. If your child is attending, it is really important that you let school know if your child has a positive Covid-19 test – even if it is at the weekend, evening or during the school holiday. Our school text system on 07786201172 and email address broadoak@sthelens.org.uk are monitored throughout these times.

If you need any help or support at all, whether it’s with home learning, Covid-19 advice or something else, please do get in touch. We still have devices to loan as well as wi-fi codes for BT hotspots, food parcels and, most importantly, a listening ear. This isn’t easy but we will get through it together.

Take care everyone,

Mrs Hignett

22.01.21

Hello everyone!

It’s the end of another week and it’s finally stopped raining. We’ve had a lovely week here at emergency school and I’ve seen some brilliant examples of home learning on your emails too. I can see the special postbox for my letters from children at home is filling up nicely and I’m so excited to look at them next week.

We have now loaned more than 60 tablets to families to help children access remote learning at home but we still have some available so please do let us know if your child would benefit from borrowing one. We can also top up your mobile data (subject to provider) for free if you are using your phone as a hotspot.

Watch out for our texts about food parcels which are usually available at a minimum on Mondays and Thursdays and are available to all our families. Just come along and help yourself.

If you have received a free school meals voucher for Morrisons, we can also offer a free £10 voucher for the Company Shop but these need to be used by 31st January. Give us a call or text for more information.

If we can help in any way, please get in touch. These are challenging times for everybody but together we will get through. Remember, our staff are at the end of the phone or email during school hours each day. Got a question about home learning? Does your child need something explaining? Are they finding it difficult to get started? Is it just one of those days and you’d like to chat with another adult? Call, email or text us and we will get back to you.

From next week though, we will only be making our regular telephone calls to you on a Wednesday and Friday. We know from our Monday calls that not much has changed over the weekend since our Friday check in for most of you. However, again, if you do need us on a Monday or Tuesday, we will still be on hand here for you.

Also starting next week, like all primary schools, staff here will be taking part in regular testing for Covid-19 using lateral flow quick tests at home. This will help to make our community safer. If your child attends emergency school and there is a positive case identified through one of these tests, we will let you know straight away, their bubble will be closed and your child should start self-isolating. Positive cases identified through a lateral flow test need to be confirmed with a PCR test so we won’t be able to give you an end date for self-isolation immediately. We will confirm this as soon as we can. We will keep in touch by phone and text so please make sure we have an up to date number for you.

I’d like to finish by thanking you all once again for your support and also to say a massive thank you to our staff who are working incredibly hard to adjust to new ways of doing things, support our families, our children and one another. I am incredibly proud of our Broad Oak family.

Take care, stay safe

Mrs Hignett

18.1.21

Happy Monday everybody!

It’s the start of a new week and it is raining again! Hopefully it will dry up soon.

Don’t forget, new learning packs are available from the school office today. These support the learning that is on the website and can be used alongside it or alone. Please email us photographs of finished work so teachers can offer feedback and support. We expect to see learning from children daily so we can help you and your child as much as we can.

I have written a letter to children at home and put it in work packs today. A copy is attached at the top of this page too. I’d love to hear children’s experience of learning at home so I would welcome a letter or drawing back from them into school. These can be emailed into broadoak@sthelens.org.uk or a paper copy be sent in – this will be quarantined for 72 hours before I look at it.

If your child is eligible for free school meals then you will have received a text saying your Morrisons voucher is here to collect. These must be collected and signed for by a family member only. At the moment, St Helens Council are managing these vouchers for us through a local agreement which is why they are actual gift cards for one supermarket only. If there is to be a change back to the previous system, I will keep you updated. In order for us to be prepared if we need to be, please let us know if you have changed your email address since the last time the online voucher scheme was used.

Staff here have been working hard supporting children at emergency school and reaching out to families learning at home. We have made some new contacts with Tesco, Derbyshire Hill Centre and with the continued support from Teardrops, will be able to offer food parcels again this week.

Please do contact us if you need anything.

I look forward to reading letters from home soon.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

14.01.21

Good morning everybody,

I can’t believe it is still raining. I hope it dries up for the weekend so you are able to get outside and enjoy some fresh air. I’m sure our children will appreciate an opportunity to run off some steam!

Thank you for sending in updates and photographs of your child’s home learning each day. I’ve been looking at the emails and am really pleased with how well our children are tackling their tasks. I appreciate that it is not an easy job for you as parents and carers to support remote learning (often with more than one child) whilst juggling work, chores and all the other daily jobs you have, so thank you – I think you are amazing.

I’d really like some feedback on how you are finding our online learning and school support offer this time. I’d love to hear about things that are going really well but I’d also like to hear how things can improve so please email me at broadoak@sthelens.org.uk, text on 07786201172  or give me a call, I’m in school everyday.

We still have some tablet devices to loan to families who require an additional device to access online learning. We are also able to apply for free additional data on your mobile phone so you can set it up as a hotspot for your child’s device– call into the office to ask about either of these options.

