Latest News
Keep up to date with all the news happening in school at the moment.
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Help for Households- Childcare Choices
Mon 04 Mar 2024CHILDCARE SUPPORT IS EXPANDING
APPLY NOW FOR APRIL
With significant changes coming to 15 and 30 hours childcare support in England. Sign up for more details about the upcoming expansion from April 2024, as well as how and when to register for support with childcare costs.
Starting from April 2024, existing childcare support will be expanded in phases. By September 2025, most working families with children under the age of 5 will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare support.
The changes are being introduced gradually to make sure that providers can meet the needs of more families. This means that:
From April 2024, eligible working parents of 2-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours childcare support.
From September 2024, 15 hours childcare support will be extended to eligible working parents of children from the age of 9 months to 3-year-olds.
From September 2025, eligible working parents with a child from 9 months old up to school age will be entitled to 30 hours of childcare a week.
Like the existing offer, depending on your provider, these hours can be used over 38 weeks of the year or up to 52 weeks if you use fewer than your total hours per week.
Sign up for more details about the upcoming expansion from April 2024, as well as how and when to register for support with childcare costs.
Held for Households - Childcare Choices
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Easter HAF 2024
Wed 21 Feb 2024Dear Parent/Carer,
If your child receives Benefit Related Free School Meals, they are entitled to access Easter HAF Provision.
Again this year, provision will be available at St Giles' CE Primary School delivered through our trusted delivery partner Walsall Football Club Foundation.
Places are limited- registrations and bookings can be made by following the link below.
If you experience any issues when making a booking, please do contact the school for support.
Places are really popular so do consider booking early to avoid disappointment.
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Wrap-a-Round Provision
Wed 07 Feb 2024Dear Parent/Carer,
The DFE are supporting working families through the UK government’s biggest ever investment in childcare, to make it more affordable, available and flexible.
As part of this announcement, we’re expanding wraparound care for primary school children across England by increasing the number of places available, to support working families.
But what exactly is wraparound care? We explain everything you need to know, from what it is to how you can access it.
What is wraparound care?
Wraparound care is before and after school childcare for primary school aged children in England during term time, such as breakfast clubs and regular afterschool provision that runs until 6pm or later. The care should be available every school day outside of regular school hours and is aimed at helping parents access more childcare and work the hours they want to.
This is different from out-of-school activities, or school clubs, which are less frequent and can be a one-off activity.
Around 60 percent of primary schools across England currently offer wraparound care, both before and after school. Private, voluntary, and independent providers, including childminders and early years settings, are also able to offer wraparound care. Often, it’s run on a school site or another setting in the local area.
If you’re a parent looking for childcare options for your primary school child, speak to your child’s school or the Family Information Services in your local authority find out what wraparound care is currently available in your area.
From September 2024, parents can expect to see an increase in the number of wraparound childcare places available across the country.
We expect all parents who need it to have access to wraparound care, either from their school or from another provider in their local area, by September 2026.
We encourage parents to talk to their child’s school or the Family Information Service in their local authority about wraparound childcare, even if it’s not currently available.
Who will be eligible for wraparound care?
Our ambition is that all parents in England with primary school aged children will be able to access wraparound care in their local area.
The fees will be set by providers Parents eligible for Tax-Free Childcare or Universal Credit Childcare will be able to use the support to help pay for wraparound care.
How are we supporting local authorities to deliver the wraparound care expansion?
To make more available wraparound care possible, local authorities will receive a share of £289 million to help map out and accommodate the needs of parents in their area.
They will also be able to use the funds to test different ways to increase their wraparound options, including working with local private providers or partnering with schools.
We’re also giving local authorities a share of a further £100 million to ensure childcare settings in the area – including both early years and wraparound settings – have enough physical space to roll out the programme from next year.
What else are we doing to improve access to childcare for under 5s for working parents?
We’re doubling the amount we are investing in childcare over the next few years from around £4 billion to around £8 billion each year.
As part of this investment, by September 2025, working parents will be able to claim 30 hours childcare a week, over 38 weeks of the year, all the way through from nine months up to their child starting school.
Nurseries are also set to receive a £204 million cash boost which they can use to ease cost pressures such as staffing costs, training and bills.
You can read more about how we’re investing in childcare in England on the Education Hub.
St Giles' CE Primary already provides wrap-around care from 7.30-6.00pm each day.
