Latest News

Update to PM's May 10th Announcement

Mon 11 May 2020 LLEE

Dear Parent/Carers,

I hope you all had an enjoyable bank holiday weekend and were able to make the most of the pleasant weather. Thank you to all those families who sent in photos of the children engaged in fun activities. It was great to see them taking part in making bunting, singing karaoke, colouring their hair and enjoying lots of cake. The photos will certainly make for an interesting display outside of my office.

I am sure like me, many of you will have watched the Prime Minister’s address to the nation last evening. You will have heard him indicating that the government believes it may be in a position to implement a phased re-opening of schools from 1^st June, starting with pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 6. This is part of the government’s conditional plan which it says will remain under regular review.

I have no doubt that many of you will have a number of questions about what this will mean for your child, in particular for those of you with children in these year groups. At this stage, like you, the information is still very new to us, and we are waiting for further clarification from the government and the Local Authority as to how any increase in pupil numbers can be implemented safely.

In the meantime, there are no changes to the measures which have been in place since Glebelands partially closed. Only those children of Key Workers or children with an Education Health Care Plan are currently permitted to attend school. I would also remind these parents to contact Mr. Kitchener to make him aware of your childcare needs; preferably by the Thursday prior to the new working week. This will allow him to ensure we have adequate staff on site to ensure the safety of both children and staff.

I want to reassure you that all of us at Glebelands want to get more children back to school as soon as possible, and we do not want to see the classrooms empty for a day longer than they need to be. I will continue to keep you updated as and when further information becomes available and I look forward to providing you all with some good news as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

L. Lee

May Bank Holiday update

Wed 06 May 2020 LLEE

Dear Parents/Carers,

I would like to begin by thanking you all for your continued patience while the school is partially closed, your dedication to your child’s home learning and most of all for your ongoing support for the school. This unprecedented, and what I am sure will be a considered momentous period in our lives, has been very demanding but hopefully there will soon be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Schools, like yourselves, are eagerly anticipating the Prime Minister’s briefing this coming Sunday which should provide us all with a clearer direction of travel for the coming weeks and months. Education settings across the country are already beginning to consider potential strategies for a gradual increase in pupil numbers, while maintaining the safety of pupils and staff. Unfortunately we will not be able to proceed with any firm plans until we have additional information and guidance from the Government. I want to reassure parents that as soon as we know more about how we reopen the school safely, you will be one of the first to know.

We have been receiving an increasing number of requests from parents who are Key Workers to provide a place at school for their child(ren). Throughout the partial closure of Glebelands, we have always ensured that a place has been made available for children of Key Workers and those with an Education Health Care Plan. As numbers steadily increase, I am requesting that parents let school know a week in advance if your child will be attending school and on which days. This is most important as it will allow us to ensure that an appropriate number of staff is on site, while ensuring that there is safe social distancing between our staff and pupils. Please contact Mr. Kitchener with your requests. His email address is mkitchener@glebelands.leicester.sch.uk

I would also like to ask all parents to make contact with your child’s teacher if you have not recently done so. It is important for parents and children to continue to communicate with their class teacher so that news can be shared and any questions answered. All families of the school should by now have received either an email, telephone call or Class Dojo from a member of staff. If you have not been in contact, can I request that you email your child’s teacher by the end of this week. Email addresses can be found on the school website.

This coming Friday is a national bank holiday and will celebrate the 75^th anniversary of VE Day. Given the significant reduction in demand for school places, Glebelands will therefore be closing for the day. I would request that families who are doing anything special at home to celebrate the occasion send me or their class teacher a photo or two. Under normal circumstances the whole school would have been decked in bunting with a ‘street party’ in the school grounds, children wearing 1940’s costumes and traditional games being enjoyed. I would like to create a display at school showing what the children have been doing to commemorate the event, and which they can enjoy when they return. You can email your photos to me directly at llee@glebelands.leicester.sch.uk or Dojo them to your child’s teacher.

In the meantime, I wish the whole Glebelands community a safe passage to the easing of the lock-down, when hopefully we too can look back at this difficult time and smile with a sense of victory.

Yours sincerely

L. Lee

Support for Children's Emotional Wellbeing

Fri 01 May 2020 LLEE

Please see below should you require support for your child's emotional wellbeing. Please pass this on if you know anyone who is struggling during these very difficult and trying times.

Thank you.

Psychology Service: Supporting Children and Young People’s Emotional Wellbeing

The Psychology Service have produced advice and guidance for for parents/carers and education staff to help them support children and young people’s emotional wellbeing and resilience during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Teacher and parents/carers are also able to book 30 minute telephone consultations if needed for support. The guidance can be viewed at https://schools.leicester.gov.uk/supportingemotionalwellbeing. Please could schools share via their websites/newsletter and social media.