Remember, new paper packs will be available on Monday which support the tasks on the school website.  You don’t have to request these in advance. There are also plenty of exercise books and pencils available for you to collect too.

We are expecting our FSM vouchers to be delivered today so keep checking your text messages. We have fresh fruit and vegetable parcels available from the main office this morning.

I will update you further next week. Enjoy the weekend, take care, stay safe.

Mrs Hignett

11.01.21

Good morning everybody,

I hope you are all well and enjoyed some of the sunshine at the weekend despite the cold.

Everyone is settling into new routines here in emergency school and I know from our phone calls and emails that you are all trying your best with home learning.

I’d like to take the opportunity to briefly set out our plans and expectations for children at home during this time. I know that these arrangements won’t suit everybody and if you would like us to support you in a different way, please do let us know. Each day there are office staff, pastoral staff, teachers and senior leaders available at school to talk to.

Lessons are uploaded daily onto the school website. You have told us that live lessons would be difficult for lots of you so these lessons have video links and explanations along with activities that you can complete in any order during the day. There should be enough for 3-4 hours depending on the age of your child. Children in emergency school are being taught the same things. To support the online activities, there is a weekly printed pack that matches the online activities. This can be collected from the office on Mondays – you don’t need to ask for one, just pop along and pick one up.

We need to see your child’s learning so we can offer feedback. Unfortunately, we cannot take the paper work back in but for any concerns or questions or to celebrate your child’s work, email us pictures of the work that your child has done or tell us about it in a text message. Children should send some learning in for feedback at least once a day. Staff will be checking the new year group email accounts on a daily basis from 9.15am until 3pm and will get back to you with their comments.

We are hoping to move to a learning platform very shortly which will make this easier.

If you require support with extra data for your mobile phone, a router to provide a hotspot or the loan of a device so you can access the remote learning, please fill in the survey here to log your details: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KMDWDYC   Paper copies are available in the office.

We will also keep in regular contact through telephone calls throughout the working week in order to find out how children are doing with their remote learning activities and ensure we can support where needed.

This will mean that:

• Staff will make weekly check-in calls to children in their year group every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Their call is likely to pop up as an unknown number. If you are not available staff will leave an answerphone message to let you know they called. They will also send you a text message, so you are aware of why they called.
• If you call back you will be transferred to a member of staff on site, either from your child’s year group or a member of our pastoral team to complete the check-in.
• Where possible staff will ask to speak with the children individually, as we all miss them greatly, and it will be lovely to hear how they are getting on.
• If you would prefer a family call, please let staff know on your next call.

A year group email will be sent out every Thursday to keep you informed on how remote learning is going and to celebrate the children’s achievements both in school and remotely. We will also continue to communicate using the text message service which will allow you to text a reply that can be seen by our Office team and passed on and the Marvellous me platform for those of you who have access.

As you can see, even though we might not be seeing you all day to day for a little while, we will still be here with you every step of the way while we adapt to life in Lockdown 2021. Once again, if you require any help or support at all, please do let us know. We are here and ready to help.

Take care, stay safe,

Mrs Hignett

08.01.21

Good morning everybody,

I am going to start by saying a huge thank you to you all for your support and encouragement in this difficult week. With very little notice we have closed school and re-opened as an emergency provision, set up remote learning, made phone calls to all our families, given out food parcels and data sim cards and started setting up devices for loan to families next week. Your positive comments have kept us going.

It’s also really important to say that none of the above would have happened without the hard work, commitment and care shown by our brilliant staff. Our children here on emergency places have also been amazing. They are happy, settled and trying hard. Thank you everybody.

I will be sending more information about remote learning next week. We need to see the learning children complete at home so we can support them. I will be asking you to send a daily email with a picture or comment or a text about your child’s learning each day. Please use the year group emails or the text message system. These are checked throughout the day so you can message teachers within the school day with questions or pieces of work and get a response back.

Paper resource packs will be printed weekly and match the tasks provided on the website. These can be collected each Monday, you don’t need to request them.

If you would like support with a loan device or receiving additional free data for your phone to support online learning, please complete our survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/KMDWDYC

as soon as possible and by Monday 11th at midday at the latest. Paper copies of the survey are available to collect in the office.

We are awaiting delivery of the free school meal vouchers. In the meantime, we will continue to offer food parcels next week and if you need urgent support, you can contact St Helens Council on 01744 676767.

Thank you again for your co-operation and support. If you need anything at all, school is open – please phone, email, text or pop in (mindful of social distancing) to the office.

Have a great weekend,

Mrs Hignett

5.01.21

Good afternoon everybody,

I know you will be as disappointed as I am about the news of school closure until February half term. It is not what any of us wanted but we understand the importance of keeping everybody safe and well and we will do whatever we can to continue to support our families and children at this time.

We have been busy today organising places for our keyworkers and children and families that require additional support. We are looking forward to welcoming these children in tomorrow. Breakfast club will be also be available for these children.