To find out more about provision available, please click below.
https://www.st-giles.walsall.sch.uk/breakfastafter-school-provision/
If you would like to discuss wrap-a-round provision available, please contact Mrs Leonowicz (Family Support Manager) in the first instance.
lleonowicz@st-giles.walsall.sch.uk
Kind regards
Mark Dakin
Headteacher
St Giles' CE Primary School
Walsall Street
Willenhall
WV13 2ER
Office: 01902 368308 (*Ex 202) Direct Line
Website: www.st-giles.walsall.sch.uk
Twitter: @StGilesPrimary
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Spring Term Parental Questionnaire
Tue 06 Feb 2024Dear Parent/Carer,
Thank you to everyone who completed the Spring Term Questionnaire.
As always, all feedback is appreciated and valued and the school is committed to continually improving the provision and outcomes of children though school.
You Said/ We Did
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A parent requested if school trips could be paid in instalments. This has now been actioned.
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Some parents were unaware of Mental Health Support for children. Mental Health Provision was published sent out to all parents and can be accessed via the link.
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A parent requested that a beginners violin club was offered to pupils. This has been actioned with the first lessons taking place after the February break.
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Some parents were unaware of our SEND local Offer and how we support children with additional needs. Information can be found via the link below.
https://www.st-giles.walsall.sch.uk/local-offer-for-children-with-send/
https://www.st-giles.walsall.sch.uk/local-offer-for-children-with-send/
To those parents who have raised specific concerns please make contact so that meetings and support can be put in place to address. There is a lot of support in school available for both pupils and parents.
Thank you all for your responses I hope you all have a lovely half-term break.
Kind regards
Mark Dakin
Headteacher
St Giles' CE Primary School
Walsall Street
Willenhall
WV13 2ER
Office: 01902 368308 (*Ex 202) Direct Line
Mobile: 07846408946
Website: www.st-giles.walsall.sch.uk
Twitter: @StGilesPrimary
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Rewarding Behaviour - Trackit Points
Fri 26 Jan 2024Thank you to those who have responded to our Spring Term Questionnaire and left feedback. If you haven't had chance to complete, there is still time... Please click the link below.
Don't forget there are 22 Questions over two page and you need to click FINISH.
As promised, the school is committed to listening and responding to parental views.
From the questionnaire, a parent raised that they were unaware why their child had been awarded a certificate.
At St Giles' CE Primary School we use Trackit Lights consistently in every classroom from Nursery to Year 6.
Trackit Lights is a permanent feature on every teacher’s interactive whiteboard. It’s an engaging, motivational behaviour management tool bar down the right side of the board that allows teachers to quickly log positive and negative behaviour and motivate pupils.
As pupils accumulate Track-It Points they earn:
200 Points = Bronze Certificate
500 Points = Silver Certificate
800 Points = Gold Certificate
1000 Points = Platinum Certificate
1500 = Diamond Certificate
Points are rewarded For:
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West Midlands Measles Outbreak
Mon 22 Jan 2024With the recent outbreaks of Measles in the West Midlands, we have been instructed by NHSE that the MMR will be offered to all School Aged Children Reception onwards in our clinics which will be held at alternative clinics and NOT in school. There will be no online link for the E-Consent and a consent on the day will be completed.
'Vaccination UK have been instructed by NHSE to administer the MMR vaccination to all school aged children who are outstanding one or both doses. The MMR would have been given at the age of 1 year and the second dose at 3 years and 4 months. There has been an outbreak of Measles in the West Midlands which has been on the rise within the last few weeks.
Please check your child's vaccinations with their GP and if your child is outstanding one or both doses of the MMR, please contact their office on 01922 902035 to make an appointment. This will be at an alternative venue and NOT at the school'
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Wraparound Care Programme
Wed 10 Jan 2024Dear Parent/Carer,
As you may be aware, the government have announced an investment of £289m for a national wraparound programme to support all families who need to access wraparound childcare. Part of the statutory duty by the local authority is to collect data for us to be able to map parental demand for wraparound childcare.
Walsall Council’s Admissions & Education Sufficiency Team would like to invite you to complete a survey as part of exploring the expansion of Wraparound childcare.
In the March 2023 Spring Budget, the government announced an investment of £289m for a national wraparound programme to support all families who need to access wraparound childcare.
Wraparound childcare is childcare which is available from 8am to the start of the school day and from the end of the school day until 6pm. This does not include after school clubs such as choir, band, art club, football club etc.