Update from Mr. Lee

Fri 24 Apr 2020 LLEE

Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope that you have all seen the message from staff which has been sent to you on Class Dojo. I would like to thank Mr. Kitchener and Miss Pancholi for putting the whole thing together and for bringing a
little lump to my throat while watching it. We are all missing the children, from their excited reports
about home life, to the daft things which they get up to in the playground. I for one am looking
forward to the time when we can all get back into our usual routines.

You will have read a great deal recently about potential dates for a return to school. Some articles
have cited September while others have hoped for a return date of 1stJune. At present no indication
has been made to head teachers or the Local Authority about an anticipated reopening of schools. It
may also be worthwhile pointing out that parents, and indeed the rest of the nation, receive the same
information as schools – that which comes from Government’s daily briefings. It is therefore highly
likely that we will all be made aware at the same time when school doors will reopen.

I have received an increasing number of calls and emails this week from parents regarding the possibility of sending their child(ren) into school. I very much sympathise with the stresses and strains
of keeping the children engaged with their learning, while also trying to source activities which will
keep them active and entertained in the afternoons. I also realise that many of you are trying to do
this while fulfilling your work responsibilities. Schools must, however, continue to follow the same
instruction for children’s attendance which was communicated to us when we closed. Only those
children of Key Workers or those with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) are entitled to a school
place. For children of Key Workers, if there is another adult at home who can supervise the children,
then the expectation is for the children to stay at home.

If you find that your situation has changed or that your professional role now comes under Key Worker
status, and you have no alternative childcare, please contact me on llee@glebelands.leicester.sch.uk.

I am sure that everyone is ‘doing their bit’ to try and prevent the spread of the Corona virus and I have
no doubt that following government guidelines will enable us to get back to school as soon as possible.
In the meantime, I would ask that the children continue to work hard, play hard and keep doing their
best while they are away from Glebelands.

I hope you all get the opportunity to enjoy the good weather this weekend.

Yours sincerely,

Summer Term Begins!

Fri 17 Apr 2020 LLEE

Dear Parents/Carers,

The summer term has almost arrived! I hope you were able to enjoy the warmth and sunshine over the Easter break. Good weather often allows us to put some of the stresses and strains to the back of our minds (at least for a brief moment) and helps to raise our spirits. I don’t think it could have come at a better time.

I would like to thank all those parents who sent messages of support for our staff in recognition of good work which they have been doing over the Easter holidays. I have passed on your emails and your kind words were very much appreciated. I would also like to echo these sentiments and offer my own thanks to our dedicated staff for all of their hard work over the Easter holidays. Whether working from home, in the office, or coming in to school to work with the children, you are all super stars.

As I am sure you are aware school closures will continue for at least another three weeks when the national lockdown will be reviewed again. As we approach a new term, I would like to think that the children are preparing to get themselves back into a learning mindset, with daily routines being put in place and class pages being used to source learning activities. Teachers will be reviewing and updating the work which is being set on a regular basis, with a mix of both academic and fun activities being posted. I would also like to remind you that children and families can visit offschool.org.uk, which is a Leicester based website -created by teachers in Leicester- to engage children in a broad range of meaningful learning activities.

I have been contacted by several parents who have been unable to access their (income based) free school meal vouchers. You may have read on various news feeds that the organisation administering the vouchers on behalf of the government have been overwhelmed by the task. Unfortunately this has resulted in many families, both local and nationwide, being unable to access their vouchers.

The problem has also been compounded by emails containing voucher codes being classed as spam/junk and being found in these folders days later. Some parents have also not updated us with their new email address and so vouchers have been sent to their old email address. Fortunately the vast majority of vouchers now seem to be getting through. I would again like to thank Mrs. Pettinger for her hard work in helping to overcome some of the issues related to the voucher scheme over the Easter break.

A number of parents have also enquired about refunds for dinner money. This is a particularly difficult and time consuming process which we are currently working on in conjunction Parent Pay. For those parents who have contacted us about refunds, we will keep you informed of our progress.

Finally, some of you may be interested to know that I was contacted recently by our previous Head teacher, Mr. Dix. He was keen to know how the school community has been coping with the current difficulties and wanted me to pass on his best wishes. Mr. Dix narrowly escaped a lock-down in Mauritius where he was holidaying with family. (I suppose there are worse places he could have been stranded!)

In the meantime, I would like to wish you all the best for the coming weeks ahead and I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.

Yours sincerely

Learning Platform - offschool.org.uk

Thu 09 Apr 2020 LLEE

Dear Parents/Carers,

I am pleased to inform you that offschool.org.uk, a new home learning website, has been launched. The learning platform has been created thanks largely to the efforts of teachers in Leicester City schools.