Teachers will be in touch with all families before the end of the week to help you with access to online learning. If you would prefer a paper copy of activities, these can be provided. There will be a new pack each week.

I have a small number of data only sim cards available for families without wifi or with limited data available. Please let us know if you would benefit from one of these.

We will also be looking at supporting families by loaning devices next week. Again, we only have a limited number available and a set criteria for distribution. Further information about this will be provided next week.

We will be keeping in touch by phone, text and email. If you have changed your number or email address recently, please let us know.

I am awaiting information about provision for free school meals. I will update you as soon as I can. In the meantime, we do have food parcels available at school. Please call us if you need anything at all. School is open and staffed and we want to help.

I will update you again before the end of the week.

Stay safe, keep smiling. #family.

Mrs Hignett

3.01.20

Good evening everybody,

I'm sure you have seen lots in the news today about primary schools re-opening and I understand that many of you have concerns and questions about decisions that have been made.

To clarify, we will re-open tomorrow for all classes with the exception of Y6 and Y3 who will access their learning from the website. A member of staff will contact you tomorrow with more information about this. Please note these classes have been closed for staffing reasons. All other classes and early bird club remain open as usual. We will continue with our additional cleaning and social distancing measures as we did in the autumn term. It is important to remember that the number of cases in school in the whole term before Christmas was just 2.

If you require a place as a working parent in Y6 and Y3, please contact the school office tomorrow. As with school closures in March, we will also be supporting vulnerable children with school places in these year groups until we are able to offer face to face learning for all again. If you require support with technology, prefer paper packs for learning or need any other help, please do let us know.

I apologise for the disruption this may cause and will continue to review the situation and keep you updated with any changes as promptly as I can

17.12.20

Hello everybody,

We’ve been enjoying our festive celebrations this week. I’m sure you’ve heard all about woodland walks, toasting marshmallows, prize draws and, this morning, KS2 have enjoyed an outdoor carol concert.

Tomorrow is party day. Children can come in their own clothes. This might be a Christmas jumper or a party outfit or their most comfortable clothes – it’s up to you. Please don’t feel the need to buy anything new. School will close from 1.45pm tomorrow and reopen on Monday 4th January.

Please remember that if your child has a positive Covid-19 test result up to and including Christmas Eve, you MUST let school know so we can take action. Text us on 07786201172 or email broadoak@sthelens.org.uk  School will be closed but I will check messages through till Christmas Eve and again on Tuesday 29th December until midday so if you need help or support, please contact us. If your child is required to self-isolate, you will be informed by text message.

This term has certainly been full of challenges as we got used to new ways of working. I am delighted that we have managed to keep school open right through from September for 96% of our children with just one bubble closing to date.

I’d like to take this opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to our amazing staff who have worked incredibly hard to keep everybody happy, settled and safe. We are very lucky to have such talented, caring and committed adults teaching our children.

I’d also like to thank all parents and carers for their help, support and encouragement throughout. Your positive comments have made us smile.

Finally, I’d like to say thank you to our amazing children who have shown resilience and determination to come back to school and catch up on lost learning. Attendance in our school has been above the local and national average. They are just brilliant and a credit to you all.

I am incredibly proud of all of our Broad Oak family.

Wishing you a happy, peaceful and safe Christmas.

Mrs Hignett

 

11.12.20

Good morning everybody. It’s been a magical week here. I’m sure you’ve heard all about our reindeer visit. We’ve also been decorating our woodland area ready for some more festive activities next week including an outdoor carol concert (listen out for singing!) and other special surprises. Today we are looking forward to our festive barm and chips (what a fab Friday treat!) and watching Cinderella in our class bubbles later.

We have been very fortunate to have received lots of donations of gifts and Christmas treats from our partners at Teardrops, Mission Christmas, Smyths and Morrisons as well as personal donations from members of our school family. We have been overwhelmed and touched by their kindness.

We will be distributing these throughout our community in a variety of ways either through nomination by staff for effort and showing our family values, through a prize raffle or as prizes on party day. We hope that our lucky recipients will enjoy their gifts. All children will receive a special gift from Father Christmas during the week too.

School will close on Friday 18th December from 1.45pm with the usual 30 minute closing period. Children should come in non-uniform on this day ready to party!

All our classes remain open and still, to date, there has only been 1 positive case of Covid-19 linked to school.  Everyone has been working incredibly hard to keep bubbles safe, keep up with extra cleaning and to follow our social distancing rules.  Thank you so much for your support with this. We have been able to remain open all term so far for all our children which is fantastic.

It is very important that we know if your child has a positive test result on or before 24th December. You MUST inform us of this as soon as possible by text 07786201172 or email broadoak@sthelens.org.uk. These will be checked regularly each day including Christmas Eve. This allows us to take action to keep everyone safe. If your child is required to isolate, you will be informed by text message. If your child has a positive test result after Christmas Eve, you can inform us as soon as school reopens on the 4th January.