With this in mind, we would be grateful if you could complete the survey below and submit your answers by Sunday 21st January. -
Reception 2024 Application Information
Wed 22 Nov 20232024 Reception Application
Action Required
Reception Admission to St Giles’ CE Primary School
Children born between
Apply for a primary school place
Action Required
Reception Admission to St Giles’ CE Primary School
Children born between 1 September 2019 and 31 August 2020 are due to start reception in September 2024.
Having a place in the nursery class attached to a school does not guarantee a place in the reception class at that school. You must send a separate application for a place in the reception class.
In order to ensure that your application is received and processed on time please complete as soon as possible.
This information has also been Emailed- please do check your account.
https://admissions.walsall.gov.uk/CitizenPortal/en
Kind regards
Headteacher
Mr M Dakin
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PREVENT Update
Fri 27 Jan 2023Dear Parent/Carer,
Over the last few months, The Prevent Team within DfE have been working to produce a new and up-to-date resource aimed at parents and carers to inform them of Prevent and how they can help in counter-extremism efforts with young people. It is understood that engaging with parents and carers has been an area of challenge and so the aim with this resource is to support and help facilitate your engagement with parents and carers.
The resource covers a number of areas of Prevent and Counter-Extremism, such as:
- What Prevent is
- The Channel process
- How to start difficult conversations with young people and
- Possible indicators of radicalisation in young people, among other topics
https://educateagainsthate.com/category/parents/
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NSPCC- Speak out - Stay Safe 2022
Tue 27 Sep 2022Dear Parent/Carer
RE: NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. online programme
I am pleased to tell you that this term we will be participating in the NSPCC’s Speak out. Stay safe. online programme. This consists of an online assembly and supporting classroom based activities. Speak out. Stay safe. is a safeguarding programme available to all primary schools in the UK and Channel Islands. It aims to help children understand abuse in all its forms and to recognise the signs of abuse in a child friendly way. Children are taught to speak out if they are worried, either to a trusted adult or Childline.
In the online assembly, the Speak out. Stay safe. messages are delivered in a fun and interactive way with the help of their mascot Buddy as well as special guest appearances from Ant and Dec.
We have studied the content of the materials and are extremely confident that they are appropriate for primary-school-aged children. By the end of the programme, we’re convinced children will feel empowered – knowing how they can speak out and stay safe.
If you would like to know more about the Speak out. Stay safe. programme you can find information on the NSPCC website www.nspcc.org.uk/speakout or I would be happy to discuss any questions that you may have.
Additional resources
Adapted assembly for home use
The NSPCC has also developed an adapted version of their assembly for parents/carers to use at home with their children. This can be found here: www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/support-for-parents/safety. With the help of celebrities, the film focuses on how a child can get support if they have any worries or concerns.
To complement the assembly, there are some resources that can be used to enable further discussion whilst doing activities with your children. These are hosted on the NSPCC website www.nspcc.org.uk/activities.
Online safety hub
You may also like to visit the NSPCC Online Safety Hub where you will find advice and information on a range of different online safety topics including gaming, social media, sharing nudes, parental controls and more.
You will also find online safety information for families of children with additional needs and disabilities. We have worked with Ambitious about Autism and parents and carers who have children with additional needs and disabilities to create activities to help talk about online safety which you can find at www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/online-safety-families-children-with-send.
Childline Under 12’s Website
Childline also have a website with age appropriate advice for primary school children on topics such as bullying. It also has games and other interactive tools. Your child can visit it at www.childline.org.uk/kids.
If you’d like to know more about the NSPCC’s work, or take a look at the wide range of information and advice which is available for parents and carers, please visit their website www.nspcc.org.uk/parents.
Talking PANTS with your children
Talk PANTS is a simple conversation to help keep your child safe from sexual abuse. From P through to S, each letter of PANTS provides a simple but valuable rule that can help keep your child safe. You can find out more and download the free resources at www.nspcc.org.uk/pants.
Penguin and Ladybird have partnered with the NSPCC to create a brand new Pantosaurus book aimed at children ages 4 - 8. You can find copies of the new book on sale, either in Matalan’s selected stores and online, selected SPAR stores or at https://shop.nspcc.org.uk/. All profits from the sale of this book will support the NSPCC.
Support the NSPCC
You may be interested in the NSPCC’s new selection of BUDDY goodies available from the NSPCC shop at https://shop.nspcc.org.uk/collections/buddy which make perfect gifts for children - and all profits go to help keep children safe.
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