Latest News

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

• URGENT - KEY WORKER INFORMATION

  Fri 20 Mar 2020

  Dear Parent / Guardian,

   

  You will be aware that the Prime Minister has announced plans for schools to remain open where possible to provide childcare for children of key workers and those who are most vulnerable. This includes children who have a designated social worker and/or who have an EHCP. Therefore, along with our other CREATE schools we are trying to gather as much detail as possible to ensure we are fully prepared. We are asking parents to read the information below, if you consider yourself a key worker and need your child to attend school. 

   

  Please be aware, the government has stated that the best place for the children is to be at home, not with vulnerable relatives. Wherever this is possible, please use this option.

  Key Workers:

  Health and social care

  This includes but is not limited to doctors, nurses, midwives, paramedics, social workers, care workers, and other frontline health and social care staff including volunteers; the support and specialist staff required to maintain the UK’s health and social care sector; those working as part of the health and social care supply chain, including producers and distributers of medicines and medical and personal protective equipment.

  Education and childcare

  This includes nursery and teaching staff, social workers and those specialist education professionals who must remain active during the COVID-19 response to deliver this approach.

   

  Key public services

  This includes those essential to the running of the justice system, religious staff, charities and workers delivering key frontline services, those responsible for the management of the deceased, and journalists and broadcasters who are providing public service broadcasting.

  Local and national government

  This only includes those administrative occupations essential to the effective delivery of the COVID-19 response or delivering essential public services such as the payment of benefits, including in government agencies and arms length bodies.

  Food and other necessary goods

  This includes those involved in food production, processing, distribution, sale and delivery as well as those essential to the provision of other key goods (for example hygienic and veterinary medicines).

  Public safety and national security

  This includes police and support staff, Ministry of Defence civilians, contractor and armed forces personnel (those critical to the delivery of key defence and national security outputs and essential to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic), fire and rescue service employees (including support staff), National Crime Agency staff, those maintaining border security, prison and probation staff and other national security roles, including those overseas.

  Transport

  This includes those who will keep the air, water, road and rail passenger and freight transport modes operating during the COVID-19 response, including those working on transport systems through which supply chains pass.

  Utilities, communication and financial services

  This includes staff needed for essential financial services provision (including but not limited to workers in banks, building societies and financial market infrastructure), the oil, gas, electricity and water sectors (including sewerage), information technology and data infrastructure sector and primary industry supplies to continue during the COVID-19 response, as well as key staff working in the civil nuclear, chemicals, telecommunications (including but not limited to network operations, field engineering, call centre staff, IT and data infrastructure, 999 and 111 critical services), postal services and

   

  The deadline for requesting a place is Friday 20th March by 2:00pm. We will assume that parents who do not reply are able to arrange childcare if their child is not at school.

   

  This is an emergency facility only and we must reduce social interaction. If our staffing numbers decrease to an unsafe level, due to infection or isolation, then we may no be able to offer provision.Thank you for your continued support.

• Corona Virus Update

  Thu 19 Mar 2020

  Dear Parents/Carers,

  Re: Coronavirus update – school closure to most pupils

  Following on from my last update, I’m now writing to let you know that we have now been instructed to close the school to almost all children after this Friday until further notice.

   

  As advised by the government, we will do all we can to stay open for the children of key workers (e.g. NHS staff, police, others in frontline services) and children with certain needs.

  We are waiting for the government to publish more information on what this means, but it would help us in the meantime if you could let us know if you think your child may fall into one of these categories. Please see mrs Lees, Mrs Cross or the office team, we will need proof of employment in the sectors named once they have been announced. We’ll be in touch again as soon as we are sure who this does apply to. Please note: we will not be able to allow children into school for parents who still have to work but are not on the list, this is mandatory. We understand that this will cause challenges to many parents, but this is now statutory guidance.

  All other children will need to stay at home, so we ask that you do not send your child into school from Monday onwards.

  Please note that this is a national closure – as you may have heard in the news – so while it is a challenging situation, we are not alone. We’ll re-open fully as soon as we can and will let you know when this is by group text and our website.

  What we’ll continue doing while your child is at home

  Your child’s learning is of course important to us, so we’ll continue to help your child to learn.

  If your child usually receives free school meals we will also be in touch with more information about how we will continue to provide this, with support from a scheme that the government has just announced.

  Steps so far:

  • Your child will have received a work pack, exercise book and pencil.
  • Your child will have at least 2 reading books – please take care of them, we need these books back!
  • There are 7 weeks of home learning projects on the website. This includes links to a variety of other websites that you can register with for free online learning. These websites tare free for parents to register with until the pandemic crisis is over. (Please read the terms and conditions – some may be limited time membership)
  • All children have been given their ABACUS log in, here your child can access maths activities set to them by their teachers. These will be reviewed by the class teachers.
  • All KS2 children have access to TT Rock stars, Study Zone and Accelerated reader.
  • KS1 children have access to NUMBOTS.
  • The school website has a new section called “Learning from home.” Please go to: www.brookfields.bham.sch.uk and click on “Children” on the home page. Choose your child’s year group.
  • Teachers will be adding activities and tasks daily to this page, please complete tasks in your exercise book.
  • Work will NOT be set daily during the Easter holidays.
  •  

  This is as much as we know right now and we appreciate your continued patience with as we deal with this ever-changing situation. We understand that this latest news will have an impact on you and your family and it’s far from ideal, but we’ll continue to keep in touch with any updates as the situation develops.

   

  Please check our website daily for activities for your children and information from the school.

   

  Please note: we will be calling children’s homes throughout the closure to keep in touch. This may be weekly or more regularly if support is needed.

   

  We understand that this is a worrying time for everybody. We urge everyone to stay calm and follow the government advice. This is updated daily at: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-government-response

  Or contact the DFE helpline:

  Phone: 0800 046 8687

  Opening hours: 8am to 6pm (Monday to Friday), 10am to 4pm (Saturday to Sunday)

   

  Any child who is offered a place will still be subject to mandatory 14 day isolation if they get a temperature or cough, as is stated in the current guidance.

   

  And remember: if you or your child feels ill and you want to know what to do next, please use NHS 111 online.

   

  We wish you and all your family a healthy extended break and look forward to seeing you again soon.

   

  Best wishes,

  Mrs S. Lees

  Head Teacher