If you require any support before the holidays, please do let us know – we are here to help.  There will be food parcels available today and Monday, Wednesday and Friday next week.

Although school is closed for the holiday period, I will ensure that text messages and emails are checked up to and including Christmas Eve and also on the morning of Tuesday 29th December so please contact us if you need to.

Happy weekend!

Mrs Hignett

 

9.12.20

We've had such a lovely day today. Santa's reindeers came to visit and we all had chance to say hello and give them some food. We've read Reindeer stories and made food to put out for Rudolph on Christmas Eve. #BroadOakMagic

 

 

4.12.20

Hello everybody!

Today is Santa day at Broad Oak and there are festive hats and sparkle everywhere! The children are enjoying taking part in a Santa dance or Santa dash in their class bubble and will come home with a special Santa surprise!

Next week we have a number of exciting outdoor learning events taking place so please make sure your child comes to school with a warm coat and appropriate shoes to access our field/wooded area. Wednesday 9th will be a very exciting day with some very special outdoor visitors so make sure children wrap up warm!

We are working hard on learning some Christmas songs so we can share a seasonal celebration video with you before the end of term. It is so lovely to hear our Broad Oak family singing again.

Remember, December 11th is Christmas Jumper day. Please don’t feel you need to buy a new jumper to take part. Children are welcome to wear their favourite outfit instead of a Christmas jumper. We will also enjoy a festive lunch of turkey barm, chips and seasonal sides and watch a festive movie together on this day.

The final date for your diary in this update is Tuesday 8th December. On this day, the nursing team will be in to give the flu nasal spray to those who have agreed and returned their consent form. If you have not returned your form, please do so as soon as possible. Children will not be given the nasal spray without consent. If your child has already been given the flu vaccination, please let the school office know.

Thank you for your continued support as we work hard to keep everybody safe and well. All our classes are still open and we are still social distancing, completing additional cleaning and taking other safety measures throughout school.

There are just 10 school days left before the Christmas holidays. We know this is an exciting time but it can be difficult too. If you require any support with food or supplies, please contact our pastoral team. This will be in complete confidence but we can help in lots of different ways. We are here to support everybody in our Broad Oak family and want to do so – please let us help.

I understand there will be provision for children eligible for free school meals over the holidays. I will keep you updated with this as soon as I can.

Have a great weekend,

 

Mrs Hignett

Thursday 26.11.20

Good morning everybody! We are all still settled and happy here at school. All classes remain open right now and everyone is well. Please continue to help us by staying away from school if your child or someone in the house has Covid-19 symptoms. Get a test and keep us updated. We check our texts and emails through the weekend too!

As you know, we will not be exchanging cards in school this year so please don’t send them in. However, you can send a Christmas message for display by our playground tree either by clicking here: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/2XLK5LZ or emailing your message to broadoak@sthelens.org.uk. Please take time to read the lovely messages that are already there. They will make you smile.

We are looking forward to some very exciting activities over the coming weeks. The first is our Santa dash/dance on Friday 4th December. Children will either be taking part in a fun run or a Christmas dance. They will be rewarded with a festive prize! Your child may wish to wear a Santa hat, Christmas headband or sparkly bobbles on this day to make the activity that bit more Christmassy!

Other activities include Christmas jumper day, a Christmas movie afternoon, woodland Christmas activities in our forest area and perhaps some very special visitors. All activities have been paid for by school so are provided free of charge. Children can wear a Christmas jumper/own clothes on Friday 11th December and on party day on Friday 18th.

As part of our celebrations, children will have the opportunity to enjoy different foods including chocolate, sweets, popcorn, biscuits, hot chocolate etc. If your child has any allergies, please make the school office aware by Friday 4th December.

Children will also be involved in filming carols and parts of the nativity story. We will check our permission slips but if you do not wish your child to be filmed for the school website, please inform the school office, again by the 4th.

School will close for Christmas on the 18th December at 2.15pm (children can be collected from 1.45pm) and will reopen on Monday 4th January 2021.

And finally, tonight we will be holding a baked bean giveaway by the Christmas tree! Help us free space in our cupboard and stock up for your holiday lunches when the children are off by collecting a tin on your way home. All are welcome!

Mrs Hignett 😊

Thursday 19.11.20

Hello again everybody! Lots to tell you today.

Firstly, a Covid-19 update. As it stands today, all classes are still in school and there has been only one positive case linked to school, back in October. If your child is waiting for test results, please let us know as soon as you receive them, even if it is the weekend.  You can reach us by text at 07786201172 or email to broadoak@sthelens.org.uk This means we can take any action we need to straight away.

In other news, it’s certainly beginning to look a lot like Christmas around Parr and very soon you will be able to see our outdoor Christmas trees which mark the start of our celebrations. Unfortunately, we are unable to exchange Christmas cards this year because of our Covid secure procedures.  Please do not send cards in with your child. Instead, we’d like to include your special Christmas messages of love, hope or thanks alongside our sparkly playground tree. If you would like to send us a message for display, please send it by text or email as above.