Off School is free for all families. Throughout the school closure period local teachers and authors will be creating short films of fun learning activities for families at home to keep children excited and enthusiastic about learning. Off School also helps parents and carers navigate their way through the maze of activities that are available. There is also a competition zone.

The School Development Support Agency (SDSA), which is a local organisation, has been working with city schools to develop Off School and have dedicated their team’s expertise to provide this positive response to the needs of families alongside local schools.

To ensure as many families as possible have the opportunity to benefit from Off School, the resources are also active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter - @OffSchoolUK. The SDSA have asked that you get involved by tagging, sharing and tweeting their website to spread the word far and wide and get more families involved!

I do hope you will be able to make full use of the resources and have some fun at the same time.

Yours sincerely

L. Lee

Easter Opening - Update

Wed 08 Apr 2020 LLEE

Dear Parents/Carers

Due to a significant reduction in demand for childcare on Friday 10th and Monday 13th April, I have taken the decision to close the school on both days. We have contacted those parents whose children have been regularly attending and confirmed with them that childcare will not be required.

I mentioned in my previous letter that we would be remaining open on Good Friday and Easter Monday, however, given that a number of parents have since let us know that they have changed their plans, a decision has been made to shut the school.

As always, we will continue to remain as flexible as possible for the children of our Key Workers.

Yours sincerely

L. Lee

An Easter Message

Fri 03 Apr 2020 LLEE

Dear All,

Thankfully we have got through the first full two weeks of partial closure and isolation. I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone at this very unprecedented time and the situation we find ourselves in.

Teachers have been amazing in the way they have calmly transitioned into virtual teaching and ensuring work has been available regularly and responding to you all. Thank you to all my fabulous staff.

The leadership team have been busy dealing with all of the government’s overwhelming correspondence and ensured that we have been following legislation and making the right decisions. Our office staff have been extremely busy with organising free school meal vouchers (incredibly difficult), reporting to the Local Authority and trying to wade through paperwork in preparation for the new financial year – again, you have been amazing!

Parents and carers, I know you have been fully supporting your child/children at home with their work, with teachers reporting that you have sent some very supportive comments on Class Dojo. I hope that some positives might come out of this and that you have time to really get involved with what your child does at school instead of the usual shrug at home-time when they say they haven't done anything!!

The school will continue to function over the Easter holiday period, including the bank holiday weekend, for key workers and children with an EHCP. I would again like to thank my staff for volunteering to offer their time in order to support our parents who are on the front line. During the Easter period, school will be run as a fun/holiday club and will not be educational as it is the holidays, and regular work will not be set by teachers over this time for any children. After the two-week Easter break we will resume with the virtual learning.

I hope that you are all able to find new routines over the holiday period. I realise that this is difficult as you are unable to take the children out and about. Hopefully the weather will be kind and allow you to get out into the garden and dust off the BBQ!

Finally, to all our pupils at Glebelands, we miss you all incredibly and we are looking forward to the time when your excited faces and chatter once again brighten our corridors. Until then, keep safe, work hard and try to be on your best behaviour. Whatever happens, we will see you all again later this year – hopefully sooner rather than later.

Yours Sincerely

Lawrence Lee

Easter Opening

Mon 30 Mar 2020 LLEE

Dear Parents/Carers

In accordance with government requests for schools to remain open during the Easter period, I can confirm that Glebelands will be open during the weeks beginning Monday 6th April and Monday 13th April. Childcare will continue to be provided for children of Key Workers and those with an Education Health Care Plan.

In the meantime, I hope you are continuing to stay safe and remain in good spirits.

Yours Sincerely,

L. Lee

Home learning plans

Fri 27 Mar 2020 LLEE

Dear parents/Carers

I would like to thank you all for your patience and consideration while we put new measures in place. I realise many of you were frustrated at not being able to get hold of learning packs for your children, however given the escalation in risk, coupled with instruction from the government to make only necessary outdoor trips, we made the decision to limit access to the school premises.

Teachers have been working to develop structured lesson plans with clear links to online learning platforms. Hopefully these will be fairly intuitive for you to use and provide your children with ample scope for them to explore subjects which they are keen to engage with and allow for more structured timetabling. Please get in touch with your child's teacher through Class Dojo should you require additional guidance.

I appreciate that home-schooling brings its own challenges. Please try not to worry about getting things right, the main focus is to occupy and stimulate the children and keep 'ticking over' so that they do not lose what they have already attained. I realise that parents are juggling work and other responsibilities and have a lot to think about at present. The work being made available for the children is meant to offer you a degree of support.

In the meantime, we are always here to help.

All the best and stay safe.

Mr. Lee

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