Other Christmas events include a Santa Dash on 4th December, Christmas jumper day on December 11th, party day on the 18th (children can come in their party clothes), carol singing and hot chocolate and some other surprise visitors and activities in the fortnight before term ends.

Another important date for your diary is Tuesday 8th December. Nasal flu immunisations will take place on this day. Please send your immunisation form back if you haven’t already. If your child has already had their flu immunisation, please inform the school office before the 8th. Children will not be given the spray without parental consent.

This continues to be a challenging time for everyone. Please don’t forget that we are here to help and support in any way we can. If you are experiencing financial difficulty, we can offer support with food parcels and other essentials and also signpost to other sources of help. All information is treated in confidence. Please contact our pastoral team.

For tips on keeping emotionally well, St Helens Council are running a short online programme to support mental wellbeing. It is free to access and you can sign up here: https://www.sthelenswellbeing.org.uk/services/getting-active/pages/five-ways-to-wellbeing-programme

Thank you again for your continued support.

Mrs Hignett

Friday 13.11.20

It’s Friday again already. This week has raced by. The sun is shining (so far anyway) and the children look great dressed in their favourite outfits. There are bright colours, spots, Pudsey ears and, most importantly, smiles everywhere!

Our situation relating to Covid-19 remains the same. To date, all our classes are in school and there have been no further cases in staff or pupils. Attendance has been very good all week with around 95% of our children in every day. Well done everybody. Great effort at this time of year with all the usual colds and bugs around. 😊 Do please remember though that if your child or anyone in the house has a high temperature, new persistent cough or a loss of smell or taste, they should NOT attend school, instead take a test and isolate until told otherwise.

This week in staff news, we are sad to say goodbye to Ms Williams, learning support assistant in Y5 as she leaves us to take up a post in another school. We are also getting used to calling Miss Maclean (Y4) by her new name, Mrs Bancroft, following her marriage over half term. I know you will join us in sending best wishes to both members of staff. I’m also sure you will join me in thanking all our staff for their continued hard work and care for our children and one another in such difficult times. They come to school each day with huge smiles and make Broad Oak feel like a very special, happy, secure place to be despite the restrictions in place and the changes in rules.

On the drive to school each day, I’ve spotted lots of Christmas trees going up and it’s prompted me into talking about our celebrations in school with staff and children this year. I know things will have to be different but I promise we will continue to make it a special time for our Broad Oak family. Our initial plans include a virtual Christmas concert, a Christmas Movie afternoon on Christmas jumper day, party day as usual on the last day of term and I’m sure we will be lucky and receive a gift from Father Christmas himself even if he can’t make it in person this year.

Thank you for your continued support. It really does make a difference to us to hear your positive comments on the playground and through our communications with you. As ever, please do contact us if you have any concerns or need any help at all.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs Hignett

Friday 6.11.20

Hello again everybody. It’s Friday and it’s been a busy week! KS2 children have been working with Forces Fit on teambuilding activity sessions, Y2 are currently enjoying yoga and some classes have archery later. This is in addition to the great learning that’s been going on in classrooms. Well done everybody.

Today we say a temporary goodbye and good luck to Miss Brown as she begins her maternity leave. She has done an amazing job providing all our home learning on the website over the last few months and we will miss her a lot but can’t wait to meet the newest addition to our Broad Oak family.

As you know, we are now under new national restrictions in St Helens. This week to date, there have been no further positive cases identified in school following just one last term. We are continuing with all the safety measures we have put in place and have given additional visors and masks to staff for use around school.

If you are worried about safety in school during the pandemic or, indeed, anything at all we are here to help. We can signpost support and are happy to listen and help resolve issues where we can. Face to face meetings are limited but you can text, email or phone us. Alternatively find myself, Mr Affleck, Ms Gallagher or Mrs Kelly on the playground. We’re there each day.

Looking forward to next week, it is Children in Need Day on Friday 13th. Children are welcome to come dressed in something colourful, spotty, fancy dress or their favourite outfit and there will be activities taking place in classes. If you wish to send a donation in, we will pass it on to the charity but this is optional. We know that these are difficult times so please contribute if you can but don’t worry if you can’t, we will just have a lovely day together.

Take care, please follow the restrictions and stay at home over the weekend to look after our community.

Mrs Hignett

Monday 2.11.20

Welcome back! I hope you had a happy and healthy two weeks. It’s good to see the children back in school today.

I’m sure you aware that there will be new national restrictions in place from Thursday. School will remain open and we will continue to follow social distancing rules, undertake enhanced cleaning and keep children in their ‘bubbles’ throughout the day to keep everyone as safe as possible. We kindly ask that you continue to wear masks at drop off/collection and keep 2m away from other families and staff on the playground. You can drop off anytime up to 9.15 – your child will not be marked late - and collect up to 3.25pm. Please try to use quieter times and avoid 3pm pick ups where possible.

We are now in Autumn 2 and the weather is getting colder. We do keep windows open where we can to ensure good ventilation in classrooms. If you wish, your child can wear an additional red or black hoodie or jacket as well their school jumper if they are feeling a little chilly.

I want to reassure you that we have only had 1 positive case within school to date despite having 620 children and 100 staff.

It is really important that you keep us informed if your child or someone in your house has symptoms or is awaiting a test. Your child should not attend school in these circumstances. You should also tell us if your child is self-isolating because they have been in close contact with a positive case. There are lots of things we can do to support you including help with home learning, free school meals and signposting to other help.

I know this is a worrying time but we are committed to working with you to keep our children happy, healthy and learning. Together we can do this.

Mrs Hignett

 

Wednesday 21.10.20

Good afternoon everybody,

I hope you are enjoying the first part of the half term. I promised I would keep you updated if we heard any news about Covid-19 cases related to school. I have been informed of a single positive case linked to school in class 4K. If your child has been identified as a close contact in 4K, we have telephoned you and sent a text message with this information in. If you haven't heard from us, you do not need to do anything. School will reopen as planned on 2nd November and all children should return then. Please try not to worry. We are a large school community of 620 children and 100 adults and this is currently just a single case. We will continue to follow all our safety guidance and urge you to spend the holiday safely, following social distancing guidelines. There is more information in the letter below and remember you can contact school via email broadoak@sthelens.org.uk or by text on 07786201172. Both email and text messages will be monitored regularly throughout the half term.

Advice to All Parents - Single case

Dear Parents,

We have been made aware that a member of our school community has tested positive for COVID 19.
 

We know that you may find this concerning but we are continuing to monitor the situation and are working closely with Public Health England. This letter is to inform you of the current situation and provide advice on how to support your child. Please be reassured that for most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

The small number of children who have been in close contact with the individual who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) have received a direct phone call or text message informing them that their child must stay at home for 14 days. If you have not heard from us directly, then your child is NOT affected.

School will reopen as planned on 2nd November and your child should return as usual. Here is a reminder about what to do if you or your child devleops symptoms..

What to do if your child develops symptoms of COVID 19

If your child develops symptoms of COVID-19, they must not come to school and should remain at home for at least 10 days from the date when their symptoms appeared. Anyone with symptoms will be eligible for testing and this can be arranged via https://www.nhs.uk/ask-for-a-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. 

All other household members who remain well, must stay at home and not leave the house for 14 days. This includes anyone in your ‘Support Bubble’.

Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

The 14-day period starts from the day when the first person in the house became ill.

Household members should not go to work, school or public areas and exercise should be taken within the home.

If you require help with buying groceries, other shopping or picking up medication, or walking a dog, you should ask friends or family. Alternatively, you can order your shopping online and medication by phone or online.

Household members staying at home for 14 days will greatly reduce the overall amount of infection the household could pass on to others in the community

If you are able, move any vulnerable individuals (such as the elderly and those with underlying health conditions) out of your home, to stay with friends or family for the duration of the home isolation period.

Symptoms

The most common symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) are recent onset of:

 

• a new continuous cough
• a high temperature
• a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of taste or smell (anosmia)

For most people, coronavirus (COVID-19) will be a mild illness.

If your child does develop symptoms, you can seek advice from the nhs.uk website at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/check-if-you-have-coronavirus-symptoms/. If you are concerned about your child’s symptoms, or they are worsening you can seek advice from NHS 111 at https://111.nhs.uk/ or by phoning 111.

How to stop COVID-19 spreading

There are things you can do to help reduce the risk of you and anyone you live with getting ill with COVID-19

Do

• wash your hands with soap and water often – do this for at least 20 seconds
• use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• wash your hands as soon as you get home
• cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands afterwards

 

 

Further Information

Further information is available at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/

 

Friday 16.10.20

Hello everybody,

It’s been a lovely day. I’ve enjoyed visiting each class (staying within the safe 2m zone of course) and giving out our Family Value Awards. A huge well done to all the winners, nominated by their teacher for being a really good friend in our Broad Oak family.

It’s also been a pleasure to award our first Y6 prefects badges today.  These children are excellent role models to others, showing the highest standards in effort, behaviour, attendance and uniform. I am very proud of them all. There will be another set of prefects announced early in Autumn 2 so all Y6 children have the opportunity to impress us between now and then!

In this last update of the half term, I want to say a big thank you to our staff and children for being so supportive and so willing to adapt to the new rules and routines in school. Everybody has come in each day with a smile and a positive attitude and school has been filled with warmth and enthusiasm. Our Broad Oak family is brilliant.

Thank you to all of you too, your encouragement on the playground as we welcomed everybody back and your support as we adopted new school times and rules has been much appreciated.

Next term, we will continue with all our measures to keep everybody safe. We have had no positive cases in children or staff at all to date. We are cleaning, sanitising, handwashing and distancing like never before!  Please continue to help us by following the guidelines carefully, not mixing households and self-isolating and getting a test if you need one.

Have a lovely break. If you require any support, our email and text sysytem will be checked regularly.  Remember, school reopens on Monday November 2nd.

See you then,

Mrs Hignett

 

Tuesday 13.10.20

 

Good morning everybody!

It’s the final week of half term. Don’t forget school closes for the October holiday this Friday and reopens on Monday November 2nd. Here’s hoping for lots of autumn sunshine over the break. Our brilliant children and amazing staff have worked so hard, they have definitely earned a relaxing fortnight. 

Thank you for your support for #helloyellow day. We raised an impressive £540 to be shared between Young Minds and the Broad Oak bus fund. We are dreaming of the day when we can go out of school on adventures again!

Thank you for your support with the measures we have taken to help keep our school Covid secure. We know it hasn’t been easy but please keep going with following the guidance, accessing a test and self-isolating if you need to.

We will be reviewing our risk assessments again over half term but as there have been no positive cases in staff or children to date, we don’t anticipate any changes.

As ever, we are here to help if you need support in any way. Please contact the school office or speak to pastoral or senior staff on the playground.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

 

Wednesday 7.10.20

Good afternoon everybody,

Thank you for your continued support over this half term as we continue to get used to different ways of working. It’s been a whirlwind of one way systems, hand sanitising and extra cleaning but we are familiar with it now and all children continue to be happy and settled. 😊

Please remember to keep your child at home if they or someone they live with shows symptoms of coronavirus. If you are awaiting test results, they and everyone in the household (including their brother and sisters) must remain at home until a negative result is received. Please keep us informed – you can contact school via email, text or phone. You must tell us if your child has a positive result. Our email and text messages are monitored regularly. To date, we have had no reports of any children or staff testing positive for the virus and all our classes remain open, which is great news.

It’s hard to believe the end of the half term is approaching. We finish for half term on Friday October 16th at the usual time and school will be closed for 2 weeks, reopening on Monday 2nd November.

Before then, don’t forget we have #HelloYellow day on Friday October 9th. We are all looking forward to wearing yellow or our favourite outfits. A donation of £2 would be welcome to support the charity Young Minds and our Broad Oak bus fund but don’t worry if you can’t contribute this time. It’s more important that we have fun together and have a happy, emotionally healthy day!

 

Monday 28.9.20

Welcome to the new week. The children have got off to a great, settled start. 

I just want to remind parents/carers of the guidance I shared last week relating to self-isolation - you can find it by scrolling down this page. It is really important that everyone follows this and children do not attend school if someone in their household has symptoms or is awaiting the results of a test. To date, there are NO positive cases in staff or children at Broad Oak and, as such, all our class bubbles remain open. For those children who are at home, there is work uploaded daily onto the home learning section of this website. We do expect children who are not attending but are well in themselves to complete this.

Please also remember to wear a face covering and that only one adult per family should pick up/drop off to limit numbers on the playground.

In brighter news, on Friday October 9th we be celebrating #HelloYellow Day. This is a day organised by Young Minds to focus on the wellbeing of children and young people. Children can come to school wearing something yellow or their favourite outfit. The day will focus on wellbeing and children will take part in lots of different activities that will help look after their mind and body – something we feel is really important in these challenging times. Children are welcome to bring a donation (we suggest £2 but anything you can spare will be much appreciated, don’t worry if you can’t) and any money raised will be split between the Young Minds Charity and our Broad Oak bus fund.

Looking forward to it already!

Mrs Hignett

Thursday 24.09.20

Good morning everybody,

It’s been a busy week here at Broad Oak. Y6 enjoyed a military fitness session yesterday and we’ve been making the most of the school field for sports and games whilst the weather has been dry.

Just a reminder that on PE days, children should wear a PE kit of dark joggers or leggings, white t-shirt (their usual polo shirt is fine) and either their school jumper/cardigan or a plain red hoodie. PE days are not non-uniform days and football kits etc aren’t permitted.

There have been a lot of calls into the office asking for advice relating to Covid-19 and common colds/other illnesses. I’ve posted a chart below to help answer some of the most common questions we’ve had. Children can come to school if they are suffering from a common cold. It is only if they have one or more of the three following symptoms: high temperature, loss of taste or smell or a new, persistent cough that they should stay at home and you should book a test.

I am using these updates to share as much information as possible with you. I am happy to say there continue to be no positive cases linked to school and I would update you if that were to change.

Thank you for supporting us in wearing masks to pick up and drop off. I’d also like to remind you that we have a staggered drop off and pick up. Children can arrive right up until 9.15 and they will not be marked late. Equally they can be picked up right until 3.25 and we will keep them happy and settled until you arrive.

If you use Brunswick Street, I would urge you to arrive after 8.50 as it is much, much quieter at this time.

Thank you for your continued support. I know these are difficult times. If I can help or support in any way, please contact the school office.

Mrs Hignett

Monday 21st September

I hope you all had a lovely weekend. This week sees more changes locally with the introduction of new restrictions from tomorrow. I have uploaded a poster below with the key points on to remember. All staff on the playground and classroom doors will now be wearing face coverings at drop off and pick up, I would appreciate it if you do the same to keep everyone safe.

I know that some children will find themselves missing school at points during this term if they are or a family member need to self-isolate. I don’t want anybody to miss out on learning so there is a brand new section of the website here:

http://www.broadoak.st-helens.sch.uk/page/home-learning/81587

where you will find daily tasks that are in line with the learning taking place in the classroom each day. Photos or examples of your children’s learning should be emailed to the year group address on the home learning pages OR to broadoak@sthelens.org.uk and teachers will get back to you with their comments and next steps.

 

We do anticipate that most children will access learning through the website but if your individual circumstances require paper based activities, please let us know.

There is an expectation that children will complete this work whilst they are required to stay at home and it’s really important that activities are completed each day (if children are well enough of course). If you require any help or support, please text, email or phone us.

Mrs Hignett

Thursday 17th September

Lots of sunshine still!

Please see the letter above from St Helens Council regarding the wearing of face masks to drop off and collect children and other additional measures to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Thank you for supporting us and helping to look after our Broad Oak family. We do appreciate it.

Monday 14th September

Good morning everybody!

It’s lovely to see some sunshine again, I hope you had a lovely weekend.

I’m sure you have all seen the news that Covid-19 cases are rising in Merseyside. Please note that we do not have any confirmed cases in staff or pupils at Broad Oak. You would be informed as soon as practically possible if there was a positive case in your child’s bubble.

I will keep you updated with any new information here on the website so keep checking or call us if you have any questions or concerns. As always, I am happy to answer any questions as are senior and pastoral staff.

We continue to follow all the guidelines to keep everyone in our school as safe as possible including keeping in our class bubbles and regular handwashing and cleaning.

I just wanted to go over some important points to remember.

The three symptoms to look out for are:

• High temperature (usually over 38 degrees)
• a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if your child usually has a cough, it may be worse than usual)
• A loss of sense of taste or smell

It’s Autumn now and children will still get regular colds and coughs. They are able to attend school if they are well enough and they do NOT have one of the symptoms above. It is very important that if your child or someone they live with has one of these, you should contact 119 by phone or online to check their symptoms and see if they need a test. If you are advised to take a test, all people in the household should self-isolate until the symptoms have gone AND a negative test is received.

We will be creating a special area on our website this week for learning at home so children can keep up with their school work if they are unable to attend school. I will send more information soon.

Thank you for supporting us so well in these difficult times. It’s so lovely to have the children back with us and they are all very happy and settled. I do recognise that it is difficult for everyone at this moment though so thank you for your help and co-operation.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett

Wednesday 9.09.20

Good afternoon everybody!

We are now halfway through our first full week back at school. It’s been lovely to meet our new EYFS children this week. I’m so pleased with how well they’re settling in. I’ve been out on the playground each day this week and enjoyed meeting you again. It’s good to catch up. Thank you for your positive comments and feedback on our return to school. Here are just a few reminders that are important to follow to keep everyone safe:

• Please use the staggered time to drop off/collect. Children can arrive anytime until 9am. They are not late at this time and lessons have not started. Equally, they can be picked up right up until 3.25pm. We are keeping them busy and settled – they are happy and occupied so don’t rush.
• If you know there are parts of your journey where social distancing can’t be maintained (narrow roads/paths etc) please wear a face covering as you would do in other areas.
• Only one adult should collect/drop off please.
• Our staff are amazing. They are committed to working closely with you to benefit our children and are always willing to speak to you but please respect their safety and keep a 2m distance from them.
• Children should come to school in their PE kit on PE days. No bags, pencil cases, personal items in school please. The usual PE uniform rules apply: plain dark or grey joggers, white t-shirt or polo shirt, normal red cardigan or jumper or a plain red hoodie. Trainers can be worn on PE days. See below for the PE day list:

Monday	All Y5 classes
Tuesday	All Y6 classes
Wednesday	All Y1 classes and 2S, 2G
Thursday	All Y3 classes
Friday	All Y4 classes and 2B

Reception teachers will inform parents when children begin PE lessons – we allow them to settle in their setting for a few weeks first.

Once again, I thank you for your support as we find our way through new routines and different ways of working. There is a letter at the top of the page from St Helens Council which has some more information about the re-opening of local schools.

You’ll notice there are lots of additional staff on duty each day – Myself, Mr Affleck, Ms Gallagher and Mrs Kelly (our family support workers) are on the playground and Mrs Lombari, Pastoral Manager is at the front door. I do find it useful when you share your thoughts and ideas on how we can improve school further so please do get in touch or come and say hello on the playground or ask us for any help or support. Together we make things work for our children.

Take care,

Mrs Hignett